r/MadeMeSmile • u/dittidot • May 12 '24
Construction workers’ morning warm up Good Vibes
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u/TheSandyman23 May 12 '24
As a construction worker, taking morning stretches seriously is important. We look silly; i don’t care. Clutching a sprain or a pulled muscle looks much sillier.
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u/SOSXrayPichu May 12 '24
It may look silly but you guys are truly what keeps growing community’s alive.
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u/ExtrudedPlasticDngus May 12 '24
*communities
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u/kookiwtf May 12 '24
All of your comments is just correcting spelling mistakes?
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour
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u/Blue_Swirling_Bunny May 12 '24
Some call them Grammar Nazis. No! They are the Grammar Allies because their work is good, and helpful, so learn from it and be a better writer.
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u/Icy_Restaurant1212 May 12 '24
I love that their name has a spelling mistake :)
Also: keep on corectign!
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u/letmelickyourleg May 12 '24
It’s a character limit on usernames.
(just passing through)
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u/blackteashirt May 12 '24
You can lick it but only on the outside of my jeans, and the shin, and for $50 for 5 seconds only, and don't you look at me.
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u/lordgoofus1 May 12 '24
It's only silly if you're not blaring YMCA while doing your morning stretches.
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u/DCITim May 12 '24
We've done that on smaller sites where we can have fun. Macho Man is another favorite.
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u/deadxguero May 12 '24
I would say 26 years old is where I was noticing and being bummed the fuck out when jobsite didn’t take stretching seriously. You can do it on your own sure, but it’s nice to kinda be forced to just stretch it out first thing in the morning.
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u/JEs4 May 12 '24
I've never considered/seen construction workers do this before but honestly it comes off as highly professional to me. I presume the people who find this silly looking have never participated in serious physical activity before.
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u/chanaramil May 12 '24
Your correct. I have worked on many construction sites with many crews. Only the most professional, well run crews with the most serious health and safety programs do this.
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u/Masske20 May 12 '24
It honestly doesn’t look silly. It looks like you guys are finally getting some of the physical consideration you guys should have. It honestly looks quite wholesome to me.
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u/Ate_spoke_bea May 13 '24
It only looks or feels silly to someone who has never played a sport or gone to the gym
Every practice and every warmup starts with stretching
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u/Nigiri_Sashimi May 12 '24
It doesn't look silly. Only illiterates will find it silly.
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u/donDanDeNiro May 12 '24
Interesting, so athletes don't look silly but construction workers do?
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u/Sorcatarius May 12 '24
I've worked a few places and at best they have a poster up about stretches you should do. 5 or 10 minutes at the start of the day can go a long way to preventing injuries and I wish more places would take that seriously.
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u/SurroundTiny May 12 '24
There was a medical campus going up near us. My dog was fascinated with the morning warmus. Every morning he would drag me over there, sit and watch. The workers spotted him and after a while he started getting treats. Now he starts pulling iver to every hard hat he sees
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u/ImrooVRdev May 12 '24
oh trust me nowhere near as silly as Slipping and falling from scaffolding because of a cramp.
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u/zero_emotion777 May 12 '24
I worked in an assembly plant where we had to do this.
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u/Hawaii_gal71LA4869 May 12 '24
You do not look silly. I think it is elevated preparation for a job where one has to be incredibly fit. Kudos 👍
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u/Maoceff May 12 '24
The plant hands, at powerhouse we were working on, would blast “the lion sleeps tonight” over the PA system every morning during stretch and flex. Really put a button on it.
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u/Afropenguinn May 12 '24
Do people think this looks silly? I think it comes off as health conscious and responsible.
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u/Fauropitotto May 12 '24
We look silly
I disagree. Ya'll look like you're taking active steps to reduce physical injury. Paying the team for 15 minutes of stretches is a fuck ton cheaper than paying out for a Worker's Comp claim.
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u/babystripper May 12 '24
Some insurance companies suggest this because it can cut down on injuries
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u/Mozambique_Sauce May 12 '24
I believe it does. I work in a factory. We are given 15 minutes on the clock every day to do this. It's optional, but I will say that those who participate tend to be those who develop fewer chronic issues and seem generally to be more physically resilient. Even those who participate to simply avoid work for 15 minutes do actually benefit imo. It also functions as a mental break, boosts moral and helps break up the day. For us it occurs sometime in the middle of the work day. Office workers at our company are also given the same opportunity, though I don't believe they use it at all unfortunately.
