Fork a Fabulous Figure

CT’s wet spring this year was gloomy. My husband believes someone made a deal to swap climates with England. Hopefully we’ll see tomatoes before Halloween.

The excess rain, however maddening, had its benefits. I didn’t have to water, my investment in a new perennial bed yielded a 100% return … and I didn’t have to water.

A benefit I didn’t anticipate was building more muscle from the muck. The soggy soil in my vege plot was too wet to ‘till. Dry days didn’t arrive by planting time. Grumbling, I left the rototiller in the garage and fetched a pitch fork. My brother and I turned each row by hand for the cold weather crops. Our garden feeds four households so it was no small task. I’ll admit I was irritated. However, it really jump-started my “body by the yard” workout after a long winter. Turning over a garden by hand works a multitude of muscles. My resident expert Jane Petrin (see her credentials in the post “Wheelbarrow Schmeelbarrow” under June) says pitch forking works all the main muscle groups.

Numerous arm, shoulder, neck, leg and butt muscles participate making this one garden activity equal to a long iron-pumping routine at a gym. Just standing and turning the soil strengthens muscles important for good posture including Rhomboids, Trapezius and Latissimus Dorsi (back muscles.)

Driving the fork into the ground with your foot works your Glutes (my favorite), Quads, Hamstrings and the calve muscles Gastroc and Soleus. Push the fork alternating your left and right leg. Otherwise you’ll create lop-sided butt cheeks. Finding perfect fitting jeans is already hard enough for most of us even with a relatively balanced butt.

The act of squatting, lunging and twisting when you flip the dirt over works additional butt muscles and adds abdominal action. Using a wide stance and straight back strengthens and stretches the IT band and ankle muscles. This will protect your legs from injuries in all activities.

Since I'm in my 40s I was sore after all this forking. But boy was I stronger. Amazing how such an old fashioned activity can work as many muscles as a circuit on expensive, modern weight machines. As always, fork at your own risk.