New to forum: Actual sledgehammer user
Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 1:04 pm
Came across this forum/site when doing some searching about sledge hammer use.
I split wood for heat. I start with big round logs and drive a wedge into it with a sledgehammer until it splits. And then use the wedge, a wood splitting maul, or splitting axe to finish it off.
It's about the best workout I have ever done. After about an 1/8 of a cord my back is sore, my biceps and shoulders are sore, and suprisingly my abs and glutes are worked out as well- (i would never say my butt is sore in writing!). After throwing and piling the wood, my triceps and pecs are pretty blasted, too.
My wife jokes the following way:
When you first decided to split wood, you had to pay people (for the wood...)
Then when you got good at it, people started paying you to split the wood
Now, girls would pay money to WATCH you split wood.
Anyway. I enjoyed this site and the moves you do are practical. I am planning on doing some workout moves with the sledgehammer in between since I really enjoy it. Call me old fashioned, but there is something about working with dangerous and heavy tools that just makes me feel like a man- a primal urge... but so is breathing.
2 things I would add
1. When you actually "let go" and hit something with the hammer at force the eccentric reverberations force you to stabilize your muscles in such a way as to make you grow muscles.
1a. considering a way to hit things in your work out once you've progressed a bit. like hitting a tire.
1b. You'll never really get good at that carnival game if you don't start hitting stuff.
2. Why waste the labor of swinging the hammer? Save up and buy a wood burning stove and produce heat. I save about 2/3rds from my previous 500 dollar gas bill in winter by supplementing with wood heat. And get a great work out.
2a. You can use the same skills to drive posts for your garden, dig a french drain to finally de-humidify your basement, or I guess actually churn butter.
thanks for the site
keep up the solid work
b forge
I split wood for heat. I start with big round logs and drive a wedge into it with a sledgehammer until it splits. And then use the wedge, a wood splitting maul, or splitting axe to finish it off.
It's about the best workout I have ever done. After about an 1/8 of a cord my back is sore, my biceps and shoulders are sore, and suprisingly my abs and glutes are worked out as well- (i would never say my butt is sore in writing!). After throwing and piling the wood, my triceps and pecs are pretty blasted, too.
My wife jokes the following way:
When you first decided to split wood, you had to pay people (for the wood...)
Then when you got good at it, people started paying you to split the wood
Now, girls would pay money to WATCH you split wood.
Anyway. I enjoyed this site and the moves you do are practical. I am planning on doing some workout moves with the sledgehammer in between since I really enjoy it. Call me old fashioned, but there is something about working with dangerous and heavy tools that just makes me feel like a man- a primal urge... but so is breathing.
2 things I would add
1. When you actually "let go" and hit something with the hammer at force the eccentric reverberations force you to stabilize your muscles in such a way as to make you grow muscles.
1a. considering a way to hit things in your work out once you've progressed a bit. like hitting a tire.
1b. You'll never really get good at that carnival game if you don't start hitting stuff.
2. Why waste the labor of swinging the hammer? Save up and buy a wood burning stove and produce heat. I save about 2/3rds from my previous 500 dollar gas bill in winter by supplementing with wood heat. And get a great work out.
2a. You can use the same skills to drive posts for your garden, dig a french drain to finally de-humidify your basement, or I guess actually churn butter.
thanks for the site
keep up the solid work
b forge