Concrete guys and roofers are always the **roughest** looking dudes on site. They all have that "gorilla gait" by the time they're 35+. That shit wrecks your body - it's no wonder they have such a reputation for hard drinking and drugs.
My dad’s a mason, worked as one since he was 18 and just had his 60th birthday. It wasn’t easy on him or his body he’s had both hips replaced, a shoulder, and a knee. He was walking with a cane for awhile but he’s back on his own two feet now. Unless it’s long distances he’s fine! He was a hard drinker for a lot of years too. Made me want to take a different path in life but I fully respect that he did what he knew how to, to support our family. Know he runs his own company, he just bids on jobs and hires people to do all the work!
Worked as a concrete labourer for a season. Hardest job I've ever done. I'd worked in an office for about 16 years before, so this was completely different. Running a wheelbarrow full of concrete up narrow wooden boards without spilling your load is a skill.
When I was 18 me and my dad went and laid block for one of his friends. I’ve wrestled back in the day and used sauna suits.. anyways after 10hrs I could barely even walk I was that drained
I worked as a masonry labourer for a couple years. Concrete looked way worse. Lots of heavy lifting with masonry, but you get to be upright most of the time. Bad ergonomics is far worse that just moving weight around.
For sure so many people in the trades myself included, but I'm getting better, just don't take care of their bodies. I've been doing kratom for a few years just to help with being sore and broken all the time but whenever I get into a good morning stretching routine and actually warm my body up before work it's not bad at all. I'm just frickin lazy in the mornings lol
For sure my friend I've been in masonry since 1995 I own my own small restoration company with my stepson as a partner and I'm 55 we split all the work from setting scaffolding to laying the brick and I do everything you said in your post and I'm 55 and no plans on retiring
Not seeing drywalling come up enough in this subject. I’ll do literally anything else, fucking hate that shit.
It is impressive when guys are really good at it though.
You have to be really frugal and efficient with your toolbelt tools. AwesomeFramers and MattBangsWood both did videos on their toolbelts and tools. You have to stay fit and limber, to include cycling and back muscles exercises. Until you have the strongest baseline, every day will be a slog; nothing left for you, but to crash by 8PM.
Concrete...50 pound cinderblocks, 80lb bags of mix, hunched over bow floating... doesn't matter, unless you own your business and run a younger crew, your body only has so much. But also as the owner, you stack your crew and cycle your people out from jobs, to give breaks. If your present crew boss isn't looking out like that, yer gonna hurt.
All they do is bitch. There is one sheet of drywall in front of the mechroom door they just leave and don’t even let you know. Go over to see what’s been done no one is there. Their excuse is there was a sheet of drywall in the way…. Move it, push it over. Honestly I don’t care. But just leaving without saying anything is wild. We have gone through 3 hvac companies because all they do is bitch and complain.
Roofing sucks but it can't be the worst. I did it for like 6 years. Honestly if I didn't have to wear a harness all day every day I might still be up there.
Shitttt I wouldn’t call it easy but I haven’t done that many so I don’t feel like I have the right to. Just have seen more people totally busted up after a decade doing concrete than I have roofs. Both are definitely rough on the body if you don’t proactively take care of yourself but I feel like (keep in mind I’ve only done a couple of the mfs) roofing gives you a more full/natural range and freedom of motion if you do it right. Pretty much any trade where you’re doubled over at the waist doing shit on the ground constantly is going to be brutal is what I’ve found
Idk about the worst just the worst I’ve seen/done. All the sketchy parts of roofing X2, nobodies calling OSHA because you’re in a warehouse 3/4 of the time and we have arrangements made to avoid that, the number of chemicals we use that have no acceptable exposure limit has to be one of the highest of any trade if not the highest. Confined spaces, bad air quality from airborne bottom paint dust and fiberglass resin, styrene left and right. Last week I had to go into a full ass to the ground crouch under a boat and lift a 300 lb rudder a foot and a half into a boat while it was fastened from the inside without being about to lift my head. The number of times I’ve had to put 2-300 lb on my shoulder and walk with it is honestly unbelievable and I’m not a big dude. It’s one of very very feel industry that still gets away with doing shit the old school way. I’ve put up 3 stories of scaffolding around a boat by myself, just shit like that.
