Plague of Strength

On the heels of my surprisingly beloved Empire Builder series, I thought perhaps it a good idea to expand our collective horizons and venture out into the lesser-recognized strength sports, one of which was alluded to in the Empire Builder series- Timbersports. Though one would think the originate in North America, with out love of Paul Bunyan and his big blue ox, competitive wood chopping actually originated in the time of the baddest of the bad motherfuckers- Ned Kelly. Alternatively, it could originate in 16th Century Basque country, in which dudes dressed like the bad guys from Superman 2 and ran a marathon, then chopped ten logs to show enough manly prowess to be able to propose to his wife. Regardless, competitive wood chopping did not originate in the land of Paul Bunyan. That said, the US does have a long, proud tradition of competitive wood chopping dating back about a hundred years, so I found the most jacked dude in the sport and interviewed him for our collective edification.

Before we get into the interview, however, it would make sense to explain what Timbersports are, since I’ve only seen it televised a couple of times, and that was maybe twenty years ago. Timbersports competitions consist of six events, after which a winner is determined based on their scores from each event.

Springboard – The competitor uses two spring boards to ascend to the top of a nine-foot pole and chop a firmly attached 12″ diameter block from the top of the pole. The block must be chopped from both sides.

STIHL Stock Saw – Competitors begin with both hands on the log. When the signal is given, the sawyers, using identical STIHL professional MS660 chain saws with a 20-inch bar and 33RSC3 chain, make two cuts through identical logs. No more than 4″ of wood, which is marked by a black line, can be cut.

Underhand Chop – The competitor stands, feet apart, on a 12″-14″ log. At the signal, he begins chopping through the log. Before chopping all the way through he must turn and complete the cut from the other side. Time ends when the log is severed completely.

Single Buck – Competitors make one cut through 18″-20″ of white pine using a single man cross cut saw. The competitor may have a helper to wedge the log and keep the saw lubricated. Time ends when the block is clearly severed.

Standing Block Chop – Competitors race to chop through 12″-14″ of white pine. The competitor must chop from both sides of the log and the time ends when the block is severed.

Hot Saw – In this event the competitor uses a customized chain saw with a modified engine. At the signal, the competitor starts the saw and makes three cuts. The competitor must cut no more than 6″ from the log which is marked with a black line.

Arden Cogar Jr (whose nickname is weirdly and inexplicably also Jamie) is a jacked and bespectacled civil defense trial attorney from lovely Charleston, West Virginia.  When he’s not battling the inbred mutants populating the hills of his great state, he’s battling lumberjacks in the little known but crazy awesome sport called Timbersports.  Aden also hails from what is referred to as the “first family” of American Timbersports– with the exception of a single year, the Cogar family has held the American title in the Stihl Timbersports Series American title exclusively, with Jamie as champion from 2008-10 and 2012, and then his first cousin Matt from 2013-2018. Having covered the influence the legend of Paul Bunyan had on America’s psyche and breakfast choices, I thought perhaps it best to interview one of America’s top lumberjacks to find out exactly what’s doing with their shadowy cabal of a sport, since it’s got to be the single coolest strength sport no one knows about… especially since there are over 20 members of the Cogar family who are active in some facet of Timbersports, including his wife and two daughters.

To give you some idea of how good serious the Cogar family is about lumberjacking, and how good Cogar is, his PR of 14.04 seconds in the Underhand Chop has stood as a U.S. record for nine years. The Cogar family actually competed in the nation’s first competitive wood chopping event at the Rhododendron Festival in Webster Springs during the 1930s, and Jamie’s father currently hosts the event with the younger Cogar men. Currently, three men in the family are active competitors- his first cousin, Paul Cogar; and his cousin and the current American champ, Matt Cogar. Jamie’s dad actually made the Stihl Timbersports Finals at the age of 60, qualifying fourth and finishing twelfth.

In short, Cogars are the Chaz Michael Michaels of this shit- they ARE Timbersports. BOOM.

Q: Timbersports is a relatively unknown sport in the US.  What drew you to it as opposed to one of the better known strength sports?  You’re big as hell, so one would look at you and think strongman or powerlifting rather than lumberjacking.

My family has been involved in Timbersports since it’s beginning in North America.  My grandfather and great uncles toiled in the lumber camps before World War II and my one great Uncle, John Cogar, was a proficient enough axeman to represent his camp at many woodchopping competitions that were held in Appalachia during that time period.  My father was a logger and very proficient with an axe himself and my great uncle convinced him to travel to Elkins, WV, and compete at the Mountain State Forest Festival during 1956. After that, four of my father’s brothers and many first cousins, who also worked in the woods, started traveling with my father to various events that were held in North America.  My father won his first World Tittle in the sport during 1960 at the Lumberjack World Championships in Hayward, Wisconsin. My entire childhood was filled traveling to lumberjack festivals and woodchopping events. Every weekend for me during the summer was basically a family reunion of sorts.  