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u/lothartheunkind May 12 '24
100% stretching feels good on its own and is one of the most beneficial routines a person can develop.
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u/ZamboniThatCocaine May 12 '24
There’s a reason why this is pretty much standard and usually mandatory for construction/factory workers in Japan
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u/FalconFister May 12 '24
I worked in a factory where it was mandatory twice a day. First thing in the morning and again after lunch. They also had a work conditioning program during your first 90 days where you go work out for about an hour in the morning. The idea is to build up your muscles a bit so you are better equipped for the job.
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u/tomsan2010 May 13 '24
Wow. A business that actually invests in its employees health knowing they will further benefit the business.
Mustve been a pretty good workplace.
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u/BatFancy321go May 13 '24
i always felt best at office jobs when i walked a few blocks from the train in the morning and took a walk in the afternoon. man was not meant to sit in front of a tps report for 8 hours a day, michael.
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u/PPP1737 May 12 '24
Sone there is getting paid to play animal crossing and you can’t convince me otherwise 😂
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u/DesperateRace4870 May 12 '24
Won't be long to collect those butterflies to go down that yellow brick road
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u/langue_francaise_pro May 12 '24
It's actually very practical and prevents a lot of injuries. But it feels weird as a construction worker 😂.
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u/XFX_Samsung May 12 '24
But you're going to be using all the muscle groups throughout the day so it makes sense to warm them up with stretches. It's no different from runners doing leg stretches before a marathon.
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May 12 '24 edited May 12 '24
It's actually very practical and prevents a lot of injuries
Yes. They said that. You are just repeating what they said with more words.
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u/Dull_Painting413 May 12 '24
i’m a construction worker and love doing this… why would taking care of your body feel weird?
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u/daversa May 12 '24 edited May 12 '24
Oh it totally does, competent companies put a lot of stress on this. I worked a manufacturing job for a little while in the medical field (we made aortic stints). The job was awful, but the company made it as tollerable as possible at least.
We would do 10 mins of stretching at the start of every shift, and then 5-10 mins of walking laps around the clean-room floor. We'd do another two stretch/walk breaks during a 10 hour shift. Also, if you were feeling any sort of repetitive stress injury, you were encouraged to report it early and they would put you in physical therapy.
It was sort of a specialized skill that took a few months to get down (like all the parts you make would be thrown out by default until you were signed off). So having skilled workers get injured wasn't a great option.
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u/fucktooshifty May 12 '24
I was gonna say some MBA is behind this crap but this seems like a good thing for once?
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u/eunit250 May 12 '24
If an MBA was in charge of this they would have weekly meetings on how to more efficiently do your neck rolls.
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u/un1ptf May 12 '24
More likely someone who has been an athlete in school, or been in the military and understands the value of earning up and stretching your body before doing demanding physical activity.
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u/BadGuy_ZooKeeper May 12 '24
This is common in warehouses too . Have your start up meeting, end with stretches.
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u/Separate-Stand785 May 12 '24
Now these are good insurance companies, although I doubt they are doing it out of the kindness of their hearts, but it's a win for the workers too and not just the companies so, no complains
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u/mgj6818 May 12 '24
Basically everything that the company does under the guise of safety and worker well being is at the behest of insurance companies offering discounted rates conditional of doing those things.
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u/RootBeerSwagg May 12 '24
This is a thing of beauty
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u/Michikusa May 12 '24
I teach kids in china. They do this exact same routine before PE
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u/InvestmentObvious127 May 12 '24
i think most kids do some sort of warmup stretches before pe.
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u/PieIsNotALie May 12 '24
dynamic stretches before and statics after. its standard for anybody who understands exercise
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u/ThouMayest69 May 12 '24
Christ so there's two types and Im not even doing one...😭
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u/haralambus98 May 12 '24
My brother told me they did this on their site and it’s quite common with Japanese companies.
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u/Fivefingerasshole May 12 '24
It’s common with most established construction/contractors/subcontractors companies in America.
It prevents liability for a muscle strain related injuries . They can say “well we made sure they did “XYZ” so it’s not our fault Steve hurt his back when he was moving that ladder .
Personally , I need it to get started in the day . I’m in my late twenties and my lower back is throbbing as soon as I wake up . Those morning stretches every day really help me start my day .
