Sledgehammer Swings

What it is

This dynamic, full-body movement involves powerfully swinging a sledgehammer into a target such as a tire. It significantly engages your abdominals as the primary working muscle group. You will also feel activation in your calves, forearms, lats, middle back, and shoulders.

Technique tips

• Adopt a stable staggered stance, about two feet from your target.
• Position your dominant hand closer to the hammer's head to start.
• As you raise the hammer, slide your top hand up the handle.
• On the downswing, your top hand slides down to meet the bottom hand.
• Slam the hammer with controlled power, bracing your core on impact.
• Control the rebound to maintain balance and prevent injury.

How to track your progress

Log the weight and reps of each set. Straddly turns every set into an estimated one-rep max, so a heavier single and a strong set of eight both count as progress, and it flags a personal record the moment you beat your best.