How to Exercise With a Sledgehammer
When people think about exercise, they tend to think of treadmills, machines, aerobics classes and free weights. Seldom do they think outside the box. One great item that may be used for exercise and that definitely represents out of the box thinking is the sledgehammer. Its heavy yet irregular weighting makes it great for developing “functional” muscle. Sledgehammers are fairly inexpensive and can supply you with several new exercises to try.
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Instructions
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Purchase a sledgehammer. You can get a decent one at your local home improvement store for less than $30. You don’t want to start too heavy – 6 or 8lbs. is enough.
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Warm up – this is exercise; you are swinging weight around. Be sure to warm up.
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Perform these exercises no more than twice per week, in conjunction with your regular fitness regimen.
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Wrist Turns – grip the handle of the sledgehammer as far away from the sledge as possible, keeping the sledge pointed directly upward. Turn your wrist to the right, until the sledgehammer is parallel to the floor. Twist back to the right and repeat.Tomahawks - lay your tire on the ground in front of you. Grip the sledgehammer with both hands and bring it behind your head. Slam the sledgehammer downward, into the tire.Sosas – if your tire is tall enough that you can swing the sledgehammer baseball style and hit it, then lean the tire against a tree. If not, you can swing at the air. Birdies – place your tire horizontally against a tree. Swing the sledgehammer golf style into the tire.
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Perform these in high volume – 100 on each side, with the exception of tomahawks, which have no side. Perform 200 of those.
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Tips & Warnings
As always, consult your physician before exercising.
Be careful while swinging the sledgehammer - you don't want to accidentally hit yourself or a bystander.
