Athletics
Timbersports National Pro Champion Matt Cogar runs on clean energy
Feeding his dominance is a mixture of endurance training and simple ingredient foods that promote mental and physical stamina.
When you hear the word “timbersports,” what do you think of?
Pine trees?
Athletic humans tossing logs?
Paul Bunyan and his blue ox hacking through the woodlands?
For Matt Cogar, seven-time STIHL TIMBERSPORTS National Pro Champion, the thought was “how do I get involved?”
Matt Cogar
© Dan Krauss / Red Bull Content Pool
Timbersports—the official wood-cutting competition comprising six different disciplines that require athletes to cut through wood using saws and axes—was a constant presence in Cogar’s life as a kid raised in West Virginia. His father and other relatives were deeply immersed in the sport and exposed him to that world. Naturally, he became curious.
“Growing up, I would go to competitive lumberjack events with my father and had several uncles and cousins in the sport,” Cogar said in a recent interview. “When I was 13, I asked my dad to teach me lumberjacking and we spent a lot of time in the chip yard training, and the first event I participated in was a 1999 juniors division for youth under 18. From that first competition on, timbersports has always been a passion.”
Cogar ultimately put aside football in high school in favor of timbersports, opting to dedicate as much time to competitive lumberjacking as possible. From 18 to 25, Cogar worked on getting better at the sport, eventually discovering he not only loved it, but was good at it.
After 10 years of competing, Cogar got his first overall win in 2009 at the Smoky Mountain Championships in Sevierville, Tennessee, which changed his outlook on the sport itself.
Matt Cogar does a timbersports demonstration
© Nicole Fara Silver / Red Bull Content Pool
“It was like, okay, you’ve worked hard at all these disciplines, and this is the result of working hard and being good at them,” Cogar said.
He was number one overall, but kept thinking to himself, “What’s the next one?”
“Eventually, I wanted to dedicate myself to the sport full-time and see where it could go, which is when things really took off and I started building the craft.”
For Cogar, the craft involves both mental and physical requirements that together comprise a successful competition.
“In preparation for events, there’s a lot of [physical] training needed and quite a bit of mental energy,” he said. “It’s being confident in your skill set and knowing that it’s going to come through for you.”
Cogar credits Red Bull for providing him with information on mindset, nutrition and performance—information that’s helped him immensely over the past few years.
Matt Cogar prepares his gear
© Rob Tringali / Red Bull Content Pool
“I don’t think I ever put as much focus on my diet as I do now,” Cogar said. “I think some of the nutritionists who work with Red Bull have brought that to light by helping me incorporate healthy fats and enough carbs to sustain me throughout the day.”
Typically, Cogar consumes a big breakfast of oatmeal and a protein shake, and right before the competition, he’ll have a Red Bull. Matt’s go-to is the classic Red Bull Energy Drink 8.4oz which has 80mg of caffeine which is the sweet spot to get him in the zone.
“In timbersports, you’re constantly thinking about what’s happening right in front of you,” he said. Unlike running where you can find your rhythm and put your mind on autopilot, in timbersports you need to be thinking about the way the hits are going in and reacting to what the wood or timber is allowing you to do. You’re always thinking about the next step. Being able to operate during those high-stress physically demanding times is very important.”
It’s why Cogar can’t stress enough the importance of consuming food and beverages that promote internal stamina, something he’s woven into his preparation that’s helped further his success.
Matt Cogar does a timbersports demonstration
© Nicole Fara Silver / Red Bull Content Pool
It’s a sport that requires you to put all aspects of athleticism together.
“I also have a pre-game ritual where, right before a big timbersports event, I’ll have that big Italian meal—that pasta for carb-loading—where [energy wise] I feel like I’ve gotten that “oh yeah!” [boost]. It’s about eating the things that are going to help you sustain that energy throughout the day. At the end of the day, I get into proteins, which help me recover a bit easier.”
Sluggishness and slow recovery are common side effects of a poor diet. Pounding burgers and fries might taste good but won’t necessarily create the best foundation for endurance, especially since—according to Cogar—a lot of the physical conditioning for timbersports is mostly for explosive power, not bulking.
“You need to be athletic, you need to be able to move, and you need to be flexible,” Cogar said. “But then you also need to be able to generate the power needed for the swings and the pulls and pushes for the crosscut. You need to have muscular endurance, explosive power, and a lean runner’s ability in order to last more than a few seconds at a time. It’s a sport that requires you to put all aspects of athleticism together.”
2 min
An inside look at Timbersports with champion Matt Cogar
A 7x U.S. STIHL Timbersports Champion, Matt Cogar shows off a few key disciplines of the lumberjack sport.
In many ways, it’s all about balance. Balanced athleticism with balanced nutrition, and for Cogar, whenever he’s eating clean with the right portions, he seems to be at his best.
“For every individual, it’s finding those balances and then eating as clean and as simple as possible. It doesn’t have to be a complex meal, it can be as simple as chicken, brussel sprouts and roasted potatoes—something you know is going to fill you and contains simple ingredients.”
And while diet and nutrition probably aren’t what you think of when you hear the word “timbersports,” for Cogar, eating cleaner and finding the portions that work for him has been the key to reaching the top of his game.