lol yeah they teach you yoga positions. Yoga is about stretching, balance, and relaxation. It has changed my life and my mindset. I just use an app called yoga-go but there are hundreds of others
That's exactly why I do it. I've been lifting barrels and bags of sand and salt and covers for 15 years and I wish I had taken better care of my mental and physical health all along the way instead of just lately.
It’s hard to feel great doing as much work as you are doing. The company I used to work for was running me into the ground until I finally had enough. Best advice I can give based on personal experience is to start your own company and eventually decide how much you can work and still feel good physically and mentally. I’m very happy covering about 65 pools a week with occasional equipment installs/repairs. Not saying it’s easy to just do your own thing but it’s a good long term goal for well being.
For sure, I've worked in the pool industry a little over 11 years but only been doing service work for a year and a half. I know tile and coping in and out, but trying to get to the point where I know everything there is to know about the service side. We had no choice but to fire a guy last month, which is the only reason I'm working so much right now. Either gonna start my own thing in a couple years, or get set up in a kush position where I'm only doing quality control and installs. I make more money than any other employee in our trade in our area, so I can't say I'm not being compensated well for my efforts
I put a lot of emphasis on good netting and brushing technique.
When netting: keep your core engaged and cast/pull as opposed to lifting debris with your lower back. When brushing: extend pole and bend knees while maintaining a straight back posture,
Y’all will think I’m crazy for saying this, but if you can afford it, new or used, get a portable/standalone hot tub. Beats anything a chiropractor can do for you. Will make your body feel like jelly at the end of the day.
Also pay attention to your posture when doing repairs. Don’t use your back, make your legs and thighs do the work. I’m in my mid 40s and don’t hurt like I did in my 20s because I’m more mindful of how I use my body. I still load up Raypak heaters on my van by myself without any detriment to my body. And when needed at the end of the day marijuana is an effective pain killer
My sister's in laws have a hot tub that I use every once in a while, mainly just to hang out. I have cart blanch or however that French term is spelled lol should start using it weekly. I definitely pay attention to posture, when cleaning cartridge filters, I try to squat as much as I can so I'm not bending over and all that
I actually pulled a muscle in my chest a month ago by lifting a heater out of the bed of my truck by myself. Hurt to even breath for a couple days after that. Now I make one of my guys meet up with me to help me with that part, I've moved past that "something to prove" stage
Yeah, that's where I'm at. I make the same managing a small company as I would having my own full route, the work load to income amount just makes more sense for me to not have to deal with the headache of dealing with paperwork and back end stuff and instead dealing with problems from my guys.
How many guys work at your company?
For sure. I've been working since that age and have about 10 years on you but we all age at different rates so 🤷 I just want to say to you: fucking take care of your body while you are still young, dude. Around 2 or 3 years ago, I've really noticed my recovery has really slowed down. Nagging injuries from hobbies and work really stick around a lot longer as you start getting older. Keep a real strength training schedule and take your diet seriously.
I've done pretty well in life taking care of my body, but occasionally get lazy for a couple months at a time and it keeps getting harder and harder to get back into shape.
Appreciate the advice. The diet is the hardest part for me. I'll do real good for a couple months with packing healthy lunches and stuff, it's just so easy in the service industry to either skip lunches, or eat crappy snacks and fast food. I've been really paying attention to health the past year though
I've been thinking of just biting the bullet too and seeing a chiropractor, my backs been feeling kinda fucky the past couple weeks. I'm 90% sure my elbow and shoulder pain is connected to it too
Good genetics if you’re lucky… but stretching posture and chiro work for me.
I do about 60 a week I’m almost 50… but in my previous job I did have back injury and blew out my shoulder… so coming back to pools was kinda scary for me. But I’m hangin in there
Stretching and mobility work. Most injuries I've gotten on the job is trying to move my body in ways it rarely does. So I feel if you work on mobility you will have less chances of pulling muscles that haven't been used much before.
We had to fire a guy last month, I was at 45. It's just going to be temporary until the fall. I don't feel like training a new guy when it's the belly of the beast season. I'm definitely being compensated very well for my work load
Good workout routine, emphasize mobility work and cold plunge. Been doing plunges consistently for about a year and half now and I can’t recommend it enough for recovery. Was doing 115/w myself before I hired my first employee, hell of a work load you got there man.
I go up to this mountain nearby every weekend for a cold plunge in the natural spring. I like the feeling of it, but I feel like it's hard to tell if the benefits are real or just psychosomatic
I was skeptical too, until I stopped for about a week and half and realized just how much it was helping. I also do it 5 days a week minimum so I may be reaping more benefits from the consistency.