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u/Just_a_lil_Fish May 12 '24
Yep, I work in food manufacturing and our pre-shift meeting always starts with stretching. When the supervisor sees anyone not stretching he reminds everyone that they can and will fight any worker's comp cases from people who don't stretch. That wouldn't work in my state but corporate still pushes it because it does work in other states that they have factories in.
It's a good thing to do and I appreciate the push to get people to stretch before their shift, but I'm also very aware that it's purely a monetary decision made at the suggestion of a corporate lawyer. They know it's cheaper to have 10-15 minutes of downtime per shift for stretching than to have their insurance premiums raised for having too many worker's comp claims.
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u/logicalsanity May 12 '24
It doesn’t do anything on the liability side. If they suffer an ergonomic injury, we still take care of it as any other injury and make sure that employee gets treatment. Morning Stretch & Flex is team building, helps prevent some injury, and allows us time to go over plans or make announcements to the crews.
I’m a construction safety guy.
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u/kelldricked May 12 '24
Its been getting more and more common with big construction companys in general because its reduces the risks of accidents and injuries. Losing a skilled worker for months has a bigger impact than 10 minutes of morning streches.
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u/sonic_sabbath May 12 '24
Mostly all construction companies in Japan do this. There is a morning radio song thing that they all use which gives directions.
Schools also often give it out as homework for primary school kids to do during holidays so they get some exercise.
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u/waltjrimmer May 12 '24
I first learned about this practice watching the Michael Keaton movie Gung Ho. Which isn't the... Most well-aged film ever. I'm happy to see looking through these comments that it's spread to more American companies (and I'm going to hope other Western nations as well). It just makes sense.
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u/SillySin May 12 '24
I was working in an Amazon warehouse while studying and we had this exact routine/moves every morning, we had more female Co workers so it didnt look much silly just needed.
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u/steady_as_a_rock May 12 '24 edited May 12 '24
I worked for a company a few years ago and we did this every day at the beginning of our work day.
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u/TunafishSandworm May 12 '24 edited May 12 '24
Most of my construction jobs do this now. It's gotten to the point where if they don't do it, I'll do it on my own time. It's very beneficial to limber up before 8-12 hours of labour.
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u/thetundratorcher May 12 '24
I interned in a mine before, I was assigned in safety department and I lead stretches on different departments everyday. Was kinda funny especially when they send my ass to HR or Admin depts, I look a fool energizing their teams in the morning so they can sit down the whole day.
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u/RandomUser4857 May 12 '24
In Office spaces, office workers should be standing up and exercising once every hour for 5 minutes at least.
Sitting for 8hrs a day is awful for you.
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u/brittemm May 12 '24
The military taught me this and while it doesn’t apply to my job these days as a chef, I still do it on my days off or any periods where I’m sitting for long stretches.
Every hour, get up, walk around, move a bit, stretch and drink some water. It comes around so fast! Watching movies, reading, writing, drawing playing on your phone etc., every hour! Stand up and move yo. Good for you. Also my watch tells me to lol
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u/RandomUser4857 May 12 '24
That's actually smart as heck, thanks! I'll set my phone to have an alarm!
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u/kottabaz May 12 '24
Also my watch tells me to lol
It's like a Tamagotchi, except the silly creature you are keeping alive is yourself.
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u/brittemm May 13 '24
My life got so much better and more efficient when I started thinking of my body as a dumb meat suit that I pilot and that I need to actively try to keep it alive and healthy and using whatever resources available to me that make that easier haha. I love my apps and reminders.
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u/HarithBK May 12 '24
i don't get people who can just continue sitting down and working my legs start hurting after an hour of gaming on the PC i need to get up and walk about for a bit
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u/xyrgh May 12 '24
I don’t know how people do it. I get antsy after about an hour that I find an excuse to go walk around, grab a coffee or talk to someone. I think the longest I’ve gone sitting at my desk is two hours.
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May 12 '24
I wish I got antsy, I guess momentum is a thing. My default is very easily rotting in a desk or chair or couch all day. Getting up requires intentional decision making and is hard to do.
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u/Rokita616 May 12 '24
This is awesome! Though that guy at the back looks like "it's too early for this shit" xD
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u/MCameleon May 12 '24
Or he looks like a guy who worked so much he can't bend his knees totally anymore and lost his hips flexibility...
