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

Not only is it a Thing, but HH dance is one of the good Doctor's favourite exercise modes, and there are a lot of different suggested dancing-with-weights moves in his book. I tend to forget to mention this, because since I almost always exercise out-of-doors, HH dance isn't really part of my own repertoire - I do shadow-boxing instead. Generally speaking, with dance as much as walking or running, the idea is to coordinate hand and leg movements so that the muscular effort is evenly distributed and continuous, as opposed to separate "cardio" and "strength" segments. For dance, this might well mean using a weight of less than 5 pounds, at least at first.

David

On 21 April 2010 19:35, tankgirlh@sbcglobal.net <no_reply@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Interesting-- turns out I've been doing a "heavy hands" style workout naturally for a while... dancing around my apartment with a 5-lb weight in each hand! Stopping to do various strength-training moves and whatnot, but the actual cardio bits usually = DANCING!

It's quite effective, although I'm just getting back into it after some time off. Good to know that it's actually a Thing.

--- In fast5@yahoogroups.com, David Nyman <david@...> wrote:
>
> Rick -- glad you're enjoying HH! The sample exercises on the web are a good
> place to start, though perhaps a little limited. The essence of HH is the
> variety of moves that can be devised for different purposes, especially when
> different "gaits" (styles of walking, jogging, or running) are mixed with
> the numerous upper body moves, tempos, ranges of motion, and weights. IMO
> nothing substitutes for the Heavyhands Walking Book to get a real insight
> into the variety and range of the HH approach. Dr Schwartz is a
> psychiatrist as well as an expert on sports physiology, and his observations
> on the psychology as well as the techniques of exercise are very
> insightful. I've had the book for more than 20 years and I still return to
> it from time to time for inspiration.
>
> By the way, your daily cycling sounds like a wonderful way to get regular
> exercise in a time-efficient way. Weekend HH sounds like an excellent
> upper-body adjunct, as well as a totally different leg workout. Enjoy!
>
> David
>
> On 19 April 2010 14:57, RickS <rstewart@...> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > 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 <fast5%40yahoogroups.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
> >
> >
> >
>