Everyday Systems

fungus

Hi, I love the idea of shovelglove, the 14 mins daily would work great for me, I'm sure I could do that indefinitely and as a parent I can't get out to the gym / class on a regular basis.
However, I don't have much space to swing a hammer at home without smashing up my furniture (in the UK our ...

fungus

Been thinking of sneaking an SG into the room whilst working away, but feel I might look like some kind of axe fiend - too weird.

Isn't that what the 'glove' part of the shovel is for?

"It's just an old wooly jumper on a stick"

What we really need is a telescopic handle to make it small enough ...

fungus

There's nothing mysterious about weight loss. Energy expenditure must be greater than energy intake.

With you so far...

So, by increasing your lean body tissues with appropriate exercise (like Shovelglove) your body burns up more energy just by existing.

So does fat. Carrying an extra 100 ...

fungus

I am slightly disappointed that the 10 lb is no more of a challenge as the 8 lb'er was.

Anyone else go through this?

You should definitely notice a difference. Even if 10lb isn't enough to slow you down* you should have thought, "yeah, this is more like it!"

{*} ie. 8lbs was ridiculously ...

fungus

yoozer wrote: I didn't think it it would make that much difference, but boy was I wrong.

Yep, know that feeling.

Don't worry, you'll be used to it much sooner then you believed possible.

fungus

Kevin wrote:When you can swing that bad boy continuously with vim and vigor for 15 minutes, without breathing hard.

Pretty much sums it up...

fungus

You could do the same thing with a weight bar with plate on one end.

Nope.

Most weight bars are heavy (10lbs or more). The amount of weight most people can add to the end of a weight bar and still swing it.

If you can do shovelglove with a weight bar and 30lbs of weights on it, fine.

If you ...

fungus

Kevin wrote:You can do plenty with an eight pound sledge.
And, there are folks around here that have added a couple of pounds when they were ready with diving weights and nylon straps.

[/quote]

See thread here: http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=6113

fungus

This is sort of counter-intuitive, but you can do more work with a lighter hammer than you can with a heavy one, because you can swing it faster. Force increases linearly with mass, but exponentially with speed.

That's true but you have to balance it out. Fast swinging can lead to injuries much ...

fungus

I started out using a unilaterally loaded curl bar with a 10lb weight.

I tried that once and it simply doesn't work because the bar is heavy. For Shovelglove to do its thing you need all the weight at one end. Being off-balance is what works the 'core'. If you're not off-balance you might as well ...

fungus

triptide wrote:I just read this SG concept and am thinking about starting. Curious if it has helped anyone lose weight in addition to the strength benefits?

Weight loss is done with the "No S Diet". Click on the link up there ^

fungus

guille wrote: i have never considered shovelglove cardio

It depends on how you do it, eg. If you do "deep shovel". then it's definitely cardio.

* Like normal 'shovel' except you bend your knees/back and swing the hammer below knee level in the 'scoop' part of the motion.

fungus

holymadness83 wrote:Hello,
I posted a year back or so that I was using a 25lb hammer. It's 49.8lbs now according to the scale.

How many swings do you do in 14 min?

fungus

so to think of going higher kilo by kilo, little by little after the years , till getting to a 33 pounder for example doesnt sound like something so antishovelglove philosophy in my opinion

Every time I go up a weight I think this will be the limit, that if I go up any more it's going to be too ...

fungus

guille wrote:yeah i have seen those hammers, too expencive, not worth it in my opinion

Is this where I post the link to the ultimate hammer?

fungus

i know this is not bodybuilding but for that same reason, if it doesnt work on muscles separatedly then it work on the whole upper body together ,right?

Right.

hi
im asking this because the next day, i feel sore in my arms(mainly the guns) and the part between the shoulders and the neck, but ...

fungus

dittany wrote:Those six minutes, if theyâ€™re to be effective, must hurt.

I'm not sure many people are going to make the same effort at home as a rat in a "swim or die" situation.

fungus

http://www.power-fitness.info

this looks pretty appealing. could be cool to do this in addition to shovelglove. who knows, you might end up developing anal-abs.

The combination of shivelglove+hindu squats+hindo pushups has been discussed here a few times...it seems to cover just about everything ...

fungus

mrsj wrote:Will it be harmful to shovel with so short a shaft?

It won't be "harmful" but you're really limiting yourself in the movements you can do.

A new handle shouldn't be hard to find, the trouble is in fitting it.

