Lance Edwards
Age : 35
Joined : 30 Aug 2007
Posts : 21
|  Subject: sledgehammer  Fri Oct 05, 2007 12:20 pm | |
| hi mick,
i saw somewhere that you train with sledgehammers sometimes... do you use them to hit tires or as an off set weight?
cheers |
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Mick Coup
Joined : 15 Aug 2007
Posts : 7
Location : UK
| | Subject: Re: sledgehammer Sat Oct 06, 2007 11:59 am | |
| Lance,
I tend not to use the sledgehammer as a striking tool when I train - I prefer to develop a more relevant form of explosiveness and strike with my body at more realistic targets for the purpose many use the hammer for.
When using the sledgehammer I mostly stick to using it as an offset dynamic weight, and for this it offers an intense self contained workout that hits the grip, shoulders, traps and core in a big way, not to mention the legs.
Hold the handle at the very end, with your hands together if possible - this may take some working up to - and raise the arms overhead so the head is down by your lower back. Keeping the handle clear of the body raise the head of the hammer all the way over the head and to the front until the handle is horizontal and squat simultaneously until the head of the sledgehammer touches the floor (I sometimes use an upturned paper cup as a target, aiming to keep it intact!) and then pause before reversing the whole process - work for about 20 reps, then switch the grip around.
Keep good form for the entire duration of the exercise, the sledgehammer should be in your complete control - not gravity's - throughout every portion of its motion. The final squat position should be deep and complete, and the head of the hammer should describe a full arc, with the handle clear of the body at all times.
It's a good exercise - by this I mean it's far from being 'good' like all the best ones are!
Enjoy!
Mick |
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Lance Edwards
Age : 35
Joined : 30 Aug 2007
Posts : 21
| | Subject: Re: sledgehammer Sat Oct 06, 2007 8:53 pm | |
| Thanks Mick,
will give that a go...sounds downright nasty
 |
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RupertC
Joined : 30 Aug 2007
Posts : 47
| | Subject: Re: sledgehammer Sun Oct 07, 2007 3:12 am | |
| I hope you donīt mind if I chip in on this. A really killer exercise for wrist strength that not many people know about involves tossing a sledgehammer from hand to hand. You start with your hands near the head and work your way lower.
The lower you get down the shaft of the sledgehammer, the more leverage you get. You have to really tighten your wrists so that the sledgehammer doesnīt twist out of control.
This exercise is also really difficult with a sledgehammer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CreCOrf9ExM
Rupert |
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