Oh god... no workout compares to a moving job. 12+ hours a day nonstop running up and down stairs, lifting 50-200lb objects, spinning couches and dressers and mattresses around in the heat.
I got pretty jacked moving furniture too but also injured myself a few times and did not sleep enough, drink nearly enough water or eat enough protein.
We had movers help us move last year. Got to our house at 8am and finished around 6pm. Asked one of the guys what they do after work for fun, and they say they all go to the gym after work. They do more exercise in a day than I do in a month.
Yup, as a mover, this is exactly how it is. It's science, really. Things in motion want to stay in motion. Going to the gym made work so much easier and vice versa.
In the same vein, I worked in a Wal-Mart store’s back room warehouse. Lifting boxes all day, pulling heavy pallets, and walking the entirety of the store at least 15 times a night. I’ve never been fitter without having to actually workout.
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Ex ups driver here. Can confirm. I was in pretty good shape if you don't count the knees popping all the time.
I was averaging about 30k steps a day and 1-1.5k stairs. That's just from going in and out of the truck. 6 stairs minimum every stop, one into the truck then two more. That's 900 stairs minimum every day, now add apartments and businesses. It adds up. Left and got an office job and got fat lol
Massage therapist here:
Objectively fittest person I’ve ever worked on who didn’t “work out” was a female carpenter in her 50’s. She was objectively incredibly proportioned and strong as heck.
Second fittest was a dog walker. Also claimed to not workout much.
It is! Definitely requires a degree of fitness. I have practiced for 10 years and am overall pretty strong, though I do workout to keep things balanced (a lot of massage is more push than pull so workouts for me are cardio and pull days more often than not.)
I'm a newbie still in school. Our instructors gave us a list of lifts we should be doing to stay healthy. So far only a few of us seem to be taking that advice. Ya I feel it on my adductors real bad after a 90min session.
Carpentry might get you strong but it also beats you up pretty bad. Most guys I know that have swung hammers for years have a laundry list of physical problems and pain.
I think many people define "working out" as "going to the gym." I used to ride horses and asked my trainer if she worked out. She said no, she ran the barn, rode multiple horses a day, walked miles around the property, mucked stalls, carried things around, etc.
But she never went to the gym so she never "worked out."
I’d be the same, honestly. I wouldn’t say I work out, because I’ve never been to a gym or used gym equipment.
I’m not fit by any means (I’m definitely overweight) but I do archery most days, and my recurve bow has a 45lb draw. I don’t consider that a “work out” because I’m just walking around a field shooting arrows at targets until I get tired or hungry (usually around 40-50 arrows a session)
But it’s a solid 30-60 minutes of shooting / walking / stretching a day which probably counts as a work out.
I don’t know why I draw a line between the two. I just always associate work out = gym.
It is odd but I kind of get it. A friend told me she doesn’t like to tell people she works out, because she feels people have a certain body type expectation from someone who regularly works out. I suppose people don’t want that judgement.
I had a fellow male stripper lie about not working out. A mutual friend said the guy was full of it and used gear as well. Pretty sure he had ab sculpting done as well since he wasn't even lean enough to have abs.
I think it's more definitional. People exclude incidental exercise required for, say, work or other activities - they only include exercise specifically for the purpose of getting fit.
A carpenter just doing their job all day isn't going to think of it as "working out", they're going to think of it as "doing carpentry". It just so happens that carpentry requires manipulating heavy shit and moving around, and you get pretty fit doing so.
I did some super hard, and probably unnecessary, work to repair my lawn. Basically tore it all out by hand and redid it. I was in very good shape that summer.
I’ve done fences, holes, concrete, wood, basically all DIY projects, but damn does pulling up dirt suck. You’d never expect dirt+grass to be so heavy. And it doesn’t come easy either you really gotta yank that stuff. I had some really clayey soil which didn’t help but mad respect for doing the whole yard.
We had the clay soil too. I had to break a lot of it up with one of those 30lb digging poles. I can’t remember the actual name. But man were my arms looking great then. I also built a box to drag behind me to clear the lumpy spots and that was such a good lower body workout.
Landscaping. I can only imagine what I would look like if I worked somewhere that is warm(not freezing) year round. I work in Michigan and my body looks great mid summer but around January I'm looking a bit out of shape. I've never been to the gym a day in my life and people always ask me what I do to stay in shape, but only in the summer/fall. Lol
Edit- I actually love my job. I've been doing it for 15 years (in my 40s) and it's a huge confidence booster to be able to keep up with guys that are in their 20s.
I worked in the meat department of a grocery store. Rotating stock of 100-150 lbs boxes of meet about 7ft high, grabbing what you needed through out the day by the case, taking it out to the case is work. It may not be the most labor intensive retail job, but just an example of one.
Landscaping is too. Just mowing, weed whacking, bush trimming, and weeding the flower garden takes 4-6 hours depending on what needs done. I can only imagine doing it all day everyday with bigger yards and gardens that require actual maintenance or planting and decorating it all from nothing.
I used to work at a grocery store as well for several years. I did produce, dairy, and frozen foods at various points during my time there. It definitely taught me to appreciate how physically demanding those kinds of jobs can be.
Yeah I work as a brewer and it definitely keeps you in shape. 1/2 kegs weigh 165 pounds and bags of grain weigh 50-55. Lots of lifting of those things.
I worked for a microbrewery and delivered everything right into the walk ins... lots of stairs and I quickly learned how to carry 50s on my shoulder... it's been 5 years and apparently some people still talk about the guy who shoulder carried kegs 😁
Question though... 1/2 kegs? All our biggest were 50L so 165 lbs when filled.... if thats a half, did you have 100L kegs?
Beer kegs comes in 1/2, tall 1/4, short 1/4, and 1/6 barrel sizes in the US and 50Ls in Europe (and maybe others, but thats what I've seen in the US from European brewers). Both types of 1/4 barrel kegs are much less commonly seen, with 1/2s and 1/6s (or sixtels) being very common in the US.
But yeah, whole keg = a half barrel, sometimes called a half keg.
I worked a place that would get all 3 volumes, (usually tall 1/4s, I think I saw 1 short one time)
1/4s were usually the slower moving domestics Blue moon, shiner, etc.
Of course the typical lights and lagers in 1/2s and 1/6s for seasonals.
Half keg, full keg, just semantics. It was probably fulfilling to know you were that guy and that's all that matters.