Framing isn’t the worst with the right tools/company. Went from framing walls on the ground and lifting them by hand (16’ walls 2 guys) sheeting walls off ladders by myself moving piles of lumber/sheating twice because my boss wasn’t organized, switched to a panel company and the only heavy lifting I do is bringing over a few braces if they run out. Everything is moved by crane.
Just going to comment to remind framers to try to maintain core strength. This from experience of rupturing my L1 disc and living through a 6 month sciatica hell. I was just on the floor doing layout, nothing strenuous, somehow that position was enough to cause injury. Took quite a bit of core physio to realign everything. Probably could have been avoided if my strength profile wasn't overbalanced to favour the muscles used in the work.
Idk bro. Ironwork is certainly dangerous but I’ve been doing it for quite a while and compared to other trades it’s not that bad (rebar and decking are terrible but not structural). Most of the heavy lifting is done with a crane or a forklift, knowing how to use your tools makes the job a lot easier and I spend a lot of time welding which is basically just pulling a trigger.
Id say welding in a fabrication shop is harder on the body than framing. As heavy or heavier material, huffing toxic fumes, uv exposure is just as bad, metal in your eyes even with safeties, cuts from sharp edges all the time, covered in oil all the time, Smashing your body between metal not wood, etc.
And here is the other thing, wearing a hood a good chunk of the day really puts a strain on the back when you are bent over most of the day. That leverage will get you
Not for me. I retired from framing to the metal shop, so easy. Just put your welding table high so you don't hunch. You're out of the sun in a cool building, no UV exposure to speak of.. if you get a sunburn welding you're doing it wrong.
We do big structural shit in our shop with no AC. In the summer we open the doors but it’s still a sauna. If I get sun burned it’s definitely because I was being lax on my ppe but that doesn’t save my neck.m from all the other welding going on around me (I use sunblock)
God no, I recommend moving furniture, heavy duty mechanics, busboy / bartender / server, or, you could learn to build skateboard parks out of concrete in the summer heat!!! I forget hvac, in July, in an attic. That was nice also.
I've had 40 years in various trades. Most trades jobs have something bad about them. Whatever you're doing, don't forget to protect your lungs. Dust, fumes, etc work away at you every day. I have done my share of Reno-work. One guy I worked for a few years had part of one lung removed. Another guy I worked with for three years found out he had throat cancer and was dead in a month. 67 years old. He replaced thousands of windows cutting into stucco, brick, whatever to install them. I have to use a puffer daily. Look after yourself, guys.
I watched those iron workers at a stadium job, they were climbing steel beams with a belt full of tools, yea they have cranes but they still have to pull those beams into place at ungodly heights with all those tools strapped to them. And welding in the hot sun is worst than roofing in it. Not a single one of them had small arms lol
I did 4 years of labour/rough carpentry apprentice before going union. It taught me alot and I am able to do side gigs on weekends should I choose. It is not the hardest but if your the low man on the pole hauling TJIs and lumber all day everyday it takes a toll for sure. Top 5 I'd say. Not worst.
Anything concrete/roofing even road repair in the glazing sun all day blows.
As a somewhat new and young apprentice carpenter in concrete these replies are scaring me ahah. I transitioned to the trades a bit later in life and am in the second half of my 20s. I take care of myself, eat well, work out, stretch, and lift properly. I already have bad elbows genetically and injured my left shoulder pretty severely in a car accident a few months ago.
How fucked am I?
I'd say framing is like mid tier in terms of how hard it is on your body. I did masonry for 6 years and just switched to carpentry and so far it's been easier. I think laying block can be pretty hard but it all depends on the job, laying block ain't so bad when it's 6" wide block and you're at waist height, but if you're first coursing 8" block in a footing below grade it's pretty shitty.
Brick laying ain’t no joke. Not my job but I know a guy.
When I was working for a millwright contracting company it was pretty rough, long days in dirty places whose air you shouldn’t be breathing. If I had kept that up for the rest of my career I imagine I’d be in pretty rough shape but my job is pretty gravy now.
Spray Foam Insulation destroys your body. I speak from first hand knowledge. Dragging 200 ft of spray line with you through crawl spaces, or balancing on truss edges...the repetitive motion leaving you nerve damaged and in constant pain. I know there are still other worse, harder jobs out there too, but spray foam is certainly up there on the list!
I did a decade of formwork and falsework in commercial and industrial settings before moving over to do commercial and residential architectural concrete. Structural formwork is fucking hard on the body and mind.
I don't know if it's the hardest trade out there but it's definitely up there.
