I'm sure this should be a FAQ but I can't find it anywhere...
What size hammer should I get?
Maybe the best way to answer would be for people to post their height/weight/sex along with hammer size. That way there might be a pattern to look at (maybe even make a graph).
It's one thing to heft one in a store but quite another to have to swing it around for 14 minutes or so.
PS: I'm a six footer.
What size hammer?
Welcome to Shovelgloving! 
That's a tough question for all the new folks, and sadly there's just no easy answer. I'm male, 5'11"/145 pounds, and I use a 10#. I had to start out holding it pretty close to the head for the first month or so, but now it feel just right. If there's any doubt, I suggest going on the lighter side of whatever you're debating over, just for safety's sake.
I would just make sure that where ever you buy your hammer has a return policy, that way if you buy something that's too heavy or too light you can exchange it for something else.
That's a tough question for all the new folks, and sadly there's just no easy answer. I'm male, 5'11"/145 pounds, and I use a 10#. I had to start out holding it pretty close to the head for the first month or so, but now it feel just right. If there's any doubt, I suggest going on the lighter side of whatever you're debating over, just for safety's sake.
I would just make sure that where ever you buy your hammer has a return policy, that way if you buy something that's too heavy or too light you can exchange it for something else.
1 Picture = 1,000 words
0:01s Video = 30 pictures
therefore, 0:01s Video = 30,000 words
0:01s Video = 30 pictures
therefore, 0:01s Video = 30,000 words
I realise it's a personal thing but this is surely the single most asked question about shovelglove so I think it deserves a page providing a rough guide.phayze wrote:Welcome to Shovelgloving!
I'm male, 5'11"/145 pounds, and I use a 10#. I had to start out holding it pretty close to the head for the first month or so, but now it feel just right.
Something like a chart which plots person/hammer would be good, just to get an idea.
Where I live the hammers are in kilos, not pounds. There's a choice of two in the store - 4kg or 5kg (that's 8.8lb and 11lb). As I said, I'm over six feet and 200lbs, so I'm guessing the 5kg would be the one for me, but it felt awful heavy when I hefted it in the shop.
Is this generally the case? Do you really have to work hard to move the hammer around or is the excercise in the movement/inertia? I think I'd feel safer with a heavy/slow movement than a slightly ligher/faster movement.
Maybe the heavy hammer won't feel so heavy after a couple of weeks. Maybe I should get both so I can pick one depending on how I feel that day.
You're definitely right that something on the main page about this would be handy - I think Reinhard said something a while back about working on one.
I started out work for "brute" strength, just manhandling the hammer through the movements and trying to stop it in time, but now that I'm more used to the weight I've started working on developing speed and control. That's a very interesting aspect of shugging - you want slow and heavy? Give it more stick. You want light and fast? Choke up a bit more. Physics is your friend.
The classic Victorian strongmen recommended using light weights and fast movements because it promoted agility, and modern weight lifters recommend going slow and heavy to build bulk. Which path you should take depends on your goals, and what kind of strength you want to develop.
But of course,buying both would solve the dilemma neatly, I think.
I started out work for "brute" strength, just manhandling the hammer through the movements and trying to stop it in time, but now that I'm more used to the weight I've started working on developing speed and control. That's a very interesting aspect of shugging - you want slow and heavy? Give it more stick. You want light and fast? Choke up a bit more. Physics is your friend.
The classic Victorian strongmen recommended using light weights and fast movements because it promoted agility, and modern weight lifters recommend going slow and heavy to build bulk. Which path you should take depends on your goals, and what kind of strength you want to develop.
But of course,buying both would solve the dilemma neatly, I think.
1 Picture = 1,000 words
0:01s Video = 30 pictures
therefore, 0:01s Video = 30,000 words
0:01s Video = 30 pictures
therefore, 0:01s Video = 30,000 words
Hi Fungus,
I thought I replied to this but I must have forgotten to hit "submit."
I'm also a six footer and started out the a 12 pounder. I wouldn't go heavier than that to start out with unless you're already super fit. 10 pounds might be a good choice, too.
I will put a "what size hammer?" up, but it'll be on the informal side, basically just testimonial style clips from the bulletin board. I could do a plot, I guess (my dayjob is scientific visualization), but I think at the moment there is insufficient data for that to be meaningful, and it would make it seem misleadingly scientific and authoritative. Though I guess I could put a gazillion disclaimers up...
