Paint the Wall (by sweetzen)

Here you'll find a discussion thread for each of the canonical and major non-canonical shovelglove moves. If you have questions or comments about any of these moves, just update the existing discussion for it. If you have a new move, add a new discussion (preferably with the name of your new move in the title). Ideally there will be just one discussion thread per move that everyone adds to, but it's no tragedy if a little bit of redundancy creeps in.
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sweetzen
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Paint the Wall (by sweetzen)

Post by sweetzen » Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:52 pm

I'm relatively new to the shovelglove routine, but I wanted an exercise with palms facing down, that employed a strong lateral movement. I also try to keep in line with the "imaginative" spirit of the project. Here it is:

Paint the Wall

For this exercise, imagine you are rolling paint on the wall. Stand with your side to the wall (about 3 feet away), feet a little more than shoulder width apart. It helps with balance to move the foot closer to the wall forward, and the other foot back a bit. Grip the shovelglove (head towards the wall), palms down, one hand just beneath the head, the other close to the base.

Start with the head of the shovelglove about 6 inches from your knee, the base about midway between your waist and your chest. Your torso should be rotated slightly towards the wall, but still mostly perpendicular.

Raise the head of the shovelglove, pretending that you're rolling paint on the wall, until your elbow is above your shoulder and your "working" arm is bent at a 90 degree angle. Your other hand will come down below your waist, and push up, just as if you were pushing the handle of a paint roller. Lower the head in a controlled motion, not quite to the starting position. To maintain tension, I keep the head about 1 foot from my knee while doing the exercise.

Switch sides, and repeat.

The key is imagine you are rolling paint, and to keep the handle of the shovelglove perpendicular to the wall at all times. Focus on working the arm closest to the wall, and just use the other as an assist once you start to get fatigued. Also, if you extend your arm towards the wall at the top of the motion (breaking the 90 degree angle), it will put a lot of strain on your wrist. I'd suggest keeping your arm at 90 degrees, even though the arc pulls the head away from the wall.

A long description, I know, but once you imagine yourself painting the wall, the movement is ridiculously easy to remember. As a lateral raise/palms down exercise, it does seem to work muscle groups missed by the canonical exercises. I'd be curious to know what you think, and if you have any refinements. Thanks.
"My life is an illuminating, unfolding narrative... written on a daily basis by the words I am forced to eat." --S.A.

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david
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Post by david » Wed Apr 02, 2008 12:51 pm

Good idea. I'll try this one.

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tommi
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Post by tommi » Wed Apr 02, 2008 2:06 pm

i'm going to try this one as well, looks good!

thanks for the info
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sgtrock
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Post by sgtrock » Thu Apr 03, 2008 4:42 am

I'm trying to picture this -- I haven't painted any walls lately!

Would this be the same or similar motion to a basic upright row?

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Del ... htRow.html
"It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop." -- Confucius, an early Everyday Systems pioneer

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sweetzen
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Post by sweetzen » Thu Apr 03, 2008 4:54 am

No, the movement is not like an upright row. Your "lifting" arm is fairly rigid, and only very slight movement occurs at the elbow. The motion comes from your shoulder.

To get an idea of the motion (with no shovelglove), stand with one arm straight down at your side, bend that arm until it is at a 90 degree angle (while keeping your upper arm against your body), then hold that angle while you raise your elbow to shoulder level (or slightly higher).

The motion is based on one of these:
http://west.ballyfitness.com/rapid_resu ... deo.asp?47
"My life is an illuminating, unfolding narrative... written on a daily basis by the words I am forced to eat." --S.A.

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Post by sgtrock » Fri Apr 04, 2008 3:34 am

Ah! Side lateral raise. I used to do a ton of these with dumbbells. Good move. There's a similar SG variant that I absolutely love called Perseus Hoist.

One thing I've noticed --- with Shovelglove, kettlebells, sandbags, etc --- is a general gravitation towards "known" moves that already exist as dumbbell-style movements, e.g. presses, raises, rows, etc. Please note that this is NOT a knock on this move or any others, just an observation. I happen to like the more "unusual" moves myself. I think that Shovelglove, by virtue of it being based on a real tool rather than something created specifically for exercise, lends itself far more readily to these types of movements than do dumbbells. I tried SG with dumbbells before I got a hammer, and it doesn't even compare.

Like your Sweep the Floor move. What a great core movement!
"It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop." -- Confucius, an early Everyday Systems pioneer

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sweetzen
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Post by sweetzen » Sat Apr 05, 2008 10:47 pm

sgtrock wrote:One thing I've noticed --- with Shovelglove, kettlebells, sandbags, etc --- is a general gravitation towards "known" moves that already exist as dumbbell-style movements, e.g. presses, raises, rows, etc. Please note that this is NOT a knock on this move or any others, just an observation. I happen to like the more "unusual" moves myself. I think that Shovelglove, by virtue of it being based on a real tool rather than something created specifically for exercise, lends itself far more readily to these types of movements than do dumbbells. I tried SG with dumbbells before I got a hammer, and it doesn't even compare.
Agreed. For me, the genius behind shovelglove moves is the imaginary link. It makes the exercises more enjoyable, and keeps them "real." If I look at my shovelglove workout and say, "Hmm, I need something that resembles a lateral raise." It's actually more time-consuming to think of what activity it might represent than it is to come up with the move. But it's worth the effort.

For instance, the paint the wall move may be little more than a lateral raise, but I've painted a lot of walls, and it's something I enjoy. It also suggests a "paint the ceiling" move. And if you've ever painted a ceiling with a roller, you know that doing it with a shovelglove is bound to be brutal (just be careful not to take down your ceiling fans!).

And while there is a tendency to go "Conan" and think of really strenuous moves, I think any chore you'd do with a tool that has a handle (like sweeping the floor) is fair game. Some of them are surprisingly useful exercises. :D
"My life is an illuminating, unfolding narrative... written on a daily basis by the words I am forced to eat." --S.A.

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Post by sgtrock » Tue Apr 08, 2008 4:20 am

Again, I love the Sweep the Floor move. I feel that one in my sides every time. :D

It's also started me back doing a variation on a couple of other moves that I used to do. When shoveling and chopping wood, try going to extreme ranges of motion. For shoveling, reach far back on each side of the move. For chopping, reach far over your shoulder and continue past your torso at the end instead of stopping as it meets your hip.

Burns my sides up. After doing those two and adding medicine ball partner twists with my wife, one day I felt like I was walking around with a suit of armor strapped to my torso.

That's the feeling the Sweep the Floor move gives me again. :)
"It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop." -- Confucius, an early Everyday Systems pioneer

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