A friend of mine linked me to this and I thought I would run it by people here...what do you think as far as a routine goes? Sounds waaaay cheaper than doing a gym membership, and coupled with some running looks like it might be worth trying for the poor getting-fit-for-the-first-time person.

http://www.shovelglove.com/

Any thoughts? No, I have nothing to do with this idea or site, ltierally came across it from a friend tonight...

Those are great workouts. Sometimes I take a sledgehammer and bang on an old tire in the back yard and if you've ever shoveled pebbles or landscaping rock you know how sore it will make you the next day.

Not sure how long it would be effective as your only method of training and not sure how good it is for beginners really. Sledgehammer swings, if overdone or done improperly can injure you because of all the odd twisting and torque.

I'd add push-ups, pull-ups, squats and sit-ups and then gradually add in something like this.

Haha! That's a funny name. I'd imagine that swinging a sledgehammer around would be a pretty good work out. I helped gut out houses in New Orleans after Katrina and after using a sledgehammer for one day, I could barely move the next. My hands, arms, back, chest, and abs were incredibly sore. So I guess I'd be willing to say, give shovelglove a try if it suits your fancy, but like Splint said, don't hurt yourself.

I agree. Having done farm work before I definitely realize the importance of stretching and the strain it can put on odd parts of the body. The soreness following a hard day on the farm was very real indeed.


I guess it all comes down to something I can do at home without having to go to a gym. I already do all three of those every day, including basic stretching, but I would love to add to that without great cost or distance increase.

Some of my best workouts are when I have to chop wood....

I'm more sore doing that the next day then I am after a good workout.

Just did my first round of "shugging"...boy that wore me out quick. Felt like I was doing pretty good but after a few more minutes I could feel it, now I'm bathed in sweat. Very interesting,, I'll keep you posted!

Does this give a good workout on the legs? I've seen some farmers and gravediggers, and typically they have huge upper bodies and spindly legs, making them look like double lollipops or strange ice cream cones.

However, the upper bodies, chests, obliques, triceps, etc. are typically pretty impressive.

Is there a way to simulate the pulling in of a net, also? When I was in Ocean City, Maryland, I saw some fishermen with the most impressive arms and shoulders of my life.

This is kinda a "come up with your own and dont hurt yourself" regiment...

I propose some kind of squats with it perhaps....i dont know how safe trying to rig different leg exercises would be with a 10-16 lb sledgehammer...

lol
schedulistically significant time


lol

Please tell me this is satire.
Please.

I know there is a significant workout in swinging a sledgehammer.
But... really.

Lol