Highland games training - be a warrior!

[Yaish]

Remember that the Heavy Events are primarily core strength and whole body events. You use your arms, legs, back, and shoulders in every event. An overall weight training regimen with practice sessions to develop technique is the best method you can reasonably do.

[Alan H]

Well, guys, I bought a practice caber on the way home. yup! I stopped by the lumber yard that I usually go to an told 'em what a caber was. Two guys were very interested, and said...pressure-treated, doug fir 6 x 6, 14 footers. OK, so We went out into the yard and the foreman found one that was straight enough, but twisted..if that makes sense. He says he'll never sell it to anyone that wants to build anything, so he sold it to me for twenty bucks. I just weighed it, it's eighty pounds exactly. That's probably a bit heavy for us amateurs, at least for practice.. I'll be rounding it off and smoothing it down which will probably take fifteen percent off of that...65-68 pounds which is probably about right. It's a bit short, but for a practice caber, we can't beat the price.

Besides, it fits in the back of my truck....sorta.

I found my old 16 pound shot, so we're good to go, there.
I'll even bring along an old rubber discus, just for hollers.

[Yaish]

Alan, if you want that practice caber to last take a little time and treat it. Soak it in wood glue where ever the grain is open and let it dry. Some plastic packing tape (the kind that does not stretch) wrapped tight around the heavy end will help too.

Also, make sure if you start to lose control you "dump" the caber quickly and properly. Dumping it flat puts a lot less strain on it than having one end slam down, then the other. (also way safer for you)
Try to throw on soft ground too, not anything hardpacked. Grass = good, baseball infield = bad.

[Alan H]

Does a caber...or any of the weights for that matter...really trash a football field?

[clancelt]

Does a caber...or any of the weights for that matter...really trash a football field?

Short answer, yes. I find the weights rip the field up the most. The area we practice in now look like the surface of the moon.

[Yaish]

One of the guys I compete with came up with the idea of chain weights. I made a set and now use them, and they work perfectly.

They dont tear up the grass at all, you can technically even throw them on asphalt or concrete without damage to the surface (but you will mess up the weight).

I'm running out the door right now, but I'll post details (and pictures if I can) on how to make them later.

[bunchdescendant]

OK All-

This is starting to get me excited to compete.

Alan-when and where? Let me know so we can get to hurting ourselves!!

"No pain, no gain!"

Ray

EDIT

Just noticed-this is my 100th post! Neat!!