Want a total body workout that you can perform with a simple hunk of wood you may have in your back yard or along a favorite walking or hiking trail? Then propel your fitness to new heights the next time you get outside and try doing some front loaded log carries.
To understand why I include physical movements like the front loaded log carry in my training let me be frank about my training philosophy and the types of exercises and programs that have served me well as I approach the half century mark
My training is all about performing the maximum amount of sane, sustainable and results rich exercise in the least amount of time without spending hours haunting gyms doing tedious hours of sappy, ineffective, media endorsed, do-nothing exercises championed by Hollywood type fitness phonies.
I am very aware of the finite nature of the available time we are blessed to have on this planet which is why I don’t waste my time on fitness programs and methods that are over hyped zany expenditures of mindless energy that do little more than tear you down and produce no tangible or sustainable benefits.
My training is brief, beneficial and has a sliding intensity to its programming that produces sustainable fitness results while keeping me fresh, mobile, injury resistant and vital enabling me to spend more quality time with family and friends. This allows me to pursue activities with powerful mental and physical confidence leading to a rich quality of life.
I pride myself on being able to identify, program and perform meaningful workouts in most any situation or locale I happen to be in during any given week utilizing whatever the environment makes available to me.
Even though I have access to multiple training facilities, there is nothing more satisfying, stimulating, effective and natural than getting outside and putting your body through its paces with a challenging odd object workout. The odd object for this outdoor workout just happens to be a common log that was just waiting along a trail for someone like me to come by and show it some fitness love and take it for a spin.
Check out the video to see how to perform the front loaded log carry.
So Why Do Front Loaded Log Carries?
Front loaded log carries will not only get you lean, strong and build your conditioning capacity- they are also fun, easy to learn, challenging and lend themselves to truly meaningful fitness results. These types of real deal, real world exercises mimic what our bodies were designed to do in order to be successful as a species here on mother earth.
Think about what you are doing with this exercise – You are picking an object off the ground, then stabilizing it in front of your body with good posture and then transporting it from point A to point B. Sounds a lot like a movement activity that people perform on a daily basis which is why there is good transference to real world activities.Your body can’t help but respond by burning a lot of calories, getting leaner and stronger, improving your conditioning/cardiovascular capacity and clean up those lingering posture issues we all seem to have.
Does this hit your “core” that everybody tells you that you need to strengthen?
You bet!
Movements like the front loaded log carry will give you a crash course in core anatomy as the core muscles will be letting you know who and where they are very distinctly after doing a few challenging rounds.
Not a bad fitness deal and it beats the bejesus out of lurching on a treadmill like a zoned out hamster or flapping your arms on the new pec deck at the mega techno gym.
Tips And Guidelines:
Do a proper warmup before attempting this workout
Be careful as you hoist the log from mother earth and dumping it back down since this is an odd object and has no easy handles to grasp. Keep the log close to your body, hinge your butt and hips back like you are sitting into a chair, get a good grip and drive up with your heels and catch the log in the crux of your arms. Keep your chest up and try to avoid rounding your back.
Start with a light log to practice your form and technique
Police the area and make sure there are no obstructions in your path or varmint holes or terrain issues to throw you off kilter.
Walk with a tall spine
Keep your elbows down as well as your shoulders down and back while you walk.
Brace your abs and act like you are trying to break the log in half as you are walking for maximum posture and metabolic benefit which also dials you into keeping those elbows down and shoulders down and back.
Don’t hold your breath – breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth as you walk.
Try walking a fixed distance up and back – say 30 steps – and consider this a round of exercise
Set the clock for ten minutes and see how many quality rounds you can get in.
Challenge yourself – If you are using a heavier log, decrease the distance walked or increase the distance walked for a lighter log. If you are not breathing relatively heavy after a round, then you either need to find a bigger log or increase your walking distance.
So Log In Some Log Carries In Your Training Routine
So dare to stray from your fitness comfort zone and give this total body workout a try. Grab a friend and do a front loaded log carry workout together which is always more fun and productive in my book. Or if you see me out on the trail in my travels hauling wood around-come up and say hello and give it a try- I always enjoy the company!
Stay Well! Take Action! Be Consistent! Train and Eat Smart! Get Rid of the Drains and Pains in Your Life! Value your loved ones and friends and get out and have some active, safe fun!
Mark Mellohusky
I Eat T-Bone Steaks, Lift Kettlebell Weights And Walk Around With Wood!
Seven stars fitness