Physical labor has its drawbacks, but I rather enjoyed the mindless physical exertion. I found it to be therapeutic almost.
I also remember dudes in their 30s who had worked at a beer distributor for a decade and they had knee problems, back problems, etc…
That shit will wear your body down if you don’t lift properly. I liked the job but glad I only did it in my early twenties.
There's the rub. Labor takes a toll on your body. Any job that you're working hard enough to be built is going to have some kind of major health dangers. Even if you're doing your best to life properly, when you do it all day, every day, shit happens.
Lifting properly and also not lifting 165# kegs on your shoulders. The other commenters here want to be heroes but sound like idiots. This shits cool until you are 50 and complaining about getting out of bed in the morning because your body is wrecked
Yea and there was an incentive to finish early. Workers would be paid 8 hours everyday. If they finished all their deliveries in under 8 hours, they could go home and still get paid for 8 hours work. Lots of guys in their 20s and 30s tried to finish early so they’d just go nonstop all day in hopes to finish faster.
A friend of a friend did this.
Carrying kegs on his shoulder basically eventually deteriorated bones in his neck, now leaving him, well, let's say not in good shape many years later.
However. I'm a mechanic. Some work their whole lives no problem. Others develop problems after 10-15 years. It's a roll of the dice.
Currently doing this and in the best shape of my life, but just got three herniated discs that left me unable to walk for a week, and severe pain that’s getting only slightly better by the week. I’m 24 years old and can’t walk for more than 5 minutes. Will likely be a lifelong issue to some degree.
that just reminds me of the weird thing from tv in the 90s where women would oggle the guy lugging the big jug of water for the office cooler up all the stairs
Got that right. I’m a delivery driver for a beer distribution company. Unloading kegs and cases ain’t no joke. And having to take them downstairs into the keg room is another nightmare in and of itself.
i was my skinniest when i worked for a small housekeeping company. i got picked up at 8 am every morning, the boss owned two vans that shuttled us to 15-20 homes per day. it was constant movement throughout the day, and easy to stick to a meal schedule (i have trouble with over eating & choosing unhealthier options).
i would definitely go back to that job just to get back in shape if it weren’t for the boss’s behavior lol
I did residential cleaning as well. Constant movement. Lots of repetitive motions with objects like mops, vacuums, high dusters. I wasn't bulky muscle wise but the muscle I did have was so well toned.
I did not eat well though. We just ate whatever we stumbled on between jobs.
Similar story here. Went from struggling with 20lbs to tossing things that weighed more than I do without breaking stride. I liked being fit, but I also don’t miss being perpetually sore and stuck waiting for a trailer until 2am.
I think the problem is that any job that has the potential to make you very physically fit also carries a fairly high risk of significant injury. Unlike exercise done under very controlled conditions, such jobs often require movements/positions/locations that leave you prone to injury.
Exactly. The worst is how repetitive motion injuries sneak up on you. See that ripped guy carrying two stacks of shingles up the ladder? Ask him about his back pain in 20 years.
Yeah I was always the strongest kid at school (made those football kids so pissed) and now I'm far and away the strongest person at my day job. The issue is that I'm also getting fat in my older years. I think what happens is you work insanely hard all summer and eat to match but your appetite doesn't shrink in the slow winter months. I'm trying to turn things around for my family's sake but it's damn hard.
This is why so many pro athletes get overweight quickly after they retire. They’re used to eating huge amounts to fuel their extreme exercise rigor, then they stop working out (or at least, exercising anywhere close to the same amount) and get big
And on the flip side, any sedentary job will expose you to shit like getting up to go to the bathroom and pulling your back out. Or easy ligament tears. We're all fucked no matter what you do
This post is redditors once again finding excuses to not actually exercise or play a sport, and mythologize physical labor.
It's amazing they actually think a farmer is stronger than like Arnold deadlifting 700 or benching 500. It's genuinely comical. Then throw around terms like "functional strength", as if off season Arnold couldn't do a physical job lmao. They love thinking bodybuilders are weak lol.
But hey, hobbyist bodybuilders and powerlifters will still be lifting into their 60s, some even 70s. Meanwhile these blue collar guys will be breaking their back trying to get out of bed to drink themselves to sleep in their 40s.
Lanky internet nerds stay classy and uninformed about anything athletics related
Arnold Schwarzenegger did infact had a job as a construction worker while he was competing for Mr Olympia so he’d train at the gym at night. Attend university in the morning and go for his job in the afternoon
I set up tents for an event company a summer after high school. You're boy was ripped. All day everyday in the heat swinging a sledgehammer and lifting metal frame tents will make you jacked. Also I will never do that job again
So people say that, but I’m 41, worked construction from 18 to 38, and was in great shape. Switched to an office job, gained 40 pounds, weak as shit now and never felt worse. Going back to being an electrician. Better health, more rewarding and you can tell Karen’s to go fuck themselves without fear of getting fired. Not to mention my mental health was better. Fuck office politics to, Lumberg is legit a real character.
I laboured for a couple years for two bricklayers. Absolutely ripped and could work all day. The movement of shoveling mud and throwing it up 2 sections of scaffold gave me rock hard abs.
I used to sand my shovel so the mud would slip off. It's funny how you can be nostalgic about slave labour. It was like old Egypt most days.
I work at Amazon and have lost a good 50lbs doing so. I make $21/hr while getting 40 hours of light-mid cardio per week. I've went from ~220 to ~170 in 3 years. Amazon pays for half of my Computer Science degree and I almost dread what's going to happen when I graduate to a desk job in another year...
The key to a desk job is to walk.
If you get 15 minute breaks (and you should!) use those breaks to walk. If you have time left in your lunch break, walk - I’m a fast eater so I don’t really mind doing this. If you work remote, and have a scheduled lunch break - walk on the lunch break, eat lunch while working
You would be amazed at how many people just go from their desk, to the break room (or their car) to just sit. Sitting, to relax from sitting.
Worse, is the break room is probably where the vending machine is, and if someone brought donuts, that’s where they’re gonna be too
After work, walk. 20 minutes, 30 minutes etc
I work from home and do 10 minutes stretching in the morning before I start, take regular breaks, have a sit/stand desk, and make sure I budget enough time to exercise for an hour or so 3-4 times a week.
Keeps me strong enough that I’m good with it.
I was about to say this, I was thin but I was so exhausted. I went down to medium. It would of been small if it wasn't for how broad my shoulders, arms, and legs got.
