Lever Shot! - Smashy's illustrated guide to levering

Oh shit I forgot about levering...I may just have to add this into SS.
 
Great thread. Are there any contraindictions for joint health, though? I felt a lot of strain trying the side-to-side levers.
 
Several posters have asked me on various occasions to produce a quick guide to basic levering, I've finally got around to filming myself demonstrating some levering exercises, now I can have a simple answer for the next time someone asks about this.

A few quick notes before we begin - This was filmed on my cheap digital camera and then I took screen caps, as a result the quality is questionable, if you need a better description please ask or I might make some animated gifs to make things clearer. Not every single levering excercise can be covered here, but I've covered most of my favourites, if you're desperate for something to be added let me know. Yes, my beard looks dumb, it's purely for comedic value so let's not fill this with 'lol at beard' comments like my last video. Yes, I'm only using an 8lb hammer and I'm choked fairly far up on it, this is a demo, not a workout.

Why should I lever?

Levering is one of the best exercises for developing overall hand and forarm strength, it's also a perfect way of preparing yourself for the stresses of steel bending (the best exercise for hand and forearm strength IMO). It's also cheap. simple and easy to get started in. The carryover is obvious - anytime you need to swing a bat, club, racket or person you'll need the strength you develop from levering; anytime you try to push, pull, control or throw any kind of weight or opponent you'll use the strength you'll develop from levering.

What do I need?

You need some form of weight with a handle - common examples are a sledgehammer and a Thor hammer (both are pictured below), but you could also use a dumbell with weights on only one end or a large steel bar. Sledgehammers are cool and easy to come by, but take up a lot of space and you can't change the weight on the end easily; Thor hammers are easily adjustable in weight but not as cool and don't generate as much angular momentum for a given torque and angular speed.

How do I make an exercise more difficult?

The further from the weight of a hammer you grip the more torque it will require to lever, if you get to the end of a hammer you need to add more weight to the end, easily done with a Thor hammer, but with a sledgehammer you'll neeed a new one.

How do I make a Thor Hammer?

1" OD pipe, a screwdriver, some standard weight plates and two hose clamps. Fix one clamp at the end, put weight on pipe against clamp and add the second clamp to hold it in place. Make sure the clamps are tight as if the weights come loose you could get some broken toes or drop a plate on your face.

How often should I lever?

Depends on the rest of your training, I try to fit in 1-3 sessions a week and seem to do best from 2 heavy sessions a week and some other grip and forearm strength work in the rest of the week. Vary your training between all out attempts and higher rep training, try to train your wrists in all directions regularly to avoid muscle imbalances.

WARNING - Some of the exercises featured here involve lifting a weight above you head supported only by the small muscles around your wrist, if you are stupid you can bring the head of a sledgehammer down on the top of your head. This would hurt. While learning all these lift use your free hand to spot yourself and only use weights you can manage easily to start with.

NEXT POST - THE BASIC EXERCISES

Do you need both a sledgehammer and Thor handle or can you do all the exercises with either or?

I ask because I'm considering using an 8lb sledgehammer.

My purpose of training is for overall health, self-defense and everyday activities.
 
LoL I posted in this thread nine years ago.
 
Do you need both a sledgehammer and Thor handle or can you do all the exercises with either or?

I ask because I'm considering using an 8lb sledgehammer.

My purpose of training is for overall health, self-defense and everyday activities.
Well Smashy hasn't posted on here in 3 years. Good luck though.
 
I completely forgot about this thread.

BRB, gotta lever, too.
 
BASIC EXERCISES

These are the levering exercises you'll wanty to get to grips with to begin with, focus on learning and progressing these and you'll be well on the way to phenomenal wrist strength.

Forward lever

forwardlever.jpg


Pretty simple, hold the hammer upright and allow the head to swing away from you under control until it's parrallel to the floor. Now use the muscles of the wrist to bring the hammer back up to vertical.

Reverse lever

reverselever.jpg


Similar to the forward lever only this time you're going to let the hammer come back towards your head, be careful while lowering as loosing control and allowing the hammer to hit you in the face could be painful.

Quick note on form - you'll notice my forearm does not stay completely level during these exercises, this is mostly down to slightly limited wrist ROM, don't get too hung up on trying to lock your arm in place, the important bit is that the wrist does the majority of the work in lifting the hammer back into place.

Side to side levering

rotationalcopy.jpg


Again this is very similar to the pr4evious two exercise only this time you're going to pronate and supinate you hand (turn it palm up and palm down).

Helicopters

helicopter.jpg


Now we're going to do all three of the previous exercise together, try to keep the hammer flat and level and move it through a smooth continuous circle. This exercise makes an excellent warm up for heavier levering and steel bending.
Guess who in the martial arts world has been practicing this for hundreds of years?
KARATE.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hojo_undō#Chi_Ishi

chishi.JPG


 
Is it worth doing?

