Two Hammers Have Made Some Gains

 Since I got this new Sledgehammer, I've just been going crazy with it. After doing a 1000 Rep Workout with it, I decided it needed to put on a little weight, so I fed it some Lead Shot. After some time, it now weighs 25 lbs which is the same number for my favorite baseball player growing up Barry Bonds. I originally nicknamed the hammer Lou Seal after the Giants Mascot but now with his weight gain, might as well name him Big Barry; if it weighed 24 lbs, it would be a toss up between Big Willie or the Say Hey Hammer (Willie Mays #24) but I think people might get the wrong context if it was Big Willie.

I had some shot left over so I thought I'd feed the rest to Big Bertha (Epic Sledgehammer) and boy, the old lady can pack a wallop. She went from 59 lbs to approx 73 lbs. Just moving that thing was a chore but for this particular Hammer, its not meant for conditioning, just pure strength. Although if you were to lift and slam it down or reps, you will feel it and you will be breathing hard, it's a full body movement. The coincidence of the 73 lb hammer is that it's the same number of Homeruns Barry Bonds hit in a single season and no one has touched it since 2001. 

Hammers are one of the best tools to build real world strength and conditioning. What boy or man doesn't want to hit things or smash something into an oblivion? It's in our DNA to have some form of aggression but it does need to be channeled to be useful and not for going berserk and trying to kill anyone. Hammers are a cheap form of therapy in my opinion. The testosterone results alone would be worth it, not to mention having a killer metabolism and muscles that actually do something instead of looking good. Have you ever wanted to shake the hand of a person who trains or works with hammers? I didn't think so.

For Big Barry, every now and then I'd swing it like a Mace to get some core and upper body conditioning. A hammer is not just something to hit a tire with, it's a tool that has many exercises to choose from and can be done just about anywhere (as long as you don't drop it). I don't know if Big Bertha could be handled like a Mace, it would take some serious strength and power and very few people on the planet can probably do it but I have yet to see it. For me, every few days or so would be good to get one of the hammers out. I've been going nuts ever since I got Big Barry a few days ago and it may be time to take a day off so I don't overwhelm the tendons and ligaments along with creating back issues. The guys who work with hammers day in and out have my outmost respect and to be able to do that for years on end is freaking nuts. 

Whether it's Big Barry or Big Bertha, these hammers pack a punch and are great tools to create some serious muscle and strength building. After messing with them for a while, your forearms might get inflated and look like Popeye Arms. Think of the grip strength being developed and having a hell of an appetite after a workout. Don't be surprised that after a workout, you'll be eating like an NFL Lineman. God I think after one workout I had a 12 oz steak, 5-7 fried eggs, a bowl of cereal and 3 tall glasses of milk and didn't feel full. Hammer away my friends and have fun.  

Disney Metal? Has The World Gone Mad?

 With all the crap going on lately with Covid and making things miserable for everyone, we need to find something unique and step out of the shitstorm. When it comes to today's mainstream music, most of the time it's not that great but every now and then, something comes along and just wakes your ass up and thank the universe there's still some awesome music out there.

I've been a metal fan for the longest time and I'll take it over any pop song of any era but other forms of rock has its perks plus you can never go wrong with Joan Jett or Jimi Hendrix or Metallica. I've also been a born and bred Disney kid and having fun at Disneyland and all that stuff. However, when you mix Metal & Disney, that almost sounds like an abomination especially if you're a die-hard Disney fanatic but for some reason, someone comes along and actually makes it work and sounds so amazingly awesome.

 I never thought I could imagine a genre mixed with the House Of Mouse can be so bad ass yet beautifully done at the same time. If you ever remembered from your childhood, watching the original Mulan from the 90's and seeing what it took for a woman to be among the warriors of men and battling against the huns. That big song I'll Make A Man Out Of You was a great hit and made the movie legendary, what if a new version was sung for a new generation that not only blew the original out of the water but made you feel it should've been in the live version? That song is more than a reality, it's already practically gone Viral. 

A singer named Peyton Parrish does some incredible songs (mainly Viking style metal) and does some covers that are just incredibly powerful but his adaptation of Mulan's I'll Make A Man Out Of You jumped that song into not only the memories of those who adored the original film but gave it a new feel that just makes you want to get up and battle whatever it is you're facing with vigor and inner strength. 

He's been sampling this song for months until it was released yesterday and for me, it was well worth the wait. Hell, I used it as my start up workout of hitting the tire with my new sledgehammer. Did rep after rep until the song was over (over 3 minutes long) and just feeling alive. It was a great way to start the day. 

Has the world gone mad? Sometimes going mad can bring out interesting things and I believe this is more than interesting, it's a vital part of why music continues to inspire us and do things we never thought we could. Listen and let your heart burn with passion and vitality. 

