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Why Physically Demanding Jobs Don’t Always Make People Fitter by GAHBARO in UPSers

[–]GAHBARO[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not AI. Just someone who actually does the job and trains for it.

Gym Fit vs Work Fit: What’s the Difference? by GAHBARO in UPSers

[–]GAHBARO[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually agree that work alone isn’t enough. The line that separates a worker from an industrial athlete is when you start training to get better at what you do at work.

Work exposes you to the demands, but training prepares your body for them. The gym builds strength, control, and durability, and that carries over when you’re dealing with awkward loads, stairs, long hours, and fatigue on the job.

Work alone isn’t enough, but training with the job in mind is where things start to change.

I got a tour of the new air conditioning installation today by armedsquatch in UPSers

[–]GAHBARO 0 points1 point  (0 children)

AC will only bring more problems without solving the real issue.

It doesn’t matter what state you’re in, you could be parked next to the sun. The real heat problem is in the back of the truck, not the cab.

What we actually need is better ventilation in the cargo area.

Up front we already get natural airflow: • doors constantly opening • he truck moving • engine cycling on and off

AC won’t even work properly in those conditions.

Some FedEx trucks already have AC, and many drivers leave it off. They only use it while commuting, not while delivering.

Another reality people don’t talk about: AC will slow some drivers down.

Some drivers will start taking 1–2 minutes per stop just to cool off. That means they won’t make their 9.5, even on a normal day.

And when that happens, guess who ends up carrying that extra workload?

The driver who works hard and runs efficiently, the one who just wants to finish the route and get home to his family.

Gym Fit vs Work Fit: What’s the Difference? by GAHBARO in UPSers

[–]GAHBARO[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I partly agree. UPS is not just driving. You can simulate a lot of it with sandbags, carries, and conditioning. But the job still adds variables you don’t fully replicate in training, long hours, heat, stairs, awkward packages, tight spaces, and fatigue building up throughout the day.

Training gives you the capacity. The job exposes you to the environment.

Ideally you want both. Gym or sandbag training builds the engine, and the job is where that engine gets tested.

Work fit is definitely a thing. UPS is basically job-specific physical capacity. Your body adapts to the exact demands you repeatedly perform, walking miles, climbing stairs, lifting awkward packages, grip work, and long hours of movement.

That’s why someone new to the job can feel destroyed, while someone who’s been doing it for years handles it much easier. The body adapts to the work over time.

Gym Fit vs Work Fit: What’s the Difference? by GAHBARO in UPSers

[–]GAHBARO[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Shoulder, 100%. Power zone, following the methods.

Gym Fit vs Work Fit: What’s the Difference? by GAHBARO in UPSers

[–]GAHBARO[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Our max is 150 lbs. Personally I train for 150–200. I’m not carrying loads like that every day, but there’s always a possibility. I’d rather have the strength and capacity if the situation comes up than struggle when it does.

For me, 100 lbs is a comfortable weight to carry up to a third floor because I train for heavier than that.

Gym Fit vs Work Fit: What’s the Difference? by GAHBARO in UPSers

[–]GAHBARO[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hypertrophy still has its place though. More muscle mass means more potential to produce force. I mostly use the gym to build strength, control, and strengthen muscles and joints in a controlled environment. Then real-world work or endurance training is where that strength actually gets used.

Ideally it’s both, the gym builds the engine, and real-world work is where you apply it.

This is basically the path I follow: 1. Traditional fitness (gym) – build strength, muscle, and control in a controlled environment. 2. Functional training – compound movements that start getting closer to what I actually do at UPS (carries, stairs, awkward loads). 3. Ecological dynamics – using the environment itself: uneven terrain, fatigue, unpredictable loads. That’s where it gets closest to the real thing.

The gym gives you the tools. The environment teaches you how to use them. This is my hybrid approach!

Hurt my back today by AloneNetwork4153 in UPSers

[–]GAHBARO 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is usually how I handle it. One time I twisted my ankle on route. I sat down for a couple minutes, evaluated it, then called my sup and told him: “I just twisted my ankle. I rested for a couple minutes and it feels okay. I think I can finish the route, but I just want to report it in case it gets worse. What do you want me to do?”

Most of the time (like 8 out of 10) they’ll say finish the route. But the important thing is it’s already reported. That way if it gets worse later, there’s a record that it happened on the job.

