Alternative Workout

i had to dig trenches all summer that worked it all

Mickey Mantle used to break stones near a mine for 8 hours a day,and dig graves during the summer for multiple hours.

When I was speaking to a person who met him,he said that mantle had the biggest forearms he had ever seen.

Yeah I can see why.

Manual labor really is terrific training. So next time your parents ask you to do something don't give them any lip!

I'm incorporating sledgehammer training into my players' workouts this winter. Not sure if it's been discussed here yet, but here is the link--it's a 7 part series:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/inmag10.htm

I had some stumps that I wanted to get out of my yard this past summer, and I did it with an axe. I can attest that chopping a stump for 45 minutes everyday is a great workout. And I chopped using both sides of my body.

I do sledgehammer work as well in the summer. I just have to swing in the cage afterward or it messes with my mechanics when I swing.

Sledehammer training is good if you have the strength to perform. If you aren't strong enough to control the sledgehammer it will be counterproductive.

While I have used axe training with certain clients in the past, I do not recommend it to many for safety reasons.

Good point Jon. Sledge hammers come in a variety of weights, so it is important to find the appropriate weight. Last summer, all I had available was a pick axe, which wasn't ideal for chopping stumps, but it was the ideal weight for a good workout.

I cut down a few trees after an ice storm for my girlfriend's family...was sore for 3 days. Same muscles as swinging a baseball bat .

A while back I ran across an entire workout that consisted of various exercises on a set of "monkey bars" at a playground. If for no other reason, it can be an effective, fun alternative and change of pace from the same old workout in a weight room.