New here and some questions...

[Little Nessi]

I ran across this site yesterday and got so excited - I immediately went and bought an 8lb Sledgehammer... This is total genius!!! I love it!!!

I had to try it out when I got home... So I did some stretches and then set my timer.

I did 50 shoveling motions on each side, 20 Wood chopping on each side (which felt very awkward on the left side), 25 butter churns each, and 25 upside down butter churns each side... (took me a little longer than 14 mins)

My arms did burn during the whole process, but I'm not feeling anything this morning

I think 8lbs is more than enough weight considering I'm only a 4'8" little girl, under 100lbs... could it be that I'm doing something wrong?

In any event, I got up again this morning and had another go... but I'm still not feeling muscle soreness.

Another question - While I was doing these motions, should I have felt it in other areas besides just my arms? I know that I'm using far more than just my arms while executing the maneuvers- but arms seemed to be the only place I felt the burn.

Is there a page with before and after photos and success stories?

Well, thanks in advance and nice to meet you guys!!!

Nessi

[david]

Welcome, Nessi.

I don't think you need to chase muscle soreness! Do 14-minutes a day and ratchet up to five days per week and you'll start feeling and seeing results pretty soon.

WARNING!: Many people interpret the lack of muscle soreness as not getting "worked" enough. When they go all out to "feel the burn" they usually end up hurting themselves. Look through the previous shovelglove forum posts and you'll find examples of what I mean.

There are testimonials on the main shovelglove page:
http://www.shovelglove.com/testimonials.html

Here is Reinhart's before and during page:
http://www.nosdiet.com/beforeafter.html

Here is JWL's before and during thread:
http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=1118

Good luck, and keep us updated!

--david

[phayze]

Welcome to the fold, Nessie!

When I first started, I noticed a lot more strain on some muscle groups than others (particularly my forearms), but as those started to acclimate I was able to do the same motions in slightly different ways and with more "stick" between my hands and the hammer head, so other muscles got recruited.

My advice is to take it slow at first (so as to not hurt yourself like I did when I started) and really get to know the mechanics of each move. It's kind of meditative to "listen" to your body while your shugging, and make small adjustments to recruit the muscles you want to hit. It's amazing what a difference just leaning forward a little did for my shoveling!

Remember, if you're doing this 5-days per week, you'll need to completely recover by the next day - not easy if you kill yourself with each session.

Just be patient, and keep on shuggin'!

[Little Nessi]

I think I spoke too soon... maybe I just needed to sit idle for a short while.... I'm not dying or anything.. but feel some soreness - YAY!

I'll take it easy - you gave excellent suggestions!

Thanks

[VanillaGorilla]

Soreness definitely isn't always a good indicator of a good workout, for sure. And sometimes it just takes a few days to set in as it seems you've discovered.
Either way, good luck to you!