Hosts Lyonel Lumarque, owner of LyonStrong Fitness in Miami, and Donnie Giafardino of Adex Clubs and Maces talk about their different approach to training and getting back into fitness in your 40s, 50s, and 60s.
My Top 3 Club/Mace Exercise Playlist
by Don Giafardino
I get asked what my favorite mace and club exercises are, and while there are so many good exercises to choose from, if I had to narrow down my favorites, these would make the top 3 list;
1) The Touch and Go
This exercise requires a bit of coordination plus the skills to execute a proper mace launch, a crossbody toss, and a solid 360 from a moving start. It is both done for endurance, and strength building. I have done this up to 75 sets of 4 reps with .30 rest between and also with a heavy mace using a 5X5 strength protocol. This is a solid move and should be incorporated into every mace athlete’s regiment.
2) The Inside Mill
If you’ve trained with me, or just know me, you know I really like doing mills. This is short and sweet, but “how much do you mill, bro?”
3) The 2 Hand Gama Cast
Solid shoulder strengthening, muscle making, heavy metal, cranking out reps, killing it with a puddle of sweat on the floor. Gama Casts will make you freaking strong and supple. Do them nice and square. This is my all time favorite club exercise.
And there you have it, folks. My top 3 Club and Mace Exercises. Swing often, swing heavy, and don’t forget to sign up for the Adex email list below or to the right >
Peace.
Club Work Power Training
CLUBWORK
Let’s begin with the basic of basics. Clubs have been around for thousands of years simply because they work. Most of us are familiar with the lighter weight Indian Clubs that are swung in complex patterns which develop coordination, mobility, and speed not unlike an Olympic Fencer. Then there are the bigger clubs, the large wooden or the more popular metal clubs of 15, 20, and those over 45 pounds, originally designed to train warriors to deliver punishing power with heavy hand armaments. These will be the subject of this article.
POWER IS? 
Power is the strength you have to perform a specified exercise in an allowed amount of time. So if you are doing an AMRAP of thrusters for a 30 second time period you’d be able to determine if your power output has increased by either an increase in the number of reps performed or by using a heavier weight for the same number of reps. For example if you did max effort thrusters with 95 pounds and got 12 in 30 seconds that’s 1,140 pounds moved. Now for a few weeks you practiced thrusters and your retest your AMRAP, now you get 14 in 30 seconds -congratulations! You’ve increased your power because you just moved 1,330 pounds OR if you kept the same 12 reps BUT instead of 95 pounds you used 115 pounds, you have increased your power. Now that you have the idea of power we’ll apply it to a club workout.
POWER AND CLUBWORK
WARNING! – There is no doubt about the fact that if you follow this power program you will be buying more clubs, if you don’t have access to a complete set or an adjustable one already.
The exercises listed below can be found on YouTube demonstrated by many different instructors plus searching for them will entice you to watch more clubwork exercises. Watch. Learn. Grow.
NOTE: I usually increase only 5 pounds between the Pre-Fatigue Sets and the Work Sets. 5 pounds is a big jump in clubwork. Better to chip away smoothly than to get injured rushing progress.
The workout will be a 4 day split into 2 upper body days and 2 lower body days. We’ll focus on the upper body in this article. The exercises will be 1 hand inside mills, 1 hand front swipes, and 2 handed Gama Casts. A set is reps done on each arm, i.e; 10 reps means 10 reps right arm 10 reps left = 1 set. The sample below is from my current program;
Pre-Fatigue Sets to be done for the reps specified 1 minute rest between sets (after exercising both arms)
Exercise wt reps sets
Mills 20 10 4
Fr Swipes 20 10 4
Gama Cast 20 10 4
Work Sets 1 minute rest between sets
Mills 25 AMRAP 30 sec 4
Fr Swipes 25 AMRAP 30 sec 4
Gama Cast 25 AMRAP 30 sec 4
This is now your Base Power Program. Good form is important to reduce the chance of injury. I practice quite often on my ‘off’ days doing up to 150 reps with a much lighter weight to get the feel of an exercise. This ensures proper form when the heavier weights are used.
Once you are able to perform the above workout getting 7-8 reps for ALL 4 Work Sets, take away one Pre-Fatigue Set and add one more Work Set for the next workout. Do this until you can get a full 8 AMRAP reps for all 5 Work Sets in 30 seconds. Now reduce to 2 Pre-Fatigue Sets and go to 6 Work Sets until 8 reps is reached again, then pat yourself on the back and begin over with the Base Program. This round the Pre-Fatigue Sets will be the weight you used in the previous Work Sets but for 4 sets of 10 and the Work Sets will add 5 pounds. Look how far you’ve come!
Give these club training exercises a try in your next workout. Develop the bit of skill needed to build a solid foundation then adapt the exercise as you progress to challenge yourself. Keep it interesting and reap the benefits of solid full ROM body power, you won’t be disappointed!