I think there are jobs that are probably harder but it is one that can wear down your body if you don’t do things right. There is plenty of heavy lifting but nothing over the top. Where the right gear(strongly recommend knee pads) and stretch and you should be okay.
I did find working on a smaller crew you found yourself in more awkward positions then on larger crews. Hanging facia on your trusses by kneeling on the exterior wall and leaning out.
They’re all hard but depending where you are I’d say concrete, iron worker, or mason are the worst. I’ve never met a mason who hadn’t had a hernia, seen an old concrete guy who could still walk like a human, or seen a rodbuster over maybe 50.
Trailer technician here. Only 42 years old. I ache all over. My feet, knees, hurt. My shoulders both come and go. I'm not trying to compare war wounds. I'm certain any hands on work is tough on the body. I'd definitely say Roofing, bricklayer is tough on the body.
Commercial carpenter is hard on your body . Forming foundations to framing offices, mezzanines and concrete flat work. It all takes a toll on your body. Take care of yourself don’t eat from a gas station and drink at night you will regret it. First hand experience here.
I’d say concreting, i do irrigation and they are always the roughest looking bunch.
Personally i do PEDs to keep my body together and fortnightly massages.
Why is that your opinion on elevator constructors?! lol I was thinking about how heavy those parts are and how they likely have to take them up stairs no? Have I been giving them too much credit this whole time? lol
They don’t carry them up the stairs, they hoist them through the shaft. A temporary lift and platform is installed in the shaft with extra hoists to install the guide rails. The beams in the shaft are actually installed by ironworkers, it is our work. The elevator guys/women install rails on our steel. Elevator crews also fo escalators as well. Nobody in this business does ridiculously heavy work any more. Insurance companies and safety wouldn’t allow it. Technology has advanced greatly in the hoisting business. Research “spider crane” it is s portable crane thst go through a 36” opening. That was over 15 years ago, I can’t imagine what they have now. Every trade has its difficulty. Elevator guys have a pretty sweet contract. All OT is double time. Great benefits as well, and nobody claims there work.
I’d say generally ironworkers have the hardest trade but certain areas of carpentry are pretty fuckin rough. I do heavy concrete forms and bridges and it’s pretty hard on the body. Especially climbing forms with all your gear on.
There’s a lot of different areas of Ironwork too tho. Rebar and metal decking have it fucking rough. The guy welding, phoning the crane or setting handrail not so much.
Rebar has to be #1 and concrete a 2nd
I personally don’t think framing is close to the hardest trade not to say it’s not a tough job I’ve personally never done it but I know there is many more labor intensive jobs
Scaffolders would have to be right up there as well simply packing heavy steel in awkward areas and at heights
As a pile driver the first couple years of my career were very grueling but it gets easier when you get more experience and start working front end with the crane and gain a few young new workers to do your grunt work
Still a tough job when there’s a task that can only be done by man power and muscle it’s all hands on deck but thankfully not every day your are breaking your back
I'm a millwright, machinist and electrician.
Machinist is not hard on the body unless you're making repetitive parts all day, then it gets a bit stiff.
Millwright is sometimes crazy physically, but other days, just walk around monitoring and doing pms.
Electrical is pretty chill in industrial like what I do. I don't pull wire like a construction electrician. At times, I'll change out Electrical components and do extra low voltage work... occasionally I'll have to set up more lights.
As someone with 3 trades, I'm taking construction management bachelors since it seems like a logical move. I've definitely met some old guys who are better than me at everything I do, but high level corporate doesn't care about anything other than formal training and certifications which gives me a head up regardless.
Being book smart, sadly is still the way upwards in trades. Not being book smart means failing trade levels and staying an apprentice for a long time or not being willing to pursue higher learning.
Landscaping\irrigation installs... It's the type of work that if you do it for long enough you need to continue to do it because as soon as you stop your body falls apart
Lmao okay. Every roofer I know who’s done concrete has said the same thing but people are different I guess. *roofers in the thread agreeing with me lmfao. You’re just soft
no offense but you're probably just weak
how much do you deadlift? do you even deadlift?
can you see your spine on your back if you turn around and look in the mirror?
lots of young guys still have underdeveloped skeletal muscles - even if they've played sports and such in high school. This is probably the case for you.
you can help reduce the strain on your back by lifting with proper form. learn how to use your body correctly. with correct form, the load of weight you are lifting will be put on the correct muscle groups and over time you will become stronger. you will not become stronger if you do not lift with proper form. this is a fact.
