Late Fall and a sledgehammer

Well, it's getting to be the time of year when cycling is tough, at least off road riding.  The leaves are off the trees and covering the trails, keeping them wet.  I was out Tuesday and they were a bit sloppy in spots, so they must be a quite a mud-bog now.

I say bring on the cold weather!  Either get the trails frozen so they are not muddy, or get some snow on them and I can get the skis out.  I suspect not everyone shares my opinion of "bring on the cold," but there it is.

I ran across a new workout routine about a month ago.  It involves a sledgehammer.  And not much else.  Check this out: Shovelglove.  Funny name, funny idea for a workout.  At first I thought this guy was a little nuts, but after I thought about it, I realized this guy is brilliant!  He came up with a method for an effective upper body workout that only takes 14 minutes and uses a common device found in many garages or easily purchased from a hardware store.  I use a 12lb hammer as he suggests, and, after Grace got done laughing at me, she now uses an 8lb hammer.  At first I thought the 12lb hammer would be too light, but by the end of 14 minutes my arms and shoulders tell me that 12lb is plenty.  I have come up with a few motions of my own, as  has Grace.  The main advice I have is: be smooth with your movements (no jerky motions) and keep the hammer moving for all 14 minutes.  While it might not be quite as effective as standard weight lifting, I find it much more fun and interesting, and therefore am much more likely to do it.  Give it a try!