About

By Jim Breidenbach, ROII Field Representative

When I think about things I wish I had known 20 years ago, it isn't a new tool or a piece of equipment.

It's something much simpler: warming up before physical work.

Now that I'm in my 60s, I look back on my years in the remodeling industry and realize how often I asked my body to do things it wasn't prepared for. I'd grab a stack of lumber, carry sheets of drywall, move particleboard, or help lift a heavy countertop without giving a second thought to what that sudden strain was doing to my muscles and joints. Over time, those small stresses added up. Today, they're the aches, pains, and stiffness that remind me every morning that construction work takes a toll on the body.

What finally changed my perspective was coaching athletes.

For the past decade, I've worked as a triathlon swim coach. One of the first things we teach athletes is that you don't jump into a hard workout with a cold body. You warm up first. You get blood flowing. You prepare your muscles and joints for the work ahead.

Then it hit me: construction workers are industrial athletes.

Think about what we ask our bodies to do every day. Lifting, carrying, climbing, crawling, digging, pushing, pulling, twisting, and reaching overhead. Those are athletic movements. Yet many of us start the day by stepping out of a truck and immediately tackling physically demanding work without any preparation.

That's where dynamic warm-ups come in.

Unlike traditional stretching, a dynamic warm-up uses controlled movements to increase circulation, improve mobility, and prepare muscles for activity. The goal isn't to break a sweat or spend 20 minutes exercising. A few minutes of movement before a strenuous task can help your body perform more efficiently and may reduce the risk of strains and sprains. Research shows that dynamic warm-ups help increase blood flow, improve mobility, and prepare the body for physical activity.

One thing I've learned is that timing matters. Many companies perform Stretch & Flex exercises at the beginning of the shift, which is a good start. But if you've been sitting through a meeting, driving between jobsites, or just finished lunch, your body has cooled down. Before tackling a physically demanding task, it may be worth taking another minute or two to get your muscles moving again.

The older I get, the more I realize that protecting your body isn't about avoiding hard work. It's about preparing for it.

That's one of the reasons I'm excited about ROII's new Aging Workforce: Protecting Your Legacy Workers class. Construction experience is earned over time, and simple habits like proper body mechanics, ergonomics, and dynamic warm-ups can help workers stay healthier and productive throughout their careers.

If I could go back 20 years, I'd spend a few minutes warming up before lifting that stack of lumber or hauling that sheet of drywall. It seems like a small investment, but over the course of a career, those small investments add up.

Your body is one of the most important tools you'll ever use. Take a few minutes to prepare it before putting it to work.