Old apprentice trick I nearly forgot until last month saved my back

I was working a job at a refinery in Gary, Indiana last month and my helper kept asking why I was squatting down so much. 3 years ago my old journeyman taught me to keep my spine straight and use my legs for every bend, even when the pipe is light. Last week I caught myself hunching over a 2 inch flange and my lower back reminded me all day why that's a bad idea. The helper laughed at me for wrapping my arms around my knees to get low but I wasn't sore the next morning and he was. I mean it's just little stuff like that which adds up over 20 years in the trade. Has anyone else had some old-timer tip come back to them out of nowhere on a job?

3 comments

3 Comments

noahwood5d ago

I mean I get the whole back safety thing but this seems like overthinking a basic squat. I've been doing pipe work 15 years and never had to wrap my arms around my knees like I'm in a prenatal yoga class. That helper probably woke up sore cause he overdid it, not cause he used the wrong squat technique. Real talk though if you're 20 years in and still getting sore from working a 2 inch flange maybe it's not the squat form that's the problem. Not trying to be a dick but some of this stuff gets blown way out of proportion online.

casey2685d ago

Wait hold on. You wrapped your arms around your knees to get low? Like you literally hugged your own legs to squat down to a flange? I've never seen anyone do that before. That sounds like some kind of yoga thing more than a pipe fitting trick. But hey if it kept your back from screaming at you the next day then I guess it works. I've always just done the standard squat with my knees out wide but now you got me wondering if I'm missing something. That helper of yours must have felt like an idiot waking up sore while you were fine.

grantc805d ago

The arm-wrap squat is just a way to keep your center of gravity low and your back straight without having to hold that position with your core muscles the whole time. I picked it up from an older fitter who called it the "cradle squat" and it works great for low flange work where you gotta be down there for a while. Your knees might get a little stiff at first but your lower back will thank you later. Try it on your next 2 inch flange job and see if you don't feel the difference the next morning.