Have you got a birthday or anniversary coming up? Ask for a new hammer....!

fungus

blujay wrote:I was just thinking... I'm considering upgrading from my 8# sledge to a 10# or 12#, but I'm reluctant to spend $40 on it right now.

I upgraded mine for about $5 - see the thread "hammer upgrade time". I doubt you could even ship a hammer for less than that.

fungus

gratefuldeb67 wrote:I'll probably get an 8 lb'er, and give away my 12...

I'd keep it for when you've been doing it regularly for a few months...

fungus

Never had a problem with the weights coming off (yet!) The old zip-tie upgrade always felt as solid as a rock.

I used string this time because it's prettier. That string can probably hold 50kg (100 pounds) with no problems. Six strands on either side of the weight means it would take way more than ...

fungus

What weight did you start with? How long did you use it before upgrading?

I started with the 4kg hammer in the pic. That lasted about a month before I got the 5kg hammer.

That one lasted about six months then I added two 500g weights to it - 6kg.

The 6kg lasted about a year and I made it 7kg a ...

fungus

phayze wrote: When the hammer starts to feel light, you just have to move it faster!

Agreed ... but I get to the point where I can't physically move it much faster. When I can do eight or nine sets of 50 movements in 14 minutes then it's time to add weight.

fungus

blujay wrote:
fungus wrote:
8 pounds is a bit wimpy...
What weight do you use?

See the thread "Hammer upgrade time!" a couple of threads below this one ... http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=76229

fungus

blujay wrote:Josh, I'm also on an 8-pounder. I've been wondering if I should upgrade too. I'm curious, how long and how regularly did you workout with the 8? How much progress did you make with the 8 compared to before you started shugging?

8 pounds is a bit wimpy...

fungus

I've just been upgrading my hammer again and thought you might be interested...

All you need is a couple of lead diver's weights (they cost a couple of $$ each from sports store), a hot glue gun and some string. A hot air gun is useful if you've got one.

Step 1) Glue the weights to the side of the ...

fungus

I usually feel lightly sore in my abs, lower back, and "sides" after my SG workout. I think the reason is that I concentrate on doing the movements with as much input from my core as possible, just like they are done in real life.

You can definitely focus the effort with SG. I do it a lot.

fungus

1) Do I start changing the movements now, or is this normal to get somewhat used to the routine?

If you're young/in shape then start increasing the speed. Also pay attention to technique so you feel it in the right spots.

2) I havent felt any soreness in the abs...should I be or am I doing ...

fungus

You need to notice a bit of weight when you're shugging. If the shovel seems heavy to you then that's fine. Wait until you can do the whole 15 minutes without any real effort before upgrading to the hammer. A 3.5 kilo hammer is pretty light but take it slowly at the beginning.

You've got two months ...

fungus

You forget the greatest hammer of them all, the Ampco 7920: http://tinyurl.com/mpbbtj

When I'm rich....

fungus

Quite a few people on another forum I read are doing the One hundred pushups challenge

Is anybody succeeding? I don't see how anybody is going to do 100 pushups in six weeks if they can only do one or two at the start.

The whole philosophy of "six weeks from now you'll be able to do XXXX" seems ...

fungus

If you're nervous, you could start with something lighter than a sledgehammer...

I (respectfully) disagree. The reason SG works isn't because of the movement, it's because the weight is unbalanced and your whole body has to work to compensate*.

Five slow reps with a proper hammer is better than ...

fungus

phayze wrote:I heartily recommend that, if you persist in following my example, you do so with solid weights, and not sand-filled ones.

I used diving weights - they've got handy slots in them for the zip ties.

See: http://biggerhammer.bravehost.com/

fungus

I made that video especially for this forum:

http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=1391

It's been "spotted in the wild" and posted here three or four times now...

fungus

Here's a new variation you might want to add to your daily routine to spice it up a bit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j8EEc8yETM

FTB.

fungus

I was wondering, does someone have a sequence of movements to maximize efficiency on the abs ? How many reps? Etc,...

The secret is that the further the head of the hammer is from your body, the harder the abs/legs have to work to keep you from falling over.

So... do the regular moves but keep ...

fungus

I live in Luxembourg and the sledgehammers here (all German brands) seem to have much shorter handles than the ones in the States.

I live in Spain and I got mine in a local hardware shop.

I just measured and the handle is 75cm long, I'm tall and I have no problems with the length.

What are ...

fungus

I was wondering has anyone used a barbell bar loaded with plates on one end as a shovelglove?