Solid Shoulder Work in 1 Exercise
The 2H Gama Cast is one of the best shoulder strength builders ever used in fitness. This exercise will not only build solid, well defined shoulders but also develops and strengthens problematic Rotator Cuff muscles. Rotator Cuff or SITS muscles are the subscapularis, infraspinatus, teres minor, and supraspinatus. This exercise is to be done slowly and robotically to reap it’s benefits. It’s also a perfect match for athletes or trainees who use maces and want to build up to bigger weights for their 360s and 10-2s. Be sure to train both sides.
Use These 3 Tips for Smarter Mace & Club Training
Whether you are a seasoned veteran of Rotational Power Training or a complete newb, add these principles into your training for better gains.
One of the biggest issues when training with clubs and maces is trying to jump into a heavier weight without knowing what you’re doing. Sure it is cool to do a 360 or an Inside Mill with a weight that makes others gasp but it isn’t worth it if you’re doing it wrong.
1. Progressions/Regressions;
A good way to progress to quality full compound exercises such as a mill or a 10 to 2 is by beginning with (or reverting back to) the base fundamental exercises. These include Side Swings to Side Cleans, Side Strikes, and Front Swings to Cleans for clubs. With a mace, practice Tip Tip Drill, Pulling the Carpet Out, and Reverse Pendulums or 9-3s. Base exercises give the trainee practice in balancing, catching, and a more controlled movement of the tool.
If you already have good compound exercises, you can always make them a bit better by practicing regressive drills. Regressive drills are the same as the base exercises but used to ‘tighten up’ a portion of an established compound exercise by isolating it. Think of it in the way that a powerlifter would train in their sticking point during an exercise. Isolate that portion of the movement, go a bit lighter than you’re used to, now perform reps in that small area. One of the most notorious areas for an inside mill to become a dangerous flail is upon the transition of the Side Swing to Clean into the Side Strike position. That area identifies many trainees with weak wrists. The cure for that is in the description of the mistake itself, by performing both Side Strikes and Side Swings into Side Cleans. Take the time to learn the base exercise moves that comprise the compound exercises.
2. Periodization;
Step 1) The second tip is to train with a long term goal and breaking down that time of training into smaller sections with specific purposes. This is another borrowed weight training principle called periodization. Let’s use a mace competition that will be held a year from today as a scenario. The idea is to swing the heaviest mace for a particular exercise for 5 minutes in the 10 to 2. The first 6 to 10 weeks of training would be to establish a solid, non stop 6 minute swing with no chance of getting no repped by the judges – so the bulk of the training should include proper training for form, i.e; proper depth in the ‘catch’, hands passing deep when the mace is in the rear position, and recovering from wobbly swings. You are training for 6 minutes instead of the event’s 5 minutes to have gas in the tank, trust me on this one. Once the form is established, practice those excellent 6 minute sets a few (3 – 8) times in each training session, remembering not to begin training at full weight capacity. The job at hand is to move a fairly challenging weight for the allotted time while maintaining great form. Again, practicing for what the judges will be looking for. It is important to keep a detailed journal of this training for progress to base future workouts on the weights and times done during the first rounds.
Step 2) The next 6 – 10 week portion of the periodization training should focus on building strength by adding weight to the swing. Practice progressions/regressions with heavier weights for 5 to 8 reps, using timed rests between sets. These will build strength, and since they’re not compound movements, the opportunity to develop poor technique is greatly reduced Think like a powerlifter trying to get a bigger a bench press. Finish up these workouts with a 6 minute set using the weight you finished your first portion of the periodization scheme. Periodization also works to build patience.
Step 3) The last periodization portion would have you doing the work to build endurance. Begin with a lighter mace than what was used for the first portion of training. Set a clock and start counting reps. The idea is to get to a weight that is closer to what was used during the power phase of training. Try to swing the mace or club non-stop for the set time. Each time you train, set the time cap longer and longer. Try to get in 2 sets per workout. A minute is a long time and it’s an easy way to remember what was done in prior workouts. Keep in mind, this is like jogging but for the upper body. Your times may get near 15 or more minutes by the time you’ve finished this portion of the training program. Go back to step 1 and go through all 3 steps again, but be sure to progress by adding more weight or reps to the original when appropriate.
3. Rest, Recuperation, Nutrition;
This is the big one! Rest is another important factor in athletic performance. get 6 – 8 hours of good sleep a night. Try to calm down before bedtime, and let go of the stresses of the day. Take supplements that agree with your body and lifestyle which could help you get more rest. Nap if you feel the need to. It’s during sleep when our bodies recharge and regenerate. Give it time to do it’s job!
When was the last time you had gotten a massage, gone to a float tank, or sat in a spa? Take the time to treat yourself from all the hard work you put your body through. It feels good and it will help your body to recover much faster. Recovering faster means more work can be done. More work being done means hitting your goals faster.
Establish a sound nutritional program. The information is out there to do your own meal plans or consult a professional. Either way, good things won’t happen if you put poor performing foods in your body. Eat clean, minimally processed foods, and try to prepare as much as possible in your own kitchen. It isn’t hard to cook, so make friends with that stove and stop using it as a planter.
There you have it.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 7
- Next Page »