The psychological benefits of Shovelglove...

larisa0001 · Post by **larisa0001** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:33 pm

I had a very disturbing phone call the other day; someone who upset me considerably and made me very angry (what is it about people who don't take "no" for an answer? Even after it's repeated for 20 minutes?). My Shovelglove session that evening was very martially oriented. Not that I know anything about the proper use of a sledgehammer as a weapon, but I pretended I did. My wrists are somewhat sore now <sigh> but my psychological state is much improved.

Post by **reinhard** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 2:52 pm

Yeah... there is something very therapeutic about swinging an imaginary weapon. A Freudian might even call it "sublime."

Reinhard

Kevin · Post by **Kevin** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 1:29 am

There is something refreshing about SG. I do it when I come home from work tense from the daily thrashing and the road war home.

About the telephone thing... here's a line I like:

"There's really nothing left for us to talk about, so, if you don't mind, I'm going to hang up now... (3-2-1) <click>"

You'd be surprised how often people get in a goodbye in rather than being hung up on. It's somewhat polite, and effective. Of course, it's not a good idea to do this to a family member. =0)

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 10:29 pm

A Freudian might even call it "sublime."

Haha!
Very clever Reinhard

Debs

larisa0001 · Post by **larisa0001** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 5:28 am

Oy; I really do think I overdid it with that Shovelglove session, alas (I was doing "flip the lever" and I really should not have been). Haven't been able to get back to the sledgehammer all week, my wrists are so sore. Can't blame anyone for it - my own stupid fault.

Hoping that after a week's rest I should be able to get back to it - but really, there probably were less damaging ways to express my opinion of people who don't understand the word "no".

Sigh...

Kevin · Post by **Kevin** » Sun Feb 11, 2007 2:03 pm

When you do flip the lever, are you bracing the handle of the shovel against your forearm? And is your hand far enough up the handle?

I've been SGing for years on and off, but if I didn't brace the handle against my forearm all the way up to my elbow, my wrists would be sore, too! When you do this move again, consider holding the handle all the way up near the head of the hammer, and hold the handle in such a way that it levers against your forearm.

Building good grip and forearm strength is important, because the big muscles in your shoulders, biceps, and triceps can probably do more "work" than your forearms can.