I tried it once and it doesn't work. The balance is all wrong.

Shovelglove works because the weight distribution is uneven (the wieght being off center is what works the back/abs).

To do the same thing ...

fungus

Finnigan wrote:www.macebell.com/video/video/....

Hey, that's my "Hindu Workout" video on that page...!

fungus

Does SG work the legs?

Wait until you have a sore leg and try it...the pain will tell you.

fungus

The reason why i asked this has nothing to do with looks, i was worried i was doing something wrong (thus possibly harmful). Looks like it's normal, fine, thank you

Excercise like this will work the weakest part. It's normal, and it's a good thing. You're developing actual strength, not some ...

fungus

ikuryakin3 wrote:The second, named by D, is Juggle the Hammer.

That sounds the same as my "toss the apple" move - I use it insteads of "flip the lever" (which I never liked much)

fungus

Paekious wrote:I can't believe the amount ridicule I'm getting from everyone.

They won't be laughing the day your Ampco 7920 is delivered...

fungus

Thanks for the Orwell link, fungus. Wow, that guy can write.

If you like that you should definitely read the book. It's written by Orwell when he was living in a pit villiage and goes into all aspects of a coal miners life.

Another good one is "Down and Out In Paris And London" which is the ...

fungus

George Orwell wrote a lot about British coal miners in "The Road To Wigan Pier". Coal miners were very, very tough men. Maybe the toughest men who ever lived.

There's some extracts online, eg.: http://www.george-orwell.org/Down_The_Mine/0.html

fungus

simonb wrote:I'm pretty weedy

For weeds, 10lb should be enough for the first six months.

fungus

reinhard wrote:a "pure" Hindu squat.

I think the point of Hindu squats si to do them quickly - to emphasize power and speed over brute strength. The arm swing definitely helps with this.

fungus

I tried doing Hindu squats with the hammer yesterday, holding it sort of in the manner of the butter churn exercise.

In that case they weren't Hindu squats... :-)

The arm swing is an integral part of a Hindu squat, it's what distinguishes it from a normal squat.

To really work the lower half ...

fungus

Any tips on what weight to start with?

The answer is 10/12 (4kg or 5kg) depending on whether or not you think you're in shape.

I had a 5kg hammer which I upgraded to 6kg for about 5 Euros.

http://biggerhammer.bravehost.com/

I'd rather start with a heavier sledgehammer and lower reps than ...

fungus

reinhard wrote:Hi (again) yaki,
20 pounds is plenty heavy (plus I haven't seen anything heavier that isn't some expensive special-purpose exercise device which I'm morally opposed to).

Amazon has a 23.79 pounder (I assume it's converted from metric weight or something...)

fungus

Jammin' Jan wrote:a bent-over row isn't really a rowing motion; it just has that name, which differentiates it from an upright row, which actually is a rowing motion.

Ok ... in that case, yes, it's a bent over row.

fungus

Is "Pick Onions" a Bent-over Row?

Maybe... I hadn't thought about it.

Doesn't fell much like rowing to me though, more like picking something up from the floor.

I was going to call it "weed the garden" but "pick onions" seemed funnier, maybe that's just me though.

We could vote on the name, I ...

fungus

" ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS AGO, NOBODY HAD EVER heard of six-pack abs, but plenty of guys had them"

The best abs I know are on some Brazilian friends who do Capoeira. They don't do any 'crunches', or sit ups. They just wave their legs around a lot.

Lie 1 Targeting your six-pack is the ...

fungus

Here's a few moves I've invented. I don't have videos of them so if you have any doubts just ask...

a) "Pick onions" - work your lats.

Hold the hammer horizontally in front of you, one hand at either end of the handle, palms downwards. Feet should be fairly wide apart.

Bend forwards until the ...

fungus

I strained an abdominal muscle ... "pop the lock" and "chopping wood" were out of the question.

Shovelglove definitely works the abs, like Reinhard says.

If you want to increase the effect on the abs, do things with the hammer head as far away from your body as possible.

Try chop the wood but ...

fungus

I was alarmed at how fast the guy was doing Hindu squats.

I find the arm swing makes it much easier to do them fast than regular speed.

