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Recovery

4 questions answered about recovery for people who work with their hands.

You're doing damage faster than your body can repair it. That's not a criticism—it's the math of physical labor. Recovery isn't about taking time off (though that helps). It's about what you do after your shift ends, on your days off, and in the habits that stack up over time.

The Problem

Most tradesmen finish their shift, grab a beer, sit on the couch, and wonder why they feel like garbage the next morning. They're not recovering—they're just not working. There's a difference, and it matters over a 20-year career.

What You'll Learn

What to do in the 30 minutes after your shift ends, why static stretching before work is worse than nothing, how anti-inflammatory supplements actually work, and the recovery routine that lets you work hard without breaking down.

A landscaper named Pete asked me this question while barely able to stand up from his truck. "Twenty years I've been doing this. Why does it still hurt? Shouldn't I be used to it by now?" Short answer: No. That's not how it works. Long answer: Here's what's actually happening to your body. ## Two kinds of soreness What Pete was describing wasn't just one thing. It was two different processes stacked on top of each other. ### DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) This is the soreness that s...

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A concrete contractor named Sal invited me to watch his crew's end-of-day routine. They didn't have one. They drove home, sat on the couch, drank beer, and wondered why they felt like garbage. Sal asked: "What should we be doing?" Here's the routine that changed things for his crew. ## The 30-minute rule The most important window is the first 30 minutes after your shift ends. Your muscles are warm. Your blood is moving. Your body is primed for recovery—but only if you give it the right sig...

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A pipefitter named Carl showed me his supplement drawer. Thirty-seven bottles. "Been taking this stuff for years," he said. "Still hurt." I asked him to name what he took and why. He couldn't. Just bought whatever had the loudest claims on the label. Here's what actually works—and what doesn't. ## The three with real research ### Turmeric/Curcumin The research here is solid. Multiple studies show curcumin reduces inflammatory markers comparable to ibuprofen for some conditions. **What to...

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A foreman named Joe made his crew stretch for 15 minutes every morning. Static stretches. Hold each for 30 seconds. Did it for twenty years. Swore it prevented injuries. The research says he was probably doing more harm than good. ## The problem with static stretching before work Here's what the studies show: Static stretching—holding a stretch for 20-30 seconds—actually reduces muscle strength and power for up to an hour afterward. When you stretch a muscle statically, you're telling it t...

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