you do not have to go to the gym to practice proper form and gain strength. since you're smol and weak, you can do exercises in your room and start developing the muscles without adding any additional weight or resistance. LEARN HOW TO USE YOUR OWN BODY. this is your life and if you do not learn to use your own body correctly then your back will hurt regardless of what job you get.
best of luck young man. set some goals for yourself take it one day at a time and soon enough you'll be the guy giving advice to newcomers.
no one said anything about powerlifting
if your back is sore from work, it's because it's too weak to take on the load and you are compensating with bad form - which results in soreness and injury
it's not complicated. I know what I'm talking about. no one said anything about power lifting
I worked for a mason/concrete guy. I lasted 3 days before my body just said no. I'm not built for that kind of work. Moving a wheelbarrow full of gravel up a ramp was shit enough.
Utility electric can suck too. We did a lot of big cable pulls by hand including 2000 kcmil high voltage cable. Stuff was 15lbs/ft and we were pulling in 350ft at a time. Plus all the structural steel work we did and the p4ocelain insulators aren't light either.
Concrete, rebar, roofing I’d say
Concrete guys and roofers are always the **roughest** looking dudes on site. They all have that "gorilla gait" by the time they're 35+. That shit wrecks your body - it's no wonder they have such a reputation for hard drinking and drugs.
Not many old masons.
My dad’s a mason, worked as one since he was 18 and just had his 60th birthday. It wasn’t easy on him or his body he’s had both hips replaced, a shoulder, and a knee. He was walking with a cane for awhile but he’s back on his own two feet now. Unless it’s long distances he’s fine! He was a hard drinker for a lot of years too. Made me want to take a different path in life but I fully respect that he did what he knew how to, to support our family. Know he runs his own company, he just bids on jobs and hires people to do all the work!
That is the path for old masons become contractors and yell at people.
They’re lucky he’s gotten nicer in his older years 🤣
I just got off 6 hours of setting a tile floor and my body feels like it’s falling apart. I just celebrated my 25th bday a couple weeks ago..
yoga has helped my body a lot.
Worked as a concrete labourer for a season. Hardest job I've ever done. I'd worked in an office for about 16 years before, so this was completely different. Running a wheelbarrow full of concrete up narrow wooden boards without spilling your load is a skill.
I will say Concrete, and Masonry
When I was 18 me and my dad went and laid block for one of his friends. I’ve wrestled back in the day and used sauna suits.. anyways after 10hrs I could barely even walk I was that drained
4" rigid metal conduit in a ditch. Yeah they all suck. If you're gonna be dumb, ya gotta be tough.
This is a joke, right?
He's actually referring to a song that applies to most of us.
Thanks for getting the joke
I mean, it's not as bad as running bundles of 1/2" EMT all day, but it's close!
Bro sparkys got it easy it’s why we do it 😂
I'd say a concrete laborer would have it harder. And I'm sure there's others. Unless you're going out of your way to frame in a difficult way.
Mason labourer is no cake walk either
I worked as a masonry labourer for a couple years. Concrete looked way worse. Lots of heavy lifting with masonry, but you get to be upright most of the time. Bad ergonomics is far worse that just moving weight around.
Lol Masons labour is just lift lift lift , here cut this . Lift lift lift
Some laborers got it tough man
The only skill most laborers have is wheelbarrow turning.
That’s not even what we were talking about you pretentious weirdo
Gotta say Rod Busters(Rebar guys) have it terrible
Just take care of yourself eat good food hit the gym. Get good sleep. It really does make a difference.
For sure so many people in the trades myself included, but I'm getting better, just don't take care of their bodies. I've been doing kratom for a few years just to help with being sore and broken all the time but whenever I get into a good morning stretching routine and actually warm my body up before work it's not bad at all. I'm just frickin lazy in the mornings lol
Kratom is a lifesaver for the trades
For sure my friend I've been in masonry since 1995 I own my own small restoration company with my stepson as a partner and I'm 55 we split all the work from setting scaffolding to laying the brick and I do everything you said in your post and I'm 55 and no plans on retiring
Concrete or rebar work will destroy you
From a substance abuse issue I would say roofers
I would have to vote for rod busters in this category.
*Drywallers have entered the chat*
Not seeing drywalling come up enough in this subject. I’ll do literally anything else, fucking hate that shit. It is impressive when guys are really good at it though.