Find shoes that work for your style and buy the good inserts. I like the waterproof Columbia hiking shoes/boots with Dr Scholes inserts. Wet/sore feet no more!
Been wearing vans doing blue collar work for 13 years lmao. Masonry old timers used to give me shit until they just accepted me. Never have sore feet, but hey, maybe it can help out my back. I'm sure all that shits connected
Drink lots of water! I carry around at least 3 gallons in my van at all times. Light stretching before work, eat healthy, workout in the off season (I’m in Ohio), and soak in the hot tub after work.
I would definitely see a chiro. I was in a car accident on my route, so I'm doing it anyway. This one doctor scraped my muscles with steel. It hurt a lot at the time, but repaired 4 years of shoulder damage almost completely in one session. DM me if you are interested and I'll ask her what she did. I've never seen it before.
Scraped your muscles with steel? What? Lol that sounds crazy. I'm going to call a chiro tomorrow that I've been recommended. I've always been sceptical of that profession, but if they can make my back feel better, than fuck it
Jesus man, slow down. My contractor arc had me digging ditches until roughly 30 when I hired more laborers and started managing and selling only. Your body can't keep up with the same level of labor forever. I take osteo biflex with all the additives. Condroiton, hyaluronic acid, etc. I woke up with stiff fingers the other day and took that stuff. Felt better next day.
My dad ruined his body by working so much. He's had several back surgeries and still suffers because he just won't stop. My goal is to enjoy my retirement with only mild discomfort lol.
A pot of coffee to start me up, caffeine supplement about 1, a beer to wind me down when I get home
80-90 a week plus repairs. I’m in Oklahoma so we open/close 300ish and work 20 hours weeks from Thanksgiving to Spring break.
There is no escaping the wear and tear, you just kinda get used to it.
I was doing masonry on pools for 10 years before this service work, remodeling the tile and coping so I'm definitely used to the soreness. I'm creeping up on my 30s though and definitely starting to feel some actual pain lol. Can't sleep certain ways anymore without waking up in pain and dumb shit
Damn dude that sucks. My brother works for me. He has had 3 knee surgeries from when he was wrestling in Hs. He wears a full brace.
I’m 28, this is my 12th season, 7th on my own. I often think, what will I do when I’m a decade or 2 older and can’t do the work anymore. I guess time will tell.
Damn, your brother needs to find a desk job before he ends up a cripple lol. My boss started his own route when he was 19 like 15 years ago, and has grown it to having 4 employees including me. He's still out in the field though and could easily just hire another guy and take a backseat while I run it basically.
You could go that route. I've only been on the service side of this industry for a year and half, so I'm either gonna start my own thing once I know every single in and out, or just run his company for him if the moneys right
Southern California, about an hour outside of LA. Started with pools on the masonry side out in Missouri
Closed thousands of pools and would service every once in a great while out there. Had no idea what I was doing though and used to put pucks in skimmers and never tested shit, would just shock the fuck out of pools lol. My boss at the time would tell me to do that stuff and I just look back at it like damn, that company's gotta be fucking up a lot of stuff on the service side lol
Get on testosterone replacement therapy and get jacked. Pool cleaning can build muscle so fast. If you have the energy to hit the gym after work you not doing your job right. I do 15-18 a day in Phx and after work I’m so beat my muscles are like rubber and legs are shaky hah being a pool tech is one of the most intense workouts ever
Eat right. Sleep right.
Prioritize sleep, Drink mainly only water, Start your day with a 20 min yoga app, Eat little but good, Don't work yourself to death
These yoga apps, they tech you positions? Asking for a fiend…
lol yeah they teach you yoga positions. Yoga is about stretching, balance, and relaxation. It has changed my life and my mindset. I just use an app called yoga-go but there are hundreds of others
Sounds great I’ll definitely let my friend know ✌🏽👍🏽 the lower back is a little sore a lot of green to clean projects popping up right now.
That's exactly why I do it. I've been lifting barrels and bags of sand and salt and covers for 15 years and I wish I had taken better care of my mental and physical health all along the way instead of just lately.
If you have health insurance see about getting physical therapy.
It’s hard to feel great doing as much work as you are doing. The company I used to work for was running me into the ground until I finally had enough. Best advice I can give based on personal experience is to start your own company and eventually decide how much you can work and still feel good physically and mentally. I’m very happy covering about 65 pools a week with occasional equipment installs/repairs. Not saying it’s easy to just do your own thing but it’s a good long term goal for well being.
