Hit 5000 square feet in a single pour last Thursday and my back is still mad about it

I've been finishing concrete for about 8 years now and my biggest single day was always around 3000 feet. But last week a commercial driveway job came up and I figured why not try it. We had four guys and a power trowel running from 6am to almost 8pm. By the end my knees were shot and my forearms were on fire but we got it done with no cold joints. Has anyone else pushed way past their normal limit and regretted it the next day?

2 comments

2 Comments

garcia.laura1mo ago

The 6am to 8pm grind is real man. I scaled a 3500 foot slab with only three guys last summer and we learned the hard way that prepping everything the night before saves at least an hour of morning chaos. I started mixing in hydration packs and taking two actual 15 minute breaks instead of just grabbing a sandwich on the move and that alone kept my back from totally screaming the next day.

reesemoore1mo ago

That "prepping everything the night before" thing is a game changer. My buddy tried the sandwich on the move method last year on a similar long day and ended up with a weird leg cramp halfway through, had to tap out early. @garcia.laura, he learned the hard way just like you did.