🎙️ Episode 42: Spring is approaching, and many of us are excited to get back in the garden.

But here’s an important question: can you handle a full day of gardening without being completely exhausted or suffer for days afterwards?

If gardening leaves you wiped out, it’s not just because “you’re out of practice”, it’s because the demands of gardening are too close to your body’s maximum capacity.

Chris references fascinating research shared by physiotherapist Dustin Jones (Episode 031) that measured how much effort healthy older adults put into everyday tasks.

They were using 75-85% of their maximum capacity just to get out of a chair or climb stairs.

Imagine doing dozens of repetitions at 85% of your max effort throughout the day. It’s absolutely exhausting, and that’s exactly what happens when you garden.

Building Your Safety Buffer

The key insight: when you build strength in the gym, your capacity increases, but the demands of gardening stay the same.

That 20kg compost bag is still 20kg, but it becomes 40% of your capacity instead of 85%.

You’ve created a buffer zone. When projects take longer than expected or you tackle something more demanding, you’re not crossing into injury territory – you’re just using some of your built-up reserve.

The 7 Movement Patterns Applied to Gardening

Chris breaks down exactly how each functional movement pattern shows up in common gardening tasks:

Squat – Planting bedding plants, weeding low areas (20-30 reps per session, often holding position for 30+ seconds)

Hip Hinge – Lifting compost bags (20kg), moving pots, picking up garden waste (the key injury-prevention pattern)

Lunge – Getting up from kneeling positions, maintaining balance on uneven ground, moving between planting positions

Push – Wheelbarrows (especially uphill), lawn mowers, breaking ground with spades, pushing up from kneeling

Pull – Deep-rooted weeds, using rakes, opening compost bags, dragging hoses (requires grip strength that declines with age)

Rotation – Using spades to throw soil, trimming hedges (where injuries often happen with heavy loads)

Gait/Carry – Carrying compost from car to garden, moving plant pots, full watering cans (10 litres = 10kg), garden tools

Get Fit FOR Gardening, Not BY Gardening

Most people think “I’ll get fit by gardening,” but it works the other way around. You need to be fit FOR gardening. Otherwise, you’re working at 80-85% capacity, exhausted by the end, and needing days to recover.

Build strength across these seven functional movement patterns before spring arrives, and you’ll transform your gardening experience from exhausting to enjoyable.

Resources Mentioned:

Episode 002: Strength Training 101 – How much weight, how many reps, how often to train

Episode 009: 7 Essential Movement Patterns – Deep dive into each pattern with exercise examples 

Episode 031: Interview with Dustin Jones: Falls Aren’t the Problem. Being Unprepared Is 

Free Ebook: Creating Your First 12 Week Strength Training Program https://nevertoooldtolift.com/ebook

Stronger for Life Course and Community: Includes weekly group coaching calls and community support https://nevertoooldtolift.com/course

Don’t wait until spring to start. Build your capacity and safety buffer now so that the gardening season is something you enjoy, not something you have to recover from.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Introduction: Preparing for Gardening Season
• 00:21 The Physical Demands of Gardening
• 01:46 Building Strength to Avoid Injury When Gardening
• 02:49 Seven Functional Movement Patterns
• 03:54 Squat Movement Pattern within Gardening
• 05:09 Hip Hinge Movement Pattern within Gardening
• 06:20 Lunge Movement Pattern within Gardening
• 07:14 Push Movement Pattern within Gardening
• 07:55 Pull Movement Pattern within Gardening
• 09:10 Rotation Movement Pattern within Gardening
• 10:04 Gait or Carry Movement Pattern within Gardening
• 11:19 Conclusion: Be Fit and Strong for Gardening
• 12:20 Resources and Further Support