Results matching “sledgehammer training”

Mother of four and 2007 OCB Yorton Cup Nationals champion Cheryl Szarmach. Photo by Matt Shepley.

Here's a guide to fitness-related goodies for your Mother, Mommy, Ma or Mum. Even if she hasn't had time to step into rubber-soled shoes in years, there are items here that will make her smile at the thought of flexing again. And if she's as hardcore as the Straight to the Bar team, you've just hit the jackpot.

Happy Mother's Day, Grrrls!

Training, lessons, sessions and classes

What's the second-most precious thing to most mothers? Time to herself. Serve her notice that she's been signed up for one-on-one time with a great personal trainer - general fitness or specialized sport coach (boxing never fails!). Sign her up for ten yoga sessions at the groovy upscale studio you always see advertised. Or if she doesn't have a gym membership, get her a punchcard for ten guest visits, so she can use the gym whenever she wants, without the sales pitch of the trial membership. It's guilt-free time for her to focus on herself, her body and her personal quality of life.

Jogging strollers

Does she have stroller-ready children but no jogging stroller? Sure as taxes, she has jogging stroller envy whenever some perky mother and baby pair in matching designer warm-ups glide by with one. For the top picks, check out Collapsible jogging strollers that go from trunk to trail with ease. This review piece by Sarah Bowen Shea is online at Runners World. (Pictured is Shea's favored Schwinn Joyrider Jogger)

Foodies

Chocolate. You better believe grrrls want chocolate. Chocolate that won't sit in our stomachs during a work out, give us a sugar crash, make us feel fat, guilty, or like we have to brush our teeth. We're talking whole food chocolate. This mind-blowing stuff is made with just cocoa, nuts, dates, maybe a little fruit - stuff like that, and it tastes amazing. I love Labarar's delectable Jocalat bars and the similar Clif Nectar bars.

A blender. As Krista Scott says, generally one has to tread carefully when getting household items for women for romantic occasions, but pair it with a big jug of protein powder and you should be cool. The Kitchen Aid commercial blender is the Cadillac.

And/or a blender bottle - not the kind with a motor, but this innovative and effective low-tech one with a wire whisk-like ball inside.

Boxing Gear

Whether you are a grrrl, or have a sister or daughter, you know that grrls like to hit things. Give her something to beat on besides you. Any grrl will be delighted with the right bag to punch or kick. Check Title Boxing or Everlast for a variety of heavy bags, speed bags, and martial arts bags. If she's into cardio kickboxing, she's probably used to a freestanding bag with a water-filled base.

Everlast Evergel Glove Wraps rock. She can wear them under bag gloves as a convenient and more protective alternative to handwraps, or alone for light bag work, mitts, speed bag, grappling and more.

Then get her a real pair of G&S bag gloves, instead of those cheap ones from the sports store. Twelve ounces should be fine, and they're very helpful in figuring out fit if you call.

Another great idea via Ross Enamait. Securing a tyre (or tire, if you prefer) vertically for sledgehammer training.

Another great idea via Ross Enamait. Securing a tyre (or tire, if you prefer) vertically for sledgehammer training.

Indian Club swinging

Clubs are wonderful things. If you've ever tried sledgehammer levering, you'll be familiar with the concept - a heavy, unstable weight held at a distance; and moved under control. Different tool, similar feeling.


Of course, clubs are used for much more than that. For a peek into their history, and to get an idea of how they are used, take a look at these sites :

• The Secret World of Indian Clubs
  Tom Black.
• Treasures in the Attic [504kb, .pdf]
  From the January 2002 issue of Tae Kwon Do Times.

Making your own clubs

The fun - from my point of view, anyway - also comes from the creation of the equipment. I love being able to use gym gear that I've made; it's a particularly satisfying feeling. When it comes to clubs, the thinking's no different. Here's how to make your own clubs.

The Equipment

Before you head down to the nearest hardware store, consider this : there are two basic techniques for making your own clubs - each with their own parts list. Here are the details.