I piddled with axes, saws and chainsaws during my teenage years, but didn’t take it seriously. I worked in the woods for my father first as “Gen Hand/Choker setter” but eventually started cutting timber when I was big and strong enough to do it.  I always worked in his firewood business splitting, stacking and loading and unloading trucks by hand. However, at that time of my life my focus was football and other sports. I can remember going to the weight room/locker room when I was in 6^th grade and watching the 8^th grade boys who were going into high school maxing out on the deadlift.  All us 6^th graders just watched as the older boys just kept putting weights on the bar until they couldn’t stand up with it.  When the strongest boy failed, I held up my hand and asked “coach, can I try it.” All the older boys laughed, but the coach told me to give a try.  I walked over to the bar, put my hands on it double overhand and picked it up like I would have a large firewood block. Honestly, it felt like nothing.  As I was holding the bar, I turned to the coach and said, and this was an asshole move in retrospect but I didn’t know any better, “Coach, is that how you do it?”  The bar had 335 pounds on it.  

From there I was hooked on the iron.  Just a natural puller and squatter. I can remember being the only boy who could do all the pull up and gymnastics moves in middle school.  It was just natural. I had no coach, I had no idea what I was doing; but I enjoyed it and it was just natural to me. My mother eventually caved and got me subscription to Muscle and Fitness and a plastic weight DP set. I entered my first bench press contest when I was 14.  Managed to bench 240 at a little under 200 pounds bodyweight. When I got into high school, my freshman English teacher, Henry Crislip, recognized that I was interested in weights and gave me 10 years’ worth of Powerlifting USAs. After reading every magazine cover to cover a dozen times or more, I started to get it.  My mom got me a squat stand/bench press combo and an Olympic weight set for Christmas my freshman year. Eventually my mom and dad turned one of our home’s bedrooms into home gym. I loved that place. I stayed in it for hours upon hours. Never went out or partied. Friday night was squat night.  

Throughout this period of my life, I would go with my mother and father to lumberjack events. I would compete in the woodchopping and crosscut sawing. I would also axe throw and run the chainsaws.  I didn’t take it seriously. I didn’t really train for it. I liked the gym. I liked football. That’s what I wanted to do.  

Eventually went off to college and got around like minded folks.  I tried to play football but realized very quickly that at 5’11” 220- 225 was not the ideal size for division one football linebacker.  Especially when guys 50 pounds heavier than me could outrun me in a 40. So, I concentrated on my studies and joined the WVU Forestry Club and started competing on the Woodsmen’s Team against other colleges that had similar clubs.  However, I never stopped lifting. I kept on powerlifting. Eventually competed in the Teenage Worlds and ended up third in my weight class. Squatted and deadlifted in the low 6s and benched in the mid 3s after dropping 25 pounds to get to 198.  I was shredded and should have done a bodybuilding contest in hindsight. But oh well. 

It was at that time the Stihl Timbersports Series started airing on ESPN.  I did the series on a lark in 1987 through 1989 while still in high school and my first two years of college – but I didn’t’ take it seriously.  When I had a rough go and bombed at a powerlifting meet in 1990 and noted how much my knees and elbows were hurting from all the heavy training, I made a very smart decision – goodbye powerlifting, hello Woodchopping and Timbersports.  

The thought process in that decision was supported by many factors. First, I had never taken woodchopping/Timbersports seriously, yet I had already traveled to 40 states at that my time in my life competing in the sport.  I had also won enough prize money competing in the sport to pay for my trips and have some money left over. I had never done that in a squat suit or bench press shirt. Sure, I went to the teenage worlds, but that cost me out of pocket. I went to a woodchopping event in Canada with my father that same year and won almost a thousand dollars in prize money.  Second, my father had competed all over the world – Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and all over Canada. I wanted to see the world. Third, my dad already had all the axes, saws and chainsaws I needed and my family was with me every weekend; it was just a win/win in retrospect.   

Now here I sit 30 years in the future, I’ve been around the world a few times. I’ve competed in Australia about 20 times, New Zealand twice, Europe 25 times, and in Canada annually.  And nearly all these trips were paid for by either the prize money I won or a sponsor of some sort. My earnings from the sport more than supported itself and allowed me to become an equipment hoarder and has kept my wife happy in the process.  