Does it translate to everyday life situations?

Ever seen the forearms of a blacksmith or a mechanic?

Having a stronger grip means you can apply more force through your hands, which means most exercises will get easier, you'll be a better grappler (and fighter in general). If you're into tennis or rock climbing, you'll benefit obviously, if you're into striking you'll face less risk of injury or wear. And people with stronger grips statistically have a higher life expectancy.
 
Don't think you'll get an answer but cool bump, I'd never heard of this before.
 
Ever seen the forearms of a blacksmith or a mechanic?

Having a stronger grip means you can apply more force through your hands, which means most exercises will get easier, you'll be a better grappler (and fighter in general). If you're into tennis or rock climbing, you'll benefit obviously, if you're into striking you'll face less risk of injury or wear. And people with stronger grips statistically have a higher life expectancy.

Do you need both a sledgehammer and Thor handle or can you do all the exercises with either or?

I ask because I'm considering using an 8lb sledgehammer.

My purpose of training is for overall health, self-defense and everyday activities.
 
. And people with stronger grips statistically have a higher life expectancy.

I don't think that's because they trained their grip strength but that it is a result of a stronger cns or some such.
 
Do you need both a sledgehammer and Thor handle or can you do all the exercises with either or?

I ask because I'm considering using an 8lb sledgehammer.

My purpose of training is for overall health, self-defense and everyday activities.

Use what you have at your disposal and get creative.

I don't think that's because they trained their grip strength but that it is a result of a stronger cns or some such.

IIRC, the researchers of that study picked grip strength as a marker for full body strength/general fitness levels, I'll see if I can find the paper. Anecdotally speaking, most old folks who still have a quite a hand shake seem to be doing better health wise, but if it were a direct correlation, grip freaks would be highlanders.
 
Use what you have at your disposal and get creative.



IIRC, the researchers of that study picked grip strength as a marker for full body strength/general fitness levels, I'll see if I can find the paper. Anecdotally speaking, most old folks who still have a quite a hand shake seem to be doing better health wise, but if it were a direct correlation, grip freaks would be highlanders.

Well, I have neither, so I'm deciding whether I should by one of the Ironmind Leverage bar, a sledgehammer or adjustable macebell.
 
In that situation I'd personally go to a hardware store and make my own Thor's hammer or get the ironmind bar.
 
I think you could build a decent one from black iron pipe. I'm not a plumber but I've built a few projects like a weight rack from pipe and it's handy stuff.

From handle end to plate-loading end:

-- 1 3/4" cap -- a cap for the handle end. You also might want to pick up some friction tape for the handle.
-- A length of 3/4" pipe. This is determined by how long you want your lever to be. Maybe 18" or so since there's more to add. The O.D. on 3/4" is about an inch so it's similar to a weight bar.
-- Couplers. Enough to get you from 3/4" to 1.5" I don't know if that's one or two couplings.
-- A length of 1.5" pipe. This is your hammer head end. Load oly plates here, probably 5lb or 10lb plates. This would be maybe 8" long to give you room to stack plates as you get stronger. 1.5" pipe O.D. is about 1.9" so oly plates won't be too sloppy on there. A collar would solve that.
-- A 1.5" threaded floor flange. Screws on the end so the plates don't come off.

Buy a set of oly collars to hold the plates snug from the handle end. I'll try to sketch this out and update this in case anyone's having trouble picturing it. I think it would make a usable implement.
 
In that situation I'd personally go to a hardware store and make my own Thor's hammer or get the ironmind bar.

Why not the adjustable Macebell?

Also, which Ironmind bar would you buy? There's two. I'm not sure which is the better option.
 
I think you could build a decent one from black iron pipe. I'm not a plumber but I've built a few projects like a weight rack from pipe and it's handy stuff.

From handle end to plate-loading end:

-- 1 3/4" cap -- a cap for the handle end. You also might want to pick up some friction tape for the handle.
-- A length of 3/4" pipe. This is determined by how long you want your lever to be. Maybe 18" or so since there's more to add. The O.D. on 3/4" is about an inch so it's similar to a weight bar.
-- Couplers. Enough to get you from 3/4" to 1.5" I don't know if that's one or two couplings.
-- A length of 1.5" pipe. This is your hammer head end. Load oly plates here, probably 5lb or 10lb plates. This would be maybe 8" long to give you room to stack plates as you get stronger. 1.5" pipe O.D. is about 1.9" so oly plates won't be too sloppy on there. A collar would solve that.
-- A 1.5" threaded floor flange. Screws on the end so the plates don't come off.

Buy a set of oly collars to hold the plates snug from the handle end. I'll try to sketch this out and update this in case anyone's having trouble picturing it. I think it would make a usable implement.

I simply don't trust the possibility that it'll fail. I rather have a product that was made with unction of being used in this manner than play bob the builder and break my teeth and nose.
 
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