Newbie Greetings

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.
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KPM
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Newbie Greetings

Post by KPM » Mon Sep 19, 2005 10:27 am

Hello All!

Just wanted to pop in and say "Hi" and let Rheinhardt know that I think his idea was great! I came across his webpage recently while researching Indian Clubs thru google. It hadn't occurred to me to use a good old fashion sledgehammer as a conditioning tool. But, thinking along these lines I thought "why not use hammers instead of Indian Clubs?" So when I made my trip to Home Depot to buy my sledgehammer, I bought a pair of 4 lb hammers to give this a try as well. I like the sledgehammer workout and the various exercises suggested on the website, but haven't really tried the smaller hammers yet. Is anyone else doing "Indian Club-like" exercises with hammers?

I'm a long-time martial artist in both eastern and western systems. I do western pugilism (old bare knuckle boxing), and the shovelglove system really appealed to that nostalgic side of me. :-) I just wanted to point out that if anyone is interested in expanding your "martial" scenarios for the shovelglove, there are lots of longsword and quarterstaff techniques that would work great!

Keith

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Mon Sep 19, 2005 10:56 am

Hi Keith! Welcome...
Hope you have fun with your mini SG's!!!
Are you going to wrap them in matching mini sweaters??? LOL...

Pugilism eh?
That sounds strangely like Pulverism!
I'm staying away from you mate!
Peace and Love,
8) Deb

Kevin
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small hammer

Post by Kevin » Mon Sep 19, 2005 11:01 pm

I have a four pound setting sledge that i use for SG like exercises from time to time. I don't have a pair... I could imagine that you could inflict some major bruises - if not internal damage - if you swung them carelessly. But you don't sound like the careless type.

Let us know how they work. I might spring for another little hammer if I could find the weight match to the one I have.
Kevin
1/13/2011-189# :: 4/21/2011-177# :: Goal-165#
"Respecting the 4th S: sometimes."

Big Phil
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Indian Clubs

Post by Big Phil » Tue Sep 20, 2005 12:14 am

Hi Keith,

I have been doing Indian club exercises with the metal bars from a couple of dumbells. I use "Dick's Indian Club Exercise" - there is a link to this routine in earlier post that refer to Indian clubs. I thought of using hammers as well to get more resistance but a big warning is necessary. TRY THE WORKOUT WITH SOMETHING LIGHTER THAN 4LB HAMMERS FIRST! You sound like you are conditioned to upper body work at the moment and may think this does not apply to you but I did the workout with the dumbell bars (~1kg (2.2lb)) and my shoulders were sore for 4 days! It was proper muscular sore and the muscles were hot to touch, so I had really overworked them. When you do 10 or 20 reps of the front or side milling your shouders, arms and back feel great but the force produced is quite surprising. The momentum gets very large very quickly and this could be a danger with 4lb hammers. "Dick's Indian Club Exercise" says that for the short clubs (like hammers) they rarely need to exceed 5lb in weight, even when people have been working at it for a long time. I could not agree more. 4lbs sounds very small for normal weight training, but this isn't anything like that.

I love those Indian club exercises and hope you enjoy them. Just treat them with respect is all I am saying.

Good Luck,

Phil.

Kevin
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Hey, Big Phil

Post by Kevin » Tue Sep 20, 2005 1:03 pm

Could you post that indian club exercise link again?
Kevin
1/13/2011-189# :: 4/21/2011-177# :: Goal-165#
"Respecting the 4th S: sometimes."

hlidskjalf
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Post by hlidskjalf » Tue Sep 20, 2005 1:44 pm

http://ejmas.com/pt/ptart_dick_0101.htm

Dick's Indian Club Exercise
Burn all, burn everything. Fire is bright and fire is clean.

Kevin
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Thanks

Post by Kevin » Tue Sep 20, 2005 1:55 pm

Thanks, hlidskjalf.
Kevin
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"Respecting the 4th S: sometimes."

KPM
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Re: Indian Clubs

Post by KPM » Tue Sep 20, 2005 2:23 pm

Hi Big Phil!

I have been doing Indian club exercises with the metal bars from a couple of dumbells. I use "Dick's Indian Club Exercise" - there is a link to this routine in earlier post that refer to Indian clubs.

---Yes. I printed that one and several others that EJMAS has online.

I thought of using hammers as well to get more resistance but a big warning is necessary. TRY THE WORKOUT WITH SOMETHING LIGHTER THAN 4LB HAMMERS FIRST!