I fall between the moderns and the victorian strongmen: I like a medium weight. Too light and it's boring, too heavy and it's self torture.
Reinhard
I thought I replied to this but I must have forgotten to hit "submit."
I'm also a six footer and started out the a 12 pounder. I wouldn't go heavier than that to start out with unless you're already super fit. 10 pounds might be a good choice, too.
I will put a "what size hammer?" up, but it'll be on the informal side, basically just testimonial style clips from the bulletin board. I could do a plot, I guess (my dayjob is scientific visualization), but I think at the moment there is insufficient data for that to be meaningful, and it would make it seem misleadingly scientific and authoritative. Though I guess I could put a gazillion disclaimers up...
I fall between the moderns and the victorian strongmen: I like a medium weight. Too light and it's boring, too heavy and it's self torture.
Reinhard
Last edited by reinhard on Thu Nov 09, 2006 5:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I'll make this easy.
******************************************************
Women, start with eight or ten pounds.
Men, start with ten or twelve pounds.
Utilize leverage and tempo to manage the level of difficulty.
If the weight seems too low after three months (no less), upgrade.
******************************************************
This, and a bunch of other questions don't matter as much as newbies think because the likelyhood of any given person sticking with Shovelglove long enough to need a hammer upgrade is very, very small. Just build the f#*cking habit and everything else will fall into place.
In my opinion, Reinhard doesn't need to put any info on hammer weights on the SG page beyond this: "Go to the hardware store and do what I did--swing the choices around a bit until one feels right."
End of interview!
--david
******************************************************
Women, start with eight or ten pounds.
Men, start with ten or twelve pounds.
Utilize leverage and tempo to manage the level of difficulty.
If the weight seems too low after three months (no less), upgrade.
******************************************************
This, and a bunch of other questions don't matter as much as newbies think because the likelyhood of any given person sticking with Shovelglove long enough to need a hammer upgrade is very, very small. Just build the f#*cking habit and everything else will fall into place.
In my opinion, Reinhard doesn't need to put any info on hammer weights on the SG page beyond this: "Go to the hardware store and do what I did--swing the choices around a bit until one feels right."
End of interview!
--david
Or another option. Practice the "flip lever/no name" move with a broom so you feel like you have it.
Then, go into the store, and try a set of 14 with a 8 or 10 pounder. If you can make it through the set effortlessly, then try the 10 or 12 pounder.
Once you try this little experiment, your choice will be clear, I think.
If you can't get through a set with the lighter one, go ahead and get it. You'll get noticeably stronger in the first 2 weeks. Within a month, you'll be tossing it around like nothing.
And yes, leverage is your friend.....
Then, go into the store, and try a set of 14 with a 8 or 10 pounder. If you can make it through the set effortlessly, then try the 10 or 12 pounder.
Once you try this little experiment, your choice will be clear, I think.
If you can't get through a set with the lighter one, go ahead and get it. You'll get noticeably stronger in the first 2 weeks. Within a month, you'll be tossing it around like nothing.
And yes, leverage is your friend.....
JWL[.|@]Freakwitch[.]net
The effort needed to "Flip the lever" is very dependent on where on the handle you hold the hammer. Probably more so than any other movement.JWL wrote:Practice the "flip lever/no name" move with a broom so you feel like you have it.
Then, go into the store, and try a set of 14 with a 8 or 10 pounder. If you can make it through the set effortlessly, then try the 10 or 12 pounder.
Simple enough! I decided to get the 5Kg (11lb) hammer as I'm pretty sure the 4Kg would be too light for me after a couple of weeks.david wrote:
******************************************************
Women, start with eight or ten pounds.
Men, start with ten or twelve pounds.
******************************************************
Maybe us noobs underestimate the influence of speed/leverage on the workout. From a mathematical point of view, moving the hammer a bit faster needs a lot more effort (inertia follows a curve - moving twice as fast needs four times the effort).david wrote: This, and a bunch of other questions don't matter as much as newbies think.
Utilize leverage and tempo to manage the level of difficulty.
Hi fungus,
I started with a broom.
I wanted to get the movements down and was concerned about hurting my back. Also, I dislocated my shoulder a few years ago and was not sure how it would feel about my new exercises. Then, I started using a sledge handle - Home Depot sells replacement handles for their sledges. Now I am using a 6 pounder.
