Back To The Beginnings

Using a lighter club to feel the movement

 Forging ahead in any modality of exercise is a great accomplishment. Adding weight to a squat or sprinting in a faster time for a new personal record is exciting. This fosters the initiative to keep on training. Then there are the times when the program fails and the scheduled weight, or time, or number of reps falls drastically short of what was to be expected. Now what?

 If the reason for the failure isn't injury or exhaustion, the cause for failure may be the athlete's technique. Many times, when the focus is on a determined goal, little nuances that were learned to get to that particular point fell by the wayside. Too much emphasis may be placed on the goal of heavier, faster, or more, and the attention to detail is forgotten thus creating a vacuum in the athlete's programming.

 For those who aren't familiar with my training, I use clubs exclusively (which I will detail why in another post) in my personal training program. Some of the exercises are complex movements which require not only strength but a certain degree of skill to execute properly. One of these exercises - the inside mill or just the 'mill' is the club trainer's bench press. Club fanatics always compare mill weight or reps. Since I have been experimenting with the heavier clubs I sometimes fall short of an expected P/R or training goal. My answer to that is go back to the beginning. Lighten that load up for the workout and get in some volume training with a manageable weight. For example, if I completed Monday's mill workout of 10X10 with a 35lb club and Friday's mill workout calls for 5X6 with a 40lb club but my form fails on the first set or maybe the first rep, I'll revert back to a 25lb club for a 10X10 light conditioning set but feel each part of the movement relearning small subtleties that make heavier weights possible. The next mill workout will open with that same 25lb club as a warm up for one set to coordinate the feeling throughout my body before attempting the 40lb club again. Then go on the the 40lb 5X6 workout progressing to ultimately the 10X10 workout with that weight.

 I had learned this type of 'assistance' training way back in the 70's from an old school guy who was built like a bodybuilder but moved weight like a powerlifter. This method was used by the older set of strength trainers, the guys that were before me. Here, on this page I can share some of what they left that may have been forgotten or discarded due to style or ego. Apply it to any of your training, being sure to feel the movement, perform some volume then back to your regular programming. It'll work.

Age Defiant

Adex Club Loaded at 25 lbs

Exercise is great for everyone ESPECIALLY for those of us getting older. Club training or Clubwork is an excellent way for anyone to train, but for us older folks 35+ who want to remain active for our whole lives, clubwork is the crux of fitness. Swinging it at 51. Growing Old Isn't For Sissies Repair, rehab, and keep those shoulders, elbows, and wrists moving. All clubwork exercises translate through the legs without isolation exercises. Restore or maintain your Range Of Motion - ROM in all of your joints. Add muscle to your frame to prevent age related atrophy. If you are over the age of 40 and want to regain freedom or hang on to it for life, inquire at www.adexclub.com for more information

Keeping The Shoulders MobileAdex Adjustable Exercise Club Unloaded

An easy way to begin club training is with an Adex Adjustable Exercise Club. Adex Clubs offer the versatility of owning a complete set of clubs without the high price tag and shipping costs of individual standard clubs. The biggest mistake when making initial club purchases is getting an incorrect weight, one that is too heavy or will be outgrown in a rapid time. Adex Clubs are always the right weight because they adjust quickly and safely by hand. www.adexclubs.com

Get A Grip - Club Training

Regular Grip

 Without huge fanfare, club training will undoubtedly increase your grip strength. This is a given, but as with many good things, this sometimes does not come without pain. Hanging on to a club and maintaining control of it is not an easy task especially on the elbow. Here are some tips to help alleviate some of the medial or lateral epicondilitis that can occur from club training.

         

Forefinger Middle Finger Grip

Pinky Ring Finger Grip

 Begin with your hand grip. Grab your club with one hand and swing it into a clean. Notice to see if you have a relaxed grip or if you're squeezing the living hell out of that club. IF you are doing the latter, try lightening the super crushing force you are summoning up to keep that club welded to your hand. Just relax your hand, hold the club firmly, not crushing, but with enough force to just keep it in the hand. You'll feel the handle pressure more on the meat of the palm rather than throughout the fingers and depending on the direction of the swing, the grip force should change from the index and middle finger to the pinky and ring finger. This is very counter intuitive but will save many lost training days not to mention some annoying pain. Practice holding the club as lightly as you can to develop a feel for when the grip needs to be increased or decreased without letting go. This will allow the club to do it's work providing a pulling or traction throughout swinging movements. The club's weight should feel as if it were drawing through the hand, not prying from it.

