The Shugging Begins

Take a sledgehammer and wrap an old sweater around it. This is your "shovelglove." Every week day morning, set a timer for 14 minutes. Use the shovelglove to perform shoveling, butter churning, and wood chopping motions until the timer goes off. Stop. Rest on weekends and holidays. Baffled? Intrigued? Charmed? Discuss here.
Post Reply
User avatar
Phineas
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2008 5:06 pm
Location: Maine

The Shugging Begins

Post by Phineas » Tue Sep 23, 2008 7:10 pm

I'm buying a sledgehammer tonight to begin a Shovelglove routine tomorrow. I'm not sure what is a good weight to begin with. I am 5'8" and presently 216 pounds. Despite the extra flab, I would say that I am in generally good health and have been doing a dumbbell workout 3 days/week for the past 3 weeks, so my upper body is somewhat tolerant to some weight training at this point. My dumbbells have been at 12.5 pounds, which makes me think a 10 pound hammer would probably be a good choice as this would likely keep the overall weight about the same. Also, are there differing lengths and if so, what is a good length for this indoor insanity? :lol:

Anyone have any thoughts?

Thanks in advance! :D

UPDATE:

I took a trip to home Depot after work last night and was a bit put off by the $32-$60 price tags on the sledges. I knew I had seen one for under $30 at the Shovelglove Amazon store, so I picked up the $25 10 pound wooden handle one there. It should arrive tomorrow or Friday, so I will likely go over some of the basic moves at the end of the week and try to start in with a daily, but overly light routine on Monday. I'm thinking of starting week 1 at a slow paced 7 min, 10 min for week 2 and maybe 14 min by week 3.

Looking forward to flipping my free weights the metaphorical bird soon!

User avatar
Phineas
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2008 5:06 pm
Location: Maine

Post by Phineas » Mon Sep 29, 2008 7:10 pm

Well, Fed Ex delivered the hammer to my neighbors while I was at work Friday, who subsequently didn't drop it off to me until they rolled out of bed around noon on Saturday, but it got here :lol:.

I briefly watched and mirrored the movements from the youtube videos over the weekend until I was moderately comfortable with each and began the routine this morning. In an effort to not overdo it and become too sore to continue tomorrow, I did very slow sets of 14 for shoveling and 7 for everything else for only 7 minutes. This allowed me to get through 1 set of each and I barely started shoveling, which I started with, for a second turn when the timer went off. About 9 hours later I can say this much with certainty: I am glad I started no higher than 10 pounds and for no longer than 7 minutes because parts of my back are already tightening up a bit :lol:. This was a rare occasion during the 15-20 minute dumbbell routines I've been doing, and whatever muscle in my back is calling to me today, has not been heard from until now, so that says something. I'm already a believer!
5'8" Male

SW: 225 9/4/08
CW: 170 4/21/09
Goal 1: 195 (BMI 29 ie not obese) - ACHIEVED
Goal 2: 160 (BMI 24 ie not overweight)

User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Mon Sep 29, 2008 8:21 pm

Hi Phineas :)
Great to hear you got your SG and are off to a good start.
I'd say Reinhard goes very fast. Remember he has been at this for over three years and those youtubes were after a few years of practice.
I can't keep his pace and if I tried, i think I'd throw my back out.
So I suggest, go with your own pace.
I'm not trying to be a downer, just cautious.
Have fun!
8) Debs
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

User avatar
Phineas
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2008 5:06 pm
Location: Maine

Post by Phineas » Tue Sep 30, 2008 1:58 pm

Hi Debs,

Thanks for your feedback. I am certainly not trying to keep his pace quite yet as I would likely throw my back out as well :lol:. I felt great this morning, but kept it at a slow paced 7 minutes and am not feeling any of the tightness from yesterday. I think I'll add another minute to the routine tomorrow. I think adding a minute every other day or so will be a good method for reaching 14 without overly straining myself.
5'8" Male

SW: 225 9/4/08
CW: 170 4/21/09
Goal 1: 195 (BMI 29 ie not obese) - ACHIEVED
Goal 2: 160 (BMI 24 ie not overweight)

jennyp
Posts: 30
Joined: Sun Sep 28, 2008 4:27 am

Post by jennyp » Tue Sep 30, 2008 5:15 pm

Hi Phineas! Great job!!! Once I get one, I think I'll start out just like you are, it seems like a great plan!
Jenny

Old Juicy
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Sep 25, 2008 6:38 am
Location: Home Depot Parking Lot

Post by Old Juicy » Wed Oct 01, 2008 8:47 am

It's really motivating reading this account. I also wasn't thrilled with Home Depot, though mine's prices were lower.

I could only find an 8 pounder, and bought it anyway. I found the exercise to be challenging, but I had that mental macho thing going on, and really wanted to start at 12. I returned the sledge and noticed they had 16 pounders. I went ahead and got one, and jeeeez. It's a bit much for me, but as long as I take it slow and careful, I can hang.

I think Amazon is the best bet for a lot of folks.

User avatar
Phineas
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2008 5:06 pm
Location: Maine

Post by Phineas » Wed Oct 01, 2008 2:43 pm

Thanks for the encouragement, jennyp. I was not a bit sore this morning and added another minute. It wasn't even that noticeable so I think this will be a good method for reaching 14 minutes.
I returned the sledge and noticed they had 16 pounders. I went ahead and got one, and jeeeez. It's a bit much for me, but as long as I take it slow and careful, I can hang.
16 pounds, wow! The 10 pounder is giving me all the workout I'm ready for at the moment. I am a bit on the smaller side though, muscularly speaking anyhow :lol: I hope it works out for you, but if you need to, you can always go down to a 12 later and save the 16 pounder for later on in your training.

