The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Health Nutritional Center for Health Statistics, and World Health Organization have all reported that obesity is a national health problem of epidemic proportions. Many Americans spend thousands of dollars each year on health club memberships, spas, and exercise classes trying to lose weight and keep fit. Fortunately we horse enthusiasts do not have to search and pay for such classes, we have Hayercize! Each of our 1,000- 1,300 lb. animals has to eat 18 hours a day and requires 30 pounds of forage each day. That means that in the non-growing season, and when they are not out to pasture, we need to feed them half a bale of hay a day. Baling, lifting, transporting, stacking, and feeding this hay can give you the kind of workout that non-horse people pay membership dues and hire a personal trainer to get.
The techniques of hayercize are very easy to learn. What are commonly called “square bales,” weigh between 30 and 60 pounds, depending on density and the type of hay. If you are a high school football player, this gives you an opportunity to show off to the girls by lifting and throwing bales of hay high on a trailer - shirtless with lots of sweat. If your high school days are long gone, or you are female, you still get to sweat, but your shirt sticks to your back. Indeed, the personal exercise trainers say one does not get a proper workout unless one breaks a sweat! This is not a problem with Hayercize!
Most hay baling takes place in the middle of the day, in the middle of summer during hot weather, sometimes reaching 100 degrees F. One sweats just walking behind the trailer! If you are transferring hay in the winter from one barn to the next, you usually start out in quilted coveralls or a heavy coat, but soon shed these clothes out of necessity. You see, Hayercize gets you sweating (for southern ladies, that’s “glowing”) regardless of the season.
The accoutrements one needs for Hayercize are simple, consisting of a pair of leather or jersey work gloves, long pants or chaps, and close toed shoes, preferably boots. As of this printing, the availability of these special clothes with the Hayercize logo is not known.
For those of us who would not qualify for a weight lifting contest, the proper Hayercize routine is listed below:
“Bend the knees and lift with ease:” avoid bending the back to pick up bales off the ground. This will avoid hurting your back. Your back should be fine after a Hayercize workout, but that does not mean you can’t use it as an excuse to request a back rub from your spouse.
Use your thigh and bent knee to help lift and tote the bale (see photo). Your leg has a lot more strength than your arms. Added grunting at this point will let others know that you are working hard; it will put a real guilt trip on them to make them work harder.
Passing off bales to someone else requires hand to eye coordination and a lot of yelling, things like “coming at you,” between grunts. Use the previously mentioned thigh and knee method to get the bale lifted then pick it up overhead and pass it on.
Do not throw bales at the next person unless they are facing you. Just as in football, there is a 20 yard penalty for clipping and this action could become reciprocal.
The overhead throw is the most strenuous part of the Hayercize program. This is the technique that teenage boys get to show off the most. Grunting is not required here, but it helps. When picking up bales in the field, another way to show off is to lift a bale in each hand and walk two bales to the trailer at one time.
If you or the bale receiving person steps down to the knees through a gap between the stacked bales, it is a courtesy to laugh quietly at the other person rather than with a boisterous guffaw. There are no yardage penalties for the guffaw, but it is another action that could come back to haunt you.
One of the most important things to remember when in the Hayercize program is to keep hydrated. Have plenty of water on hand! Do not mix the Jack Daniels that you brought with the water until you have finished the job. That also goes for drinking the Bud Light in the cooler. In spite of the name “light,” it will make everything heavier.
Hayercize is but one part of a comprehensive barn workout regimen. It goes well with stall cleaning (what goes in must come out); wheel barrow toting; dirt hauling; round pen, jump and arena moving, as well pasture walking to get that hard-to-catch horse. Keep it up and keep fit!
cut lines: demonstrating the techniques of the Hayercize fitness program
0468 equipment needed for hayersise fitness program. Leather work gloves and a t shirt with an attitude
0471 use the knee to help lift the bales. This is when you get to grunt
0477-0482 lifting the bales in place gives upper body and biceps a real workout
0474 drinking on the job is not only allowed it is encouraged
The techniques of hayercize are very easy to learn. What are commonly called “square bales,” weigh between 30 and 60 pounds, depending on density and the type of hay. If you are a high school football player, this gives you an opportunity to show off to the girls by lifting and throwing bales of hay high on a trailer - shirtless with lots of sweat. If your high school days are long gone, or you are female, you still get to sweat, but your shirt sticks to your back. Indeed, the personal exercise trainers say one does not get a proper workout unless one breaks a sweat! This is not a problem with Hayercize!
Most hay baling takes place in the middle of the day, in the middle of summer during hot weather, sometimes reaching 100 degrees F. One sweats just walking behind the trailer! If you are transferring hay in the winter from one barn to the next, you usually start out in quilted coveralls or a heavy coat, but soon shed these clothes out of necessity. You see, Hayercize gets you sweating (for southern ladies, that’s “glowing”) regardless of the season.
The accoutrements one needs for Hayercize are simple, consisting of a pair of leather or jersey work gloves, long pants or chaps, and close toed shoes, preferably boots. As of this printing, the availability of these special clothes with the Hayercize logo is not known.
For those of us who would not qualify for a weight lifting contest, the proper Hayercize routine is listed below:
“Bend the knees and lift with ease:” avoid bending the back to pick up bales off the ground. This will avoid hurting your back. Your back should be fine after a Hayercize workout, but that does not mean you can’t use it as an excuse to request a back rub from your spouse.
Use your thigh and bent knee to help lift and tote the bale (see photo). Your leg has a lot more strength than your arms. Added grunting at this point will let others know that you are working hard; it will put a real guilt trip on them to make them work harder.
Passing off bales to someone else requires hand to eye coordination and a lot of yelling, things like “coming at you,” between grunts. Use the previously mentioned thigh and knee method to get the bale lifted then pick it up overhead and pass it on.
Do not throw bales at the next person unless they are facing you. Just as in football, there is a 20 yard penalty for clipping and this action could become reciprocal.
The overhead throw is the most strenuous part of the Hayercize program. This is the technique that teenage boys get to show off the most. Grunting is not required here, but it helps. When picking up bales in the field, another way to show off is to lift a bale in each hand and walk two bales to the trailer at one time.
If you or the bale receiving person steps down to the knees through a gap between the stacked bales, it is a courtesy to laugh quietly at the other person rather than with a boisterous guffaw. There are no yardage penalties for the guffaw, but it is another action that could come back to haunt you.
One of the most important things to remember when in the Hayercize program is to keep hydrated. Have plenty of water on hand! Do not mix the Jack Daniels that you brought with the water until you have finished the job. That also goes for drinking the Bud Light in the cooler. In spite of the name “light,” it will make everything heavier.
Hayercize is but one part of a comprehensive barn workout regimen. It goes well with stall cleaning (what goes in must come out); wheel barrow toting; dirt hauling; round pen, jump and arena moving, as well pasture walking to get that hard-to-catch horse. Keep it up and keep fit!
cut lines: demonstrating the techniques of the Hayercize fitness program
0468 equipment needed for hayersise fitness program. Leather work gloves and a t shirt with an attitude
0471 use the knee to help lift the bales. This is when you get to grunt
0477-0482 lifting the bales in place gives upper body and biceps a real workout
0474 drinking on the job is not only allowed it is encouraged
