sledge hammer joint health

8/10/2019 Sledge Hammer Joint Health

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A Special Report From

www.sledgehammerconditioning.com

The Sledgehammer

Joint Health andMobility Guide

Simple, effective techniques to

keeping your body loose, healthyand injury free.

by Joshua Stiletto



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Disclaimer

The author, producers, and distributors of this book advisethat the exercises shown herein may be too strenuous for certainindividuals. Consult with a physician or other licensed healthcare professional if you have questions about the safety of anymovement given your personal state of health. The author,producers, publisher and distributors of this book disclaim allliability for any injury or condition sustained during or afterpractice of any of the exercises demonstrated in this book.

Consult your physician before beginning any physical trainingprogram and before using any new physical training equipment.All Minors (under the age of 18) must be supervised by an adultwhile performing these exercises. Read and understand allinstructions before attempting the exercise.

A Joshua Stiletto Book / Copyright © 2008

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be produced or transmitted in anyform or by any means, electronic or mechanical, includingphotocopying, recording, or by any information storage andretrieval system, without permission in writing from thepublisher.

Joshua Stiletto Ltd



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Table Of ContentsDisclaimer ................................................................2

Table Of Contents....................................................... 3

Chapter 1: Joint Health And Mobility............................... 5

Chapter 2: Lower Body ................................................6

Ankle Roll............................................................6

Knee Roll.............................................................8

Hip Roll............................................................. 10

Dragon Twisting .................................................. 12

Standing Hamstring Stretch.................................... 16

Seated Hamstring Stretch ...................................... 18

Chapter 3: Core ....................................................... 20

Back Stretch....................................................... 20

Spinal Rolls ........................................................ 21

Trunk Twist ....................................................... 23

Basin Twist ........................................................ 25

Scorpion Twist.................................................... 27

Shoulder Slide .................................................... 31

Windmill ........................................................... 33 Neck Twist......................................................... 36

Chapter 4: Shoulders................................................. 39

Pistons.............................................................. 39

Egyptian............................................................ 41

Running Arms ..................................................... 43



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Chapter 1: Joint Health And Mobility

I heard fitness great Steve Maxwell refer to joint and

mobility exercises as the fountain of youth, and all it takes isone glance at the man to see why. You’ll see the face of a fifty-something male, with the body of a man in his twenties. Ourbody is meant to move. It is designed that way.

There is an unfortunate story that plays out over and overagain. A person is active in their youth, but either receives somesort of injury or just hits a certain age and stops being activealtogether. What the person doesn’t realize is that they have

just stepped out onto a slippery slope of bodily decline, and thatthey don’t even know it. As you age, the lack of activityaccelerates, and it becomes progressively harder and harder topull one’s self back out again.

Better to be proactive, to use these exercises to help‘injury proof’ the body and keep it loose. This is by no means anexhaustive list, but it hits all of the important areas and will goa long way to extending your body’s usefulness. These can be

used as a pre-workout warm up, a post-workout cool down, amorning ritual, or all of the above.

Pay extra attention to any exercise that seems difficult,because that is an area on which you can improve. Practicedaily, and as often as needed.



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Chapter 2: Lower Body

Ankle Roll



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I always start on the bottom, and work my way up. Put you

weight on one foot, and stand the other up on the toe. Rotate itaround in a full circle, feeling a stretch in all four directions.Start slowly, then build up some speed. Rotate in bothdirections, and remember to work both feet.



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Knee Roll



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The Knee Roll is very important because a significantnumber of sports injuries hit the knee – take this as fare

warning to take care of your knees and to always warm themup before any physical activity.

Place your hands on or above your slightly bent knees.Keeping them together, rotate them in a circular motion tothe side, to the back (lock out), to the opposite side, andback to the front. Feel a light stretch in all four directions.Start slowly and then build up a little bit of speed,remember to work both directions.



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Hip Roll



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Think of the basic Hula-hoop maneuver, only stretchingfurther and being more deliberate. Feet slightly less thanshoulder width apart, hands can be resting on your hips if youwish. Push your hip out to one side, then to the back, then to

the other side, and then to the front. If one of these spots feelsparticularly tight, you can focus in on it (just moving your hipsleft to right, or front to back).

As always, start slow, feeling the stretching, then pick up alittle speed. Remember to work both directions.



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Dragon Twisting



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In some schools of Kung Fu the Dragon Twist serves theuseful function of strengthening the legs. I like it because itchallenges your balance, but does a fantastic job of opening upyour hip joints.

Start with legs slightly wider than shoulder width apart.Turn your left foot (pivoting on the heel) so that it points at thewall behind you (if this is difficult, it will become easier withpractice). Place your weight on that heel. Now turn your body inthat direction (arms out for balance) and pivot your right foot onthe ball, and slowly lower your knee so that it touches theground on the outside of your left foot. You can rest here torecover balance if needed. You should be facing the back wall.

