maratoolSledgehammer Swings
How to do the sledgehammer swings
- You will need a tire and a sledgehammer for this exercise. Stand in front of the tire about two feet away from it with a staggered stance. Grip the sledgehammer.
- If you are right handed, your left hand should be at the bottom of the handle, and your right hand should be choking up closer to the head.
- As you bring the sledge up, your right hand slides toward the head; as you swing down, your right hand will slide down to join your left hand. Slam it down as hard as you can against the tire. Control the bounce of the hammer off of the tire.
- Repeat on the other side.
Muscles worked
The force comes from the rectus abdominis and the obliques, which flex the trunk forward and resist it being pulled into extension or twisted out of line.
A plyometric repetition is over before a slow contraction could contribute anything, so they have to produce that force immediately on contact.
Because more than one joint is moving, the work does not stay in one place: the calves control the ankle and hold the heel position; the forearms hold the grip, which is often what gives out first; the lats keep the upper arm drawn in toward the torso.
The middle back and shoulders take a share of the work as well.
Every exercise for:AbdominalsCalvesForearmsLatsMiddle back
How this movement works
The load travels toward you and several joints bend to bring it there. The arms finish work the back starts, so grip and elbow flexors sit in the path of every repetition: when people stall on a compound pull, it is more often the hands giving out than the primary muscle running out of force.
It is filed under plyometrics, which trains the stretch-shortening cycle: loaded fast, released immediately. Contact time matters more than volume, so these belong early in a session.
What you need
These train the abdominals too, using equipment this one does not:
- Smith Machine Hip Raisemachine
- Spell Casterdumbbell
- Spider Crawlbody only
- Standing Cable Liftcable
- Supine One-Arm Overhead Throwmedicine ball
Difficulty
Listed at beginner level: the pattern is simple enough to pick up without coaching, and a position that goes wrong mid-set is obvious enough to correct on the next repetition.
Of the 97 abdominals exercises in this database, 69 are listed at beginner level.
Photos: free-exercise-db — public domain (Unlicense) Full attribution →
ⓘ Informational only — not a substitute for professional fitness or medical advice.