Everyday Systems

I laughed this morning at 5am thinking of pretending to shovel for 14 min.
I laughed as I wrapped a rusty 8 pound splitting maul in a towel and black taped the towel to the handle.
I laughed as I set the 14 min. timer.

Then I stopped laughing!! I was really shocked. About a decade ago I worked as a carpenter and routinely had to use a shovel and a 20 pound sledge. I now have a "lower impact" supervisor's job and still occasionally have to use them. I'm not sure whether it is the time that has passed since I had to do serious manual labor, or the lack of some outside source (stake that is being driven, concrete slab that is being broken up) stopping the head of the sledge at the end of each swing, but wow!!! I am really going to feel this tomorrow. Here is what my routine consists of for now.

2 push ups, then 2 rows from the push up position with each hand.
4 squats swinging the sledge out in front of me for counter balance and a little back work.
8 left/right hand shovels
8 left/right high chops
8 left/right mid level chops
8 left/right low chops
8 left/right overhead chops
8 left/right one handed overhead raises
8 left/right one handed curls

Hi Williac,

Glad there's anyone else around

I've also just started shovelgloving this morning (bought the sledgehammer yesterday - I must have been one of the most interesting characters of London's public transport).

I read through some forum threads this weekend, and I got a bit envious of all the activity that was going on here some time ago.
I do hope everyone still sticks with it!

I wish you good luck (and fun) with your routine!

thanks teo good luck with your routine.

This morning was my fifth day of shovel gloving. It doesn't hurt anymore. This weekend I will decide If I am going to add some weight to the sledge or not. I am going to try to make all of my system decisions on S days. It will be interesting Monday morning to see if 2 days off will let my back and arms stiffen up a little. I don't think it will be 2 bad. Anyway More next week!!

I found a couple of 2.5 lb ankle weights at a thrift store for 2 bucks!!!!! Hello 13 lb shovelglove!!!!! I wasn't going to make any system decisions till an S day but I took some test swings with a 20 lb sledge at work today. I'm ready for the upgrade!!

yeah, you laughed till you tried it!!
can you imagine that reinhard uses a 20 lb sledge??
people have no idea how demanding that weight at the end of a stick really feels like and probably think it's no big deal, but it's a great workout!
keep up the good work and have fun!

Thanks for the encouragement!! I think what makes it so challenging is having to stop the hammer at the end of its swing. I just got done upgrading my hammer it now weights about 13 pounds. It feels heavier than it sounds. I am chomping at the bit to use it.

this pic will also kind of work as a before pic

Wow, what a difference 5 lbs made. I got through it but AWOW!

I am liking the heavier hammer now. The extra weight seems to help the smoothness of my technique.

SUCCESS

My fixed up sledge came apart. I failed to plan for how much torque the end had to endure as my swings get faster. I have access to pipe and weight plates. I'm about to get my McGuiver on!

Two things,
First, I experienced the power of "habit" this morning. I didn't want to exercise. My back felt tired from work yesterday. I told myself I wasn't going to do it. I gave myself permission to take an Exempt day. I congratulated myself for getting this far before I had to take an exempt day. All the while I was grabbing my hammer and setting the timer on my phone to 14 minutes. It was so strange. The same thing has happened in the past when I would snack on sweets. I would tell myself I wasn't going to eat any cookies. I would remind myself how bad they are for me and how overweight I was. I would feel a surge of pride at being tempted to eat them and then overcoming it. Then I would realize I had already eaten 4 cookies!! Its as if I was on "auto pilot" and wasn't actually in control but just watching it happen. That's how this morning's shovel glove session went. As usual I felt way better afterwards!

And now the second thing. I made my new "Hammer"(Not really a hammer) this afternoon. I have 15 lbs loaded on it. I have enough small plates to load it up to 61 lbs in case I am ever hit by Gamma rays and develop super human strength!! Anyway here it is.




[/img]

Nice!

Welcome and congratulations on an impressive start!

(And sorry I've been so out of it the last few weeks -- we just had a kid and he doesn't seem to understand yet that dad needs time to diddle with his internet bulletin boards.)

Reinhard

Thanks for the encouragement. I uderstand kids taking time, I have four of them.

I have no time to workout but to maintain himself i use 10 or 12 push ups then 10-10 shovel by both hands .

I have no time to workout but to maintain

One of my favorite things about this site is Reinhard's phrase the "Progress Trap". Maintenance doesn't get mush attention in today's "GET RIPPED IN 10 DAYS" Fitness culture. I have switched from shugging to sandbag swinging until it gets warmer outside. I had an incident with my refrigerator door handle and my homemade shovel. I did burn quite a few calories explaining to my wife why I woke the kids up a 5 am and why our freezer door handle was duct taped back together.
Thanks for the reply macmilon555 and good luck with Health and fitness this new year. Oh and I might mention I weighted myself this morning and I have lost 16 pounds since last October when I started keeping track again.

Congratulations on the weight loss.

-ted

thanks slothlike I have managed to lose about 22 pounds now but I have stalled and am having some self control issues with food. Thanks again for the encouragement.

Bill

Congratulations on the 22 pounds!

(and sorry about the fridge!)

As you've discovered, good thing about the 14 minutes is that it's easier to swap in fridge friendlier activities if need be.

Looking forward to some warmer weather myself (though all this snow has been a great excuse to put my shoveglove muscles into practice!)

Reinhard

Thanks reinhard I am enjoying the 14 minute workouts since I get bored pretty easy and can "plug and play" as I see fit. Recent 14 minute workouts have been loosely based on power yoga and really bad kung fu moves.

Welcome and congratulations on an impressive start!

thanks livcyxingfoe !

Im now 265 lbs and an doing a jump rope/push up/swing set row 14 minute workout.