To return to standing, push through your left heel. Turnyour torso back to the forward position, pivoting on the ball ofyour right foot. When your right foot is pointing to the frontwall, shift your weight to that foot, and turn your left foot onthe heel so that it now faces forward as well. Reverse thesesteps to turn to the opposite side.

This can be difficult to learn at first, but stick with it, you

will see benefit from it. Start slowly, then pick up a little speed.



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Standing Hamstring Stretch



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I make extra sure to give my hamstrings a good stretchevery day. Your hamstring muscles are used a lot in any day-to-day activity, and tend to be one of the strongest in your entirebody. Keeping them limber is important, this is important if you

want to maintain any athletic ability level.

Place your weight on one foot, and turn the other out at a45-degree angle. Make sure your foot and your shin form a rightangle (your toes point up slightly). Grasp your leg beneath theknee, and keeping your back as straight as possible, pull yourforehead down so that it touches on or beneath your kneecap.

It is easy to complete this motion by rounding your back, but

try not to do this. Focus on creating tension on your hamstring,and length will come. Try to go a little farther each day.



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Seated Hamstring Stretch



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Chapter 3: Core

Back Stretch

The Goal of this exercise is to squeeze and un-squeeze eachof the disks between the vertebrae. Use the image of a bendinga stick like a bow; first in one direction (forward) then the other(backwards). I tend to exhale as I bow forward, and inhale as Ibow back. As you do this, you should feel your back looseningup, and you should be able to bow farther in either direction.

Start slowly, and then pick up some speed.



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Spinal Rolls



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This is an exercise I could do for over an hour, it stretchesout your back and massages it at the same time. Sit with your

feet crossed, and grab the outside of your feet with your hands.Then simply rock back onto your shoulders, then rock back. Itseems simple, and it is; but, the effect it has is very positive,and has a surprising ability to loosen up sore muscles from theprevious days workouts. Don’t skip this one.



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Trunk Twist



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The twisting motion opens upthe range of motion in yourspine, and helps re-alignvertebrae. Each of the twistingexercises I recommend hits yourspine in a slightly different way,I recommend doing them all.These are also effective ways of

eliminating back pains.Stand shoulder width with

arms extended to the sides.Begin twisting to your left, placeyour right hand over your heart,and keeping your left arm

straight try to point as far around you as you can. The range willincrease as you practice this.

Return to the starting position, then reverse the exercises totwist in the opposite direction. Start slow and then build up alittle speed, you will feel your spine opening up as you do this.



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Basin Twist



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Scorpion Twist



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The Final of the Three Spinal Twists; each one is meant tobe dynamic (instead of passive), give you more range of motion,and keep your spine aligned. Start by lying on your stomach, feettogether and arms outstretched to the sides for support. Lift

your right foot off the ground, and try to touch your left hand(your leg will look similar to the scorpion tail).

If you cannot touch your hand yet, go as far as you areable. Bring your foot back to the starting position, then switchfeet. No need to go fast on this one, just work your flexibilityand enjoy the sensation.



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Shoulder Slide



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Stand feet shoulder width apart with arms extended ineither direction – keep them taunt like the rope in a tug of war.

Then while keeping your hips fixed, simply slide the tug or warrope one way, and then the other.

I always feel a few spinal pops and creaks when I do thisone. As you get a feel for the movement, you can forgo thearms. Eventually you want your spine to sway back and forth likea cats tail in a smooth manor.



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Windmill



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I show two different ways to do this exercise, one with justyour body, and one with a weight (in this case, the hammer).

Either one will stretch out the sides of the core, but the onewith a weight will help strengthen your shoulder girdle through afull rang of motion. Either works, but you will receive extrabenefit from the second.

Stand shoulder width apart. Place most of your weight onyour left heel – this leg remains straight. Your right foot isturned outwards at a 45-degree angle. Ideally, you want to haveyour left arm pointing straight up, and your right pointing

straight down during the entire movement.Begin to lower your torso down and slightly forward, I run

my right hand along the inside of my leg, knee and foot as aguide. Keep your eyes focused on your raised hand. Lift yourselfback up using the same groove.

The exercise is exactly the same using the Sledge. Grasp itclose to the head, move down in that same grove as before, andback up the same way. If this is your first time trying this, you

may feel some tight spots in your shoulder that you didn’texpect, just work through them with time.



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Neck Twist



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Neck mobility is probably the most important to maintain. Ifyou have a stiff neck, the rest of your body is affected. Likely

you will hear little creaks and pops as you do these, and that is agood thing because you are working the mobility and extendingthe durability.

I illustrated three directions: Left to right, up and down, andside to side. For each one, I start from a neutral position, thenimagine that my head is swiveling from a ball sitting on the topof my spine. I start slowly; pushing the range, then pick upspeed. Some days I might do ten of each, some days I might do

one hundred of each, and it all depends upon how my neck feelsthat day. I want it to be loose, and resistant to injury. So shouldyou.

I didn’t illustrate it, but I also will rotate my head in a largecircle – once again imagining my head is pivoting on that ball atthe top of my spine. Right side to front, front to left side, leftside to back, and back to right side. I work slowly, feeling thestretch in every angle, and work my neck in both directions.