Yet all this time, I never stopped lifting. Never stopped returning to the iron. Hell, I trained with Phil Pfister, 2006 WSM, for over 10 years.  I also Olympic weightlifted with my eldest daughter and even coached at numerous Crossfit boxes over the years. And I’ve always taken the time to share what I’ve learned in strength sports.

Now as I enter my fifth decade on this planet, I realize that I made the right decision.  I can still lift, albeit more controlled and deliberate as in the past; and I can still compete at a very high level with men half my age because of all the lifting and strength work I’ve done the past 38 years.  

Q: I admit I feel rather silly having paid to compete in powerlifting competitions and now just try to remind people that there is a reason that it is the sole strength sport in the Special Olympics., haha. I also appreciate the fact you spread the knowledge liberally- too many strength athletes take a haughty attitude to CrossFit, when those people are some of the strongest pound-for-pound people on the planet, in addition to being almost obscenely good looking.

That aside, why do you think Timbersports are so unknown in the US, especially given the long history of the sport in the US, and the fact that our most famous foklore hero is closely tied to it?  It’s a hell of a lot more interesting than the dogshit generally shown on ESPN.  In fact, prior to seeing one of the top chicks on the morning news a couple of months ago (she’s local to Philly, though her name escapes me), I haven’t seen Timbersports on TV since the late 90s.  Any idea why interest has waned?

A: Timbersports is all over social media and still airs on CBS at least 10 times during the fall months.  It’s a direct competitor with NFL Football on Sunday afternoons. That’s the primary reason most sport fans don’t see it.  And it’s the reason that the production company that films Timbersports has determined that the target audience for Timbersports is, for lack of a better phrase,  “take your typical NASCAR fan and give them another $30k in disposable income.” As we understand it, the people who watch and enjoy Timbersports are “well to do” outdoor enthusiasts.  Most are stuck in an office and long to do something physical that’s not contrived like going to a gym to work out.  

Just because you haven’t seen it doesn’t mean it’s not out there.  The viewership on the shows that air on CBS get good ratings. And the follow ups on CBS Sports is well followed and will likely go into syndication.  The Live Stream for the events get over 100,000 followers normally and the Youtube views on what aired originally on CBS normally get several million views.  

Oh, the young lady you mention is Martha King.  

Q: Ah, well that makes a lot more sense. I suppose with streaming options I have no idea what’s even on TV these days- and that likely goes for a lot of people. As to the social media, I guess the worlds of powerlifting and bodybuilding don’t look to Timbersports as a strength sport, which seems silly to me, but lifting has become insanely cliquish in the internet age.

You seem to be the most jacked dude in Timbersports- everyone else seems fairly slight, which definitely flies in the face of conventional wisdom in terms of burly ass lumberjacks out there slaughtering flora.

A: Here’s the thing, and I truly believe this, you don’t have to jacked to be competitive in Timbersports. You have to be tough.  Timbersports is real world work. It’s not contrived. It’s taking something and using skill to disassemble it. Any skill can be learned it just takes time.  Being strong AF helps immensely to a point; if it limits your timing and your ability to contort your body properly to deliver the axe/saw – then it’s not needed.  To that end, you need to be work tough or work fit as well as strong as you need to be in order to deliver the axe/saw optimally.  

For the longest time I concentrated on being as strong as I could to deliver the axe.  In doing that, I ate myself to over 300 pounds and grew a 45”+ waist. That big waist compromised my ability to swing efficiently.  Sure, I could deadlift over 800 pounds and I could still hit the log really freakin hard. But I was not delivering the axe/saw optimally.   I’ve reassessed and I’m slimming down. The cool thing is I’m finding some serious quality mass along the way.  

Q: No matter what it is, there can always bee too much of a good thing, and 45″ might be too much waist, hehe. As to arms, though- it’s tough to make a case they can ever be too big, unless Synthol is involved, so let’s find out how you built yours.

What does your training schedule look like?  I’d imagine you do a lot of heavy lifting, based on your physique.  How do you integrate lifting and sport specific training? Are there any movements in the gym you use to emulate chopping wood?  I’m willing to be the bullshit one generally sees in Men’s Health is far from accurate.

A: My training varies based on the time of year.  When I’m “in season” (from May until October), my strength training is about “maintaining”  or keeping as much strength as I’ve accumulated over the off season. During “in season” I’ll strength train 2 days a week and event train 3 days a week  (alternating days) unless I have a contest on the weekend. If I have a contest, I’ll weight train on Monday and Wednesday and event train on Tuesday and Thursday.