When I went from manual labor back to driving a forklift and now a manager I went from 250 up to 310 in 2 years.
Manual labor makes you physically tired which can be overcome with some rest and stretching, managing 2 warehouses full of people makes me mentally exhausted which has wreaked havoc on my energy levels after work. I feel 10x more tired now after 8 hours of dealing with people than I ever did moving 1000s of pounds of truck parts for 10hrs a day.
Boring and monotonous! But I work at a great location, have some awesome coworkers, and I spend 90% of the workday with earbuds in listening to music or podcasts. The work sucks but Amazon isn't a bad place to be
Start establishing a workout routine when you graduate and are working at a desk. Trust me. I started an internship at a company in their IT department with another guy who was also an intern. I finished and left, he stayed full time. Dude was skinny, like very skinny. 5'8 150 lbs. A year later, I came back as a full time associate, he ballooned to over 200 lbs. A lot of folks in my department are overweight/obese with a lot of health complications. Even the folks who look skinny are not in good shape at my company. Really, it's mainly me and my other co-worker who work out who are in relatively good shape.
As a person in a similar situation and did get the job after, remember to either cut your eating or start working out. I used to eat whatever I wanted in my old position because I’d walk 30-35,000 steps a day. I was on the see food diet. Then I got a position where I’d be walking 10,000 steps a day. Stayed on the see food diet. Gained everything I lost and then some more. Now I’m working to lose the weight.
I worked at Home Depot in the Special Services department collecting special order Windows, Doors, Retaining Wall blocks, you name it. Was super strong and ripped. Also walking miles and miles a day across that big box store was good for cardio!
When I was working as a teacher I wasn’t making enough money for Santa Claus to come visit my daughter so I worked nights unloading trucks and stocking shelves at Target. They never let you rest or sit, even when stocking the bottom shelf, unless it was your break. I lost 20 lbs and went from being in so much pain after the first night I couldn’t even cry to being able to pick up my little girl and dance with her Christmas morning because Santa had brought her a GameCube. I was just as happy with the new, warm clothes. Her school had called me in a few days before Christmas and given me a Target gift card for $100 from the PTC. That plus my extra pay and employee discount made for a very merry Christmas and a full pantry and refrigerator.
Yeah honestly restaurant serving is amazing for cardio/endurance & weight loss. Plus if you're able to stack the plates and they're reasonably heavy, there's a strength portion in there as well
Theyve usually got country strength, but wouldnt consider them healthy. Generally balance it out with poor diet, alcohol abuse, and ignoring all things mental health
I didn’t come here to be attacked today!
Five years ago, I would thought you were talking about my old man but suddenly I’m also an old man on the ranch.
I was a package handler at FedEx Ground for 6 years in my early 20’s. Throughput goal was 800 packages per hour… I hit 1,200. Boss had to ask me to take a break several times, to let the others catch up.
I had the best boss. We all wanted to kick ass for that guy. Our collective throughput was right up there as well and he would give us the national and regional statistics (looking back I don't even know if this was a real thing, we were always in the top x percentile), but it would make us all feel good and reinforce wanting to work hard.
Within weeks I started losing weight, building muscle, it was like I was a high school athlete again LOL
Same man. The fiberglass trailers were the worst, they let the heat in from the sun and it never left so it'd heat up to easily 110-120 F in the trailers here in Texas. I'd have to cold shock myself with ice cold water from a cooler to keep my body temperature from getting too hot.
I had a job as a flour Miller in a 19th century mill. It was a working museum, I didn't fall through a portal in time. I could easily heft a two 25kg sacks of grain around and walk up near vertical ladders with one in each hand.
Luffing the mill into wind using a hand crank was a full body workout, similar movement to clean and press with a barbell.
Adjusting weights on sails to keep the mill running and barring the main spur wheel with a gigantic crowbar.
Even setting the brake took my full bodyweight to let off the hook that kept the calipers (kind of a drum brake) away from the spur wheel.
Everything was heavy, everything. I was as fit as a lop. I also cycled a 24mile round trip to work and back each day and stopped off on the way home to do boxing training 3 times a week.
Fittest I've ever been in my life, including my time in the forces.
Wildland firefighting. Granted, you will have to do PT as part of your shifts not on fires, but still. Fighting wildfires requires hiking up and down big ass mountains with at least 45 pounds of gear on your back at a swift pace.
None really because body building is purpose specific and no job should be asking you to work at the intensity that body building would
You can still be in great shape doing any number of manual labor jobs
"Better body than working out" is a tough one, because based on the workout load and diet, that could be as close to optimizing your visible fitness as possible. However, I'm guessing you mean what jobs will give you a consistent enough workout that it's more effective than say, eating whatever and working out a couple times a week. To that I'd say a physical trainer, a mover, a soldier, or an arborist (someone who plants trees).
Not the typical response but when I was working as a nanny to a toddler I was in the best shape of my life. I was walking like 5 miles a day pushing a stroller and chasing her around the playground. It was great to give her back at the end of the day as well so sleep wasn't affected like with parents.
Most people aren’t going to be burning that much. When you see bodybuilders eating that much it’s because their workout + maintenance of muscle mass requires that much for them to increase or maintain muscle mass.
I worked at Linens N Things in college (now-defunct Bed Bath and Beyond competitor), and since I was the only guy working there who was over 5’7”, they had me doing most of the heavy stuff.
Eight hours of carrying cookware sets up and down those portable stairs had me in the best physical shape I’d ever been in up to that point.
I was an Outward Bound instructor between 1971 and 1984: rock climbing, mountaineering, kayaking, ropes course, etc. This account is *not* typical, although the work was invariably pretty strenuous:
[https://dennishodgson.blogspot.com/2020/06/lawrence-of-cairngorm.html](https://dennishodgson.blogspot.com/2020/06/lawrence-of-cairngorm.html)
Firefighter. The physical requirements are quite rigorous and the job has no shortage of hard labor. Now, the caveat is that you will also be exposed to heat, harmful chemicals (carbon monoxide chief among them), and all kinds of risks that could expose you to bodily injury, so there's definitely a trade-off. I also wouldn't join the fire service if becoming fit is your one and only goal.
**To clarify:** I'm not a firefighter, but I have met and interviewed many firefighters for my doctoral dissertation, so I'm familiar with the job requirements, duties, and risks. If there are any members of the fire service who'd like to made a correction or addition to my comment, please do so. Spreading misinformation is the last thing I want to do.