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Chapter 4: Shoulders

Pistons



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Start with straight arms andpalms flat. The idea is to focusspecifically in on the shoulders.

Pull the shoulders back, thenup, then over, then back tostart. The end result is that yourarms will be making a motionsimilar to a piston in an engine.

You can work both arms inunison to start – first onedirection, then the other. Thenas you progress, you can makethings more challenging to your

motor control by staggering your shoulder roll.

Both shoulders rotate in the same direction, but one arm

chases the other one, so as one piston is going up, the other isgoing down. This sort of looks like one of those old steamlocomotives, This is a good way to keep your shoulders loose.



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Egyptian



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Stand feet shoulder width with arms extended out the sides,palms down. Imagine your hands are being pulled apart by two

teams of horses for the entire exercise.Turn your head towards your right hand, your shoulders will

track a little. As you do so, rotate your right hand so that thepalm faces up, and rotate your left hand in the same directionso its palm faces up as well.

To me this kind of seems like I’m wringing a towel out. Youwill feel your shoulders rotate in their sockets, and it’s a goodway to open up some mobility where it is often tight in people. I

personally work this one a lot. My body takes a little while toopen up here. Work it as long as you need to, you can seamlesslymove between both sides.



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Running Arms



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Start with both arms at 45degree angles – they stay thisway the entire time. Begin withone rotated up, and one rotatedback (about as far as they willgo).

The arms move the way they

would when you are running (infact, this is a good warm up ifyou are going for a run or asprint). Move slowly andasynchronously, testing out therange of motion and stretching it

out further. Then pick up some speed.

This is a very good way of warming up the shoulders for

anything. However, I also use this to improve the top speed ofmy sprinting – I discovered quite by accident that working thismotion actually improved my performance.

In those circumstances, I try to build up the speed to as fastas I can go – to the point where I’m actually struggling to keepbalance on my fixed hips. Try it, and then work that motionharder when you run, you will see an improvement to your speedand performance.



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Chapter 5: Hands, Wrists and Arms

Wrist Rolls



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I consider these exercises to be very important whendoing any physical activity with your hands – Sledgehammersincluded. Interlock your fingers, press your two palms togetherand try to maintain contact between your forearms. Then begin

to roll your wrists over each other. Your wrists should be loose,and the motion fluid.

Start off slowly and feel the full range of motion. Then beginto speed up. What you want is to speed up to the point whereyour hands become a blur of motion where you quickly stop,change directions, and so forth. Sometimes when I do this, myhands are tingling with energy – in fact, there are some intraditional Chinese systems that recommend this movement for

that very reason. The exercise is easy and quick, give it a try.



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Press your palms together and rotate one in, and the otherout, until you can lock your fingers together. In this position

they are rolled in, so now you must roll them out. You may ormay not be able to completely roll your arms straight, but worktowards it. Repeatedly Wring your wrists back and forth, tryingto extend a little bit more every time. Your elbows will lock outin no time. Be sure to switch sides and work your hands in theopposite alignment.

Before I perform any activity that puts stress on the hands, Ido the wrist rolls and the wrist wrings. These two alone have

done an enormous amount to recouping me from old injuries andkeeping my hands and wrists limber.



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Elbow Rolls



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The point of this exercise isto keep the elbows and thehands ability to stretch out If youpractice a sport like wrestling orjujitsu, you will find yourselfmaking a lot of grabbing motionsand over time this can tighten upthose muscles. Anytime you overwork the flexors, it’s a good idea

to pay a little extra attention tothe extensors.

If you swing the Sledge a lot,you might feel this creeping upon you, so I thought it important

to include.

Start with fists closed, and wrists touching the chest, thenmake a semi-circular motion that ends in your elbows, wrists,

and fingers fully extended. Repeat this exercise a few times,there’s no real reason to speed this one up.



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Finger Walking

This is a finger strengtheningexercise you can throw in at theend of any Sledge workout. It’sgood at hitting a lot of littlemuscles that ordinarily getmissed.

Grasp the end of the Sledge –make sure it’s suspended off theground. Then just using thefingers, ‘walk’ up the hammer –bringing the head closer to yourhand.

You may not make it that far, the handle can slip a little,but the effort counts. Eventually you may be moving that thing

like a pro, but for now just let the exercise strengthen thesupport muscles in your hands.



Chapter 6: Conclusion

And there you have it! An end-to-end guide to joint health

and mobility for your Sledgehammer workout. There is alwaysmore to learn in this area – the practice of Yoga goes very fardown this path. But if you stick to these core exercises you willsee great benefit to your body, recoup old injuries, and go a longway to preventing future ones.

Gloves

One last little trickto healthy hands. If I’vehad a pretty goodworkout, I’ll slip on apair of wool glovesbefore I go to bed. Theextra heat speeds upyour bodies ability to

repair damage.

These ones covermy palms and my wrists,but leave my fingersfree (for me, thatmakes me less likely toslip them off while I’msleeping). Try a few

pairs out and see whatworks for you.

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