Shovelglove and balance/coordination

Post by **reinhard** » Mon Jun 22, 2009 5:53 pm

Got an interesting suggestion this morning on how to incorporate coordination and balance into shovelglove -- something I for one could sorely use!

I love the image Kale suggests, but I'm a little nervous about how to implement it without clobbering my ceiling and/or wife (she usually does yoga/pilates in the same room)

Anyone else have any ideas/experience with this issue?

On Jun 22, 2009, at 9:47 AM, Reinhard Engels wrote:

>As a former rock climber, I think that a good sense of balance is an oft-> neglected aspect of all-around physical fitness.

As a current klutz, I agree.

I'm not quite sure how to work balance into shovelglove, but your
"standing-on-the-rock-mid-stream-waiting-to-speer-the-fish" image
seems like a promising opening.

On Sun, Jun 21, 2009 at 10:04 PM, Kale Good wrote:
Reinhard,
I've been looking to get myself into functional-shape for a bit now. My new
roommate shovel gloves and after reading your website, I'm ready to go out
and buy a sledgehammer. Sounds more interesting than calisthenics, that's
for sure (and more useful). I used to rock climb, which kept me in shape,
but it isn't too friendly to my current career (classical guitarist). As a
former rock climber, I think that a good sense of balance is an
oft-neglected aspect of all-around physical fitness. As I've not
shovelgloved, it may have balance-benifits I am unaware of, but it doesn't
look like it from the videos. I think that for me personally, a little
"standing-on-the-rock-mid-stream-waiting-to-spear-the-fish" kind of exercise
would round things out and might be something you want to add to your
routine or perhaps just throw it on "other's exercises" section. Perhaps
some balance exercises might benefit from moving the shovel glove around as
well.

thanks for the great idea,
kale good

phayze · Post by **phayze** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 5:36 am

Hmm, that is interesting . . .

It seems to me that the controlling the weight of the SG in motion is by it's nature a pretty decent balance exercise already - particularly when you've got it greater extension and/or higher speeds. At the risk of shameless self-promotion, I think that the samurai series of moves are good balance-challengers.

It might detract from the "usefulness" aspect a bit, but almost any movement can be done on one leg, or with your eyes closed for a unique balance-challenge (please don't fall and break anything).

A few random ideas off the top of my head: shugging while standing on a 4x4 as an improv balance beam, or if you're into dropping a little cash you could get one of those bosu ball things, or these weird balance steps and try shugging on those. This is a good time of year for picking that kind of stuff up cheap in yardsales (at least in my hemisphere, anyway).

I'll have to give this some more thought to see if I can up with something a bit "purer" in shovelglove-ideology terms. I like the spear-fishing image, too, but I'm still trying to work out how to do it without an extra prop to throw off your balance.

jules · Post by **jules** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 8:41 am

One of the virtues touted by free weight proponents is that it works your stabilzer muscles which are excellent for improving balance. Shovelglove then, as a variety of freeweight lifting, will be good for improving balance. I believe that lifting uneven weights is also supposed to be good for balance -- and, if nothing else, a sledgehammer is certainly an uneven weight.

I think you can challenge yourself further by doing things on one foot for example. How much you'd want to do on a balance board or bosu ball? Hmmmmmm. Sounds potentially dangerous.

Post by **reinhard** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 5:36 pm

One of the virtues touted by free weight proponents is that it works your stabilzer muscles which are excellent for improving balance. Shovelglove then, as a variety of freeweight lifting, will be good for improving balance.

Sounds good to me!

It might detract from the "usefulness" aspect a bit, but almost any movement can be done on one leg

That sounds like the least scary more advanced alternative...

Reinhard

DC++ · Post by **DC++** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 1:56 am

I have experimented with a number of movements while standing on one leg. Some feel more suited to this than others. I find the various wood chopping, post driving and shoveling movements quite awkward on one leg but the one-handed butter churn movement, flip the lever, one-handed sack hoisting etc work quite well. Probably because the weight is closer to the body and moves mostly vertically.

Having said that, stoke the oven also seems quite doable on one leg and also the various canoe paddling movements.

I vary which leg is off the ground as well along the lines of "6 right-handed stoke the oven on left leg, 6 on right leg. Then reverse for left-handed movement".

I don't know if it helps my balance or not but it is fun and helps to make routine movements interesting by adding an extra challenge.

phayze · Post by **phayze** » Mon Sep 28, 2009 7:41 am

I'm not sure how many people follow both the General and Moves forums, so I thought I should bump this and point any interested parties here for the fruits of my experimentation with this.

/shameless self-promotion

Huffdogg · Post by **Huffdogg** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 1:59 pm

A lot of fitness pundits will tell you that anything that promotes overall core strength will naturally improve your balance, but coordination is not necessarily the same thing. It seems to me that you have to train your body to conduct complicated and intricate motions in order for it to become accustomed to them.