I’m training for that new multisport stage race here that is Timbersports on day 1 and triathlon on day 2.
I’m in, but only if we get to use the hot-rod saws!
Every time we vacation in the NC mtns I go around to the houses around our cabin rental and offer to split peoples wood for free. It kinda freaks people out at first but then I explain its a free workout for me and gives me a sense of satisfaction. It always leaves me fitter when I return home. As soon as my house outside Asheville NC is built I with have al kinds of physical labor on our 35 acres to keep me super fit. Sure is a lot more fun than a crammed packed Crunch Fitness gym in the Tampa area.
We called it Farm Fit in PA where I grew up.
Splitting wood is best used as a recovery and carbo loading activity.
Have your kids split and stack the wood while you supervise and drink beer. This works well until they leave for college (at which point you get a gas powered splitter).
Check out Chopfit. They are workout axes. I got a set last year and love them for my strength training days.
Back when I started in tri’s, I split wood (in part for training). That was only like 10 years ago.
I’d still do it if I had the time, but there are a bunch of other things in my schedule now, so I just have the wood delivered to me already split.
I still stack it, and that’s a good workout too.
Opposite for me.
When I have my annual weekend of felling a tree, sawing, splitting and then stacking to dry for the following season it’s a weekend / week where my targeted training is compromised. In fairness I normally do it a few weeks after an A race when I’m needing to do something active and it’s a time to catch up on chores.
Then again I do several pilates classes a week all year round, and so if I wasn’t doing those then the core stuff from the axe wielding may help, instead all that pilates gets me through pretending to be ever so slightly manly. Again I stress this is a 1 weekend per annum of faking manly, and I even go so far as to not shave my legs that weekend and will drink a bottle of cider instead of a $40 bottle of wine at the end of the day.
I literally just spit beer all over the place laughing… Josh Beck splits would year-round for swim training!!!
No joke
Chopping wood is only beneficial to training if it is combined with getting water.
*carry water……
And yes of course the whole Pablo Salsa smartass squad does it during the off-season.
In the UK there was a big storm in 1987 that brought a lot of trees down. My friend, a running agent, had a Kenyan runner staying with him. This Kenyan offered to cut the fallen tree in the garden into logs with a handsaw. At lunchtime there was no sign of him, so my friend went into the garden and found the shed stacked full of neatly chopped and split logs. No sign of the Kenyan. He looked out the back of the garden into the municipal park and saw a group of men in hi viz jackets. He went over to them and they were stood around in awe watching this Kenyan runner chopping up logs. My friend explained that he didn’t have to do all this wood chopping. The response: “children’s work, children’s work”.