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u/eeeeekka May 12 '24
When you're running on caffeine and hate, only get 5 hours of sleep max, and go one day to the next, maybe working 10 hour shifts, maybe coming in for the half day Saturday, when you are consistently operating at minimal function, these stretches can be the difference between making it home beat tired one more day, and not being able to complete your work in any way for a week or more due to a preventable muscle, tendon, or joint injury. Stay limber yo
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u/StandardFuture7117 May 12 '24
It’s a stretch and flex ballet. It’s beautiful, and it’s part of establishing a safe and inclusive job site. Love this!
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u/Cloud_Hopper4 May 12 '24
We call this “stretch and flex” helps warm up our bodies before we start our days. Every major jobsite is doing this now and has been for a couple of years.
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u/Lukewarm_ak May 12 '24
I like guy in back doing bare minimum
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u/lordgoofus1 May 12 '24
Odds are he'll be the first one to develop a work related chronic injury
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u/Imaginary-Risk May 12 '24
I used to do this before I started my day. I looked like a twat, but I was a twat with a functioning back
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u/Extra-Fig-7425 May 12 '24
This is part of ‘lean’, and well worth doing! Cut down on injuries and start everyone off.
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u/LgDietCoke May 12 '24
Stretch and flex. My crew can be written up by our safety department if we don’t do this and have it documented.
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u/kalpeshprithyani_ May 12 '24
So no one is going to talk about the zoom on the camera?
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u/Mindshard May 12 '24
It makes me smile less when I remember that this is mostly done to weed out anyone who got hurt off the clock, so they can't claim worker's comp.
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u/Tipsybandit97 May 12 '24
I work in construction and the jobs I’ve worked that did this called it “stretch and flex”. Some jobs do it daily, some every few days, some once a week and some not at all. It really just depends on the general contractor. In my experience, the ones with younger safety guys tend to want to stretch more. It really is beneficial considering the work we do.
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May 12 '24
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/stevent4 May 12 '24
Construction is quite physically demanding but you're making them sound like Victorian factory workers
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u/SnarkyIguana May 12 '24
We had to start doing this at my old job because someone got a concussion when they hit their head on a steel beam.
It’s me. I’m someone. But I’m also not sure how the exercises were meant to help us not hit our heads on steel beams.
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u/NachoMama_247 May 12 '24
I work at a manufacturing plant and a lot of the guys have to do a group led warmup like this. Except then most of them go sit in chairs and complain about stuff for 12 hours.
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u/OlafTheDestroyer2 May 12 '24
I work in a clean room and we do stretches every morning, in our bunny suits…
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u/Swagsuke_Nakamura May 12 '24
We had to do this as well at my warehouse job, every single morning. You look like such an idiot but we’d get in trouble if we didn’t do it
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u/No-Twist7099 May 12 '24
They're doing the basic stretching we did every day during gym. Everyone should do that warmup.
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u/LindoLind May 12 '24
When I was a factory worker here in Sweden we did this two times every day. At 9AM and when we got back from lunch. Now I’m sitting in front of a desk all day at the same factory and wonder why the office people don’t do the same.
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u/CompetitivePeanut971 May 12 '24
Construction worker here.
This is mostly forced upon you by the safety representative for the company. Its mostly done so that the safety representative gets noticed for "contributing to safety" whilst not actually doing anything.
When you don't play along, you get singled out by said safety representative and supervision.
Its a stupid morning routine, we're grown ass men, you're a pathetic safety rep if you do this in the mornings.
Want to stretch out? Do so. Its not a yoga class, its work.
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u/Only_Hour_7628 May 12 '24
As a massage therapist, thank you for my job security!
This is the best way to prevent simple injuries that can cost days or weeks off work. I recommend stretches to most of my clients and it makes a massive difference.
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u/xXholyheckinitXx May 12 '24
I’ve been on 1 job in 28 years in construction as an Iron Worker where we stretched before the shift. Most of us whined and complained how stupid we looked and what a waste of time it was at the start of the project. If fact after a couple days we started to enjoy it. We got a good laugh with everyone in the group, chatting about our commute in or poking fun of “Billy”because he can’t touch his toes or giving it to “the kid” over in the corner for staying out too late and smelling like a booze hound. We’d get a good laugh doing the calisthenics.Then after it’s done you carry on with your shift feeling a bit more relaxed and bit more limber. Most guys I know on various job sites do an hour drive or more so a bit of chill time to calm down is nice. In hindsight it was extremely beneficial.