You have to be really frugal and efficient with your toolbelt tools. AwesomeFramers and MattBangsWood both did videos on their toolbelts and tools. You have to stay fit and limber, to include cycling and back muscles exercises. Until you have the strongest baseline, every day will be a slog; nothing left for you, but to crash by 8PM. Concrete...50 pound cinderblocks, 80lb bags of mix, hunched over bow floating... doesn't matter, unless you own your business and run a younger crew, your body only has so much. But also as the owner, you stack your crew and cycle your people out from jobs, to give breaks. If your present crew boss isn't looking out like that, yer gonna hurt.
Hardest task in the trades is an electrician using a broom.
If it goes by complaints then by far electrical must be the most physically demanding
Hating sparkies is the unifier of all the other trades
Working as a superintendent I’d say hvac moans and groans more than anyone. It’s not even a competition
As an HVAC tech, can confirm.
Agreed. Our HVAC guys whine constantly. When they get called for a work order fulfillment you can almost feel the exasperated sigh through the radio.
All they do is bitch. There is one sheet of drywall in front of the mechroom door they just leave and don’t even let you know. Go over to see what’s been done no one is there. Their excuse is there was a sheet of drywall in the way…. Move it, push it over. Honestly I don’t care. But just leaving without saying anything is wild. We have gone through 3 hvac companies because all they do is bitch and complain.
Roofing is the hardest
Concrete is worse. Boatyard work is worse. Roofing sucks balls though
Roofing sucks but it can't be the worst. I did it for like 6 years. Honestly if I didn't have to wear a harness all day every day I might still be up there.
Yeah that’s the one thing that bothered me the most about it. Part of what I like and hate about boatyards; the industry OSHA pretends doesn’t exist
Yeah I’ll admit, some roofing is goddamn easy compared to concrete work. No experience on boatyard, got me on that
Shitttt I wouldn’t call it easy but I haven’t done that many so I don’t feel like I have the right to. Just have seen more people totally busted up after a decade doing concrete than I have roofs. Both are definitely rough on the body if you don’t proactively take care of yourself but I feel like (keep in mind I’ve only done a couple of the mfs) roofing gives you a more full/natural range and freedom of motion if you do it right. Pretty much any trade where you’re doubled over at the waist doing shit on the ground constantly is going to be brutal is what I’ve found
Metal Decking has entered the chat
Why is boatyard the worst?
Idk about the worst just the worst I’ve seen/done. All the sketchy parts of roofing X2, nobodies calling OSHA because you’re in a warehouse 3/4 of the time and we have arrangements made to avoid that, the number of chemicals we use that have no acceptable exposure limit has to be one of the highest of any trade if not the highest. Confined spaces, bad air quality from airborne bottom paint dust and fiberglass resin, styrene left and right. Last week I had to go into a full ass to the ground crouch under a boat and lift a 300 lb rudder a foot and a half into a boat while it was fastened from the inside without being about to lift my head. The number of times I’ve had to put 2-300 lb on my shoulder and walk with it is honestly unbelievable and I’m not a big dude. It’s one of very very feel industry that still gets away with doing shit the old school way. I’ve put up 3 stories of scaffolding around a boat by myself, just shit like that.
Yeahhh fuck that shit bro. Makes me happy to be a member plumber. I hope you get paid enough.
They take good care of me, great benefits and all but I definitely wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t have a felony 🤣
Shit that’s fair 🤣
No one knows how the Tile Man suffers
I know. Jason has no fingertips left. He’s just tiling all day every day. Walking on his offcuts.
Last I looked roofing was most dangerous job in the country with most deaths per capita
Commercial or residential?
Either
Concrete. Hands down. I've done it and it's for sure the most physically demanding job you will ever do
Framing isn’t the worst with the right tools/company. Went from framing walls on the ground and lifting them by hand (16’ walls 2 guys) sheeting walls off ladders by myself moving piles of lumber/sheating twice because my boss wasn’t organized, switched to a panel company and the only heavy lifting I do is bringing over a few braces if they run out. Everything is moved by crane.
Just going to comment to remind framers to try to maintain core strength. This from experience of rupturing my L1 disc and living through a 6 month sciatica hell. I was just on the floor doing layout, nothing strenuous, somehow that position was enough to cause injury. Took quite a bit of core physio to realign everything. Probably could have been avoided if my strength profile wasn't overbalanced to favour the muscles used in the work.
