FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter Instagram Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Subscribe
Log In
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
Log In
Job Site Diaries

Taking the Pain Out of Home Building

A yoga instructor has some ideas on how to avoid aches and injuries that plague homebuilders.

By Debra Silber
"Plumb Bob"

As someone who wore a tool belt for 25 years, Allan Nett is very familiar with the aches and injuries that plague homebuilders. As a certified Iyengar Yoga instructor, he also has some ideas on how they can be avoided.

So Nett offers “Yoga with Your Boots On,” his own brand of Hatha yoga geared specifically to workers in the construction industry. Using the same postures as traditional yoga (but trading away the Sanskrit names for builder-friendly imagery) he teaches body awareness, healing and pain management to construction workers and others in the San Francisco area. “It’s a very simple approach,” he says. “We’re literally building the body to health.”

I must admit the image of a guy in a tool belt in Tadasana—uh, Plumb Bob—pose is a mite unsettling. But as I think most builders will admit, so is a future marred by a bum shoulder, a locked knee or a stiff back.

And Nett says he’s not kidding about the boots-on part. He encourages students to wear whatever they want to his classes. What he’s trying to get across is the importance of being aware of your body and how you’re using—or abusing—it whether you’re on the job site and off. Offbeat, maybe. But consider it advice for taking care of your most valuable tool.

Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how-to from Fine Homebuilding, plus special offers.

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

"Plumb Bob"

"Speed Square"

"Rebar Tie"

×

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

New Feature

Fine Homebuilding Forums

Ask questions, offer advice, and share your work

View Comments

  1. andreaberlin | Feb 01, 2010 07:19am | #1

    great- I know carpenters to be more of the Marlboro men type - so to get a few of them into yoga poses will change my (and their) view of world. But - as usual- to experience this I have to go to California!

  2. Carpenter183 | Feb 01, 2010 07:37am | #2

    I've been on some larger commercial construction jobs where this was required twice a day. The jobs were at health care facilities, and nobody really seemed to mind the doing the stretching exercises.

  3. Canuckgirl | Feb 01, 2010 07:50am | #3

    My husband is a contractor and I convinced him to go to my yoga classes last year when he was having trouble with stiff shoulders. He tried it reluctantly and is now a regular attendee...he finds it has really improved his flexibility and balance...and he only fell asleep in class once!

  4. MBerger | Feb 01, 2010 09:13am | #4

    I'm bias because my wife is a yoga teacher, but you'd be surprised what a little yoga can do to fix the pains of manual labor. I don't go to classes, but everytime I finish a project I wrap it up with some stretches to avoid sore bones the next day...

  5. cernunnos | Feb 01, 2010 10:00am | #5

    I've been doing yoga off and on for about 15 years. Whenever I don't practice for a while, my body reminds me why I need to. I have a bad back and yoga is the only thing that keeps me standing up relatively straight.

  6. Brieckhouse | Feb 01, 2010 11:38am | #6

    I am 54 and started practicing yoga regularly about six months ago. Yesterday I was on a remodel in an attic running wiring. Because of the yoga I was much more flexible and am standing up straight today.

  7. shimmcglue | Feb 01, 2010 05:12pm | #7

    In Ontario, we spend over 125 million on soft tissue injury claims annually for an aging construction workforce. Try to convince crew level that stretching, diet, excercise, ergonomic conditions (better tools and position)and lastly wellness (stress prevention) are important to keep a less painful existance and maybe 1 in 100 will buy in. How many carpenters aren't complaining about rotator cuff or bad knees or elbows? Again, it's sad how few see the merits of taking some care of the vitals until they're under the blade. The previous articles of stretching made so much sense as does this. Hey why not a little hot yoga and hydrotherapy for a hard day's labour.

  8. annbd | Feb 07, 2010 05:58am | #8

    Yoga is great for carpenters and everyone else.
    Two things I wanted to share with your readers(as a licensed yoga instructor):
    (1) Take your tool belt off before you start stretches! Probably the stuff on one side doesn't weigh what the stuff on the other side weighs, and the assymetry will skew the benefit you could get out of the stretches. Also, you don't want anything to slip out and bonk you one as you are stretching.
    (2) Standing poses are okay to do with boots on, but your feet and ankles need stretching too. Perhaps at rest breaks or before lunch... I haven't seen the book yet, but I hope that the author advises taking off those stiff boots and doing rotations and stretches.

    Namaste, annbd

  9. Northome2 | Feb 07, 2010 03:15pm | #9

    I can definately see where these poses could add a few years to my carpenter career. Is there a book or video in the works?

  10. MilaRichards | Jul 27, 2020 04:06pm | #10

    Yoga helps a lot to take the pain out and itches. But at work, every worker needs comfortable bootstoo.