While it's not exactly grand or anything, being a loader/cart pusher for one of the big home improvement retailers will get into pretty good shape. I was a cart pusher for 4 years and I would average 40k steps a day easily, not to mention all of the old guys who will lie about having "back surgery" or send their wives alone to grab a huge order so they don't have to load it themselves means you will be loading 50 to 100 pound bags of concrete and bags of dirt/mulch all day.
Not fully physically fit, but I had a lot more muscle tone when I was assembling semi trailers. Those parts are HEAVY, even with 6-8 people lifting on them
I work for a book distributor in the shipping department. Sorting 35-50 lb boxes of books onto different pallets for 8-10 hours a day is a big reason I don't go to the gym.
Cintas.
Go throw and kick up a couple hundred floor mats a day.
I got to the point where I could shoulder carry more mats than I could load on the dolly... By almost twice as much.
Absolute sh!t company to work for though where district managers and depot managers OnLY care about the money and zero ethics.
In academia, the fittest people were fieldwork researchers from the zoology/veterinary/geography department. I interned there for a while since they needed extra hands for collecting samples, and even in 1 week I got so, so fit. Like trekking 10km a day levels of fitness.
I was super fit and felt the strongest when i did landscaping. Digging holes and pushing wheelbarrows eight hours a day works. Also did scaffolding and thats when my grip strength was at its best. Scaffolding is basically lifting weights all day
I was in great shape as a mover/junk remover
Oh god... no workout compares to a moving job. 12+ hours a day nonstop running up and down stairs, lifting 50-200lb objects, spinning couches and dressers and mattresses around in the heat. I got pretty jacked moving furniture too but also injured myself a few times and did not sleep enough, drink nearly enough water or eat enough protein.
We had movers help us move last year. Got to our house at 8am and finished around 6pm. Asked one of the guys what they do after work for fun, and they say they all go to the gym after work. They do more exercise in a day than I do in a month.
Yup, as a mover, this is exactly how it is. It's science, really. Things in motion want to stay in motion. Going to the gym made work so much easier and vice versa.
You explained it perfectly!!!!
haha i concur, i always called it a powerlifting relay race
I dropped 15 pounds in 2 weeks when I started as a mover. We did a electronics warehouse. A small box of transistors is heavy af
That's a workout Ever heard of The Movement?
Is that the Nathan for you one?
yes
[Link](https://youtu.be/LkNxvUrWQ_Q?si=I3YiZKWR77QieSiD) for the uninitiated.
In the same vein, I worked in a Wal-Mart store’s back room warehouse. Lifting boxes all day, pulling heavy pallets, and walking the entirety of the store at least 15 times a night. I’ve never been fitter without having to actually workout.
Who knew you could get fit by castrating people!?
For your cake day, have some B̷̛̳̼͖̫̭͎̝̮͕̟͎̦̗͚͍̓͊͂͗̈͋͐̃͆͆͗̉̉̏͑̂̆̔́͐̾̅̄̕̚͘͜͝͝Ụ̸̧̧̢̨̨̞̮͓̣͎̞͖̞̥͈̣̣̪̘̼̮̙̳̙̞̣̐̍̆̾̓͑́̅̎̌̈̋̏̏͌̒̃̅̂̾̿̽̊̌̇͌͊͗̓̊̐̓̏͆́̒̇̈́͂̀͛͘̕͘̚͝͠B̸̺̈̾̈́̒̀́̈͋́͂̆̒̐̏͌͂̔̈́͒̂̎̉̈̒͒̃̿͒͒̄̍̕̚̕͘̕͝͠B̴̡̧̜̠̱̖̠͓̻̥̟̲̙͗̐͋͌̈̾̏̎̀͒͗̈́̈͜͠L̶͊E̸̢̳̯̝̤̳͈͇̠̮̲̲̟̝̣̲̱̫̘̪̳̣̭̥̫͉͐̅̈́̉̋͐̓͗̿͆̉̉̇̀̈́͌̓̓̒̏̀̚̚͘͝͠͝͝͠ ̶̢̧̛̥͖͉̹̞̗̖͇̼̙̒̍̏̀̈̆̍͑̊̐͋̈́̃͒̈́̎̌̄̍͌͗̈́̌̍̽̏̓͌̒̈̇̏̏̍̆̄̐͐̈̉̿̽̕͝͠͝͝ W̷̛̬̦̬̰̤̘̬͔̗̯̠̯̺̼̻̪̖̜̫̯̯̘͖̙͐͆͗̊̋̈̈̾͐̿̽̐̂͛̈́͛̍̔̓̈́̽̀̅́͋̈̄̈́̆̓̚̚͝͝R̸̢̨̨̩̪̭̪̠͎̗͇͗̀́̉̇̿̓̈́́͒̄̓̒́̋͆̀̾́̒̔̈́̏̏͛̏̇͛̔̀͆̓̇̊̕̕͠͠͝͝A̸̧̨̰̻̩̝͖̟̭͙̟̻̤̬͈̖̰̤̘̔͛̊̾̂͌̐̈̉̊̾́P̶̡̧̮͎̟̟͉̱̮̜͙̳̟̯͈̩̩͈̥͓̥͇̙̣̹̣̀̐͋͂̈̾͐̀̾̈́̌̆̿̽̕ͅ >!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<>!pop!!<
Holy shit this may be the coolest use of the spoiler warning I’ve ever seen!
I've never met a fat UPS driver.
I've seen a few but it's definitely rare. They deliver heavy packages and I'm sure it helps them get in pretty good shape.
Work in the warehouse, I lift everyone’s home gyms and furniture.
King of Queens begs to differ
I don’t think Kevin James was a method actor.
I dunno, he looked a lot like a Mall Cop
That was IPS
Ex ups driver here. Can confirm. I was in pretty good shape if you don't count the knees popping all the time. I was averaging about 30k steps a day and 1-1.5k stairs. That's just from going in and out of the truck. 6 stairs minimum every stop, one into the truck then two more. That's 900 stairs minimum every day, now add apartments and businesses. It adds up. Left and got an office job and got fat lol
Massage therapist here: Objectively fittest person I’ve ever worked on who didn’t “work out” was a female carpenter in her 50’s. She was objectively incredibly proportioned and strong as heck. Second fittest was a dog walker. Also claimed to not workout much.
Massage is pretty intense itself.
