Everyday Systems

Maybe I'm making this harder than it needs to be.

But it occurred to me, rather than get another sledgehammer if I want more weight, couldn't I get a set of ankle weights and attach them to the hammer? Something like these, which are adjustable from 2 to 10 pounds. This means my 10 lb sledgehammer can be 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, or 20 lbs.

Hmm....

That sounds like a good idea.

You can vary the load dramatically by moving your forward hand back a few inches.

At any rate, I'll bet those ankle weights cost more than a new hammer... or close to as much, anyway.

Best regards,

I just read your post in another thread: clearly, you know about leverage. It sounds like you need a bigger hammer sometime soon.

Sounds like a great idea to me, assuming it's possible to securely attach them so they don't slide around on the handle. The ankle weights might cost as much as a new hammer but they'd take up less space.

This is exactly what I do. I have an 8lb sledge and had a couple of 2.5 ankle weights laying around.

I've experimented with various ways of securing the ankle weights to the hammer. I settled on using velcro strips to help secure each ankle weight to each side of the hammer's head and then using the velcro to secure and tighten everything up and it works just fine.

Well, I went and picked up some ankle weights today. They were cheaper than the 16-lb sledge (which only came in fiberglass handles... blecch). And until I can get some velcro straps, I've just used duct tape to hold it to the sledge (not the handle). Works great! The weights are adjustable, so for the moment I have a 15-lb sledgehammer, though it's now adjustable from 10 to 20 lbs, in 1/2 lb increments. Cool!

Wow!

I just finished the shugging routine with the new sledgehammer with ankle-weightification. And it feels like it did when I first started shugging with the 10-pounder.... that is, good! My arms have been working!

This is definitely a good step for anyone looking for a bit more challenge, once you've gotten used to whatever sledge size you have.

You'll just need a couple of adjustible velcro straps and the adjustable ankle weights, and you're good to go...

Freakwitch, you are on to something...I had similar thoughts. Mainly I did it because it was a way to reclaim a previous failed experiment.

http://www.stiffupperlipventures.com/po ... CT0001.JPG

I made that from a barbell I cut down and hammered the end into a hollow outdoor type steel push-broom handle. It is very light at one end and heavy at the other. It was a near perfect fit and friction from the tight fit and the knurling on the barbell end alone holds it in. It has survived two weeks of workouts so far without loosening up any.

It was originally a home-made clubbell and then I found shovelglove as a workout and started doing it. Most manual labor uses a two handed tool so I put a lightweight yet strong handle on it. A heavy handle reduces the leverage effect by counterweighting the weights on the head so just using a barbell is not much use. It works great so far. The only change I have made since the photo is to glue some thin rope around the handle. This wrapping makes it even more of a grip workout being wider, and it is kind of rough on the hands like wood would be and makes it less slippery.

So far so good.

oldfox, your polebell (sounds like a medieval weapon) is very impressive!

I'd be careful about just snapping on extra weight to a regular sledge, though. Here's why:

1) The weights can fly off.

2) One has to assume that the handle is not designed to carry more weight than it does. It could snap. The manufacturer will laugh at you if you try to sue him (and I'll just refer to this post).

3) Even if 1 and 2 are ok you might hurt yourself by constantly pushing yourself to maximum capacity. It's safer to get used to a certain weight and stick with it for a while. Even if you don't hurt yourself, is it any fun to constantly be turning it up to 11? Will you continue to do something that isn't fun?

4) It seems like bad psychology to be constantly diddling with the weights. You'll always be wondering "is this enough? is this too much?" and feel unsatisfied unless #3. There's no rush! The superior macho thing to do is just the opposite: throttle yourself down to a sustainable pace. Now that takes willpower.

5) Sledges are not that expensive. I can't see anyone except maybe a competitive athlete needing more than 3 a lifetime (I'm still at #2 after 3 years). Compare that to the price of even the shabbiest gym membership. Compare that to an adjustable weight set that will give you anything like the range of movements of a shovelglove. Consider the insurance against 1,2,3 and 4 that an extra real, unmodified sledge gives you.

Hi Reinhart,

You do of course raise excellent points. But speaking for myself (as if I could speak for anyone else), shovelgloving, and before it weight training in the gym, is by far the most fun part of exercise/physicality for me. I really enjoy it, much more than aerobic activity (walking, and when I went to the gym, the elliptical machine), not to mention dieting.

I think that for me, I'd be more in danger of dropping shovelglove if I got bored than if I have a chance to tinker with it a bit. The important thing, for me, or the one part of your philosophy behind all of this, is to do SOMETHING every day, shovelglove for 14 minutes. That's the most important thing, without question, for me.

Put perhaps more succinctly, tinkering keeps me interested.

Would it work the same if you put the wrist/ankle weights on your wrists, and left the sledghammer in its original weight? You would be increasing the load, but no worries about the weights flying off or the handle breaking. The extra load would be right there at the handle, too, so that seems like it would work.

It would work if you put the weights on your wrist, but it effectively weighs much more at the business end of the lever.

reinhard wrote:oldfox, your polebell (sounds like a medieval weapon) is very impressive!

Thanks, yeah I can't quite call it a Shovel Glove. I need a better picture. In as much as the club inspired the "club bell" the polearm inspired that name and that theme goes well with the Conan soundtrack which is indeed great to workout to.

Figuring out how to add weight was tricky but I think I have a good method now. I am taking a day off and running so the upper body gets a rest. I also take one weekend day off completely. Sort of borrowing the on a day off a day training regime from traditional iron pumping but using your (Reinhard's) great concept of interesting "useful" movements with high repetitions.

Yes there is a temptation to fool yourself that you have made more progress than you really have by going up in weight prematurely but you just increase your chances of hurting yourself as I know from experience. It is a temptation for sure. I have found that working too hard just wastes time as my body's improvement can't keep the pace.

I have sort of a safety valve for my routine...still experimenting though. What I do is add the smallest weight increment whenever I get all the way through a workout without missing one rep. I start out on a different exercise each time too so I don't just get good at the first ones on the list. I have a planned number of reps for each exercise and if I get through it all, I go up in weight rather than adding reps. So far I only added 1/2 kg in two weeks. I figure when I start going to bigger plates I will put one on the bottom and rather than add weight I will move the order around so the weight moves farther to the end for the leverage effect. This way you can raise it in very small, safe increments. I aim for 14 minutes but since I have a set number I want to acheive each time it may run long or short of it. For me I look at it as a little journey each time I do it and I want to see how far I can get. If I get to the end I earn a little iron cookie to add for next time! Sort of a milestone maybe call it a "micro-goal".