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Sign up Log in

Become a member and get full access to FineHomebuilding.com

More Job Site Diaries

View All
  • HVAC System for a High-Performance Home
  • How to Bend Custom Cap Flashing
  • Rainscreen and Window Installation in Portland, Oregon
  • Replacing Windows on a 1980s Farmhouse Renovation
View All

Up Next

Video Shorts

Featured Story

Wiring for Subpanels: The Right Cables

When running cable to a subpanel for a home addition, pay attention to the size of the wire and the amperage of the breaker.

Featured Video

Builder’s Advocate: An Interview With Viewrail

Learn more about affordable, modern floating stairs, from design to manufacturing to installation.

Related Stories

  • Podcast 550: PRO TALK With Carpentry Program Instructor Sandy Thistle and Graduate David Abreu
  • Podcast 547: Members-only Aftershow—Fine Homebuilding House memories
  • Podcast 544: PRO TALK With HVAC Product Rep Maria Lauber
  • Vents for Wildfire Protection

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
View More Create Post

Highlights

Fine Homebuilding All Access
Fine Homebuilding Podcast
Tool Tech
Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20

"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Video

View All
  • Podcast 550: PRO TALK With Carpentry Program Instructor Sandy Thistle and Graduate David Abreu
  • Podcast 547: Members-only Aftershow—Fine Homebuilding House memories
  • Podcast 544: PRO TALK With HVAC Product Rep Maria Lauber
  • Podcast 543: Members-only Aftershow—Conversation With Builder Sam Friesen
View All

Safety

View All Safety Articles
  • One man showing another a metal vent
    Vents for Wildfire Protection
  • A bright kitchen with a white kitchen island and warm wood floors
    Editorial Note: People Live in Buildings
  • SawStop
    Compact Tablesaw for the Job Site
  • fence
    Code-Compliant Swimming Pool Barrier
View All Safety Articles

BOOKS, DVDs, & MERCH

Shop the Store
  • 2023 Tool Guide
    Buy Now
  • Pretty Good House
    Buy Now
  • 2022 Fine Homebuilding Archive
    Buy Now
  • Code Check Building 4th Edition
    Buy Now
  • Shop the Store

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 314 - April/May 2023
    • 7 Options for Countertops
    • Tool Test: Wood-Boring Bits
    • Critical Details for Ductless Heat Pumps
  • Issue 313 - Feb/March 2023
    • Practical System for a Seismic Retrofit
    • Fine Homebuilding Issue #313 Online Highlights
    • Practical System for a Seismic Retrofit
  • Issue 312 - Dec 2022/Jan 2023
    • Tool Test: Cordless Tablesaws
    • Gray-Water System for a Sustainable Home
    • Insulate a Cape Roof to Avoid Ice Dams
  • Issue 311 - November 2022
    • 7 Steps to a Perfect Exterior Paint Job
    • Options for Smarter Home-Energy Tracking
    • The Fine Homebuilding Interview: James Metoyer
  • Issue 310 - October 2022
    • Choosing a Tile-Leveling System
    • Choosing Between HRVs and ERVs
    • Custom Built-in Cabinets Made Easy

Fine Homebuilding

Follow

  • twitter
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Membership & Magazine

  • Online Archive
  • Start Free Trial
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Magazine Renewal
  • Gift a Subscription
  • Customer Support
  • Privacy Preferences

Taunton Network

  • Green Building Advisor
  • Fine Woodworking
  • Fine Gardening
  • Threads
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Copyright
  • Terms of Use
  • Site Map
  • Do not sell or share my information
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • California Privacy Rights

© 2023 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

X
X
This is a dialog window which overlays the main content of the page. The modal window is a 'site map' of the most critical areas of the site. Pressing the Escape (ESC) button will close the modal and bring you back to where you were on the page.

Main Menu

  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Reader Projects
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Popular Topics

  • Kitchens
  • Business
  • Bedrooms
  • Roofs
  • Architecture and Design
  • Green Building
  • Decks
  • Framing
  • Safety
  • Remodeling
  • Bathrooms
  • Windows
  • Tilework
  • Ceilings
  • HVAC

Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Magazine Index
  • Subscribe
  • Online Archive
  • Author Guidelines

All Access

  • Member Home
  • Start Free Trial
  • Gift Membership

Shop the Store

  • Books
  • DVDs
  • Taunton Workshops

More

  • FHB Ambassadors
  • Reader Projects
  • Podcast
  • FHB House
  • Customer Support

Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Follow

  • twitter
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest

Join All Access

Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

Start Your Free Trial

Subscribe

FHB Magazine

Start your subscription today and save up to 70%

Subscribe

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

Start your FREE trial

Already a member? Log in