My old foreman told me my trowel grip was costing me an hour a day

I was working a big retaining wall job over in Newark last Tuesday and my old foreman from my apprenticeship stopped by to say hi. He watched me lay a few bricks and just shook his head, then told me I was holding my trowel way too tight and using my wrist instead of my forearm. He said I was probably losing 45 minutes to an hour a day from fatigue and wasted motion. I laughed it off at first but then I timed myself before and after changing my grip. He was right, I finished my next row in about half the time and my hand didn't cramp up by lunch. Has anyone else had a simple grip change speed up their work like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

rayc381mo ago

He was probably right about the wrist thing. Read somewhere that using your bigger arm muscles saves energy over a full day.

michael8951mo ago

That's exactly what I found out the hard way after a long day of moving boxes. Had my wrists all bent up trying to grip everything with my hands and fingers. Woke up the next day barely able to make a fist. Switched to keeping my wrists straight and using my shoulders and back more. Made a huge difference by the end of the week. Your arms don't get as wrecked and you can keep going longer without taking breaks.