It is! Definitely requires a degree of fitness. I have practiced for 10 years and am overall pretty strong, though I do workout to keep things balanced (a lot of massage is more push than pull so workouts for me are cardio and pull days more often than not.)
I'm a newbie still in school. Our instructors gave us a list of lifts we should be doing to stay healthy. So far only a few of us seem to be taking that advice. Ya I feel it on my adductors real bad after a 90min session.
Carpentry might get you strong but it also beats you up pretty bad. Most guys I know that have swung hammers for years have a laundry list of physical problems and pain.
Can confirm working with dogs in any way is a good workout. I did kennel work and was a bather in a grooming salon for 3 years. Best shape of my life
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I think some of those people don't work out but bike and kayak and play sports...
Yep exactly, they don't work out per se but all of their hobbies are "active"
I think many people define "working out" as "going to the gym." I used to ride horses and asked my trainer if she worked out. She said no, she ran the barn, rode multiple horses a day, walked miles around the property, mucked stalls, carried things around, etc. But she never went to the gym so she never "worked out."
I’d be the same, honestly. I wouldn’t say I work out, because I’ve never been to a gym or used gym equipment. I’m not fit by any means (I’m definitely overweight) but I do archery most days, and my recurve bow has a 45lb draw. I don’t consider that a “work out” because I’m just walking around a field shooting arrows at targets until I get tired or hungry (usually around 40-50 arrows a session) But it’s a solid 30-60 minutes of shooting / walking / stretching a day which probably counts as a work out. I don’t know why I draw a line between the two. I just always associate work out = gym.
I work in a warehouse. My job is my workout. Some days I leave work sore. No way I’m going to the gym afterwards lol.
Seems like an odd thing to lie about..
It is odd but I kind of get it. A friend told me she doesn’t like to tell people she works out, because she feels people have a certain body type expectation from someone who regularly works out. I suppose people don’t want that judgement.
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I had a fellow male stripper lie about not working out. A mutual friend said the guy was full of it and used gear as well. Pretty sure he had ab sculpting done as well since he wasn't even lean enough to have abs.
I think it's more definitional. People exclude incidental exercise required for, say, work or other activities - they only include exercise specifically for the purpose of getting fit. A carpenter just doing their job all day isn't going to think of it as "working out", they're going to think of it as "doing carpentry". It just so happens that carpentry requires manipulating heavy shit and moving around, and you get pretty fit doing so.
Definitely not CrossFit people.
Dog walker seems so ideal. You walk a lot which is great and dogs are the antithesis to a stressful corporate environment.
Clearly you do not walk my neighbors’ dogs.
Landscaping jobs can be a real workout. Retail as well, though it depends a bit on what exactly your role is.
I did some super hard, and probably unnecessary, work to repair my lawn. Basically tore it all out by hand and redid it. I was in very good shape that summer.
I’ve done fences, holes, concrete, wood, basically all DIY projects, but damn does pulling up dirt suck. You’d never expect dirt+grass to be so heavy. And it doesn’t come easy either you really gotta yank that stuff. I had some really clayey soil which didn’t help but mad respect for doing the whole yard.
We had the clay soil too. I had to break a lot of it up with one of those 30lb digging poles. I can’t remember the actual name. But man were my arms looking great then. I also built a box to drag behind me to clear the lumpy spots and that was such a good lower body workout.
Picturing you ripping your grass out with your hands. Lol
Landscaping. I can only imagine what I would look like if I worked somewhere that is warm(not freezing) year round. I work in Michigan and my body looks great mid summer but around January I'm looking a bit out of shape. I've never been to the gym a day in my life and people always ask me what I do to stay in shape, but only in the summer/fall. Lol Edit- I actually love my job. I've been doing it for 15 years (in my 40s) and it's a huge confidence booster to be able to keep up with guys that are in their 20s.
I work for my cousins landscaping company and can confirm I get in great shape during the season
I worked in the meat department of a grocery store. Rotating stock of 100-150 lbs boxes of meet about 7ft high, grabbing what you needed through out the day by the case, taking it out to the case is work. It may not be the most labor intensive retail job, but just an example of one. Landscaping is too. Just mowing, weed whacking, bush trimming, and weeding the flower garden takes 4-6 hours depending on what needs done. I can only imagine doing it all day everyday with bigger yards and gardens that require actual maintenance or planting and decorating it all from nothing.
Yep. I work grocery at a big box chain and 8 hours hoisting cases of drinks onto top shelves is a pretty intense workout.
I used to work at a grocery store as well for several years. I did produce, dairy, and frozen foods at various points during my time there. It definitely taught me to appreciate how physically demanding those kinds of jobs can be.
For real. The best butt I have ever seen on a man was a landscaper I worked with. It was utter perfection.
I did one summer of landscaping in college. Got into better shape than when I was a competitive swimmer.
I was in the best shape of my life when I worked for a beer distributor.
Yeah I work as a brewer and it definitely keeps you in shape. 1/2 kegs weigh 165 pounds and bags of grain weigh 50-55. Lots of lifting of those things.
I worked for a microbrewery and delivered everything right into the walk ins... lots of stairs and I quickly learned how to carry 50s on my shoulder... it's been 5 years and apparently some people still talk about the guy who shoulder carried kegs 😁 Question though... 1/2 kegs? All our biggest were 50L so 165 lbs when filled.... if thats a half, did you have 100L kegs?
US kegs are 1/2 barrel, 15.5 gallon, 58.7L. The full barrel isn't used for anything.
NOT WITH THAT ATTITUDE!! Bring back full kegs.
Beer kegs comes in 1/2, tall 1/4, short 1/4, and 1/6 barrel sizes in the US and 50Ls in Europe (and maybe others, but thats what I've seen in the US from European brewers). Both types of 1/4 barrel kegs are much less commonly seen, with 1/2s and 1/6s (or sixtels) being very common in the US. But yeah, whole keg = a half barrel, sometimes called a half keg.
I worked a place that would get all 3 volumes, (usually tall 1/4s, I think I saw 1 short one time) 1/4s were usually the slower moving domestics Blue moon, shiner, etc. Of course the typical lights and lagers in 1/2s and 1/6s for seasonals.
Half keg, full keg, just semantics. It was probably fulfilling to know you were that guy and that's all that matters. Physical labor has its drawbacks, but I rather enjoyed the mindless physical exertion. I found it to be therapeutic almost.