---Good advice! :-) Yes, I have only used the 4lb hammers tentatively. No full work-out. In the store 4lbs didn't seem like much. :-) But you are absolutely right. I will either go back and look for a pair of 2 lb hammers to start with, or just break down and spend money on Ed Thomas's package deal that has a video and a pair of Indian Clubs that look like they would be about 1.5 lbs each.


I love those Indian club exercises and hope you enjoy them. Just treat them with respect is all I am saying.

---Gotcha! Thanks for the feedback!

Keith

Kevin
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I haven't tried this yet...

Post by Kevin » Wed Sep 21, 2005 12:15 am

I'm wondering about making a light set of indian clubs... any ideas? you could make heavy ones by filling wiffle ball bats with sand, but I can't think of anything that's shaped like that, but smaller. Maybe a set of kids plastic bowling pins?

How thin would the handle have to be, do you think?
Kevin
1/13/2011-189# :: 4/21/2011-177# :: Goal-165#
"Respecting the 4th S: sometimes."

kindall
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Another newbie checking in

Post by kindall » Wed Sep 21, 2005 7:29 am

I've been doing Shovelglove for about a week with an 8-pound sledge. Since my floors are carpeted, I didn't bother with the sweater. I'm working my way up to the harder movements, since I haven't exercised in a good long time, but at least I'm doing something every morning to work my muscles and form a new habit.

I'm really out of shape and significantly overweight, so I've got a long way to go, but I'm already seeing improvements. For one thing, my back doesn't hurt as much as it did a week ago... I had pretty much stopped noticing the dull throb until it went away. I have more energy and sleep better too.

I like how Shovelglove eliminates pretty much everything that stands in my way. As a fat guy, I hate going to health clubs or sporting goods stores -- I can't shake the feeling that everyone's staring at me and my flabby bod. Shovelglove solves that by letting me buy the equipment at the hardware store! I know it's stupid to worry about that, but frankly I can't stop, and it's been a stumbling block to me getting in shape for years. I don't have to go anywhere to work out, either -- I don't even need to get dressed! It's a straight line to my workout, and the only needed "equipment" tucks discreetly away in a closet when I'm done. And it fits seamlessly into my schedule, so far I don't even really notice the time I "lose" to this.

Time will tell if I can keep at it, but I'd say I stand a better chance with Shovelglove than with any other exercise regimen I've attempted. It's really quite addictive.

Anyway... the music I use is "Braindance" by an obscure British space-rock group called Omnia Opera. It is fourteen minutes and and a handful of seconds of pure driving energy. Just enough buffer time to get the sledge out and put it away when I'm done.

I'm going to try to slip a good after-work walk into my schedule too (there's an elliptical machine in my apartment's fitness center that I can use when the weather's bad).

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Wed Sep 21, 2005 11:05 am

Hey Kindall! Good luck to you!!! You will do great if you just use NoS and SG!!!
You are from Bellevue eh?
I wonder if the Ivar's restaurant I used to be assistant manager at, is still in existence out there!??? It was a while ago... 1989-90

I have beautiful memories of Washington State! What a great place :)
I lived in Seattle for half my stay there, and then we moved up to Bellingham..
I would love to return one day as I feel it's probably the most beautiful place I have visited yet! Lovely with all those pine forests and big rolling pastures!

Again,
Good luck!
Peace and Love,
8) Deb

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Azathoth
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Post by Azathoth » Wed Sep 21, 2005 12:52 pm

Kindall,

Keep up the good work! Like you, I too loathe the gym. I used to be in good shape when I was a little younger, and spent some time in the gym but even then I never liked it. I was shy and always looked around watching everyone else look at me with that look like they were better than me...

Well, I'm bigger now (but not stronger), more out of shape, but have been starting with No-S, Urban Ranger, and Shovelglove and I'm feeling better and getting stronger again. I enjoy practical work that I can do myself without needing costly equipment or having to face off with those jerks in the gym. I've learned a little in my past few years though, and my shyness has melted away... Don't be afraid to stand up to anyone and look them in the eye, Kindall, because you need to be proud of who you are. I walk down the street with my head high, I'm dissapointed with the weight I've gained, but I'm out there doing something about it and you are too. So stand tall, onlookers be damned, and you do what you need to to get yourself feeling better about your body again.

My goal: Be shovelgloving in the middle of my apartment parking lot in front of everyone by next month with my shirt off and my music playing (once I have my routines down). People can stare at me all they want, I'm proud of the fact that I get up every day and attempt to make a difference in my health, and I feel bad for those others who would carelessly look at me and laugh, rather than have the courage to step forward and join me.