Filled

Some of Fightraining's DIY clubs

• plastic toy club (hollow), usually available cheaply at bargain stores and service stations
• small bag of sand, cement or other heavy, granular material (if you've ever made a sandbag, grab the same stuff - works well)
• tube of plastic-friendly glue
• grip wrap or duct tape

Remember to plug the hole you've just made (using a plastic-friendly glue).

To make the handle a little less slippery, add some duct tape or the wrap used on cricket bats and tennis rackets. If you made the nunchaku, it's the same stuff.

The final weight of the club can be easily adjusted using ankle weights. Just slip them over the handle and push them up as far as they'll go.

Indian Club swinging

Clubs are wonderful things. If you've ever tried sledgehammer levering, you'll be familiar with the concept - a heavy, unstable weight held at a distance; and moved under control. Different tool, similar feeling.

Of course, clubs are used for much more than that. For a peek into their history, and to get an idea of how they are used, take a look at these sites :

• The Secret World of Indian Clubs
  Tom Black.
• Treasures in the Attic [504kb, .pdf]
  From the January 2002 issue of Tae Kwon Do Times.

Making your own clubs

The fun - from my point of view, anyway - also comes from the creation of the equipment. I love being able to use gym gear that I've made; it's a particularly satisfying feeling. When it comes to clubs, the thinking's no different. Here's how to make your own clubs.

The Equipment

Before you head down to the nearest hardware store, consider this : there are two basic techniques for making your own clubs - each with their own parts list. Here are the details.

Filled

Some of Fightraining's DIY clubs

• plastic toy club (hollow), usually available cheaply at bargain stores and service stations
• small bag of sand, cement or other heavy, granular material (if you've ever made a sandbag, grab the same stuff - works well)
• tube of plastic-friendly glue
• grip wrap or duct tape

The assembly process is fairly straight-forward. Cut a small circle in the base of the club's handle, insert a funnel and slowly fill it with the sand or cement. When the club is almost filled, swing it about a bit to compress the sand/cement at the top.

Remember to plug the hole you've just made (using a plastic-friendly glue).

To make the handle a little less slippery, add some duct tape or the wrap used on cricket bats and tennis rackets. If you made the nunchaku, it's the same stuff.

The final weight of the club can be easily adjusted using ankle weights. Just slip them over the handle and push them up as far as they'll go.

The Grip Master's Manual.

After analyzing my performance over the last couple of years in grip contests, I have identified grippers as one of the events I must work on. Aside from other methods I have been using to bring my crush up, I have been supplementing my normal gripper work with lots of focus on the last two fingers.

There is a multitude of ways to work the last two fingers but I want to share some of the things that I have been doing routinely to work on the last two.

One thing that I have been using is the IronMind Tug #5. The IronMind Tugs are shorter-handled torsion-spring grippers that are designed specifically with the last two fingers in mind. I will perform repetitions with the Tug #5 and holds for time, each day I do gripper work. The Tug #5 started out tough for me but after much work on it and probably due to some seasoning, it has gotten rather easy and I am considering buying the next level up in an effort to keep progressing on grippers.

Another tactic I have implemented is called choking. Choking is where you secure the gripper handles down with an object so that they are partially closed. This can be done with a PDA choker, a large washer, or a hose clamp, which is what I use. Hose clamps cost about $1.50 at the hardware store and are a very cheap yet functional option for gripper choking.

I have choked down a #1 Captains of Crush gripper to the point that the handles are parallel.

Then, I invert it, like a Tug, and make attempts to close it with only my last two fingers. I have not yet been able to touch the handles together with my last two fingers, but I am down to about a sixteenth of an inch and if I cheat the handles shut and then remove my off hand, I can hold it nearly closed.

Also, I have been working my last two fingers in a static fashion by pinching together the handles of two sledgehammers.


I normally perform timed holds with this lift, but I also like to pinch and lift the sledges and then swing the handles back and forth, perform figure eights, and twists with the sledges aloft. This is a great finisher to your last two finger training.