I once relied heavily upon the Olympic lifts (primarily the power movements), but that has changed since I had my left shoulder repaired/rebuilt during 2014.  I now break my gym training into three days – Day 1 is lower body, Day 2 is upper body, day 3 is cardio/speed/dynamic recovery.  

Day 1 normally consists of a squat variation (Front, Back, SSB), followed by Bulgarian split squats, then a pull (Conventional, RDL, sumo), followed by hamstring accessories.  I also do an ab/torso warm up before I begin. I also do 20 minutes of SMR/foam rolling and yoga before I do the abs.

Day 2 normally consist of some for of pushing (I alternate between beginning with shoulders versus beginning with chest), then do pull ups and other back movements, then do whatever push I didn’t do at the beginning.  I wrap up with a series of bi/tricep super sets as I need arm strength endurance for my sport. I also begin each upper body session with a shoulder prehab/rehab circuit designed by my PT. It’s really helped.

Day 3 is an hour of max incline on a treadmill followed by yoga followed by medball throws and jumps.  

I event train whenever I can fit it into this schedule and just resume the gym work wherever I left off.  My event training follows a very Westside or Eastern influenced philosophy wherein I have ME and Speed days.  I know it’s hard to phantom chopping and sawing as ME versus speed, but trust me I’ve worked out the science to keep it fresh.  I’m well read and versed on periodization and I apply it to my event work.  

Straight up, there is fuck all I can do in the gym that will really help my event work.  The medball throws and some jumps sincerely help with speed and coordination. And as I tell people – everything is easier when you’re stronger.  However, how strong do you have to be in order to swing a 6 pound axe? That’s one of the reasons I’m trimming down to under 250 this winter come hell or high water.  It just makes rationale sense both for longevity and general health.  

Q: That makes a lot of sense- if the young bucks are beating you on speed, adding more weight and power is likely not the solution (however much us old, big guys might like to think it is). So, what are you doing to change your diet?

A: First, I am weight training and doing my gym work in the morning before I go to work completely fasted.  I start my fast at anywhere from 6 to 8 p.m. the night before.  I don’t have anything other than black coffee and water until I drink a post workout shake that consists of scoop of whey, scoop of casein, a scoop of superfoods and a handful of baby spinach.  I also shotgun a scoop of post-workout something or other with dextrose and worthless BCAAs in it before I have the shake. 

Three to four hours later I’ll have a second shake that has a scoop of whey, a scoop of casein, 8 ounces of pomegranate juice and a cup of blueberries in it. 

Three to fours after that I have a rather large meal that could last two sittings over four to six hours.  It will consist of a lean meat, veggies and some form of pasta or rice.  I allow myself some Lara bars, some Fairlife milk, salted mixed nuts and fruit during the non-fasting window.   

I followed something very similar to this for over a year, but I allowed myself a cheat meal once a week and got my bodyweight to go from 307 to 277.  The diet started with Whole30 and I reintroduced dairy, pasta, rice and weekly cheat meal.   However, I want to get back to 250, so I tightened it up and have dropped the cheat meal for the time being.   

My calories average between 2,800 and 3,100 on days I train and under 2,300 on days I don’t do anything physical.   

Q: At 2,000 calories I would be ready to suck-start a shotgun. You are a better man than I. Holy hell- I am so paranoid about losing muscle that I started snacking on peanut butter in the midst of writing the first part of this interview, and after I finished a shake with two cups of 2% Fairlife and two and a half scoops of protein, I realized I’d eaten about 1000 calories of peanut butter in a half hour, then had another 600 calories in a shake, at least, and I still got a chicken sandwich on the way to the gym ninety minutes later, haha. Your diet is legitimately giving me anxiety.

So you jumped aboard the intermittent fasting train, then?

A: Intermittent fasting and training while fasted is what I’m doing.  On days I event train, I actually go almost full keto and train while I’m hungry.  For example, I’ll eat an egg while omelet with sugar free bacon and some form of cheese.  Then I won’t drink the superfood/spinach shake until near the end of my event session which could be 6 to 8 hours after the breakfast. 

Then I drink the  pomegranate/blueberry shake on the drive home from my farm where I event train.  Then I eat almost exactly the same as I have described above.   

Q: I have always just thought that people needed to nut up and shut up when they babble on about panic attacks and how they are REALLY REALLY A REAL THING (I remain skeptical), but I just got up to reheat a pound of chicken fingers and fries because I think I might actually be having a panic attack reading about your diet, haha. Is this how Timbersports competitors eat as a general rule?  

