One of the most unlikely tools in our fitness equipment arsenal is the mallet. Surprisingly, the manual labor tool doubles as an excellent total body muscular endurance exercise, a great power builder, a very effective weight management method, and a way to increase aerobic and anaerobic endurance. In terms of cost, effectiveness, and versatility, mallet training is a great addition to almost any training program.
Let’s look at the reasons why mallet training is so good…
1) Swinging a mallet is a full body activity. Balancing the sled uses almost every muscle group… the forearm muscles are used for gripping, the latissimus dorsi muscles are used on the downswing of a stroke, while the deltoid muscles around the shoulders they use on the way back. to the top position. The core, including the rectus abdominis and obliques, work very hard on the downswing of mallet swings alongside the hip flexors. And even the legs get involved as they have to keep you anchored to the ground. You’d be hard-pressed to find a muscle group that isn’t involved in swinging the sled!
2) Multiple fitness components can be trained with one mallet. By using a variety of rep and set schemes (discussed later), it is possible to target power, muscular endurance, cardiovascular fitness, and anaerobic conditioning. Regardless of your goal, hammer training is probably a good addition to your current training routine.
3) Sledgehammer training is very profitable. Many of you will have a mallet in your basement or garage, but even if you have to go out and buy a special one for exercising, they are very reasonably priced and readily available. My hammer came from a regular DIY store and cost $35 or about £16.00 and is very unlikely to wear out. As an eye-catching surface, I like to use an old SUV tire that I picked up for free from a local tire dealer. Most tire dealers are happy for you to take an old tire away, as they have to pay to have it picked up.
4) Training with a mallet is fun! You can hit something as hard as you can, as many times as you want with no legal ramifications! It’s a great way to get rid of the day’s frustrations, leaving you calm and relaxed after your workout. It is very therapeutic!
5) The techniques are very easy to learn. Swinging the mallet is a natural move that is quickly mastered. It’s a very instant workout that, while simple, can be as demanding as you make it.
6) Mallet training is great for fat loss. Any hammer workout will burn a lot of calories, but probably the best way to get the most out of your hammer workout is to use intervals. Interval training is probably the most efficient and effective method available for fat loss, and you perform steady cardio almost every time in your calorie burn tests. Due to COPD (what we used to call oxygen debt), your body will not only burn a lot of energy during a hammer workout, it will also continue to burn energy at an elevated rate long after your workout is over. It’s like getting two workouts for the price of one! Combined with a calorie-controlled diet, mallet intervals are a great way to shed a few pounds while toning and strengthening your entire body.
Equipment…
Clearly, you will need a mallet. You can pick one up at a regular DIY store for a very fair price. In terms of what weight to buy, I suggest anywhere from 6lbs for lighter athletes and those looking to swing at a higher cadence to 15lbs for larger athletes or those looking for a slower cadence. I am a seasoned and fairly advanced exerciser and primarily use a 10lb hammer and have recently started using a 14lb hammer and have never found my hammer to be the lightest to provide an easy workout.
For striking surfaces you have a couple of options. As mentioned above, an old tire is a great target. A tire will absorb some of the shock of the impact, thus reducing noise, shock to the hands/wrists, and causing the hammer to bounce slightly to help set a good pace. This is my preferred striking surface and the one you will see in the video that accompanies this article. Alternatively, you can choose to use your hammer outside, where you may have access to a sand pit, dirt area, old log stump, or something similar. There is nothing wrong with any of these surfaces as long as they have a “little bit of give” which will reduce the impact you will feel when using the hammer. I used my hammer on a deserted beach which worked fine except I ended up with a light layer of sand on my sweaty head!
Whichever surface you choose for your mallet training, always make sure you have plenty of room around you and clearance above your head and that the surface you are hitting has some “give”. Hard surfaces such as concrete or cement are not recommended.
If you’re using your hammer for a lot of reps, I’d also suggest a sturdy pair of gloves. I wear basic work gloves that I bought for around $10 to prevent blisters; however, if I’m doing sets of 20 or less, I often don’t wear my gloves and have had no ill effects.