Ball Grip

 Another area of interest is the knob. To grip or not to grip is a good question. The knob is there to provide a secure stopping point should the grip slip and fail. It is also purposely used in more intricate movements especially forward and reverse wrist rolls and and with experienced club swingers in movements such as a mill or stiff arm swings. The pinky and ring finger may want to gravitate to residing on the knob during mills and other exercises which may feel insecure, but the newly learned, lighter pressure style of holding the club will keep it from flying out of your hands. Also, getting used to a knob causing friction in your palm may prove to be displeasing at first then slowly go unnoticed as more reps are done.

 Behind the head exercises such as shield casts or Gamma casts place the elbow in an unfriendly position IF not executed properly. Remember to let the club's weight pull down the arm while the club is traveling behind the head. If you try and hold the club higher, that force is pulling upward through the elbow's soft tissues and creates tension where the area should be more relaxed. This will lead to very sensitive elbows and again it isn't good form. Let the club pull the hand downward and don't resist by pulling from the elbow. Which brings us to straight elbows whenever the club is extended out in front, overhead, or to the sides. Having a slight bend in the elbow creates unwanted stress on it's ligaments and tendons.

 Swing safely my friends and let me know how you're progressing or ask any questions.

     

5 Club Exercises For Shoulders

WRITTEN BY DON GIAFARDINO ON JUNE 25, 2015. POSTED IN FITNESS ARTICLES

Club training is synonymous with shoulder exercise. Just about every club training movement has some degree of shoulder activity involved. If you are interested in packing some muscle on to your delts or increasing your OHP (over head pressing) strength, here are some great club training shoulder exercises.

If you are new to club training, please watch the videos on my website to get the basics down and avoid possible injury.

CLUB 2-HAND OVERHEAD PRESS EXERCISE

Begin with the club held in both hands front, elbows bent 90 degrees and press the club straight up toward the ceiling. Keep it steady by imagining a cup of water balanced on top of the club.

As you press upward wring your hands outward which keeps your elbow tissue safe. Return to starting position while wringing your hands inward. This same move can be done with one hand, but instead of starting on your body’s centerline, begin with the elbow married to your side, club held upright straight in front. Don’t forget to rotate your hand and club outward as it travels upward, and reverse on the way down.

CLUB 45 DEGREE OVERHEAD PRESS EXERCISE

The next is a variation of the overhead press, but instead of pushing the club straight up, make the club travel up and away from your body at a 45 degree angle. Some trainers refer to this as the torch press or angle press. The knob of the club should end up about eye level and the arms are fully extended at an angle up and away from the body. Remember to wring the handle. This also can be done with one hand.

CLUB SHOULDER THREAD EXERCISE

Getting away from the pressing moves, let’s add some strength/mobility to the shoulder exercises. Begin by picking the club from the floor, left hand next to the knob, right hand is under, clean it up to ready position, right elbow married to your side, left arm forearm crossing the abs.

Your two arms should form a square, the club is the corner when you look down. Raise the head or muzzle of the club up and dump it over your right shoulder, ending behind your back. Your elbows should be above your head. The right elbow should be pointing fairly forward while the left is pointing toward the left. Move the club behind your back toward the left and draw it back over your left shoulder into the opposite position that you began in. Return the club to your right side by passing it in front maintaining its upright position. This is an excellent move for building a thick powerful shoulder girdle and directly develops the rotator cuff muscles Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres Minor, and the Sub-scapularus, easy to remember by SITS. Anatomy lesson – check.

INVERTED CLUB LATERAL RAISE EXERCISE

A shoulder exercise for those who want a bit more deltoid shape is lateral raises with the club held upside-down. Simply grip the knob or the handle and raise the club laterally for medial deltoids, raise to the front for front delts, or bend forward at the waist 45 degrees, drawing the elbows up and to the rear to hit the posterior delts.

