Over the last few weeks, I’ve blogged on different equipment that you may not be familiar with: Kettlebells, Club Bells, Indian Clubs, and Mace. Each one of these tools has a unique value and can work your body in different ways. However, they also work very effectively together to help you achieve maximum results and provide a progressive path for increasing strength and flexibility.
As I’ve talked about before, shoulder joints are one of the most common areas prone to injuries in the gym. Working this area with different techniques and equipment will get you better results and keep your workouts fresh as well as challenging. For example, start working with the Indian Clubs on basic movements to get your shoulders warmed up and the blood flowing. I’d recommend about a 2-3 minute warm-up cycle. You may want to add a few sets of Kettlebell “slingshots” in as well. Once you have completed this, move on to the Club Bells doing similar exercises but increases the weight. You’ll begin to really feel the muscles work in the shoulders. Finally, finish off your shoulder routine with the Mace. This will really open up your shoulder joints and maximize your flexibility. For clarity, here is a short video that demonstrates these progressive movements:
So, when I’m asked what equipment is better to use, I would look at all of them and find a routine that works for you to maximize your results. However, the first step to work with each of the different equipment separately and get familiar with the basic moves and form. Think of it as a progressing of collecting different tools in your “toolbox” to use for your workouts. Once you’ve have a basic level of expertise, them begin to branch out and start incorporating different equipment in a progressive manner to target a specific area.
Remember, you have several resources available to you. I will be putting together group classes in the fall as well as you may want to consider a personal trainer session to get some 1-on-1 support on how to use each of these tools. Give me call or email if you have any questions. Remember, a missed workout is one that you can never make up...
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Last week I talked about the benefits of working with Indian Clubs. I wanted to also introduce Club Bells (or Clubbells™ which is a registered trademark of American Academy for Russian Martial Art And Combat Skill, Inc.). Their design is a combination of “modern engineering with ancient principles of strength training”*. There primary purpose is for strength training. What makes them unique is the multi-dimensional effects on your muscles and joints. Basically, the body is a complex organism and lives in a 3-D world. Your workouts should reflect this. You will get more benefit from complex movements instead of isolation exercises. The design of the Club Bell maximizes the challenge of using your whole body to control the movements. Another benefit to consider, dumbbells compress your joints white Club Bells opens up your joints. As I mentioned before, shoulder injuries are the most common injury and Club Bells are also an excellent preventative tool to improve your joint mobility and strength.
Here is a short video of some of the basic movements that I start my clients with using Club Bells.
One of the common questions I get asked is what is the better equipment to use for my workouts: Kettlebells, Indian Clubs, or Club Bells? Well, the short answer is you need to work with all of them. They can work together in harmony, which is why I have included them in my gym and fitness training. I will talk about incorporating all of these very different types of equipment in a future blog.
For now, let’s start with the basics and I encourage you to learn how to use Club Bells properly in your workouts. I offer both a group workshop (Club Bells and Mace Workshop) as well as private 1-on-1 training. Give me a call and let’s work out a program that is right for you. Footnote: *Phrase used in an article by Physical Living Health-First Fitness, “The Complete Clubbell Review”, May 2016 |
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October 2016
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