– why is working a manual labor job (construction, manufacturing, etc) destructive to your body but going to the gym every day isn’t?

Question

I’m an electrician and a lot of the older guys at my job have so many knee and back issues but I always see older people who went to the gym every day look and feel great

In: Biology

Answer 1

The gym is just a controlled environment for your physical activity.

When you lift weights, you almost always do it with correct form that doesn’t cause injuries, and you don’t work the same muscles every day. And if you do get injured, you just don’t work out that muscle for a while and let it heal.

Manual labor jobs you tend to do the same movements over and over, wearing on the same joints and muscles every day, and not always with ideal form. And you also tend to tough out minor injuries, because you need to work to make money.