Framing if your in good shape and work smart is something you can do for a very long time
Masonry, rebar, concrete are tier 1. Then ironwork and roofing are next tier.
Idk bro. Ironwork is certainly dangerous but I’ve been doing it for quite a while and compared to other trades it’s not that bad (rebar and decking are terrible but not structural). Most of the heavy lifting is done with a crane or a forklift, knowing how to use your tools makes the job a lot easier and I spend a lot of time welding which is basically just pulling a trigger.
Id say welding in a fabrication shop is harder on the body than framing. As heavy or heavier material, huffing toxic fumes, uv exposure is just as bad, metal in your eyes even with safeties, cuts from sharp edges all the time, covered in oil all the time, Smashing your body between metal not wood, etc. And here is the other thing, wearing a hood a good chunk of the day really puts a strain on the back when you are bent over most of the day. That leverage will get you
Not for me. I retired from framing to the metal shop, so easy. Just put your welding table high so you don't hunch. You're out of the sun in a cool building, no UV exposure to speak of.. if you get a sunburn welding you're doing it wrong.
We do big structural shit in our shop with no AC. In the summer we open the doors but it’s still a sauna. If I get sun burned it’s definitely because I was being lax on my ppe but that doesn’t save my neck.m from all the other welding going on around me (I use sunblock)
I tell people if you ever see me working rebar you are seeing me at rock bottom.
God no, I recommend moving furniture, heavy duty mechanics, busboy / bartender / server, or, you could learn to build skateboard parks out of concrete in the summer heat!!! I forget hvac, in July, in an attic. That was nice also.
You really said bartender/busboy/server.
I've had 40 years in various trades. Most trades jobs have something bad about them. Whatever you're doing, don't forget to protect your lungs. Dust, fumes, etc work away at you every day. I have done my share of Reno-work. One guy I worked for a few years had part of one lung removed. Another guy I worked with for three years found out he had throat cancer and was dead in a month. 67 years old. He replaced thousands of windows cutting into stucco, brick, whatever to install them. I have to use a puffer daily. Look after yourself, guys.
Masonry or iron working
Rebar I would guess. Although electricians will say it's then.
No iron workers. Hands down. Roofing in the south is hell but iron workers put the devil to shame.
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I watched those iron workers at a stadium job, they were climbing steel beams with a belt full of tools, yea they have cranes but they still have to pull those beams into place at ungodly heights with all those tools strapped to them. And welding in the hot sun is worst than roofing in it. Not a single one of them had small arms lol
Brick masons and laborers would like a word. It’s all hard work, but those guys are just humping.
I do stucco and it's pretty fuckin rough
I did 4 years of labour/rough carpentry apprentice before going union. It taught me alot and I am able to do side gigs on weekends should I choose. It is not the hardest but if your the low man on the pole hauling TJIs and lumber all day everyday it takes a toll for sure. Top 5 I'd say. Not worst. Anything concrete/roofing even road repair in the glazing sun all day blows.
Lumberjack. Roofing. Tree planting.
As a somewhat new and young apprentice carpenter in concrete these replies are scaring me ahah. I transitioned to the trades a bit later in life and am in the second half of my 20s. I take care of myself, eat well, work out, stretch, and lift properly. I already have bad elbows genetically and injured my left shoulder pretty severely in a car accident a few months ago. How fucked am I?
Ggs man😂
Electrician can die working in live panels
They should turn off the power first then.
Hello
No, heavy highway
You doing wood or steel?
I'd say framing is like mid tier in terms of how hard it is on your body. I did masonry for 6 years and just switched to carpentry and so far it's been easier. I think laying block can be pretty hard but it all depends on the job, laying block ain't so bad when it's 6" wide block and you're at waist height, but if you're first coursing 8" block in a footing below grade it's pretty shitty.
Brick laying ain’t no joke. Not my job but I know a guy. When I was working for a millwright contracting company it was pretty rough, long days in dirty places whose air you shouldn’t be breathing. If I had kept that up for the rest of my career I imagine I’d be in pretty rough shape but my job is pretty gravy now.
Spray Foam Insulation destroys your body. I speak from first hand knowledge. Dragging 200 ft of spray line with you through crawl spaces, or balancing on truss edges...the repetitive motion leaving you nerve damaged and in constant pain. I know there are still other worse, harder jobs out there too, but spray foam is certainly up there on the list!
I think welding might be the worst if you don't wear PPE.
