The next time you go on a hike or wander your back yard, don’t overlook the common log you have been walking past all these years for getting you great fitness results courtesy of Mother Nature’s Gym. Overhead log carries are a true total body workout that will recruit every muscle in your body triggering a productive and results rich metabolic effect without investing a lot of your precious time. The more muscles you recruit while performing an exercise, the more you prime your body for fat loss and accelerating you to fantastic fitness results.
This incredibly profound metabolic effect you get will burn a lot of calories and chase fat right off your body while you experience real world strength, conditioning and postural improvements combined with an off the charts cardio workout!
This type of real world training fits perfectly into my philosophy of performing Maximum Fitness in Minimal Time and realizing Stellar Results! Besides, these types of highly productive and fitness results paying workouts are in direct contrast to the mindless movements and no results workouts your typical Hollywood type fitness phony peddle to the masses at the local techno mega gym.
These ridiculous circus stunt type workouts highlighted in most chain gyms should be avoided like a toxic deadbeat friend trying to con you for money! And don’t let any of those phonies try to convince you that your training needs to be crazy or complicated to achieve the fitness you desire! Kick those buffoons to the curb and avoid the siren call of their hype and quick fix lies if you value your sanity and getting sustainable, meaningful results.
Here’s The Workout:
Safely hoist a log from the ground and get it overhead in a controlled manner
Walk a fixed distance up and back
Dump the log safely
This is considered a round
Check out the video for a show and tell demonstration:
Tips And Guidelines:
I highly recommend you put your body through a proper and meaningful warmup before doing this or any activity where you will be ramping up the intensity and asking your body to expend significant energy and effort. Hit the link for some warmup ideas and why this activity is important.
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 your hands. Position your hands underneath until you have control of the log at chest level and slightly bend your knees to thrust the log overhead which is called a push press movement. 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 locked out overhead with your arms in an overhead position whereby your biceps should ideally be back by your ears while you walk.
Brace your abs(like you are about to be punched in the gut) for maximum posture and metabolic benefit while walking.
Don’t hold your breath – breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth as you walk.
Take small, quick steps as you do this overhead carry – long steps will mess up your cadence, balance and stability
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.
You can do a lot of meaningful fitness activities with a log. Check out how to do Front Loaded Carries with a log for another productively effective total body workout variation that will get you lean, tight and strong.
Is this workout:
Simple? Yes!
Challenging? Double Yes!
Results Producing? Yes! It will train every single muscle in your body.
Get outside and take advantage of Mother Nature’s Gym using some of her finest training tools like the common log that is often overlooked, but will accelerate your training to new levels paying you huge fitness dividends. So if you see me out on the trail putting a log through some of my go-to fitness workouts – stop over and say hello and maybe jump in and get an impromptu lesson on real world fitness technique and programming!
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 – Mellow Husky – Mellow as in laid back and Husky like the dog
I Eat T-Bone Steaks, Lift Sandbag Weights And Walk Around With Wood Whenever I Can!
Seven Stars Fitness