I am 53 years old, 5 foot 9 inches tall, and not famliar at all with upper body exercises. I am built like a pencil - except my stomach where all my fat is, LOL.
I just wanted to share with you there is nothing wrong with taking it slow. Reinhard says the most difficult part is carving out the time to do the exercise. The rest will come easy.
Let us know how it goes with you!
NuBiker
I started with a broom.
I wanted to get the movements down and was concerned about hurting my back. Also, I dislocated my shoulder a few years ago and was not sure how it would feel about my new exercises. Then, I started using a sledge handle - Home Depot sells replacement handles for their sledges. Now I am using a 6 pounder.
I am 53 years old, 5 foot 9 inches tall, and not famliar at all with upper body exercises. I am built like a pencil - except my stomach where all my fat is, LOL.
I just wanted to share with you there is nothing wrong with taking it slow. Reinhard says the most difficult part is carving out the time to do the exercise. The rest will come easy.
Let us know how it goes with you!
NuBiker
late to the party
... but I use a ten pound sledge. Maybe after a year I'll look at a bigger one.
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British Chap
- Posts: 48
- Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2006 4:28 pm
- Location: Leamington Spa, England
Hey everyone - here's a bit of fun for the weekend!
This has probably been posted before - so apologies to the experienced hands.
What are we messing around with 10lb sledges for? - the big boys are swingin' 100lb hammers. Check it out.
http://www.warhammers.co.uk/
Maybe he'd benefit from a bit of NoS and Urban Ranger too........but you can tell him.
Keep well,
Gareth
This has probably been posted before - so apologies to the experienced hands.
What are we messing around with 10lb sledges for? - the big boys are swingin' 100lb hammers. Check it out.
http://www.warhammers.co.uk/Maybe he'd benefit from a bit of NoS and Urban Ranger too........but you can tell him.
Keep well,
Gareth
No apologies necessary! It has been posted before, but it's well worth reposting.
If you want to be a professional strong man, maybe these tremendous weights make sense (and maybe they don't: world class strongmen have gotten that way on far less), but for the casual 14 minutes a weekday morning shugger (or wannabe) regular hardware store sledgehammers are plenty heavy.
Reinhard
If you want to be a professional strong man, maybe these tremendous weights make sense (and maybe they don't: world class strongmen have gotten that way on far less), but for the casual 14 minutes a weekday morning shugger (or wannabe) regular hardware store sledgehammers are plenty heavy.
Reinhard
-
British Chap
- Posts: 48
- Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2006 4:28 pm
- Location: Leamington Spa, England
Hi Reinhard -
That's a fantastic thread there - I love the old fashioned article - and he came from Bradford - not far from where I grew up.
Don't get me wrong - I was posting the link for fun rather than to suggest people should use bigger hammers for shovelglove. I'm still getting benefits from just using a normal shovel - which is about 4 pounds - so I'm a 214 pound weakling and certainly not a member of 'my hammer is bigger than yours' club. And guess what - it's only a 4 pound shovel but when you hold it well down the shaft - you can get a lot of leverage benefits.
Gareth
That's a fantastic thread there - I love the old fashioned article - and he came from Bradford - not far from where I grew up.
Don't get me wrong - I was posting the link for fun rather than to suggest people should use bigger hammers for shovelglove. I'm still getting benefits from just using a normal shovel - which is about 4 pounds - so I'm a 214 pound weakling and certainly not a member of 'my hammer is bigger than yours' club. And guess what - it's only a 4 pound shovel but when you hold it well down the shaft - you can get a lot of leverage benefits.
Gareth
Hi folks, I just switched from a 6 pound to a 10 pound sledge. One thing I have noticed, for me, there were days I couldn't go for a motorcycle ride - because I don't ride unless I feel 100 percent. I would be too stiff from the exercise. But now, I feel ok about 30 or 40 minutes after exercising. I can continue my day as I was before I started shugging. Only difference is now I have this "warm" feeling in my shoulders all day. It feels good!!!
I am doing three sets of 12 - shoveling, chopping wood, churning butter, and a fourth I call Lifting The Spear - raising the sledge above my head.
I am doing three sets of 12 - shoveling, chopping wood, churning butter, and a fourth I call Lifting The Spear - raising the sledge above my head.