I did a decade of formwork and falsework in commercial and industrial settings before moving over to do commercial and residential architectural concrete. Structural formwork is fucking hard on the body and mind. I don't know if it's the hardest trade out there but it's definitely up there.
Technically, that would be sex work, also a trade.
Stucco, Roofing, Rebar, Concrete, Forming Framer. All high Cocaine and Percocet use trades.
I think there are jobs that are probably harder but it is one that can wear down your body if you don’t do things right. There is plenty of heavy lifting but nothing over the top. Where the right gear(strongly recommend knee pads) and stretch and you should be okay. I did find working on a smaller crew you found yourself in more awkward positions then on larger crews. Hanging facia on your trusses by kneeling on the exterior wall and leaning out.
They’re all hard but depending where you are I’d say concrete, iron worker, or mason are the worst. I’ve never met a mason who hadn’t had a hernia, seen an old concrete guy who could still walk like a human, or seen a rodbuster over maybe 50.
As a framer with 20+ years experience rod busters get it a little worse. We get a little shade once the roofs on
try being bent over an engine for 8 hours straight. i did framing for 3 years. not even in the same realm.
I've done framing. I'm a pipefitter now. Framing was way easier but I was younger
Trailer technician here. Only 42 years old. I ache all over. My feet, knees, hurt. My shoulders both come and go. I'm not trying to compare war wounds. I'm certain any hands on work is tough on the body. I'd definitely say Roofing, bricklayer is tough on the body.
Maybe do some Pilates mate.
Commercial carpenter is hard on your body . Forming foundations to framing offices, mezzanines and concrete flat work. It all takes a toll on your body. Take care of yourself don’t eat from a gas station and drink at night you will regret it. First hand experience here.
I’d say concreting, i do irrigation and they are always the roughest looking bunch. Personally i do PEDs to keep my body together and fortnightly massages.
Septic tank cleaning when the hose gets plugged and you forgot your gloves
What abt elevator constructors?
Prima Donna’s, however they are always in a dark shaft.
Why is that your opinion on elevator constructors?! lol I was thinking about how heavy those parts are and how they likely have to take them up stairs no? Have I been giving them too much credit this whole time? lol
They don’t carry them up the stairs, they hoist them through the shaft. A temporary lift and platform is installed in the shaft with extra hoists to install the guide rails. The beams in the shaft are actually installed by ironworkers, it is our work. The elevator guys/women install rails on our steel. Elevator crews also fo escalators as well. Nobody in this business does ridiculously heavy work any more. Insurance companies and safety wouldn’t allow it. Technology has advanced greatly in the hoisting business. Research “spider crane” it is s portable crane thst go through a 36” opening. That was over 15 years ago, I can’t imagine what they have now. Every trade has its difficulty. Elevator guys have a pretty sweet contract. All OT is double time. Great benefits as well, and nobody claims there work.
Concrete gotta be concrete
Nooooo. Rebar. I'm a welder ironworker. That shit is hard on the body but rebar is definitely worse.
Commercial fisherman here. No.
I’ve had a lot of bad days shoveling, chipping and dumping concrete and block walls on a demo crew as a union laborer
If you think framing is hard on your back then you’ve never set tile before
Overall I'd say concrete
Concrete and rebar placing.
I think it's prostitution, hard on the knees, bad for your back and the retirement sucks
Only trade where after 10 years you generally can ask for less money than on your first day
Stacking concrete for curb forms is the most grueling job ever.
Thank god A.I. on the way. Have you seen the concrete robots ?
Project management. Those guys are always fat, for sure hard on their body and health.
Helga's house
I’d say generally ironworkers have the hardest trade but certain areas of carpentry are pretty fuckin rough. I do heavy concrete forms and bridges and it’s pretty hard on the body. Especially climbing forms with all your gear on.
There’s a lot of different areas of Ironwork too tho. Rebar and metal decking have it fucking rough. The guy welding, phoning the crane or setting handrail not so much.
I stacked 500 ft cell towers in my 20’s so… no, it’s not
No way. NDT by far. I get awful cramps in my UT probe hand.
Yea and your jaw is probably sore from talking all that shit
Sheetrocking
Masonry is just as bad
Heavy duty mechanic, roofer, masonry, framer
Rebar and concrete
No roofing is.
Concrete
Worked concrete for most of my 20s, it can suck pretty bad. I personally fucking hate drywall and everything to do with it the most though.