Amazon has always served me well in general. Their prime membership really can't be beat. You pay $80 per year but get free 2 day and $3.99 overnight shipping on most everything they sell (with the exception of ridiculously large items, like televisions ect). It sure was nice to click my way through Christmas shopping last year and avoid the congested mall scene all together!

Best of luck to you both! :D
5'8" Male

SW: 225 9/4/08
CW: 170 4/21/09
Goal 1: 195 (BMI 29 ie not obese) - ACHIEVED
Goal 2: 160 (BMI 24 ie not overweight)

User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Wed Oct 01, 2008 8:39 pm

Old Juicy wrote:It's really motivating reading this account. I also wasn't thrilled with Home Depot, though mine's prices were lower.

I could only find an 8 pounder, and bought it anyway. I found the exercise to be challenging, but I had that mental macho thing going on, and really wanted to start at 12. I returned the sledge and noticed they had 16 pounders. I went ahead and got one, and jeeeez. It's a bit much for me, but as long as I take it slow and careful, I can hang.

I think Amazon is the best bet for a lot of folks.
While 8 isn't challenging enough, I'd say 16 is quite a lot if you are just starting out. I tried them out and oh me oh my, what a difference that four pounds makes compared to the 12 I'm used to.
Hands throbbing! LOL
Reinhard only upgraded to 16 after over a year of working out with a 12 lb one..
Good luck!
8) Debs
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

User avatar
Phineas
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2008 5:06 pm
Location: Maine

Post by Phineas » Tue Oct 21, 2008 8:55 pm

Just a quick update.

Employing the gradual build up approach described earlier, I reached 14 minutes for the first time today. Once I hit 11-12 it started to get significantly more difficult to do without a break. I find that my hands and wrist are the most uncomfortable parts of my body, and only while doing the routine for more than 8-10 minutes. 2 or 3 minutes after finishing, the discomfort is gone. It's certainly not excruciating, more a dull, achy tiredness. So, I'm finding myself stopping to shake the hands a bit and get a sip of water with some frequency those last few minutes especially. Other than these minor gripes (whines) it is going really well and I am already starting to see and feel the difference. Combined with this, 3-6 miles of walking per day, weekend hikes, and sticking to No S for the past month, I'm approaching a 20 pound loss in under 2 months.
5'8" Male

SW: 225 9/4/08
CW: 170 4/21/09
Goal 1: 195 (BMI 29 ie not obese) - ACHIEVED
Goal 2: 160 (BMI 24 ie not overweight)

User avatar
reinhard
Site Admin
Posts: 5918
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2005 7:38 pm
Location: Cambridge, MA
Contact:

Post by reinhard » Wed Oct 22, 2008 1:26 pm

Thanks for the update. Very impressive!

I'm not sure what to say about the hands and wrists. Shovelglove definitely works those parts of the body hard and I feel it, but I haven't been really bothered by it. If you're feeling what I'm feeling, I wouldn't worry about it -- but of course that'll be difficult to establish. I'd say keep paying very careful attention and stop immediately if anything really hurts.

Reinhard

User avatar
gratefuldeb67
Posts: 6256
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:26 pm
Location: Great Neck, NY

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Wed Oct 22, 2008 1:30 pm

Congratulations Phineas!
Great news!
8) Debs
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

User avatar
Phineas
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2008 5:06 pm
Location: Maine

Post by Phineas » Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:58 pm

Thanks to you both!

I will continue to monitor the hands and wrists. It's probably just from the exertion as I have very small hands and wrists. The discomfort is gone within a few minutes of finishing.

I'm so happy I found this site and these systems. I can already see that it is going to be my ticket out of obesity.

I will post a more formal "testimonial" in the applicable forum sometime in the future.

Thanks again!
5'8" Male

SW: 225 9/4/08
CW: 170 4/21/09
Goal 1: 195 (BMI 29 ie not obese) - ACHIEVED
Goal 2: 160 (BMI 24 ie not overweight)

Midwestern Ranger
Posts: 22
Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2008 10:04 am
Location: Iowa

Post by Midwestern Ranger » Fri Oct 24, 2008 8:40 am

Stoke the oven seems to hit my wrists quite a bit as well. A few days ago I also had extra wrist pain while shoveling, a quick assessment of my form revealed that I was twisting my wrist somewhat when "throwing" the load. I was careful thereafter to put most of the twist in my torso and a little in my arms, not the wrists. That alleviated the problem for shoveling.

User avatar
Phineas
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2008 5:06 pm
Location: Maine

Post by Phineas » Fri Oct 24, 2008 5:06 pm

Midwestern Ranger wrote:Stoke the oven seems to hit my wrists quite a bit as well. A few days ago I also had extra wrist pain while shoveling, a quick assessment of my form revealed that I was twisting my wrist somewhat when "throwing" the load. I was careful thereafter to put most of the twist in my torso and a little in my arms, not the wrists. That alleviated the problem for shoveling.
Hmm... I haven't noticed that I've been doing this, but I haven't been examining my form that closely either. I will watch for this on Monday. Thanks for the information!
5'8" Male

SW: 225 9/4/08
CW: 170 4/21/09
Goal 1: 195 (BMI 29 ie not obese) - ACHIEVED
Goal 2: 160 (BMI 24 ie not overweight)

Post Reply