Everyday Systems

Just finished 21 days on No S, which means starting shugging is rapidly coming on. That means I need a sledgehammer!

I went to Lowes, and I'm torn between the 8# and 10#.

I really kinda feel like 9#s would be perfect, but I really don't feel like getting an 8# and adding weights. I like the idea of modding in general, but I have a lot of things I bought thinking how cool they would be once I modded them, and I never actually modded them.

The reason side of me thinks I should go with the 8# because: that will still be a good workout, the lighter weight is more conducive to working on form, generally speaking more reps at a lower weight seems better than more reps at a higher weight.

The, um, macho side of me on the other hand thinks that 8# sledgehammers are for women, and that I need to be a man.

Reason sounds right, but I don't know if it is. Macho feels great, but, well, I don't want to hurt myself.

I know Reinhard started at 12#, which really makes the Macho side of me feel that 10# is already a compromise.

Thanks for your input.

It seems obvious that the lower the weight, the less risk of injury.
I am starting out with a 10# and I'm not a huge guy. My ideal weight is probably around 150. Even though I'm only on day two, 10pounds seems about right to me. With some of the moves, holding the handle closer to the head dramatically reduces the force, with some moves the leverage is less of a factor.

Although, it would seem common sense that you can always just go through the motions slower. A lot of the moves are just way more fun if you do them closer to their natural speed.

I think the most important thing in weight selection would be context. For instance, if you have any history of back or shoulder injuries, you may want to start with a lower weight. If you have a smaller frame, you may need to start with a lower weight. If you ever go bowling think about in the ballpark of half of what you bowl with.

I used to be an avid rock climber, so I still have some core strength left over from that.

Oh yeah, and I forgot. Start SG on a Thursday or Friday, because you will be sore the next day. You will want the recovery of the S-days

Get an 8lb and you can masking tape or cable tie small 1lb plates onto the head to increase it slightly as you need/want.

Thai people are small and the biggest sledgehammer I can find is 10 lb. which is small for me as I weigh about 200 pounds. However I do butter churn exercise 1 handed so it makes it harder and also do the wood chopping motion 1 handed but have to choke up on the handle.

I'm a biggish guy (6 feet, large frame) and the 12 pounder I started with was probably a little too heavy. 10 pounds would probably have been more optimal.

The danger of starting too low is a mere 30 dollars or so -- that you'll have to upgrade a little earlier than you might like.

The danger of starting too high can be a lot greater -- injury, discouragement.

I measure macho in "days on habit," not hammer weight. That's the important thing. And that's what's going to translate into being able to really use a heavier sledge effectively at some point.

And I wouldn't strap on extra weight to a sledgehammer... it doesn't seem remotely worth the risk of the weight flying off. 30 bucks for a heavier sledge is really cheap for life/homeowners insurance.

And don't forget the power of leverage. Hold the hammer farther from the head and it becomes a much harder workout. There's a great range of workout you can get from a single hammer. I'm only on my third in 8 years -- and I doubt I'll ever need a fourth.

Reinhard

Re: Adding weight--The hammer mod I saw on the link from the main site seemed pretty foolproof. Even without the hot glue OR epoxy, the heavy-duty wire ties laced through those diving weights, with the handle between the two ties, gives a foolproof attachment so long as the ties don't break. And good zip ties don't break.