In the Grip Master’s Manual, a book I think anyone interested in grip strength should read, John Brookfield mentions that one of the secrets to closing heavy grippers, especially the IronMind Captains of Crush grippers, is strength in the last two fingers, or the ring and pinky fingers. He says that strength in these two fingers is what finishes off the close when making a big attempt. I fully agree.

After analyzing my performance over the last couple of years in grip contests, I have identified grippers as one of the events I must work on. Aside from other methods I have been using to bring my crush up, I have been supplementing my normal gripper work with lots of focus on the last two fingers.

There is a multitude of ways to work the last two fingers but I want to share some of the things that I have been doing routinely to work on the last two.

One thing that I have been using is the IronMind Tug #5. The IronMind Tugs are shorter-handled torsion-spring grippers that are designed specifically with the last two fingers in mind. I will perform repetitions with the Tug #5 and holds for time, each day I do gripper work. The Tug #5 started out tough for me but after much work on it and probably due to some seasoning, it has gotten rather easy and I am considering buying the next level up in an effort to keep progressing on grippers.

Another tactic I have implemented is called choking. Choking is where you secure the gripper handles down with an object so that they are partially closed. This can be done with a PDA choker, a large washer, or a hose clamp, which is what I use. Hose clamps cost about $1.50 at the hardware store and are a very cheap yet functional option for gripper choking.

I have choked down a #1 Captains of Crush gripper to the point that the handles are parallel.
Then, I invert it, like a Tug, and make attempts to close it with only my last two fingers. I have not yet been able to touch the handles together with my last two fingers, but I am down to about a sixteenth of an inch and if I cheat the handles shut and then remove my off hand, I can hold it nearly closed.

Also, I have been working my last two fingers in a static fashion by pinching together the handles of two sledgehammers.
I normally perform timed holds with this lift, but I also like to pinch and lift the sledges and then swing the handles back and forth, perform figure eights, and twists with the sledges aloft. This is a great finisher to your last two finger training.

I strongly suggest you implement some last two training if your goal is to close heavy grippers, but I will warn you that the day or two after you perform lifts that isolate the last two, your pinky pad will be sore. This pain will subside soon enough and you can speed your recovery by performing deep tissue massage on yourself, doing contrast bathing, and with thorough stretching.

All the best in your training.

"Napalm" Jedd Johnson
DieselCrew.com
Napalm's Blog

Webster defines Leverage as :

The mechanical advantage or power gained by using a lever

With these lifts, we will work backwards, and take away the advantage gained by using proper levers with a lift.

Look at this monstrous deadlift : perfect feet-knee-hip-back alignment. This lift is going up. If his hips were farther back, or the bar was off his body during the lift, he would have a significant disadvantage to this pull. He is applying proper leverage.

Most of your training should be done in the maximum advantage position. This is almost always the safest position to move the weight, and safe training equals productive training.

Most maximum strength or strength endurance events will require the athlete to achieve perfect leverage over the implement, or the effort will fail. This is clearly evident when you examine sports such as Powerlifting, Olympic lifting, the Kettlebell biathlon and arm wrestling. The problem is most events in life do not allow you to display maximum leverage because the external resistance is fighting you - football, wrestling, arm wrestling; or the size/shape of the object puts you in an awkward position - Strongman events, strength feats such as very short bends or odd objects such as horseshoes or wrenches.

To build power in these positions, you must learn to work with in them. Isometrics Cables, and odd objects such as kettlebells will fill in some gaps. To get an unusual level of strength, you must cross from the familiar to the strange: you must use unusual drills.

During my personal quest to increase my braced bending abilities I began to examine exactly how to generate the most leverage upon different objects. Learning to bend wrenches, tear cards with my arms over head, or pick up heavy clubs led to this conclusion - You have to train outside the 'Safe zone' or proper leverage and position. You have to make the movements awkward, and as you do you will find additional stability.