Balancing techniques…
Swinging the hammer is not technically demanding, but it does require some coordination. It’s important to have good technique before going crazy with the hammer; otherwise there is a possibility of serious self-inflicted injury. There are a few “schools of thought” when it comes to hammer swinging, they all work well and it’s really a matter of personal preference which one to choose. In the attached video you will see the following swinging techniques… left hand forward, right hand forward, alternate hands, and “no choke” where both hands are held near the end of the hammer handle. In addition, you will also see me standing on the ground and also on top of the tire, which offers a unique challenge for the most advanced athletes…
Routines…
Here are some suggested methods to get the most out of your hammer training. Be prepared to scale the workouts listed to meet your individual needs and goals. Make sure you warm up well before your workout and also start slowly, gradually increasing the volume and intensity to avoid unnecessary soreness or possible injury.
timed intervals Decide on a work-to-rest ratio (for example, 2 minutes of work, 1 minute of rest) and repeat the desired number of sets. One of my favorite interval schemes is 3 min slam (left hand up) rest 1 min, 3 min slam (right hand up) rest 1 min, 3 min alternating hand up. This scheme provides a great ending to a regular workout or makes a good stand-alone mini-session when time is short. No matter what set/rep scheme you select, just make sure you work really hard during the “on” periods and you’ll find interval training to be a very effective and time-efficient training method.
The duration of the work/rest intervals depends largely on the goal…
- Shorter sets, for example under 20 seconds, are great for building maximal strength and thus increasing muscular power.
- Medium duration sets are ideal, for example 45 – 90 seconds are ideal for improving muscular endurance and anaerobic conditioning.
- Longer sets, for example 2 minutes or more, are best suited for developing aerobic fitness and muscular endurance.
tabata intervals The Tabata Method is named after Dr. Izumi Tabata, a sports scientist at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan, and is a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) protocol that has been used successfully by the team Japanese Olympic speed skating team among others to improve aerobic and anaerobic conditioning through very short training sessions.
During his 1997 study, Dr. Tabata compared the effects of longer, lower intensity exercise with short bouts of very high intensity exercise. Using a unique method of interval training, athletes in the study increased their aerobic fitness by 14% and their anaerobic fitness by 28% in just 8 weeks! It’s worth noting that the subjects Dr. Tabata used for the tests were already accomplished athletes and not just beginners, which makes this study all the more surprising. Even more incredible is the fact that the actual total training time per week was an incredible 30 minutes.
The Tabata method involves performing 8 to 10 sets of 20 seconds of very high-intensity exercise separated by 10-second recovery periods, giving a total workout time of 4 to 5 minutes. The caveat of the Tabata Method is that all intervals must be performed at 100% intensity, absolute effort. You have to strive to get as much work done in each 20 second interval as possible and try to maintain that work rate during sets of 8 to 10. The old adage that you can train long and easy or short and hard has never been true! been truer than when describing the Tabata Method! As with any type of exercise, the Tabata Method should be preceded by a proper warm-up of 5-10 minutes and followed by a cool-down of similar duration. In general, the session could take as little as 15 minutes…perfect for anyone who is short on time but still wants to get great results from their workout.
repeat intervals With this system, instead of using time as our measure of work, you’ll use reps. For example, you can do 20 strokes and then rest for 30 seconds and repeat as many sets as you like. Another of my favorite sessions is to do 20 strokes every minute for 10-15 minutes. Each set takes 35-45 seconds allowing 15-25 seconds to rest before starting the next set. The beauty of sets that start on the minute is that you only need to be able to see the hand of a clock, so there’s no need to push buttons or set intervals on a stopwatch.
Timed Density Blocks Assign a block of time, say 5 or 10 minutes, and try to hit as many strokes as possible in the allotted time. Whenever this workout is repeated, you should strive to do more repetitions than the last time.
timed repetitions Just set yourself a rep goal and try to complete it in the shortest amount of time, say 300 swings, 500 swings, or even 1,000 swings. Every time you repeat this workout, you should strive to do it faster than before.
Hammer and calisthenics combinations Alternate hammer movements with independent bodyweight exercises like squats or lunges, as seen in the last part of the video. This ensures that your lower body gets a good workout along with your upper body and is a great way to get a lot done in a short amount of time.
As I’m sure you can see, mallet training is a very versatile training method that can be adapted to a large number of training goals, so why not give it a try? I am sure you will find it fun and effective.