Evolution of The Steel Sledge  [October 15, 2003] By Coach Jamie, Hale   For hundreds of years various swinging and chopping movements have been utilized by Strongmen, military personnel and combat athletes as a cornerstone of their training. If you look at photos of old-time strongmen and combat athletes they are often pictured holding some type of sledgehammers or clubs. Legendary boxer Jack Dempsey contributed a large part of his success to wood chopping movements. Modern day boxers De La Hoya, Foreman and a host of others have also noted the significant benefits of this type of activity. Richard Sandoval (former boxing champ, trainer at Top Rank) stated that back in the old days when he trained they didn’t have all of those fancy machines and techniques. He spoke of his use of wood chopping and hitting old tires with a sledgehammer. Sandoval feels the boxers of today have become too prissy and have forgotten about the tried and true exercises such as sledge training. Sledge training is not a new concept, but it has recently been re-invented and has received the publicity it deserves. Numerous fire departments incorporate the sledge into their fitness testing. Corpus Christi Fire Department, Greensboro Fire Dept., and Marinwood Fire Dept are among the many fire departments that implement sledge training into their fitness regimens and testing protocols. These tests include measurements of anaerobic endurance, and force production. Information on Sledge training can be found in abundance on the Internet. Coach John Davies magazine The Code dedicated an entire series of articles detailing the benefits and uses of sledge training. Sport specific trainig.com has endorsed sledge training as being beneficial for core, leg, hip and back strengthening. Fitrex.com says that sledge work is great for range of motion and strengthening of the wrists. According to Fitrex.com all good strength and conditioning coaches should be familiar with sledge work. A recent article titled Developing Event Specific Strength for the Javelin Throw appeared in Master Track and Field Daily News- Daily Newsletter and described sledge training as an excellent Sports Specific movement for javelin throwers. I was first introduced to Sledge Training by an old time boxing coach. He told me his athletes had been doing sledge work for the past twenty years. I had read of this in the past, but had not given it much consideration. As I began to research and talk to various coaches and athletes from around the globe I realized this was a type of training that was widely encouraged by numerous successful coaches. When I first began incorporating Sledge training into my programs I exclusively used this with combat and Strongman athletes. I noticed immediate gains in the physical preparedness of these athletes. The benefits from this type of work are numerous (refer to Intro to Sledgehammers at www.torqueathletic.com) Presently I prescribe this type of training to competitive athletes from various sports as well as general fitness enthusiasts. Realizing the tremendous potential of this training method Torque Athletic and I teamed up to design the ultimate sledge- Steel Sledge (archaic training meets modern technology). Why The Steel Sledge? 1. Finally a hammer that the head won’t fly off. 2. The Steel Sledge comes in two types of designs. Steel sledge design (20&30lb) and the Urethane head design (20lb). 3. Three inch steel mass head with flat machine bottom for ease of parking after use. 4. Handle 11-gauge steel, 1.5-inch diameter (great for grip) 5. Entire hammer has a military crinkle black finish for grip durability and a look unparalleled. 6. Handle has 3/16 inch steel cap slug welded to it for grip location during intense workouts. 7. Urethane head Sledge designed to reduce impact shock during striking contact. 8. Urethane head Sledge molded after original pounding mallets of days gone by. Check out Coach Hale's site at www.maxcondition.com See his bio here