Fast-5 Diet and Lifestyle: [fast5] Was: WooHoo! Now: Heavy Hands

Monday, April 19, 2010

[fast5] Was: WooHoo! Now: Heavy Hands

David-

I tried HH over the weekend and I have to say it's a wonderful way to workout and not nearly as embarrassing as I thought it would be. :) It takes a while to get used to a normal cadence with weights in your hands but I think with some practice could really be a good way to improve not only strength and endurance, but coordination and nervous system control. I just used 1.25 pound weights as a proof of concept and i have to say I've very impressed that you said you use 10 and even the occasional 22 pounders! Brutal!!

I felt a light tightness in my shoulders and arms the next day that wasn't painful at all, but it was enough to let me know that some work had been done. I plan on getting a HH weight set and adding this to my weekly schedule. I already commute by bike 150 miles a week, so I may do HH on the weekends as an adjunct. Thanks for the info.

-Rick Stewart

--- In fast5@yahoogroups.com, David Nyman <david@...> wrote:
>
> Rick, I've read that Dr Schwartz is about 5' 7", and his weight has
> variously been reported at 130-135 at around a 5% body fat level, or even
> lower. At 5' 10" my own weight, according to my Tanita scale, would be
> about 155 at 5% body fat (something I've no ambition to achieve, I should
> add). Adjusted by a typical 6/7 pounds per inch of height, at 5' 7" it
> would therefore be around the mid 130's, which seems pretty consistent.
>
> I think you'll find HH enjoyable and even addictive once you've tried it. I
> think of it as a "connoisseur's" approach to exercise, capable of subtle
> variation and precise adjustment to personal style and needs - not a crude
> "one size fits all" approach. As with everything new, start slowly and
> respect those "little" weights, and pretty soon you'll make good progress
> without injuring yourself. In fact, it could even be good therapy for any
> overuse strains from heavy weightlifting. Even though I now vigorously use
> weights up to 10 pounds on walks of an hour or more, or even 22-pound
> dumbbells for continuous indoor HH stepping sessions, I also regularly use
> my original 3-pounders and with suitable adjustment of pace can achieve just
> as high, or even higher, intensities with those. It's all about tempo, and
> speed and range of movement.
>
> HH lends itself to indoor, but especially outdoor, performance (which I
> regard as a major benefit, as I like the fresh air and freedom), and is
> pretty much infinitely flexible concerning movement repertoire, tempos,
> weights (at the higher end, shading into kettlebell-style moves),
> intensity-level, etc. HH is an ideal add-on to walking, of course (hence
> "The Heavyhands Walking Book"). It's also easy to adapt for specific
> conditioning and preparation for other activities (skiing for example).
> Although I still do other things like classic bodyweight moves, I've always
> kept HH as a core protocol, because I can continue to adjust goals and
> emphases as needed, and even make significant improvements in core
> parameters after all these years (e.g. as reflected in a resting heart rate
> now down to around 40 after incorporating high-intensity intervals).
> Finally, it's a calorie-burner par excellence, which means I get to eat a
> little more!
>
> You may find the Yahoo group an interesting source of HH experiences, as
> well as the book, which I highly recommend..
>
> David