Tree-Log Exercises for the Military

With a little creativity, many things in nature can become free weights and provide resistance for a workout, just like you would get in a gym. Moving, lifting and tossing tree logs, for instance, can be an effective and functional way to prepare for the demands of martial life. Many military branches, including the Navy Seals, use tree-log workouts to build strength and endurance. Creating and maintaining physical prowess is essential to military training, whether you are isolated in a foreign wilderness or just trying to meet military entrance standards.

  1. Upper Body: Trunk and Limbs

    • Military personnel have to be capable of hauling heavy packs for long distances, lifting ammunition stores and carrying fellow personnel to safety, all of which require strong arms and shoulders. Find a manageable, heavy log and strengthen your upper body with military presses, holding the log with both hands at chest level and pressing it above your head. Then perform chest throws by holding the log at chest level again and pressing it up and out from your body, trying to throw it as far as possible. Do two to four sets of six to 12 repetitions for each exercise.

    Lower Body: Strengthen the Roots

    • Each military branch spends significant time training their recruits' leg strength and endurance, as everything from lifting sacks to marching miles challenges your lower body. Hook your arms under a heavy log and hold it while doing squats, an exercise the military uses often to build your quadriceps and glutei. Then, press the log above your head again and perform overhead lunges to target your hamstrings and calves. Again, do two to four sets of six to twelve repetitions. Finally, for endurance, cradle the log as though preparing for the front squat and simply walk as far as you can.

    Full Body: Grow Your Stamina

    • The most functional workout in any situation -- especially when preparing for physically demanding tasks, like military labor -- is one that challenges the entire body’s endurance in unison. First, position yourself on all fours beside a large log. Using your hands to push and your legs to drive, roll the log as far as you can, keeping your core engaged and your back parallel to the ground. Next, lift the log onto one shoulder, walk ten yards and drop it, then lift it to the alternate shoulder and repeat for ten rounds. This imitates certain Army group fitness drills.

    Safety: Don’t Chop it Down

    • Whether you’re trying to get through boot camp or hostile territory, injury is always your worst enemy. As mentioned, tree logs can be unwieldy, and their weight may not be distributed evenly. Because of this, always take extreme care when using them for exercise, especially during movements like the military press that involve lifting the weight above your body. In military training, logs are pre-cut and may differ in size, weight and balance. When possible, these exercises should be performed under the supervision of a spotter or trainer.