Shoveling Snow: Get Strong Before It Falls

Written by INNER G

Snow season is close. At Toronto Pearson, just southwest of Vaughan, the 1991 to 2020 normals show 9.3 cm of snow in an average November and 31.5 cm in January (Environment and Climate Change Canada, n.d.). That's a lot of scoops off the driveway.

Shoveling is a hard workout that shows up on the storm's schedule, not yours. Federal safety guidance points out that most of us face it unprepared and in a hurry to get it over with (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, 2026). We'd rather you walk into that first storm already strong, and that's what we train for at our studio in Concord, Vaughan.

Please read first. This post is general information, not medical advice. If you have heart disease or another medical condition, talk to your doctor about shoveling and about starting a new training plan. If you feel chest pain or pressure while you shovel, stop and get medical care. The same goes for shortness of breath that feels wrong for the effort.

When the snow comes near Vaughan

Average monthly snow at Toronto Pearson, 1991 to 2020 normals. Pick a view.

Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991 to 2020, Toronto Pearson (climate ID 6158731). See the data.

Shoveling snow can push your heart close to its max

A small 1995 study had 10 healthy men who didn't train clear heavy, wet snow, then compared it with lab tests. Heart rate during shoveling averaged 86% of their maximum after 2 minutes and 97% after 10 minutes. Peak systolic blood pressure hit 198 mm Hg, a bit higher than during a maximal treadmill test (181). In this small group, the fitter men worked at a lower share of their max heart rate (Franklin et al., 1995).

How hard your heart works on the shovel

From a 1995 study of 10 healthy untrained men clearing heavy, wet snow. Pick a view.

Source: Franklin et al., 1995, JAMA. Read the abstract. A small study in men only.

A big Quebec study points the same way. It looked at 128,073 hospital admissions and 68,155 deaths from heart attack between November and April, 1981 to 2014. In men, a day with 20 cm of snow was linked with 16% higher odds of hospital admission for a heart attack the next day and 34% higher odds of death, compared with a day with no snow. Women showed no clear change (Auger et al., 2017). The study tracked snowfall, not who picked up a shovel, so it can't prove shoveling was the cause.

Most shoveling injuries are strains

A US study counted about 11,500 shoveling injuries and emergencies treated in emergency departments each year from 1990 to 2006. Soft tissue injuries were the most common diagnosis at 54.7%, and the lower back was involved in 34.3% of cases. The most common cause was overexertion (53.9%), with slips and falls next (20.0%). Heart problems made up 6.7% of the visits, and they accounted for all 1,647 deaths in the study (Watson et al., 2011).

So the risk sits in two places. Your back takes the strain, and your heart takes the load. Training is how we'd prepare for both.

Get strong before the snow

No trial has tested whether strength training in a studio cuts shoveling injuries, so we won't promise that. Here's what the research does show.

A review of 21 trials found that exercise combined with education lowered the risk of a low back pain episode (relative risk 0.55, moderate quality evidence). Exercise on its own may help too (relative risk 0.65), though that evidence was low to very low quality (Steffens et al., 2016). We cover this in more detail in our post on exercises for lower back pain.

The heart side comes back to fitness. In the small 1995 study, the fitter men worked at a lower share of their max on the same job (Franklin et al., 1995). Canada's 24 Hour Movement Guidelines ask for muscle strengthening activities at least twice a week, plus at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity (Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, n.d.; Ross et al., 2020).

Here's how we'd get you ready in the studio:

  1. Squats and hinges. Safety guidance says to lift with your legs, not your back (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, 2026). A coach teaches you how to do that with real load.
  2. Carries. Walking with weight in your hands is close to carrying a loaded shovel to the snowbank.
  3. Bracing your trunk. You learn to keep your back steady while your arms and legs do the work.
  4. Conditioning. Our conditioning classes get your heart used to hard efforts in a controlled room, so a driveway isn't the hardest thing it does all month.
  5. Start now. Two or three sessions a week from November gives you a few weeks of practice before January, the snowiest month in the normals.

If you get stiff in the cold, our post on warm up exercises for cold weather has what the research says about warming up.

On shoveling day

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety gives clear advice (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, 2026):

  • Shovel early and often. Fresh, dry snow is lighter than wet, packed snow.
  • Push the snow rather than lift it.
  • If you have to throw it, take a smaller load and turn your feet toward where it's going. Don't twist at the waist or throw it over your shoulder.
  • Warm up before you start.
  • Pace yourself and take breaks.

Their example shows why this matters. A shovel over 1 kg with about 5 kg of snow, every 5 seconds, adds up to more than 70 kg a minute and about 1,000 kg in 15 minutes (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, 2026). Try your own numbers below.

How much snow you move in one session

Move the sliders to match your driveway. The math follows the example from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety.

Snow per scoop: kg

Seconds between scoops:

Minutes of shoveling:

Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, OSH Answers, Shovelling. Their example is a shovel over 1 kg carrying about 5 kg of snow every 5 seconds, which is over 70 kg a minute and about 1,000 kg in 15 minutes. This tool counts snow only. Read the page.

Train for snow season in Vaughan

Our small group classes are capped at 16, so a coach can watch how you squat and carry, and set the weight. We're open weekdays 5:45 AM to 8 PM and weekends 8:30 AM to 4 PM at 11-411 Confederation Pkwy, 2nd floor, with parking on site.

If you want a plan set just for you, look at personal training in Vaughan. We also offer one on one training focused on balance and strength.

Try the $30 seven day trial (+ HST). Join by day 5 and your $30 is credited toward your membership. Call (289) 536-8066 or email g-squad@innerg.ca and book your first class before the first big snowfall.

References

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