AS for the hammer swing. I tried doing it slowly but once the head was down behind my back there was just no way I could bring it over my shoulder back to the ...

fungus

heidster wrote:Has anyone seen this video on YouTube:

And so the circle is complete...

fungus

Well, that left me with other questions - do I SG in the parking lot and risk being found by a security guy? "No, sir, I wasn't going to smash that windshield there, honest." On the other hand, I could claim it's self-defense for the perverts arrested every other month. Hmm. Do I SG in the ...

fungus

I woudn't give a dime to someone who steals the workout Reinhard put out for free, renamed it, and tries to sell it for a profit.

Hammers are an age-old training method used by "strongmen" - ever since somebody noticed that blacksmiths were usually the strongest men in the village.

Besides ...

fungus

SurfingBuddha wrote: Anyone know a good lawyer to send a cease and desist letter?

Only if Reinhard wants to....

Maybe better if everybody politely emails him and tells him to at least put a link on his site.

fungus

kayvan wrote: This guy basically stole a bunch of shovelglove ideas (with the same names even) and made a video showing "old fashioned fitness secrets" without attributing Reinhard or these pages.[/url]

Dude! He totally ripped you off...

fungus

nascif wrote:This is a 1887 manual for Indian Club exercises - at the very bottom it lists some exercises for a "heavy club used with two hands":

See the video I uploaded to the 'tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyUsEb82jZs

fungus

Loop a towel over a door and use it to pull yourself up the side. It doubles as a grip strength exercise. Not recommended for use on doors with catches (due to likely ouchness).

Sounds like a good way to break a door... unless you live in a medieval castle or something else built when hinges were ...

fungus

reinhard wrote:12 pounds is on the heavy side for a 6 foot guy to start with. 8 pounds will be plenty hard.

I'd have said "10".

8 pounds will be hard for the first couple of weeks but you'll soon be heading for the upgrade.

fungus

Kevin wrote:The fact that the head was loose was a dead giveaway.

Yep. Any looseness or rattling should be taken VERY seriously (and not just with hammers!)

fungus

That's exactly what I thought when I went from 5kg to 6kg - no way can it be this heavy!

After two or three weeks it was business as usual.

fungus

Did you check out their $4387 spanner?

http://tinyurl.com/yvrbgq

I think it's a matching set...

fungus

....it has a fiberglass handle, but it is real thin and round unlike most fiberglass ones that tend to be more oval.

I've noticed a big difference in handle thickness, Some hammers have a really thin handle (even big hammers). Mine is big and chunky - which is why I wasn't at all worried about ...

fungus

Kevin wrote:My 14 pound hammer self destructed last night. The wood inside the head rotted. The velocity with which the head left the handle was pretty frightening. It flew about 12 feet.

12 feet is impressive... what move were you doing?

fungus

NoelFigart wrote:I think He does... 'Scalled Mjollnir...

I don't think Mjolnir is "non-sparking"...

fungus

With Valentines day looming, I present the ultimate shovelglove:

http://tinyurl.com/2l4n9l

The perfect gift for that special person in your life...

fungus

I kept being unable to make the time to actually go to the hardware store and get one, so I finally ordered one online. It arrived today. I ordered the 8-lb hammer, and I'm somewhat regretting it now - I should have gone with a 6-pounder.

Don't worry ... everybody thinks that when they start.

In ...

fungus

In the very beginning, each upgrade felt ridiculously hard, like I'd never be able to do this. But in a surprisingly short amount of time, less than a month, I think, it felt totally normal.

I've only been using my upgraded hammer for four or five days but I'm getting used to it. I still can't do ...

fungus

The picture on that guys page with him holding his sledge by the end and bringing it down to touch his nose... Dad was telling me they used to do that as a bit of a lark all the time.

That guy's a wimp....check out the picture at the bottom of this page:

http://www.bigsteel.iwarp.com/Articles2 ...

fungus

Hello again, I'm glad you all liked my glove-mod....!

A few thought/comments:

Yes, when I saw the diver's weights in the shop it was an real "lightbulb-over-the-head" moment. I just knew it was the right way to do it.

The hammer works perfectly, absolutely no balance problems. The extra weight ...

fungus

As promised, here's the full story of how I added extra weight to my hammer

Be sure to let me know what you think! :D

Update:

I just did my first session with the new hammer. The weights stayed on!

I thought I was being a bit conservative by only adding 1kg to my hammer but the
session turned ...

fungus

Fungus, is it just amazon, or will no one deliver?

I don't think anybody's going to deliver a hammer to Spain.

Also, though it's not completely satisfying (because it's a less realistic simulation of tool use) you could move your hands further down the shaft a bit to increase the leverage.