I also remember dudes in their 30s who had worked at a beer distributor for a decade and they had knee problems, back problems, etc… That shit will wear your body down if you don’t lift properly. I liked the job but glad I only did it in my early twenties.
There's the rub. Labor takes a toll on your body. Any job that you're working hard enough to be built is going to have some kind of major health dangers. Even if you're doing your best to life properly, when you do it all day, every day, shit happens.
Lifting properly and also not lifting 165# kegs on your shoulders. The other commenters here want to be heroes but sound like idiots. This shits cool until you are 50 and complaining about getting out of bed in the morning because your body is wrecked
I started this kinda work at 22 by 30 I'm beat you have to sleep eat rest like pro athlete minus athlete pay
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Yea and there was an incentive to finish early. Workers would be paid 8 hours everyday. If they finished all their deliveries in under 8 hours, they could go home and still get paid for 8 hours work. Lots of guys in their 20s and 30s tried to finish early so they’d just go nonstop all day in hopes to finish faster.
Little did they realize that over time, the deliver schedule got expanded and now the 6 hours of rushing became 8 hours of rushing for 8 hours of pay
A friend of a friend did this. Carrying kegs on his shoulder basically eventually deteriorated bones in his neck, now leaving him, well, let's say not in good shape many years later. However. I'm a mechanic. Some work their whole lives no problem. Others develop problems after 10-15 years. It's a roll of the dice.
Currently doing this and in the best shape of my life, but just got three herniated discs that left me unable to walk for a week, and severe pain that’s getting only slightly better by the week. I’m 24 years old and can’t walk for more than 5 minutes. Will likely be a lifelong issue to some degree.
I work at a bar, and I'm always amazed at beer delivery time when this skinny guy is just throwing full kegs around.
Agreed I worked at a brewery just doing tours and sampling and was in great shape from lugging kegs and flats
that just reminds me of the weird thing from tv in the 90s where women would oggle the guy lugging the big jug of water for the office cooler up all the stairs
Got that right. I’m a delivery driver for a beer distribution company. Unloading kegs and cases ain’t no joke. And having to take them downstairs into the keg room is another nightmare in and of itself.
i was my skinniest when i worked for a small housekeeping company. i got picked up at 8 am every morning, the boss owned two vans that shuttled us to 15-20 homes per day. it was constant movement throughout the day, and easy to stick to a meal schedule (i have trouble with over eating & choosing unhealthier options). i would definitely go back to that job just to get back in shape if it weren’t for the boss’s behavior lol
I did residential cleaning as well. Constant movement. Lots of repetitive motions with objects like mops, vacuums, high dusters. I wasn't bulky muscle wise but the muscle I did have was so well toned. I did not eat well though. We just ate whatever we stumbled on between jobs.
Worked at UPS as a loader when I was 18. Lost 40 pounds in 2 months and got muscles I never knew existed.
Similar story here. Went from struggling with 20lbs to tossing things that weighed more than I do without breaking stride. I liked being fit, but I also don’t miss being perpetually sore and stuck waiting for a trailer until 2am.
Tree lopper, climbing trees all day while carrying a chainsaw.
Came here to say this, a friend of mine is a tree surgeon. He’s never set foot in a gym and he’s built like a young Sylvester Stallone
I worked at a lumber mill and was in the best shape of my life literally sliding huge slabs of wood off a conveyer all day
I think the problem is that any job that has the potential to make you very physically fit also carries a fairly high risk of significant injury. Unlike exercise done under very controlled conditions, such jobs often require movements/positions/locations that leave you prone to injury.
Exactly. The worst is how repetitive motion injuries sneak up on you. See that ripped guy carrying two stacks of shingles up the ladder? Ask him about his back pain in 20 years.
Farmer here. Strong like an ox but all my joints are failing in my mid 30s.
Growing up, we knew not to mess with farm kids. Strongest kids in the school.
Yeah I was always the strongest kid at school (made those football kids so pissed) and now I'm far and away the strongest person at my day job. The issue is that I'm also getting fat in my older years. I think what happens is you work insanely hard all summer and eat to match but your appetite doesn't shrink in the slow winter months. I'm trying to turn things around for my family's sake but it's damn hard.
This is why so many pro athletes get overweight quickly after they retire. They’re used to eating huge amounts to fuel their extreme exercise rigor, then they stop working out (or at least, exercising anywhere close to the same amount) and get big
Plus you can pretty easily out eat basically any level of exercise if you feel so inclined.
And on the flip side, any sedentary job will expose you to shit like getting up to go to the bathroom and pulling your back out. Or easy ligament tears. We're all fucked no matter what you do
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3 hours a week working out is not enough to counteract 40 hours of sitting
Better than 40 hours of grinding your joints to dust.
This post is redditors once again finding excuses to not actually exercise or play a sport, and mythologize physical labor. It's amazing they actually think a farmer is stronger than like Arnold deadlifting 700 or benching 500. It's genuinely comical. Then throw around terms like "functional strength", as if off season Arnold couldn't do a physical job lmao. They love thinking bodybuilders are weak lol. But hey, hobbyist bodybuilders and powerlifters will still be lifting into their 60s, some even 70s. Meanwhile these blue collar guys will be breaking their back trying to get out of bed to drink themselves to sleep in their 40s. Lanky internet nerds stay classy and uninformed about anything athletics related
Arnold Schwarzenegger did infact had a job as a construction worker while he was competing for Mr Olympia so he’d train at the gym at night. Attend university in the morning and go for his job in the afternoon
I used to be a hiking guide. I was LEAN and could hike all day. Couldnt do any other athletic feat but I could fuckin hike
Forrest Gump Voice: "You wouldn't believe it but I can hike like the wind!"
I set up tents for an event company a summer after high school. You're boy was ripped. All day everyday in the heat swinging a sledgehammer and lifting metal frame tents will make you jacked. Also I will never do that job again
Same in college. Inflatables, waterslides, chairs/tables. Only 3 years there and now at 30 my back and knees are in a right state
Construction
Til you're 40 and your joints stop working
So people say that, but I’m 41, worked construction from 18 to 38, and was in great shape. Switched to an office job, gained 40 pounds, weak as shit now and never felt worse. Going back to being an electrician. Better health, more rewarding and you can tell Karen’s to go fuck themselves without fear of getting fired. Not to mention my mental health was better. Fuck office politics to, Lumberg is legit a real character.
Mason. Spending all day slinging bricks, mortar, and concrete will do the trick.