A Hammer For Giants

Growing up in Santa Cruz, I would often watch the San Francisco Giants play sometimes during the week or on a weekend when I use to go to the Catalyst Club in Downtown Santa Cruz with my Step-Dad before he died. I would get a burger and steak fries, get a coke, sit at a table next to the bar and watch Barry Bonds smack bombs out of the park or see some fun double plays. Once in a blue moon I would go to a game, went with my dad a few times and my step dad a couple or so. 

One of my favorite memories as a Giants fan was going to Candlestick Park back in the early 90's and watched Matt Williams hit more than one homer in a game. Saw them play live when they went to the playoffs in 2010 (same year they won their 1st world series as the SF Giants) with my dad. One game where they lost had one of the biggest see-saw battles I ever saw and one bizarre game where they got 8 runs in the first inning and didn't score the rest of the game yet won 8-7 against the St. Louis Cardinals. Nothing compares though to seeing Barry Bonds hit one of his 73 Homeruns in 2001 when he beat Mark McGwire for the crown of most homeruns in a season. 

My dad and step-dad made me a Giants fan since I was old enough to understand the game. Dad was a big fan, growing up in the 60's when guys like Willie Mays and Willie McCovey were at their peak. Mays was my dad's favorite player. The Say Hey Kid was a player I wished I had seen in his day, the guy could do practically anything on the Diamond; hit for both contact and power, speed on the bases and the outfield, great instincts at the plate and is 6th on the All-Time List in Homeruns (Also in the top 3-4 players to hit 600 or more homeruns without the use of Steroids). Just an incredible talent.

When it came to memorabilia, I don't have much but what I do have is special to me. Included, I have a baseball that I got many years ago at a shop that is signed by legendary Giants pitcher Juan Marichal, a Willie McCovey style Jersey, a biography of Willie Mays and a Custom T-Shirt of May's name and number on the back. Since I love researching things, I learned quite a bit about the game and some historical insights of it. My favorite is the Ken Burns Documentary on Baseball that showcases various stages of the game through the decades with the ups and downs, the scandals, the triumphant wins, the heartbreaking losses and controversies of the game's greatest stars. It is one of the most educational series' of all time and anyone who loves a good documentary or wants to learn what it was like for many back in the day (especially the rise and fall of the negro leagues), this is it.

Now, recently since I've gotten back into doing Sledgehammer Training, I wanted to do something unique and something fun to keep some of the excitement going so I bought a new custom sledgehammer but this time, I had the creator (Ryan Pitts of Stronger Grip) engrave the Giants logo on the head of the hammer. The Giants are having a hell of a year this season and seeing the progress they've made as a team, this hammer is a tribute to both the team I grew up with and my love for training. This hammer in particular is made specifically for conditioning purposes and in honor of the team's mascot I nicknamed it Lou Seal. 

Yesterday I got in a hell of a workout with it doing a total of 552 reps. This hammer is 13 pounds empty and can be filled to about 26 pounds with steel shot and probably 30 or more with lead shot which for conditioning is more than enough and I wouldn't go higher than maybe 25 or so. Besides, I want the weight of the hammer at max to honor the numbers of Willie Mays and Barry Bonds (24 & 25 Respectively) so that'll just be icing on the cake. When I was a kid and I played little league, my number was 26 so who knows what number I'll end up with but those 3 would be enough. 

I also did a little video that I planned on doing when I bought the hammer. It's only about 20 seconds long but it was a lot of fun to do and sharing my love for the team the best way I knew how. It's not 100% the way I wanted it but this was good enough for me. I added in a little music to it too that was recently out by this singer named Peyton Parrish that does Viking style metal and videos. He started doing Disney song remakes that are amazingly awesome and well done. If you're a Disney fan or seen the original animated version of Mulan, you might get a kick out of this. 

Make life interesting, be unique and make things exciting to do. Be bold and have fun with what you do, we only get this life one time, make it worthwhile. 

Hammer Training For Strength, Conditioning & Performance

 Methods come and go but very few stay true through the test of time and that is Sledgehammer Training. Burn calories, develop an iron core, full body strength training and conditioning from the old school of hard knocks. It's also one of the best methods of training to get aggression out of your system.

The improved work capacity is a mighty benefit that both men and women can use especially for those who need to be in top shape whether for a sport or an all day job that requires some form of labor. When it comes to Combat Sports especially in Boxing, Wrestling and Jiujitsu, you need to develop a level of endurance or strength endurance that lasts as long a fight is required and if you're tired within a minute, you might as well start tapping or get your ass knocked out. Hammer work also develops wrist and hand strength that helps a fighter get control and keep a lock on a submission. 