I ...

fungus

I wonder if I could publish a custom shovelglove deck with cafepress or something...

Are there enough numbers in the deck to last 14 minutes? I'm betting there aren't. If you don't manage it it's because you spent too much time switching hands or thinking "clubs - that's chop wood".

Maybe you ...

fungus

Mike23 wrote:I don't know if you saw this

Yes, I saw it.... My idea is much simpler and neater (though it won't be adjustable...)

fungus

I think I've found the perfect way to upgrade a hammer (and with only about $5 of materials!).

I'll post about it when I actually do the upgrade (so I can take pics...)

fungus

phayze wrote:I've thought about adding ankle weights to my sledge, but I've never felt confident in my ability to fix them down. Some epoxy would probably do the trick

I was going to use my hot-glue gun.

You can remove that by warming it up again (eg. with a hot-air gun).

fungus

I've been looking around for a bigger hammer but I can't find one anywhere. I don't live in a country where amazon.com will deliver monster hammers to my door so I'm stuck.

I've been thinking of buying a set of adjustable ankle weights and gluing the little lead bars to the head of my hammer. Seems ...

fungus

Awesome! You're going to be working that lecture curcuit in no time! :lol:

Just one thing though: The show is actually "Healthy Planet", but I think our intro got cut off because I'm a doof and didn't start recording until after we'd started. :D

You chopped off the end, too...

PS: Reinhard ...

fungus

reinhard wrote: If you want to be a professional strong man, maybe these tremendous weights make sense (and maybe they don't: world class strongmen have gotten that way on far less)

Those "world class strongmen" were allowed to do more than 14 minutes a day...

fungus

I'm hoping to find a suitable sledge today. My first thought about it being a seven pounder has changed, since I'm pretty strong now and seven would be light for me I think. I'm going to see what a 10 or 12 pounder is like.

I got my hammer last week. In the shop the 12 pounder felt like it would ...

fungus

elai wrote:try to be more smooth?

Yep.

Sports injuries are usually caused by fast, jerky movements. Hardly ever by slow, smooth ones.

fungus

I'd say that whatever you do, make sure the weight is centered on the stick, not off to one side. If it's off center then the stick is going to try and twist as you do the exercises.

As for weight...have you got any cement/plaster? Find a suitable container, fill it with cement and put your stick ...

fungus

reinhard wrote: P.S. ditto fungus: there are great films. The third one especially, I think.

I'm just heading off to see the third film now....

PS: Did you replicate the move?

fungus

I absolutely love both "Hindu Pushups" and "Hindu Squats" as a complement to shovelglove....

The three things together a very complete workout. Maybe you could split it - 14 minutes shoveling in the morning and 14 minutes pushing/squatting in the afternoon.

And that hammer exercise looks very ...

fungus

reinhard wrote:Agreed. "No name" will remain the official name. This will just be listed as an alternate.

How about "flip pancakes"?

fungus

******************************************************

Women, start with eight or ten pounds.

Men, start with ten or twelve pounds.

******************************************************

Simple enough! I decided to get the 5Kg (11lb) hammer as I'm pretty sure the 4Kg would be too light for ...

fungus

Practice the "flip lever/no name" move with a broom so you feel like you have it.

Then, go into the store, and try a set of 14 with a 8 or 10 pounder. If you can make it through the set effortlessly, then try the 10 or 12 pounder.

The effort needed to "Flip the lever" is very dependent on ...

fungus

Some of the comments on this board reminded me of scenes from the "APU Trilogy" - a series of films made in the 1950s. I just did a quick video edit and uploaded the result here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyUsEb82jZs

In the clip you see Hindu pushups, a guy doing something scary with a large ...

fungus

reinhard wrote:I haven't quite grasped the distinction between hindu squats and the regular kind.... is it just the lack of weights? If so, I guess that's what I've been doing.

You move your arms in sync and you do them on your toes.

fungus

Welcome to Shovelgloving! :)

I'm male, 5'11"/145 pounds, and I use a 10#. I had to start out holding it pretty close to the head for the first month or so, but now it feel just right.

I realise it's a personal thing but this is surely the single most asked question about shovelglove so I think ...

fungus

I'm sure this should be a FAQ but I can't find it anywhere...

What size hammer should I get?

Maybe the best way to answer would be for people to post their height/weight/sex along with hammer size. That way there might be a pattern to look at (maybe even make a graph).

It's one thing to heft one ...

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