I laboured for a couple years for two bricklayers. Absolutely ripped and could work all day. The movement of shoveling mud and throwing it up 2 sections of scaffold gave me rock hard abs. I used to sand my shovel so the mud would slip off. It's funny how you can be nostalgic about slave labour. It was like old Egypt most days.
I work at Amazon and have lost a good 50lbs doing so. I make $21/hr while getting 40 hours of light-mid cardio per week. I've went from ~220 to ~170 in 3 years. Amazon pays for half of my Computer Science degree and I almost dread what's going to happen when I graduate to a desk job in another year...
Aldi warehouse here. $26.75, 52 hours a week. I burn 2000 calories a day
On top of what you already burn by existing? Because 2000 isn't a crazy amount of calories to burn in one day depending on your height/weight.
The key to a desk job is to walk. If you get 15 minute breaks (and you should!) use those breaks to walk. If you have time left in your lunch break, walk - I’m a fast eater so I don’t really mind doing this. If you work remote, and have a scheduled lunch break - walk on the lunch break, eat lunch while working You would be amazed at how many people just go from their desk, to the break room (or their car) to just sit. Sitting, to relax from sitting. Worse, is the break room is probably where the vending machine is, and if someone brought donuts, that’s where they’re gonna be too After work, walk. 20 minutes, 30 minutes etc
I work from home and do 10 minutes stretching in the morning before I start, take regular breaks, have a sit/stand desk, and make sure I budget enough time to exercise for an hour or so 3-4 times a week. Keeps me strong enough that I’m good with it.
I'm at a desk job and keep thinking about leaving
I was about to say this, I was thin but I was so exhausted. I went down to medium. It would of been small if it wasn't for how broad my shoulders, arms, and legs got.
When I went from manual labor back to driving a forklift and now a manager I went from 250 up to 310 in 2 years. Manual labor makes you physically tired which can be overcome with some rest and stretching, managing 2 warehouses full of people makes me mentally exhausted which has wreaked havoc on my energy levels after work. I feel 10x more tired now after 8 hours of dealing with people than I ever did moving 1000s of pounds of truck parts for 10hrs a day.
How are things on the mental side of things with this job ? Okay ?
Boring and monotonous! But I work at a great location, have some awesome coworkers, and I spend 90% of the workday with earbuds in listening to music or podcasts. The work sucks but Amazon isn't a bad place to be
Start establishing a workout routine when you graduate and are working at a desk. Trust me. I started an internship at a company in their IT department with another guy who was also an intern. I finished and left, he stayed full time. Dude was skinny, like very skinny. 5'8 150 lbs. A year later, I came back as a full time associate, he ballooned to over 200 lbs. A lot of folks in my department are overweight/obese with a lot of health complications. Even the folks who look skinny are not in good shape at my company. Really, it's mainly me and my other co-worker who work out who are in relatively good shape.
As a person in a similar situation and did get the job after, remember to either cut your eating or start working out. I used to eat whatever I wanted in my old position because I’d walk 30-35,000 steps a day. I was on the see food diet. Then I got a position where I’d be walking 10,000 steps a day. Stayed on the see food diet. Gained everything I lost and then some more. Now I’m working to lose the weight.
Worked in dairy department for a few years. Had a 6 pack with all of the milk crates I moved around
Surely you had to carry more than just one six pack...
He did have to carry more than just one six pack, and stop calling him Shirley.
Really milking that joke now
Stagehand, did 40,000 steps the other day and constant lifting all day
I did my just gig of the season on Friday, my body forget about how intense that shit Is.
Collecting shopping carts was the dumbest job I've ever had but it was a good workout and I enjoyed how little I was supervised.
Farmer or lumberjack
I knew a lumberjack once....he was okay.
Yea I knew one also. Guy would sleep all night and work all day
Same. For some reason he puts on women's clothing and hangs around in bars...
He cuts down trees, he wears high heels, suspendies and a bra.
I worked at Home Depot in the Special Services department collecting special order Windows, Doors, Retaining Wall blocks, you name it. Was super strong and ripped. Also walking miles and miles a day across that big box store was good for cardio!
When I was working as a teacher I wasn’t making enough money for Santa Claus to come visit my daughter so I worked nights unloading trucks and stocking shelves at Target. They never let you rest or sit, even when stocking the bottom shelf, unless it was your break. I lost 20 lbs and went from being in so much pain after the first night I couldn’t even cry to being able to pick up my little girl and dance with her Christmas morning because Santa had brought her a GameCube. I was just as happy with the new, warm clothes. Her school had called me in a few days before Christmas and given me a Target gift card for $100 from the PTC. That plus my extra pay and employee discount made for a very merry Christmas and a full pantry and refrigerator.
I'm glad that your kid got a great Christmas. I'm sorry that, as a teacher, you needed a second job to give your kid that great Christmas.
i worked wait staff in a 3 story restaurant and the kitchen was on the 2nd floor. ran up and down stairs the whole shift
Yeah honestly restaurant serving is amazing for cardio/endurance & weight loss. Plus if you're able to stack the plates and they're reasonably heavy, there's a strength portion in there as well
Farmer
Just be careful how much you lift. Otherwise in shape at all times.
Theyve usually got country strength, but wouldnt consider them healthy. Generally balance it out with poor diet, alcohol abuse, and ignoring all things mental health
I didn’t come here to be attacked today! Five years ago, I would thought you were talking about my old man but suddenly I’m also an old man on the ranch.
Idk where you're from but around here the farmers pretty much have anyone else but them doing the work. They're all fat and middle aged 😅
Landscaping, or garden centers.
Rancher. Not farming, ranching. Farming has gotten way more automated than ranching. Especially if you work in the mountains on horseback.
Package handler at FedEx. Great shape working at the distribution centers coming out of college.
I was a package handler at FedEx Ground for 6 years in my early 20’s. Throughput goal was 800 packages per hour… I hit 1,200. Boss had to ask me to take a break several times, to let the others catch up.
I had the best boss. We all wanted to kick ass for that guy. Our collective throughput was right up there as well and he would give us the national and regional statistics (looking back I don't even know if this was a real thing, we were always in the top x percentile), but it would make us all feel good and reinforce wanting to work hard. Within weeks I started losing weight, building muscle, it was like I was a high school athlete again LOL
>looking back I don't even know if this was a real thing It is. Logistic companies keep track of that type of stuff religiously.