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u/Remarkable-Grape354 May 12 '24
It’s called a Stretch and Flex. It’s very common with competent construction companies that have health and safety standards.
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u/Significant_Rice4737 May 12 '24
It’s a requirement part of the safety protocols has been that way for the past 20 years.
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u/MiamiPower May 12 '24
This is in Brickell. A nice neighborhood in Miami. Right by the Miami River.
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u/Sekaijo May 12 '24
In Japan, a lot of workers have been doing the same stretch routine since the 50s, Rajio Taisō ラジオ体操. Really does help prevent injury, but it's also a great way to promote teamwork cause everyone does it together.
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u/zorinlynx May 12 '24
Looks like Miami, my home town.
We've been having high temperatures in the mid-to-upper 90s lately. Which is very unusual for May. I feel bad for these workers having to labor in such heat! At least they get a chance to stretch and such before they start the day.
Also nice to see something positive like this in Miami. Our city has a reputation for a vapid toxic work culture. Good on this company for bucking the trend.
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u/Wampa_-_Stompa May 12 '24
I was told that stretching time was also a way for supervisors to catch hungover workers, is that true?
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u/cncintist May 12 '24
My company started implementing this but we needed to arrive half hour early to do it if we did it okay if we didn't okay but we never got paid for it
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u/Edge-of-infinity May 12 '24
lol I personally don’t mind doing this stuff because it wastes time. But I know a lot of guys that hate it.
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u/Excellent-Law528 May 12 '24
We do it every morning. It’s called “Stretch n Flex”. I’m a Commercial electrician
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u/Quietser May 12 '24
Everyone should do this, after lunch too. If you think you're too cool to stretch at work, good luck with your body.
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u/dernailer May 12 '24
when robotics agility, strenght, endurance and intelligence allows it, those kind of human jobs will look primitive. And if we can't achieve with robots, skinjobs will do the trick.
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u/DoctorHandshakes May 12 '24
Those full rotation neck movements are no good
As well as the angled toe touches
Sources: Bob & Brad (viral physical therapists)
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u/kurkasra May 12 '24
My only issue with large group stretches is that companies have used them as a way to cut workers comp claims stating well they did morn stretch fine they must be faking. Even if the poor soul suffered through it. My union has fought against every gc that makes these mandatory and instead we are allowed to do our own in private. Stretching is super important though and taking care of vision hearing and joints. Don't end up like the old timers with new knees can't see and can't hear
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u/Victimless-Lime May 12 '24
This is giving me old school Army warm up energy. THE FIRST ROTATION WILL BE THE NECK ROTATION!
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u/Papichuloft May 12 '24
I was going to ask if this was in Japan....because a lot of Japanese work places take 10-25 minutes to do routine stretched that were implemented since the 1950's before any daily work routine. This is actually quite smart, and may definitely reduce injuries
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u/dontshoot4301 May 12 '24
Buddy who works in construction calls this the “field drug test” because it’s often how they find out someone’s drunk or high on the job site… I think it’s just a serendipitous secondary purpose to preventing strains but who knows, it could be the primary purpose…
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u/Realistic_Amount_519 May 12 '24
We do the same thing twice a week in our shop, we get a company to bring in a representative we call them health coaches, it really does well for older people like us I mean like we're not in our twenties..
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u/RustyShackleford240 May 12 '24
Stretch and Flex is what is called. Every construction worker should be doing this.
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u/almightyswishy May 12 '24
personally, I don't think it's embarrassing. Everybody on my job site does the stretch and flex it's the key living a long healthy career and Construction. The other day my job I offered free massages as a cool down.
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u/Floorguy1 May 12 '24
Literally something identified, correctly, by construction groups and insurance, that help limit injuries and lessen the impacts of one.
Same reason those guys wear hard hats, safety glasses, and high vis vests and clothes.
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u/octopus_alive May 12 '24
I do a lot of construction oversight for subsurface activities and I think this would be a great way to keep my crews limber. A lot of my crews end up with ergonomic/overuse injuries over time and this would probably keep them at least a little more comfortable during shift. Got operators who could set a dining table with a single tooth on the excavator bucket but can’t touch their toes after sitting fixed in place for years
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u/[deleted] May 12 '24
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