A key ingredient in working with a sledgehammer is the rotational aspects: It forces the body to keep control and balance the swing while keeping a certain form of finesse in order to properly slam it down and not risk heavy injuries. Smaller size hammers generate greater velocity and speed where as you explode and keep going, you're generating incredible force. Bigger size hammers (30-50+ lbs) won't have you generate as much speed but the brute force itself and the amount of control needed to create that brute force also creates strength from another perspective. Not everyone can do high reps with a really heavy hammer and there's really no need to break world records in reps so focus more more on the strength and control aspects. 

A personal favorite is doing this kind of training for relieving stress such as getting something out of your system after having a bad day at work or finding a positive solution to relieve negative emotions because as men, we can have high levels of aggression that at times can be unpredictable and have experiences where we are thrusted into our primal instincts and we leave the realm of reality which at times can be beneficial. We do however, need to keep our emotions in check and for some it's a constant learning format plus we don't want to hurt anyone that might be in our way when we go ape shit. This is a great solution to help us become calmer and burn calories at the same time.

Sledgehammer training is a lot of fun but shouldn't be taken lightly. Don't underestimate the power of a hammer and what it can do to improve your performance as an athlete or as an everyday person. It's hard work but with consistency and drive, you can develop that old school working man's strength and have your body handle stress in ways you can't get from the gym. Plus, the added benefit of training in the fresh air and working up a sweat while also building conditioned muscle instead of counterfeit muscle (as Karl Gotch used to put it) is just the tip of the iceberg of what is possible to build a conditioned body that is ready for whatever is thrown at it. Let me put it like this, yeah someone can lift a lot of weight but almost nobody will mess with someone who's got that strength from using hammers. 

What Is The Perspective On What Is Considered Natural Strength?

 When we think of someone being natural in the fitness world, most likely we're talking about someone who's never taken steroids or illegal performance enhancers in their chosen field such as Bodybuilding and other sports. It's not as simple as that. Being natural from a certain point of view to me is picking up on something right away and making it look effortless. They say someone like Michael Jordan was a natural in basketball or someone like wrestler Frank Gotch was just a naturally gifted wrestler or even John Grimiek being the most naturally gifted bodybuiler of his time but the real logical thing is, they all didn't have what experts would call "Natural Talent", they busted their ass in order to be the best at those fields.

Very few people just magically pick up on something and are an expert in a short amount of time. Being natural is more about having the timing that it took to pick up on a given thing and had consistency and figuring out quickly what to do and how to apply it. When it comes to someone with natural strength, I see guys like Slim The Hammerman, Farmer Burns, Eugene Sandow and a few others. Once they took to the thing they became legendary for, they dominated through training, proper application and intensity that made what they did look like a piece of cake. 

Let's talk about Slim, he had that natural gift of strength for his feats because of the back breaking work he did in the quarry and amazed the mighty atom when he asked Slim to bend a nail and Slim did it. Think about this, the amount of strength it takes to bend a spike and never really having any training and just be able to do it without hesitation. That just isn't human and that is one definition of natural strength. Another would be Bud Jeffries, one of the world's strongest men drug-free had to develop his strength through real work and not do anything to chemically enhance it. He developed a gift of strength that even some of the most chemically enhanced strongmen today can't do, that's another definition of what is considered natural strength.

Another look at natural strength is what farmers, laborers, carpenters and blacksmiths do. These people are stupid strong in many areas because of the tools and the way they twist, push, pull, grip and lift/carry their body throughout the day in order to make a living. Have you ever shaken the hand of a farmer or a blacksmith? They're hand strength can often times be intimating. Slim would be along those lines of a crazy strong laborer and could do things that even made other laborers' jaw drop. 

Being naturally strong on one end means you have built strength without the need of steroids or enhancers but another look at it is having that continued strength even way past your prime and having that vim and vigor. From a mental standpoint, it never comes easy but you just do it and you learn where to channel your focus. Does Natural Strength have a certain look? From my point of view, looks aren't always relevant, hell a natural bodybuilder may look awesome but his strength doesn't match up but if you look at average looking guys under 180 that look like they never saw a gym in their life yet have incredible strength it pisses off people that think they know what strength really is. 

Real strength from a natural perspective comes from developing a consistent progression with proper application and understanding the body's capabilities of handling things over a period of time. It comes quickly to some, for others it takes time but the strength that is developed could be carried over to other areas. On the other hand, some people are just born with certain genetics that makes strength building come at a quicker pace with or without proper training or application. So where's the true perspective on having a natural gift of strength? The real answer, there really isn't one, you either build it up, have it right away or not or have some genetic outlook on doing things at a faster or slower rate than others. Everyone is different and have different aspects of strength that either comes natural to them or developing it over time.