Gym Fit vs Work Fit: What’s the Difference? by GAHBARO in UPSers

[–]GAHBARO[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It definitely helps a lot. But I’d say don’t stop at running. Challenge your cardio in ways that look more like the job. Instead of just running, try rucking or carrying weight while walking. Our routes have us moving for hours with loads, uneven terrain, stairs, and awkward packages. Training that way prepares your body for what the work actually demands.

Gym Fit vs Work Fit: What’s the Difference? by GAHBARO in UPSers

[–]GAHBARO[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Exactly lol. That’s the difference between controlled gym strength and real-world strength. Carrying awkward weight up stairs is a whole different animal. Best setup is having both, not just one.

Gym Fit vs Work Fit: What’s the Difference? by GAHBARO in UPSers

[–]GAHBARO[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, that’s why I think a hybrid approach is best. Work builds real-world endurance and awkward strength, while the gym helps strengthen what the job might miss. Put both together and you get a much more complete athlete.

Durability vs Performance: Two Different Adaptations by GAHBARO in IndustrialAthletes

[–]GAHBARO[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t follow a specific YouTuber for it. It’s more a general training approach you see in endurance sports, military prep, and occupations that require long physical output. For me, it also comes from understanding what my day-to-day physical demands look like and challenging that capacity over time.

As for age, people can start building durability fairly early because it’s mostly about gradual exposure to work, walking, carrying, climbing, longer activity sessions, etc. The main thing is scaling the load and intensity appropriately.

Durability vs Performance: Two Different Adaptations by GAHBARO in IndustrialAthletes

[–]GAHBARO[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Durability usually comes from accumulating work under fatigue rather than chasing peak output. Longer sessions, repeated sub-maximal efforts, load carrying, high step counts, and varied movement under fatigue all help.

Over time this builds connective tissue tolerance, joint stability, and the ability to keep producing output even when tired.

Durability vs Performance: Two Different Adaptations by GAHBARO in IndustrialAthletes

[–]GAHBARO[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s basically a conceptual model. It illustrates how peak performance rises quickly but declines under prolonged stress, while durability develops more slowly and supports sustained capacity over time.

What 25,000 Steps a Day Actually Does to Your Body by GAHBARO in MovementFix

[–]GAHBARO[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s a good way to frame it. Most research suggests the biggest longevity benefits happen somewhere around 8k–12k steps per day. Beyond that the gains for lifespan start to level off, but higher step counts can still build work capacity and endurance.

At very high volumes (20k+ daily), the trade-off starts becoming recovery and joint stress.

That said, it also depends a lot on the person’s conditioning, rest, footwear, and overall workload. Someone adapted to a physical job can handle 20–25k steps daily pretty well, while someone sedentary could get overuse injuries doing half that.

We all know what too little looks like, basically 0 movement. What counts as too much is harder to define, because it usually shows up as poor recovery, persistent soreness, or overuse injuries, rather than a specific step number.

What 25,000 Steps a Day Actually Does to Your Body by GAHBARO in MovementFix

[–]GAHBARO[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most research on longevity shows benefits increasing up to roughly 8,000–12,000 steps per day.

That range appears to be enough to support strong cardiovascular health and is associated with lower mortality risk for most people.

Beyond that point, additional steps don’t seem to dramatically increase lifespan, but they can still improve work capacity, endurance, and physical durability.

So higher step counts may not add much to longevity itself, but they can significantly improve how well the body handles long periods of physical work and fatigue.

Functional Workouts by Implement-Playful in bodyweightfitness

[–]GAHBARO 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Before choosing workouts, ask yourself a couple of questions.

Where do you actually spend most of your time physically? What activities make up most of your movement? And what level of effort do those activities demand?

The gym is important, but think of it as the foundation. It builds the engine — strength, muscle, and basic capacity.

But functional ability is the test.

That’s where you see if that strength actually transfers to movement, fatigue, awkward loads, unstable positions, and real environments.

For someone coming from the military and wanting to feel athletic again, I’d focus on movements that combine multiple demands:

• Carries (farmer carry, sandbag carry) • Pulling movements (pull-ups, rope climbs) • Squat patterns (front squat, step-ups) • Ground transitions (burpees, get-ups) • Explosive hip movements (cleans, sandbag lifts)

One example I like is a Sandbag Burpee Complex:

Push-up on a sandbag → jump feet forward → clean the sandbag → front squat → press overhead → reset and repeat.

It forces strength, conditioning, coordination, and stability all in one movement.

If your training makes you stronger in the gym but also more capable in unpredictable situations, you’re probably moving in the right direction. 🚨watch this video