You see the sign announcing the next upcoming obstacle, and you stifle a giggle. Get your mind out of the gutter, it’s Hold Your Wood! So don your suspenders and red long sleeve plaid flannel shirts, and get ready for this tree-mendous obstacle!
Obstacle: Hold Your Wood
Objective: Carry either a one man log (approximately 11 kg) or a team log (up to 45 kg) around a track, usually about half a kilometre or so long, then drop off your log and lumber off on your merry way to the next obstacle.
Difficulty: Physical – 6.5/10 | Mental - 1/10
The Hold Your Wood obstacle is clearly a brawn over brain challenge. With a mental difficulty rating of only 1, this is the lowest Mental rating out of all the Obstacle Series posts so far. Physically, this obstacle is easy enough to complete, it all depends how strong you are. A regular gym goer will fly through this challenge, but the average Joe might struggle a little bit to finish.
How to Complete: Basically, pick up either your single or team log, and walk/run around the track back to the start, drop off your log and continue onto then next obstacle.
Objective: Carry either a one man log (approximately 11 kg) or a team log (up to 45 kg) around a track, usually about half a kilometre or so long, then drop off your log and lumber off on your merry way to the next obstacle.
Difficulty: Physical – 6.5/10 | Mental - 1/10
The Hold Your Wood obstacle is clearly a brawn over brain challenge. With a mental difficulty rating of only 1, this is the lowest Mental rating out of all the Obstacle Series posts so far. Physically, this obstacle is easy enough to complete, it all depends how strong you are. A regular gym goer will fly through this challenge, but the average Joe might struggle a little bit to finish.
How to Complete: Basically, pick up either your single or team log, and walk/run around the track back to the start, drop off your log and continue onto then next obstacle.
The single person logs are generally around 11kg’s, so make sure you bend your knees and lift with a straight back. We don’t want your throwing out your back mid way through a Tough Mudder! Start off along the track at a walking pace, if you find this easy enough, pick up the pace to a jog. The really elite OCR’s will be able to run around this obstacle at full pace.
There are a few different ways to carry your wood. Personally I prefer to balance it over my left shoulder, holding onto the end with my left arm, leaving my right arm to help keep my balance while jogging around the obstacle. Other ways to hold the log are upright in front of you with both hands underneath the log, sideways across your front with a hand on either end of the log, or across the back of your shoulders. Check out the photos down below for ways to carry it.
The team log is about 6 ft long, long enough for 2 or 3 people to carry. The easiest way to do this is to lay the log across the teams shoulders, and walk in a single file line. It is a lot harder to go faster with this team option, so if you are looking at running this challenge, opt for the single person log.
Training: This obstacle is really easy to do some real world specific training for. Get your hands on a few logs and go for a jog whilst holding them. It should be easy enough to find some wood if you just keep your eyes out for your council cutting down trees in the street somewhere. Better yet, cut down that big tree in your backyard that keeps dropping millions of leaves every Autumn, and chop up into different sized logs. 2 birds, 1 stone!
I suggest adding a 7-8kg log into your run around the block once or twice a week. Start at a slow pace, making sure not to over do it to begin with. Slowly up your pace and your distance. Once you are able to jog fairly fast with your log for a decent click, upgrade to a heavier model. As the Tough Mudder logs are generally around 11kg, try to up your training to involve a log above this weight, so that you are truly Tough Mudder ready by the time of your next event.
I personally have 3 different shaped logs, all different weights. I have been using them on my almost daily 6km runs around the block whilst wearing my Training Mask. It was slow to start with, but I’ve been gradually upping my pace to an almost jog with my heaviest log.
Another way to train for this obstacle is by doing squats. The most perfect training method? Squats while holding your log!
Our take: I found this obstacle particularly challenging at Melbourne Mudder back in March, as I had just recently dislocated my right (dominant side) shoulder. This made picking up and carrying the wood extremely hard. I suggest that anyone with bad shoulders or arms maybe skip this obstacle, or take it very easy at least. Hold Your Wood is generally situated half way through the event, so to hurt yourself with 10km to the finish line wouldn't be pleasant for anyone!
Overall, this is one of the easier obstacles on course. A simple pick up, carry, and drop off challenge. With a little training, even the tiniest of Mudders will be able to overcome this obstacle easily enough!
There are a few different ways to carry your wood. Personally I prefer to balance it over my left shoulder, holding onto the end with my left arm, leaving my right arm to help keep my balance while jogging around the obstacle. Other ways to hold the log are upright in front of you with both hands underneath the log, sideways across your front with a hand on either end of the log, or across the back of your shoulders. Check out the photos down below for ways to carry it.
The team log is about 6 ft long, long enough for 2 or 3 people to carry. The easiest way to do this is to lay the log across the teams shoulders, and walk in a single file line. It is a lot harder to go faster with this team option, so if you are looking at running this challenge, opt for the single person log.
Training: This obstacle is really easy to do some real world specific training for. Get your hands on a few logs and go for a jog whilst holding them. It should be easy enough to find some wood if you just keep your eyes out for your council cutting down trees in the street somewhere. Better yet, cut down that big tree in your backyard that keeps dropping millions of leaves every Autumn, and chop up into different sized logs. 2 birds, 1 stone!
I suggest adding a 7-8kg log into your run around the block once or twice a week. Start at a slow pace, making sure not to over do it to begin with. Slowly up your pace and your distance. Once you are able to jog fairly fast with your log for a decent click, upgrade to a heavier model. As the Tough Mudder logs are generally around 11kg, try to up your training to involve a log above this weight, so that you are truly Tough Mudder ready by the time of your next event.
I personally have 3 different shaped logs, all different weights. I have been using them on my almost daily 6km runs around the block whilst wearing my Training Mask. It was slow to start with, but I’ve been gradually upping my pace to an almost jog with my heaviest log.
Another way to train for this obstacle is by doing squats. The most perfect training method? Squats while holding your log!
Our take: I found this obstacle particularly challenging at Melbourne Mudder back in March, as I had just recently dislocated my right (dominant side) shoulder. This made picking up and carrying the wood extremely hard. I suggest that anyone with bad shoulders or arms maybe skip this obstacle, or take it very easy at least. Hold Your Wood is generally situated half way through the event, so to hurt yourself with 10km to the finish line wouldn't be pleasant for anyone!
Overall, this is one of the easier obstacles on course. A simple pick up, carry, and drop off challenge. With a little training, even the tiniest of Mudders will be able to overcome this obstacle easily enough!
How have you fared with this obstacle? What is your preferred way to Hold Your Wood? Are you a fan of the single log carry or the team carry? Let us know in the comments down below!
Look out for the next Obstacle Series post this Friday! Want to suggest the next featured obstacle? Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments down below!
Now, give me 20 squats stat!
#TMTour2014
Now, give me 20 squats stat!
#TMTour2014