The Sledgehammer Wonder Workout

Jake decided when we moved to Germany and our lives were in complete upheaval anyway, it would be a good time to try to get into shape. Not wanting to invest in expensive equipment that we'll have to leave behind after three years and no longer really able to run because of chronic shinsplints, he googled "DIY exercise" and found this.

This guy, Reinhard Engel, (and he really is just a random guy — not a physical trainer or anything) has devised a bunch of exercises all revolving around a sledgehammer and called the whole shootin' match "Shovelglove". He wanted to exercise without having to go to the gym or roll around on the floor like some "degraded animal" and remembered reading a novel that said French coal shovelers had the world's greatest ab muscles. So he started to devise a way to simulate the movement and feel of shoveling without actually going outside and digging random holes. He met the sledgehammer and all sorts of magic ensued. You can read all about it and his theory and program on his hilarious website.

So, we took the tram to the hardware store and bought a sledgehammer. We got a few comments and looks on the way home. I suppose it would be sort of odd, if not outright terrifying, to see someone lugging a sledgehammer (and nothing else) onto the tram.

But when we got home, Jake immediately got to work and promptly lost 11 pounds doing his Shovelglove routine for 14 minutes every weekday as Reinhard suggests. He is continually getting leaner and his guns are bigger than I think they've ever been since I've known him (five years), and all he's doing is swinging a sledgehammer around and pretending to churn butter.

I got curious pretty early on and started doing it, too. At first it was difficult for me to swing the 11 pound sledgehammer even a couple of times. And after the first time I tried the above exercise ("Chopping Wood"), my back and shoulders hurt so badly I couldn't lift anything for a couple of days. But now I can do 30 with each arm with no problem. I don't look any different, really, but I feel stronger.

There's something about the movements of it, too, that feel really good. Reinhard's site talks a lot about the idea that these kinds of motions are what our bodies were built to do, and I totally agree with that. I've always hated doing push-ups, and I think now, that's just because the whole movement of it is so useless and unnatural. But I like doing this. It feels like I'm working, not exercising.

So, in closing, I think everyone should cancel their gym memberships and buy sledgehammers. Thank you for your time.



JEM