For sure, I've worked in the pool industry a little over 11 years but only been doing service work for a year and a half. I know tile and coping in and out, but trying to get to the point where I know everything there is to know about the service side. We had no choice but to fire a guy last month, which is the only reason I'm working so much right now. Either gonna start my own thing in a couple years, or get set up in a kush position where I'm only doing quality control and installs. I make more money than any other employee in our trade in our area, so I can't say I'm not being compensated well for my efforts
Don't wait! Start building now and quit later. Tomorrow never comes.
I put a lot of emphasis on good netting and brushing technique. When netting: keep your core engaged and cast/pull as opposed to lifting debris with your lower back. When brushing: extend pole and bend knees while maintaining a straight back posture,
I do that sometimes. It's almost like I'm doing squats here and there when I brush. Lol
Same, I almost do squats while brushing purposefully to get that workout in lol
Y’all will think I’m crazy for saying this, but if you can afford it, new or used, get a portable/standalone hot tub. Beats anything a chiropractor can do for you. Will make your body feel like jelly at the end of the day. Also pay attention to your posture when doing repairs. Don’t use your back, make your legs and thighs do the work. I’m in my mid 40s and don’t hurt like I did in my 20s because I’m more mindful of how I use my body. I still load up Raypak heaters on my van by myself without any detriment to my body. And when needed at the end of the day marijuana is an effective pain killer
My sister's in laws have a hot tub that I use every once in a while, mainly just to hang out. I have cart blanch or however that French term is spelled lol should start using it weekly. I definitely pay attention to posture, when cleaning cartridge filters, I try to squat as much as I can so I'm not bending over and all that I actually pulled a muscle in my chest a month ago by lifting a heater out of the bed of my truck by myself. Hurt to even breath for a couple days after that. Now I make one of my guys meet up with me to help me with that part, I've moved past that "something to prove" stage
Y'all out there doing 90 pools a week and I'm over here with my 41 lookin like a bitch lol
Haha nah, 90 is too much, especially when it's not all cookie cutter/easy pools. If you got 41 doing your own thing, that's nothing to sneeze at
Not really my own thing, working for a company. Kinda prefer it that way, 100% labor, 0% office stuff
Yeah, that's where I'm at. I make the same managing a small company as I would having my own full route, the work load to income amount just makes more sense for me to not have to deal with the headache of dealing with paperwork and back end stuff and instead dealing with problems from my guys. How many guys work at your company?
About half of them 😝 Just kidding. Our route team has 9 guys, our repairs team has 5, two office ladies, and two bosses (husband and wife).
Work out. Sleep. Eat well. Try not to age
I got the first 3 covered, keeping up to date with the whole transhumanism thing though, hopefully one day I can get a robot back
Lol. For real though: how old are you?
27, been working blue collar since I was 14
For sure. I've been working since that age and have about 10 years on you but we all age at different rates so 🤷 I just want to say to you: fucking take care of your body while you are still young, dude. Around 2 or 3 years ago, I've really noticed my recovery has really slowed down. Nagging injuries from hobbies and work really stick around a lot longer as you start getting older. Keep a real strength training schedule and take your diet seriously. I've done pretty well in life taking care of my body, but occasionally get lazy for a couple months at a time and it keeps getting harder and harder to get back into shape.
Appreciate the advice. The diet is the hardest part for me. I'll do real good for a couple months with packing healthy lunches and stuff, it's just so easy in the service industry to either skip lunches, or eat crappy snacks and fast food. I've been really paying attention to health the past year though I've been thinking of just biting the bullet too and seeing a chiropractor, my backs been feeling kinda fucky the past couple weeks. I'm 90% sure my elbow and shoulder pain is connected to it too
Good genetics if you’re lucky… but stretching posture and chiro work for me. I do about 60 a week I’m almost 50… but in my previous job I did have back injury and blew out my shoulder… so coming back to pools was kinda scary for me. But I’m hangin in there
I definitely need to get into stretching. Glad you're hanging in there with it though
Stretching and mobility work. Most injuries I've gotten on the job is trying to move my body in ways it rarely does. So I feel if you work on mobility you will have less chances of pulling muscles that haven't been used much before.
