Do you work out?

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Deleted member 110241

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Hi guys, I'm sure most loggers have sore muscles and all sorts of old injuries that still hurts every now and then, but do you do anything about it?

I'm going on my 15th season this year (turning 40 in 2019 :))and I suspect that I'm not getting any younger and more nimble as time goes by so I have started to think more about these sorts of things.
Most of my problems with pain is from old injuries like busted wrists that never got the necessary rest before I went back to work. You know, ancles, knees and shoulders mostly.

I don't know if a work out (with weights) is better than something else...
Maybe I should start with a warm up routine of some sort :reading:
 
Correct. Not a problem for me though, I would classify in the light weight category if I was a boxer.
 
I lift weights 5 days a week for 1.25-1.5 hours each time. You may think you would be sore all the time for day job, weight lifting and wood processing but the weight lifting will drastically increase your working stamina. You will get soar much much less be much stronger (obviously) and basically never be out of breath when wood processing.

Iv been weight lifting for the health and strength benefits for over 15 years now and ill never stop.


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I was in good shape when I was in college, now I’m 40 and I feel all those old football injuries. I lift a little, but the biggest thing that’s helps me is stretching. I try to stay somewhat flexible
 
I run and try to stay flexible. I’m 5’6, and weigh somewhere in the 160 lb range. I joke about how I lift enough heavy things when I work, but it’s usually in short spurts. I’m looking to not carry a whole bunch of weight that’ll wear my joints.

I’m looking at my 60 year old dad who’s 5’8 and weighs 195 and while he was (and still is) an animal in the weight room, we worked hard his whole life through military service, fighting fires and as a pipe fitter, and all that weight did a number on his joints. Playing football probably didn’t help.
 
If I got the conversions right I'm 5'7/145lbs. I've gone from sawing to making forest management plans, surveing and such so I don't really do any hard work anymore but those old injuries still pop up from time to time...
Running sounds like a good idea, as does stretching. I've tried weights but I seem to quit after a few weeks, first I skip a day and then all of a sudden weeks has gone by :rolleyes:
 
Heated house with wood till 60 YO, 6-1 and 182# then.
Benefits to heating with wood? Fell, cut, split by hand about 10 cords per year.
Quit heating with wood 14 years ago and now 5-11 and 230#. The getting shorter part is somewhat inconvenient.


Stretch out in recliner when I can, sit when possible, stand only when need be.

Only run if need to get someplace quick where cat or 4x4 wont go.

Only lift heavy stuff if need be (e.g mixing concrete, clearing deadfall, etc.) Got a backhoe with a thumb about 12 years ago and also a bobcat with backhoe/thumb about 7 years ago to not have to lift heavy stuff <G>

Call the late teen / early 20s grandsons if I needed anything heavy indoors moved. No need to strain the old muscles <G>
 
as the resident fatty 6' 330# (yes 330 pounds)

taint no time to be lifting weights, when machines need fixing, saws need sharpening, and trucks need driven

That said, I've also got a laundry list of aggravating old injuries that go along with premature wearing of the joints, I limp a lot but its getting so both sides are about the same level of dickered so its more of a waddle anymore. Some of the bones never healed correctly and likely never will, so I have limited movement on several appendages, well like all but one... so working out and exorcise if you will is a huge pain, no pun intended. Stretching helps to some extent but not much

So... Don't drink and drive, don't race atv's, don't chase gurls up steep inclines, never punch em in the face, don't play with knives, football is for jocks and don't play with fireworks, or ignore everything I just said, live life in the moment and regret nothing, but seriously don't drink and drive
 
Don't really have time.

Would love to spend an hour or so each day walking with the dogs, but when I do take a breather usually I'm pretty well worn out and just need some couch time to recharge a little bit.
Also I have to be careful, I've had to call for a ride back after I overdid it and my back said "no more". Broke my back about 8 years ago and it's been a SOB since. On pain management, but can only do so much.

I'm pushing, pulling, lifting, etc all day to some degree so I'm pretty good in that respect. Certainly not a bodybuilder, but I really realized I wasn't too bad when I hired on a guy about 1/2 my age and he was struggling with stuff that I have no issue with. Even just gripping a piece of firewood in each hand to stack vs using both hands for 1.

Yesterday though I had to chase down the dogs, they decided to go out to the neighbor who has a few hundred acre farm. I about needed a oxygen tank trying to run in knee deep snow to catch them. They ended up a solid 1/4 mile away! So.. probably wouldn't hurt to do some more cardio and shed a few lbs.

Probably the big one is eating like crap. I end up eating TV suppers, canned foods most of the time. Or fast food. Don't really like cooking and when I get home, I'm usually not feeling like cooking anyhow. Eat, shower and sleep!
 
I run marathons.

Averaging 2hrs for a 25K...

I also had to chase the dogs in deep snow, I almost needed an oxygen bottle.

That **** is no joke trying to run through...

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On the crew I work with, I swamp more than run saw (saw work is side-jobs and personal, 99% of the time). Swamping is basically a complete-body workout, compared to cutting which works more specific muscle groups. There's no way I have the time or energy to do any extra working out.

As has been said previously, stretching is probably the BEST thing one can do. Lightweight, high-rep workouts would be the second best thing. Stretching =/= yoga, as many people in my neck of the woods would like to believe. Just simple, slow stretching of the muscles. I also like to do unweighted high-steps (bringing knees up to chest while standing/walking around the house), squats, calf-raises all throughout the morning while prepping for work. Rotate shoulders forwards and backwards, shrugs, etc....Just things to further help loosen and warm up the muscles.

My biggest mistake is not stretching back out thoroughly at the end of the day. I blame it on the 1.5-2 hour one-way drives most days, but I've only myself to blame. Get in, unpack, shower, eat, and am usually asleep no later than 8:30pm, up at 2:30-4:30am to do it all again.
 
One of the few smart things I've ever done was see a physical therapist. Only went once, but they showed me stuff that I can do before/after work in my camper that should help put off a couple surgeries for a while.

It was definitely worth spending an afternoon in town for.
 
I figure busting brush is exercise enough. I've got the accumulated injuries you would expect of a forestry type who's 45 years old, plus a few extras from skateboarding, and stuff hurts but still works. Plus I have to pass the pack test every year for fire. I do OK, I guess.
 
;) In keeping with us fat old lazy farts commenting, for the 45# pack 3 mile in 45 min hike, does the extra 50 # flab I'm now carrying around 24/7 count as the pack ?

Pretty sure I could still pass, but told a grandson the other day that I likely wont be carrying 100# pack 25 miles into the Olympics on a 4 day backpacking trip again - recall adding a 12 pack of Rainier Ale going over the big hump on the Duckabush up to Marmot lake 35 years ago - decided that was a mistake and drank 3 on the way up! Had to keep up with the teenage sons back then too.
 
No injuries here, thankfully. Still planting trees by hand for six weeks or more every spring, expect to do that for a good long while, then run saws all summer and fall (and winter, now). 51 years young and a BMI of about 24....borderline 25 (darn Christmas cookies).... Might slowly give up the saw work, at least the post-harvest saw work. Crawling over slash all day is getting old, would rather work in pre-harvest timber and hope to run my Panama and my GPS a little bit more in the future.

Working out? Uhh, no.

I usually start stretching while I am still laying in bed. But then usually forget about it, unfortunately.
 
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