Aside from an old truck tire that Dr. Hartle recommends, is anyone else using something different?
Also, I was thinking about starting with a 10lb sledgehammer. It seemed like a good middle of the road choice as I don't have the cash to fork over for a wide selection. Any thoughts?
10 lbs. should be a nice starting weight for you. If its too light or too heavy just modify your work:rest intervals. I’ve used an old tire from my SUV and it seemed to work fine. It just takes a few hits to find the ‘sweet spot’ so it doesn’t jump off the ground too much. Good luck! It should tear you up.
Anyone using anything else? A tree stump, box, whatever?
Thanks, -Jason
I use a cardboard box that is stuffed with old rags/clothes and the duck taped all to hell. It’s held up for three months now just fine. It’s about three feet long by one foot wide by one foot high.
I tried tree stumps, small ones died wiht in couple weeks.
Thanks for the ideas guys? I may try the rag box before I pick up a tire (just don’t want to deal with disposal or moving it if I move).
I went out today and picked up a tire from a auto repair place out here… and I got an 8 lb sledge for 10 bucks at the hardware store. A buddy and I went out to the park and did renegade-style db circuits, gpp, and sledge hammer action. Chris Thibaudeau was kind enough to send me his 12-week football program. I tried his 10-min sledge circuit… Oh man, it works the hell out of your forearms. Especially on the upward motion when you’re doing Straight-down swings… theres so much torque coming from that hammer head. I know this doesn’t really answer your question, Jason. But I just had to plug Chris’ and Coach Davies programs. If you haven’t tried this stuff yet, DO IT!
I stopped by Home Depot today and picked up an 8lb sledge. I grabbed the 10 pounder to start and quickly realized that the lever arm on this thing is massive and that I needed to start a little lighter. 8lbs feels like 100 when you grab the base of the 3 ft long handle. Anyway, I’ll construct a crazy duct tape box and I’m going to town using Chris Thibedeaux’s 10 min routine on Tues and Thurs - my normal off days. I’ll let you know how it goes, but I’m looking forward to this 
I thought I was going to do Chris T.'s sledge circuit too… not even close to finishing. I did 2 mins overhead, and 1 minute on each side, and my forearms were completely fried. I’m getting a little better though. Have fun w/ it Jason… it’s a sonofabitch.
Jason, Jason, Jason…we will have to talk about these Home Depot purchases later on…
Sorry Steve! There are very few mom and pop hardware stores in the South Bay Area. So my choices tend to be Home Depot, Lowes, Orchard Supply or Ace.
Just messing with ya Jason…we’ll talk more about it later…back to the point of the thread though: keep me updated on how the Sledgehammer GPP works for you. I am debating on whether or not to incoporate it into my weekly schedule at the moment…seems like it would suit my goals quite well in the winter off-season.
First workout is today. I’ve got to pick up some duct tape. I stuffed a box with papers and cardboard, taped it with packing tape and wrapped it several times with the packing saran wrap stuff. Now, I’ve just got to duct tape the whole thing and I’ll be ready to go. I’ll definitely keep you informed. I’ll chat with you later.
Jason, for the love of God, man…get a free tire somewhere! 
Well, I had my first workout today. Went pretty well - I liked the process, but I beat up my box pretty well. Obviously one roll of duct tape will not be enough. I can clearly see where I’ll need more support, but I think the box can stand up. I did 4 min of straight up and down swinging, 2 min of diagonal swinging to the left and 2 min of diagonal swinging to the right.
If I had room for a big tire you better believe I would have one. However, the confinements of my apartment are limited. My cement bags are currently being stored on the porch. I guess I’ll have to wait for a house.
get a job as a mason and youll get paid to swing a sledge all day!
Sledgehammer work can be a valuable tool to your training regimen. All of my combat athletes use sledgehammers. We use a large tire. Sometimes we do it for time while other times we attempt so many strikes in a specified amount of time.
We use a 12lb sledgehammer the majority of the time. I think a good starting point would be a 8 or 10 lb hammer.
ThankYou
Coach Hale