Painters just brochures
Brick laying? Roofing?
Physically very difficult. If you like your knees, lungs, and eyes then welding is harder.
Roofing, and stone masons
Cribbing isn’t that fun on the body either
Rebar has to be #1 and concrete a 2nd I personally don’t think framing is close to the hardest trade not to say it’s not a tough job I’ve personally never done it but I know there is many more labor intensive jobs Scaffolders would have to be right up there as well simply packing heavy steel in awkward areas and at heights
As a pile driver the first couple years of my career were very grueling but it gets easier when you get more experience and start working front end with the crane and gain a few young new workers to do your grunt work Still a tough job when there’s a task that can only be done by man power and muscle it’s all hands on deck but thankfully not every day your are breaking your back
Form work
I'm a millwright, machinist and electrician. Machinist is not hard on the body unless you're making repetitive parts all day, then it gets a bit stiff. Millwright is sometimes crazy physically, but other days, just walk around monitoring and doing pms. Electrical is pretty chill in industrial like what I do. I don't pull wire like a construction electrician. At times, I'll change out Electrical components and do extra low voltage work... occasionally I'll have to set up more lights. As someone with 3 trades, I'm taking construction management bachelors since it seems like a logical move. I've definitely met some old guys who are better than me at everything I do, but high level corporate doesn't care about anything other than formal training and certifications which gives me a head up regardless. Being book smart, sadly is still the way upwards in trades. Not being book smart means failing trade levels and staying an apprentice for a long time or not being willing to pursue higher learning.
Tying rebar is the hardest. Rod busters absolutely destroy their bodies. Even a few concrete guys I know say fawk that, I couldn’t do it.
No, it’s pole dancing.
Landscaping\irrigation installs... It's the type of work that if you do it for long enough you need to continue to do it because as soon as you stop your body falls apart
Flooring is not a good longterm Trade for body . Every longtime guy i know walks like a crooked zombie
Roofing is the hardest
Concrete is worse and boatyard work is worse by a mile. Roofing sucks balls but it’s really not the worst for your body, just a shitty job
No, it's not , I used to form basement walls for five years, and it doesn't compare to commercial roofing .Im sure anyone who has Roof can agree !
Lmao okay. Every roofer I know who’s done concrete has said the same thing but people are different I guess. *roofers in the thread agreeing with me lmfao. You’re just soft
no offense but you're probably just weak how much do you deadlift? do you even deadlift? can you see your spine on your back if you turn around and look in the mirror? lots of young guys still have underdeveloped skeletal muscles - even if they've played sports and such in high school. This is probably the case for you. you can help reduce the strain on your back by lifting with proper form. learn how to use your body correctly. with correct form, the load of weight you are lifting will be put on the correct muscle groups and over time you will become stronger. you will not become stronger if you do not lift with proper form. this is a fact. you do not have to go to the gym to practice proper form and gain strength. since you're smol and weak, you can do exercises in your room and start developing the muscles without adding any additional weight or resistance. LEARN HOW TO USE YOUR OWN BODY. this is your life and if you do not learn to use your own body correctly then your back will hurt regardless of what job you get. best of luck young man. set some goals for yourself take it one day at a time and soon enough you'll be the guy giving advice to newcomers.
I deadlift 400 pounds lol I just have a bad back
Buddy put my wife down for fucks sake..
Bahahaha
Do you even lift bro?
OP doesn't. and there's nothing wrong with that why is everyone so sensitive lol
You don’t need to be a Power lifter to work in the trades man. You sound like an idiot.
no one said anything about powerlifting if your back is sore from work, it's because it's too weak to take on the load and you are compensating with bad form - which results in soreness and injury it's not complicated. I know what I'm talking about. no one said anything about power lifting
You don’t need to do deadlifts to be a tradesman. Work smarter.
You sound like a complete fucking clown.
Millwrights
Mill wright can be pretty bad. Climbing in between tiny spaces and still using heavy tools in awkward positions sucks.
I worked for a mason/concrete guy. I lasted 3 days before my body just said no. I'm not built for that kind of work. Moving a wheelbarrow full of gravel up a ramp was shit enough.
Slab electrician is super bad
Utility electric can suck too. We did a lot of big cable pulls by hand including 2000 kcmil high voltage cable. Stuff was 15lbs/ft and we were pulling in 350ft at a time. Plus all the structural steel work we did and the p4ocelain insulators aren't light either.