Operating a chainsaw for a few hours is pretty good exercise...

[Buddy Rydell]

I took down a tree on my lot yesterday and HOLY CRAP does that ever tire you out. First we had to get it down, so we attached a line to my neighbour's truck. Then we nicked the tree near the 4ft mark on the front and back. The tree was a big dead maple tree and it was actually rotten near the bottom.

So after it fell, I got out my saw, a Stihl, and started it up. For one, chainsaws aren't light. For two, lifting it with your arms and holding it out and away from your body tires out your stabilizer muscles first. For three, you're talking about a chain that will go right through your arm or leg in a few seconds, so you are very careful with it at all times. We cut 16-inch pieces of wood and they are about 3ft in diameter near the base of the tree. Then we stacked it all, including all the tree limbs and branches.

That is a damn good workout. I feel it all over my body.

[Rebel]

Damn Buddy. Are you training for Ivan Drago or something? :haha:

I've heard chopping wood for an hour is quite a workout. I'll have to try that sometime.

[Buddy Rydell]

Damn Buddy. Are you training for Ivan Drago or something? :haha:

I've heard chopping wood for an hour is quite a workout. I'll have to try that sometime.

Nah, I've got a big lot, and this tree was long dead but just hadn't fallen yet. I wanted to control where and when it fell because it was fairly close to the property line, and I didn't want it to nail anything living on the way down.

Chopping wood is great for a workout. It puts power all over your body. I used to do it in my hometown on a regular basis, and I always noticed an increase in my punching power when I chopped wood regularly.

An idea I've always thought would be good is to chop at a fallen tree with a couple of hatchets, nailing it at a number of different arm placements. The overhand chop builds great power, but different movements would affect different muscle groups. I think it would be a hell of a way to develop power on a hook or an uppercut if you could do it regularly.

[BJ*]

http://lh5.ggpht.com/__qIYbf7rF_g/SAcnyZEs65I/AAAAAAAAAh0/B3cIAuejS2s/chainsaw.jpg

[Buddy Rydell]

http://lh5.ggpht.com/__qIYbf7rF_g/SAcnyZEs65I/AAAAAAAAAh0/B3cIAuejS2s/chainsaw.jpg

Maybe it's a weird error or something, but I can't see BJ's post at all.