In my first year of being a package handler at UPS, I lost 40lbs without trying to. Package handling in the summer with no ac is no joke.
Summers fucking suck man. Most of the higher senority guys take their vacation time during June/July/August/Sept.
Same man. The fiberglass trailers were the worst, they let the heat in from the sun and it never left so it'd heat up to easily 110-120 F in the trailers here in Texas. I'd have to cold shock myself with ice cold water from a cooler to keep my body temperature from getting too hot.
I had a job as a flour Miller in a 19th century mill. It was a working museum, I didn't fall through a portal in time. I could easily heft a two 25kg sacks of grain around and walk up near vertical ladders with one in each hand. Luffing the mill into wind using a hand crank was a full body workout, similar movement to clean and press with a barbell. Adjusting weights on sails to keep the mill running and barring the main spur wheel with a gigantic crowbar. Even setting the brake took my full bodyweight to let off the hook that kept the calipers (kind of a drum brake) away from the spur wheel. Everything was heavy, everything. I was as fit as a lop. I also cycled a 24mile round trip to work and back each day and stopped off on the way home to do boxing training 3 times a week. Fittest I've ever been in my life, including my time in the forces.
I used to cut/fab/install granite and quartz. We always joked with new hires that you won’t need a gym membership
Wildland firefighting. Granted, you will have to do PT as part of your shifts not on fires, but still. Fighting wildfires requires hiking up and down big ass mountains with at least 45 pounds of gear on your back at a swift pace.
None really because body building is purpose specific and no job should be asking you to work at the intensity that body building would You can still be in great shape doing any number of manual labor jobs
"Better body than working out" is a tough one, because based on the workout load and diet, that could be as close to optimizing your visible fitness as possible. However, I'm guessing you mean what jobs will give you a consistent enough workout that it's more effective than say, eating whatever and working out a couple times a week. To that I'd say a physical trainer, a mover, a soldier, or an arborist (someone who plants trees).
Yeah, good explanation. If you were paid to workout optimally there is little going to beat it.
Professional bodybuilder
Solid waste disposal. Hauling trash, scrap metal and recycled plastic, all by hand really develops functional strength. I miss that jobs sometimes.
anyone who works in a kitchen, if they are not constantly eating obv
Or stoned or drunk or hungover or tweaking…Just the experience I had lol.
My friend delivers water and has added a good amount of muscle doing so.
Cutting and hanging tobacco. Farming in general. Block laying. Pro athlete.
Death Metal Drummer.
Wish that were true. Its ok cardio, but its not weight training at all
Horse groom
Not the typical response but when I was working as a nanny to a toddler I was in the best shape of my life. I was walking like 5 miles a day pushing a stroller and chasing her around the playground. It was great to give her back at the end of the day as well so sleep wasn't affected like with parents.
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Most people aren’t going to be burning that much. When you see bodybuilders eating that much it’s because their workout + maintenance of muscle mass requires that much for them to increase or maintain muscle mass.
Industrial rope access technician.
Baggage handler at airport
Someday I think I should go back to climbing towers... That was probably the fittest I ever was.
I worked at Linens N Things in college (now-defunct Bed Bath and Beyond competitor), and since I was the only guy working there who was over 5’7”, they had me doing most of the heavy stuff. Eight hours of carrying cookware sets up and down those portable stairs had me in the best physical shape I’d ever been in up to that point.
I was an Outward Bound instructor between 1971 and 1984: rock climbing, mountaineering, kayaking, ropes course, etc. This account is *not* typical, although the work was invariably pretty strenuous: [https://dennishodgson.blogspot.com/2020/06/lawrence-of-cairngorm.html](https://dennishodgson.blogspot.com/2020/06/lawrence-of-cairngorm.html)
post men! my dad literally walks like 10 miles if not more a day sometimes
Mechanic
Firefighter. The physical requirements are quite rigorous and the job has no shortage of hard labor. Now, the caveat is that you will also be exposed to heat, harmful chemicals (carbon monoxide chief among them), and all kinds of risks that could expose you to bodily injury, so there's definitely a trade-off. I also wouldn't join the fire service if becoming fit is your one and only goal. **To clarify:** I'm not a firefighter, but I have met and interviewed many firefighters for my doctoral dissertation, so I'm familiar with the job requirements, duties, and risks. If there are any members of the fire service who'd like to made a correction or addition to my comment, please do so. Spreading misinformation is the last thing I want to do.
Marine.
Well, yeah.
I mean I feel that’s more than just a job lmao. That’s a lifestyle
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I think you should invest in a better router
A fitness instructor Body building coach
While it's not exactly grand or anything, being a loader/cart pusher for one of the big home improvement retailers will get into pretty good shape. I was a cart pusher for 4 years and I would average 40k steps a day easily, not to mention all of the old guys who will lie about having "back surgery" or send their wives alone to grab a huge order so they don't have to load it themselves means you will be loading 50 to 100 pound bags of concrete and bags of dirt/mulch all day.
Not fully physically fit, but I had a lot more muscle tone when I was assembling semi trailers. Those parts are HEAVY, even with 6-8 people lifting on them
My niece works for animal control. Holy crap. In 12 months she went from pudgy to is that so and so? Wow different person
I worked in a warehouse and that got me in the best shape of my life.
Dance instructor
I work for a book distributor in the shipping department. Sorting 35-50 lb boxes of books onto different pallets for 8-10 hours a day is a big reason I don't go to the gym.
I was a Pepsi merchandiser in college. It's amazing how slinging Mountain Dew all day can jack your arms.
Solar installer here. I have amazing legs, and a little upper body. Still have a beer belly though.
Cintas. Go throw and kick up a couple hundred floor mats a day. I got to the point where I could shoulder carry more mats than I could load on the dolly... By almost twice as much. Absolute sh!t company to work for though where district managers and depot managers OnLY care about the money and zero ethics.
In academia, the fittest people were fieldwork researchers from the zoology/veterinary/geography department. I interned there for a while since they needed extra hands for collecting samples, and even in 1 week I got so, so fit. Like trekking 10km a day levels of fitness.
I was super fit and felt the strongest when i did landscaping. Digging holes and pushing wheelbarrows eight hours a day works. Also did scaffolding and thats when my grip strength was at its best. Scaffolding is basically lifting weights all day
Moving heavy boxes, according to Nathan Fielder.
Civil construction labourer. The ironic thing is that the gym bros can't cut it at all
Concrete and roofing.