Heavy sledgehammer

hammatime · Post by **hammatime** » Wed May 06, 2009 11:33 am

I've been shovelgloving for a while now with an 8lbs hammer and its always felt too light for me. i can break a sweat and my muscles do get exercise, but i was thinking about getting a 20lb hammer.

i know, i know, i should avoid that mentality, and take it one step at a time, but i feel i've done the routines long enough that i have fairly strong base muscles (in 3 months, 5 days a week) that i won't injure myself.

i used to work out 3 days a week at the gym, and my biggest improvements happened when i forced myself to lift as much as i could till failure.

i'm in my 20's, so my back should be pretty strong, right?

i want a goal, i feel i plateau too quickly and i wouldn't mind if i plateau with a 20lb sledge since most people can't lift that.

bad idea?

ravioli · Post by **ravioli** » Thu May 07, 2009 2:51 pm

I've been shovelgloving for about 3.5 months now. I'm 21 and 186lbs (I was 208 when I started). I started off with a 10lb sledge, which felt kind of light in the store. After working out with it I realized it was heavier than I had originally thought. After about 1.5 months of the 10 pounder, I upgraded to about 13lbs. 1.5 months later, I am now at about 16lbs.

I have no idea what kind of physical condition you are in but I know just adding the 3lbs made more of a difference than I thought it would. It took me 1.5 months to feel comfortable enough with the 13lbs before I decided to move to 16. I think the 16 will take even longer. I have noticed that my back got sore the first week or two with the 16 pounder, but now it seems fine.

I've only been shugging for about 3.5 months but jumping from 8lbs to 20lbs seems like too much. I would go to 15-16lbs at most and see how that feels. You will be surprised at how much of a difference just a few pounds can make. You might also want to try sticking with your current sledge and holding it farther down the handle. This will make it feel heavier to you. If that is pretty hard, you will not want to upgrade to a 20 pound sledge.

I found an easy way to make my sledge have an adjustable weight. I bought these 10lb adjustable ankle weights at walmart for about $20 and attach them to the head of the sledge. I bought something similar to:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product. ... id=8056498

Basically, I started with just a few weight packets. I wrapped the black belt part around the sledge and strapped it to it. Then I wrapped a few layers of duct tape around for stability. I have had no problems with it even wiggling so far. After 1.5 months I removed the duct tape, upgraded the weight, and taped it back up. Still no problems. It's pretty nifty. You may want to think about trying this so you can adjust the weight to the heaviest level you are comfortable with.

Hope this helps a bit.

Post by **reinhard** » Thu May 07, 2009 5:06 pm

bad idea?

Yes!

20 pounds is really, really heavy when you're swinging it around on the end of a stick.

Jumping from 8 seems very, very dangerous.

I think you'll be surprised by how much heavier just a little extra weight feels.

It's great that you got three months under your belt, but it's a blip compared to how long you want to continue shugging. I waited a solid year to upgrade from 12 to 16 and twice that I think before upgrading to 20. Each jump was really, really hard, and you're talking about making a jump that's more than twice that.

Don't be impatient -- you've got decades ahead of you. Draw out that feeling of progress as long as possible. It's motivating. Progressing too fast, to a painful, unpleasant, dangerous plateau is perhaps the top reason people give up their exercise routines (maybe second to time, which as long as you stick to 14 minutes shouldn't be much of an issue). Burn out is a very, very real danger. Don't underestimate it.

View the upgrade as a reward from your prudent self to your exuberant self for a good long period of behavioral compliance. Generally, I'd advise making that period a year or more and I'd strongly advise not jumping to such a heavy weight so quickly. Since it sounds like you started out too light, maybe permit yourself an upgrade sooner, but I wouldn't make it more than 12. That's a 50% increase in weight already -- more than I've ever done in a single jump.

I would get out of the goal mentality and into the habit mentality. You're never going to get your exercise "done" so goals are illusory anyway. Goals can be fun, don't get me wrong, but only so long as they don't risk sustainable habit.

Reinhard

dittany · Post by **dittany** » Thu May 07, 2009 8:48 pm

I added one pound to my eight pound hammer two months in and actually found it very taxing and went back to eight. I can't imagine jumping from an eight to a twenty, even if you are strong.

When you swing a weight, because of the momentum, it weighs more than simply lifting it. Also it's not just your muscles under stress, it's your bones and your ligaments too. They have to get stronger to deal with these kind of weights and forces.

I reckon the fact you are mentioning your back as possibly getting injured means you shouldn't do it. Don't take the risk - get something in between like a fourteen pounder.

stargoat · Post by **stargoat** » Fri May 08, 2009 4:19 am

I'd also recommend a more conservative upgrade -- do 12# at the most, for now.

phayze · Post by **phayze** » Sun May 10, 2009 4:49 am

For what it's worth, I totally sympathize with your urge to push yourself, but I agree with the majority that such a dramatic jump is probably a bad idea. I have an 8 and a 12(ish . . . my upgrade is leaking), and I was really surprised at the difference that a couple pounds made. Going from 8 to 20 will jump your load by 250%, and while I'm not a personal trainer, I don't think that's a good idea for any style of resistance training.

I don't know if this will be interesting to anyone other than me, but here's a little physics lesson that I've been thinking of posting for a while:

Torque = Force x Lever Arm

Force = Weight of Shovelglove (Pounds)
Lever arm = Distance between hammer head and userâ€™s hand (feet)

So, if your current hammer is 8lbs, and you're doing the moves with as much "stick" as you can, then your current load might look like:
T=8x2.5= 20lb-ft

However, with the new hammer held at the same distance you get:
T=20x2.5= 50lb-ft

A significant increase in torque, and this doesn't even factor in the fact that the hammer is moving, which will generate extra force that you'll have to stop at the end of a swing - that can be really hard on your lower back, regardless of age.

My advice would be to go play around with the hammers at your local hardware store and see what feels good to you (incidentally, practicing Drive Posts, or the Fireman looks less weird to the uninitiated public than some other moves might). I think you'll be surprised at how much heavier a 12 or 14 will feel compared to your 8.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide to get! ^_^

hammatime · Post by **hammatime** » Sun May 10, 2009 11:16 am

Thanks for the advice, and physic lesson.

I've decided to get both a 12 and a 20, so I can use the 8 and 12 for workout, and leave the 20 in the corner for motivation.