Everyday Systems

Posted: **Thu Jan 25, 2007 8:31 pm**

I kept being unable to make the time to actually go to the hardware store and get one, so I finally ordered one online. It arrived today. I ordered the 8-lb hammer, and I'm somewhat regretting it now - I should have gone with a 6-pounder. Still, I'm hoping that my muscles adapt to it, and I might go for less than 14 minutes to begin with. My wrists are kinda wonky, so I'm planning to be extra careful.

If I can still lift my arms tomorrow, I will report on the experience.

Posted: **Thu Jan 25, 2007 11:09 pm**

Go for it Larissa!
You will adapt, and six pounds might have been way too little, unless you are a wee tiny lady...
You probably know this already but, just go very gingerly in the beginning few times.. I'd say that it takes about two workouts to start feeling some strength..

Have fun!
Peace,

Debs

Posted: **Fri Jan 26, 2007 8:08 am**

larisa0001 wrote:I kept being unable to make the time to actually go to the hardware store and get one, so I finally ordered one online. It arrived today. I ordered the 8-lb hammer, and I'm somewhat regretting it now - I should have gone with a 6-pounder.

Don't worry ... everybody thinks that when they start.

In two or three weeks you'll be thinking about a ten pounder.

Posted: **Fri Jan 26, 2007 1:16 pm**

What they said -- go slow at first. Do something for the whole 14 minutes, even if it's just sort of gently moving the hammer around. Make sure your hand is close to the hammer itself -- this makes it feel lighter than if you hold it up the handle farther.

Posted: **Fri Jan 26, 2007 2:32 pm**

Larissa,

Just go really, really slow, and put your hands closer to the head if it feels too heavy. Keep it up and in a few weeks you'll be thinking about a 10 pounder

Hope you can move your arms well enough to post!

Reinhard

Posted: **Fri Jan 26, 2007 4:40 pm**

OK, it's the next morning and I've barely managed to crawl up to the computer. Yipes. This is some seriously intense stuff. My biceps are falling off, as are my deltoids and my back muscles. And I only did 7 minutes to start with (mostly because of paranoia about my wrists than anything else)

Alas, I cannot do the Butter Churn exercise, as it aggravates my wrist-related weirdness. Next time, I think I'll skip it and do more Shoveling. Too bad - it seems to be great for the shoulders.

Really, I think that the Shovelglove and the stairclimbing I do will keep me in good shape - the combination of the two seems to be a full-body workout.

Now I need to find some good Shovelgloving music....

Posted: **Sun Jan 28, 2007 5:16 pm**

I've been doing an every-other-day sort of thing with the Shovelglove; that's what I normally do for weight training exercise, and I find that it works well for me - this way I don't need to keep track of what day of the week it is. So last night, I picked up the Shovelglove again. Yipes. This morning, I feel like someone took that sledgehammer and beat me with it. And I only did 7 minutes.

I do have a question for our illustrious founder, however: are there any Shovelglove exercises that target the triceps? I find that while my biceps are falling off, my triceps still seem to be relatively untroubled.

Posted: **Mon Jan 29, 2007 5:42 am**

Now I need to find some good Shovelgloving music....

How bout the purple chicken shovelglove rag???

As for triceps.. Try hoist the sack.. It's pretty hard one handed but you can build up to that after doing it with two hands for a few weeks..

Have fun!
Peace,
Deb

Posted: **Mon Jan 29, 2007 5:43 am**

ps.. I got the quote thingy all screwy, but you know what I meant

Sorry! LOL

Posted: **Sun Feb 04, 2007 1:47 am**

Yeah, for the triceps, "Hoist The Sack" also named "Scratch The Back" is the best.

Posted: **Sun Feb 04, 2007 2:07 am**

I keep banging myself in the back with the hammer when I do that. I guess I should just wrap it up in a sweater or something.

And ragtime really doesn't work as Shovelgloving music, alas. I love it, but for Shovelgloving, I think that something more serious is indicated. I wish I had my recording of the Carmina Burana here - that would be perfect.

Posted: **Sun Feb 04, 2007 2:10 am**

larisa0001 wrote:I keep banging myself in the back with the hammer when I do that. I guess I should just wrap it up in a sweater or something.

And ragtime really doesn't work as Shovelgloving music, alas. I love it, but for Shovelgloving, I think that something more serious is indicated. I wish I had my recording of the Carmina Burana here - that would be perfect.

Yikes! Were you playing with a naked sledgehammer? I would not do that. With the wood floors and the pets, my wife would kill me.

For safe shovelgloving, wrap your hammer, definitely!

Posted: **Sun Feb 04, 2007 6:41 pm**

I have carpeting, and I'm generally pretty careful (and do not have any children or pets underfoot) - so I thought i could get away with an unwrapped hammer. I generally can - but the "hoist the sack" thing does get pretty uncomfortable.

Posted: **Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:41 pm**

Hoist the sack shouldn't hurt... The head of the hammer does brush my back from time to time, but never with enough force to hurt. Are you standing straight up when you do this, or are you leaned forward?

Posted: **Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:28 pm**

I think the problem is that I lack the wrist strength to prevent the hammer from swinging and hitting me in the back. Hoping that that will get fixed with more Shovelgloving.

Posted: **Tue Feb 06, 2007 8:29 pm**

Hold the hammer more toward the head and it should stop swinging. Don't hit the ceiling though!

--david

Posted: **Tue Feb 06, 2007 8:47 pm**

The "glove" does make a difference with this move...

Reinhard

Posted: **Thu Feb 08, 2007 1:35 am**

Wrist strength. I didn't think about that. I guess that could be the issue. Anyway, Reinhard is the guy with the answers on this one.

Another good triceps strengthener is a move I call, for lack of a better term, "align the lentel" (a lentel is a support that bridges a door or window). It's sort of like hammering straight over head, at something about a foot or so over your head, maybe eight inches in front of you. Swing the hammer from behind you to just overhead. I do about 35 of these (as opposed to 50 of most other things).

This might be sort of an "advanced" move.

Everyday Systems

My shovelglove arrived!

My shovelglove arrived!

Re: My shovelglove arrived!

hoist the sack shouldn't hurt...