Stick with it buddy, soon it will be a routine and you'll spend the rest of your day looking forward to your 14 minutes with your friendly sledge, I know I do. Enough talk though... I must toil!

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reinhard
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Post by reinhard » Wed Sep 21, 2005 2:06 pm

Welcome, Keith, Kindall.

I'd keep the sweater even if you're not worried about floors or cats... it's not going to make a difference if you're swinging full force, but you'd be surprised at how much even a gentle tap to the noggin from an "ungloved" sledge can hurt.

Something to keep in mind during your initial burst of enthusiasm: shovelglove does stay fun, even years into it, but without making it a regular habit, fun by itself isn't going to be enough to keep you going. So invest your enthusiasm in habit building now. It may take a while for you to find the ideal time slot, but if you start by delegating the timing decision to your daily self, as long as it gets done some time during the day, you'll both get more workouts in and put a gun to your head to find the best slot. "No sleep till shovelglove" was instrumental to me in finding my ideal (morning) slot.

Looking forward to hearing more from you,

Reinhard

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JWL
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Post by JWL » Wed Sep 21, 2005 4:10 pm

Hi Kindall,

Yeah, shovelglove seems to work well for us fat guys. I definitely like it much better than the gym. I've been at it religiously for about 3 months now, and I played with it for 3 months before that.

My advice is the same as Reinhards, just try to develop the habit of daily movement. Do SOMETHING for 14 minutes per day, M-F.

And take it easy with the sledge, don't overdo it.

The shovelglove exercises are, in my experience, much better than anything you'll find at the gym. If you want to take some weight off as well as get stronger, think long and hard about No-S to go with it. It really does work.

Shovelglove is the most fun exercise I've ever encountered (well, at least SOLO exercise... heh heh heh). But walking is probably even better for you than shovelglove in terms of reclaiming health after years of neglect. Speaking from experience here, my friend.

Also, several years ago, the elliptical machine changed everything for me. It allowed me to really work up a sweat without beating the hell out of my leg joints. Use it! But don't stop walking or shovelgloving.

Good luck! Fat guys of the world unite! :-D
JWL[.|@]Freakwitch[.]net

Big Phil
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Hi Kevin

Post by Big Phil » Thu Sep 22, 2005 12:04 am

Kevin,
If you want to give the Indian Club workout a try just use the bars out of some dumbells or some steel bars about 18inch long. With all the momentum built up by swinging and the fact that your arms should be completely straight when swung, these can provide significant resistance. Especially once you start doing the swings in both directions and 10 reps each or more.

Filling the bowling pins with sand sounds like a good idea. In some of the historical sites I've seen on Indian clubs apparently there were different styles - the Dutch style and the New York etc. Mostly they look like bowling pins. I reckon it is a good idea to stick with the labour/warfare metaphor and make the handles around the same size as tools such as hammers. The thicker the handle the better it is for developing your grip. Using the hammers like KPM suggests is a good idea for this reason. However, a concern is with some of the swings behind the head, the head of the club does come close to the back of your head in some of these exercise and the flat, protruding head of the hammer could easily give you a whack! :cry:

See Ya,

Phil.

kindall
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Ivar's and good glovin'

Post by kindall » Thu Sep 22, 2005 7:40 am

Deb, if the Ivar's you're talking about is the one up on 156th by the Microsoft campus, yeah, that's still there.

Reinhard, I've already picked a time for my ever-glovin' workout and am sticking to it. Today I was running late for work and realized I hadn't 'gloved yet... and forced myself to squeeze it in regardless.

To the rest, thanks for your encouragement.

A friend of mine who's a doctor tells me I'm probably headed for diabetes if I don't get in shape. So my motivation to do something is pretty strong -- although not, apparently, strong enough to overcome my aversion to sporting goods stores and fitness clubs... still, I want to do something.

I'll take your advice about the cushioning under advisement. I do have a cat but she's smart enough to steer well clear of me when I'm flailing around like a madman, so it would be for self-protection. Probably easier to cushion the sledge rather than my whole self.

After I get used to 'gloving, I'm going to pick up a couple of the setting hammers and check out some of these club exercises too. I thought about that before I bought the sledge, actually.

Any newbies using the sledge to do more traditional weight training exercises like curls and shoulder presses? Obviously you have to turn the sledge around to get both sides. I'm doing it to build up some strength in preparation for tackling the shovelglove motions.

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