A: To be frank, most eat like strongman competitors.  Most do some form of physical work (logging, laborer, etc.) and you have to eat to keep yourself from wasting away.  Normally big breakfasts and big evening meals and something small mid-day.  I ate like this until I started practicing law on a regularly basis – once I had to embrace the sedentary lifestyle, I started to be more cognizant of what I put into my body.   However, I got lost in the strength training world and kept on thinking that bigger was better – I lost my way with an axe and compromised my swing/stroke as my belly got big from all the food and all the heavy lifting.  It’s the reason I’m trying my best to strip off the weight so I can get back to optimal axe and saw delivery.   

Q: That makes sense- I know a lot of guys have to relearn the motion of certain lifts when they gain a ton of weight, because the bar path is totally different. One last diet question, however, stemming from the aforementioned Empire Builder series, in which I ran the numbers on the Lumberjack Slam at Denny’s and outlined the original Yukon Breakfast- do we ever to Denny’s, and if so, do you get the Lumberjack Slam as a goof?  

A: My girls love Denny’s, but I never order the lumberjack slam.  I always order an double sized ham and cheese egg white omelet with two extra sides of bacon.  

Q: Do you know any actual lumberjacks?  If so, what is their opinion of Timbersports?

A: My entire family works in the logging industry.  I’m the aberration in that I’m an attorney. Timbersports to the logging industry is like Rodeo to the ranching/live stock industry.  

Q: Aberrant is the best way to be, frankly. If you’re doin’ it weird, you’re doin’ it right. So as a lawyer, is there an implicit threat that if the other side doesn’t play ball, they might awaken to you standing over them in bed with an axe?  That’s a joke, but Randy Quaid’s amazingly insane monologue in Caddyshack 2 sprang to mind when the question popped into my head.

I’ve practiced law for 23 years.  In all that time, I’ve had two opposing counsel try to intimidate me.  That got them absolutely nowhere – except, perhaps, shitting their pants.  One young Big City lawyer was condescending to my secretary to a point she cried.  I immediately called him up and said the following: “You don’t know me, you’ve never met me.  You were extremely disrespectful to my assistant. I suggest you do two things – first, google image me and then call my assistant back and apologize.”  

I hung up.  He called back in five minutes and apologized to her.  

Q: How would someone get into Timbersports if they wanted to test their ax murdering prowess before taking to the streets?  Do you have a recommended federation or something of that nature?

A: We have several local associations.  There are about 400 to 500 active professionals in the United States.  There are about 250 state funded schools in the United States that have forestry clubs or woodsmens’ Teams.  Most active associations have either a Facebook page or a web page that can get someone in contact with someone close by.   There are 26 countries that compete in the sport and most have the same sort of club or association format. Google search is the first way to start. 

There are several companies that sell Timbersports Equipment on line. Google Racing Axes and they come up.  The equipment is not cheap, but if you have interest and like to accomplish something with your training – there’s nothing finer.  And it’s great stress relief.  

Q: How can people best follow your sport, or watch it live?

A: Social media and a company called Lumberjack Planet regularly carries live stream events.  Lumberjack Planet also has a website that has connections to other events in other countries and other venues.   Also google “Lumberjack Sports” or “Timbersports” and several awesome websites are available that explain events, equipment and other items associated with the sport. 

Watching an event live is much better than the TV productions.  We the athletes regularly interact with the crowd. We’re coming folk and we’ll never be confused with pampered athletes.  

Q: Plug anything you want to plug- companies that sponsor you, your law firm, upcoming meets, whatever you want.

A: I am a partner at MacCorkle Lavender.  I’m sponsored the WV Stihl Dealers and get assistance from Brute Forge Racing Axes.  I should see if AARP sponsors athletes…..who knows. I’m there. And I’ve entered my “rugged grandpa stage of life.” 

And there you have it- the man, the myth, the legend, the legacy- Arden Cogar Jr, US record holder in the underhand chop, purveyor of justice, bearer of massive arms, and one more bit of proof that being massively strong and muscular helps you in literally every human endeavor outside of yoga, which is fine because yoga is the sole purview of suburban soccer moms, West Coast cult leaders, and dudes who think it’ll help them get laid (it won’t).

If you’re looking to follow his exploits, I hunted him down on Facebook, but he’s all over the Stiehl website as well. Whatever you do, use this as a reason to expand your strength sports horizons- there’s more to life than the three dumbass lifts contested in the Special Olympics, people.

Liked it? Take a second to support Jamie Chaos on Patreon!