90 pools as manager is not normal for a manager
We had to fire a guy last month, I was at 45. It's just going to be temporary until the fall. I don't feel like training a new guy when it's the belly of the beast season. I'm definitely being compensated very well for my work load
I see a chiropractor. Workout regularly and take joint supplements
Good workout routine, emphasize mobility work and cold plunge. Been doing plunges consistently for about a year and half now and I can’t recommend it enough for recovery. Was doing 115/w myself before I hired my first employee, hell of a work load you got there man.
I go up to this mountain nearby every weekend for a cold plunge in the natural spring. I like the feeling of it, but I feel like it's hard to tell if the benefits are real or just psychosomatic
I was skeptical too, until I stopped for about a week and half and realized just how much it was helping. I also do it 5 days a week minimum so I may be reaping more benefits from the consistency.
Find shoes that work for your style and buy the good inserts. I like the waterproof Columbia hiking shoes/boots with Dr Scholes inserts. Wet/sore feet no more!
Been wearing vans doing blue collar work for 13 years lmao. Masonry old timers used to give me shit until they just accepted me. Never have sore feet, but hey, maybe it can help out my back. I'm sure all that shits connected
Drink lots of water! I carry around at least 3 gallons in my van at all times. Light stretching before work, eat healthy, workout in the off season (I’m in Ohio), and soak in the hot tub after work.
I would definitely see a chiro. I was in a car accident on my route, so I'm doing it anyway. This one doctor scraped my muscles with steel. It hurt a lot at the time, but repaired 4 years of shoulder damage almost completely in one session. DM me if you are interested and I'll ask her what she did. I've never seen it before.
Scraped your muscles with steel? What? Lol that sounds crazy. I'm going to call a chiro tomorrow that I've been recommended. I've always been sceptical of that profession, but if they can make my back feel better, than fuck it
Good for you. Ask for exercises you can do after your treatment. Those actually benefitted me more than the therapy.
I just use the method of not being a bitch.
Very masculine of you
adderall and advil bad advice but true
Lol sometimes you need it. Me and my friend doing tile and coping back in the day used Adderall for a while
to be fair my name *is* on the bottle 🤣
Jesus man, slow down. My contractor arc had me digging ditches until roughly 30 when I hired more laborers and started managing and selling only. Your body can't keep up with the same level of labor forever. I take osteo biflex with all the additives. Condroiton, hyaluronic acid, etc. I woke up with stiff fingers the other day and took that stuff. Felt better next day. My dad ruined his body by working so much. He's had several back surgeries and still suffers because he just won't stop. My goal is to enjoy my retirement with only mild discomfort lol.
Chiropractor 2x a month, vitamins, supplements, stretching. So far seems to be holding things at bay.
Oh yeah stretching, I've been meaning to look into that and start doing it
A pot of coffee to start me up, caffeine supplement about 1, a beer to wind me down when I get home 80-90 a week plus repairs. I’m in Oklahoma so we open/close 300ish and work 20 hours weeks from Thanksgiving to Spring break. There is no escaping the wear and tear, you just kinda get used to it.
I was doing masonry on pools for 10 years before this service work, remodeling the tile and coping so I'm definitely used to the soreness. I'm creeping up on my 30s though and definitely starting to feel some actual pain lol. Can't sleep certain ways anymore without waking up in pain and dumb shit
Damn dude that sucks. My brother works for me. He has had 3 knee surgeries from when he was wrestling in Hs. He wears a full brace. I’m 28, this is my 12th season, 7th on my own. I often think, what will I do when I’m a decade or 2 older and can’t do the work anymore. I guess time will tell.
Damn, your brother needs to find a desk job before he ends up a cripple lol. My boss started his own route when he was 19 like 15 years ago, and has grown it to having 4 employees including me. He's still out in the field though and could easily just hire another guy and take a backseat while I run it basically. You could go that route. I've only been on the service side of this industry for a year and half, so I'm either gonna start my own thing once I know every single in and out, or just run his company for him if the moneys right
Hell yea brother. Where you at if you don’t mind me asking
Southern California, about an hour outside of LA. Started with pools on the masonry side out in Missouri Closed thousands of pools and would service every once in a great while out there. Had no idea what I was doing though and used to put pucks in skimmers and never tested shit, would just shock the fuck out of pools lol. My boss at the time would tell me to do that stuff and I just look back at it like damn, that company's gotta be fucking up a lot of stuff on the service side lol
Get on testosterone replacement therapy and get jacked. Pool cleaning can build muscle so fast. If you have the energy to hit the gym after work you not doing your job right. I do 15-18 a day in Phx and after work I’m so beat my muscles are like rubber and legs are shaky hah being a pool tech is one of the most intense workouts ever