CLUB MILL EXERCISE

 The last exercise is a complex and challenging movement for the club training enthusiast. The mill is a shoulder exercise designed to develop strength and coordination. It is similar to throwing a football or cracking a whip. The easiest way to teach this drill is to practice throwing a football but never letting it go. Throw the ball like you were throwing a bomb, but don’t let it go, instead let it return in a downward arc back naturally to the cocked shoulder position.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Once you have that down, practice forceful elbow adduction to the body’s centerline. This will cause momentum when using a club and give it a ‘wag’ when performing a mill to help propel it forward and over the shoulder. Once you feel confident, practice more but using a T-ball bat. These are excellent for learning club training patterns. Get in a good hundred on each arm before using a club with any weight. Form is important here, and mills done with a light weight are excellent for joint conditioning and rehab. Mills performed heavier will be a great addition to your shoulder exercises.

BONUS: PRE-WORKOUT CLUB TRAINING WITH BODYTRIBE

Club Training Side Cast

Club Training Side Swing

The Little Things

 During my first few years of regular weight training, I read articles on heavy lifting and the authors would emphasize on the little things. Most of these concepts fell upon deaf ears with me. There was no time for nuances, training was about moving bigger weights and get stronger - period. Time would prove how wrong that thinking was.


 Fast forward to the present and my love affair with club training. Getting involved with the unconventional fitness scene has netted me some new friends with different ideas. One in particular is Chip Conrad of Bodytribe Fitness. Chip wrote an article that had an impact on me in a way where now the moment of movement is a greater sum than the total reps. It opened up the idea to study the exercise as it is being performed. The little things have now proved to be important.

 Given that the club is a ballistic tool used in multi-planar exercises, little things can make a huge difference. Take the inside mill for example. The mill is probably the first 'flashy' exercise that club enthusiasts want to learn. It is a complex circle whose arc is performed both in front of and behind the body. Needless to say that performing the mill takes a fair amount of skill, and when the club weight is increased, that skill needs to be sharpened.

 The nuance or trick that Chip's article had prompted me to learn was the importance of the position and movement of my elbow. It may not sound like much, but it was the same as someone discovering the perfect foot position for them to squat in. The club weight was able to be increased and form didn't suffer making a good environment for gains.

 A video describing this and other clubwork techniques that will help take your club training to the next level will be available soon. Until then, keep swinging my friends.

Unconventional Athletes Article June/July 2015

 The following is an article from UnconventionalAthletes.com

 There are many reasons to add clubwork to your exercise routine. Shoulder re/pre-hab seems to be the first answer that many club swingers cite. Other answers are increased range of motion, or, they   fit right into my kettle bell workout. Still others say that they enjoy the flow type of ‘katas’ that emulate elaborate sword techniques or doing a yoga session using a club. What ever the reason, it’s all good.

 By now, almost everyone in the fitness game knows about the benefits of clubwork. Increased performance in other areas of training or in the arena are sure signs that the clubs are doing their job. Some fitness enthusiasts train solely with clubwork, and while clubs alone won’t get you to enter a bodybuilding contest, they are  a great addition to shape, define, and harden muscles. With the right programming they will aid a powerlifter’s bench and deadlift. an Oly lifter’s speed, and sprinter’s performance. Fighters such as MMA and boxers have been using clubwork for years, after all it was the first battle training tool.

Humble Beginnings

 Beginning clubwork is exciting and frustrating simultaneously. The desire to copy the complex movements that so many YouTube videos show can drive a newbie into a tizzy. The first rule that must be adhered to is learn  the basics. This cannot be reiterated enough. From picking up and putting down the club to the basic swings, practicing correct form reduces injury!

 The front swing and squat are 2 important base movements. How many of you readers just thought what? Clubwork can be used for legs and this is where we’ll begin.

 The front swing. In clubwork, this is crucial to understand as it is for kettlebells. The front swing is important because that’s how the club will be raised to perform other exercises. Set the club on it’s top or muzzle, handle and knob upward. With your upper back flat and a neutral lower back, like a deadlift when the weight is above the knee, straddle the club so that it’s a bit to the rear past the ankles and grab hold of the handle, arms long, elbows locked then thrust the hips forward extending the torso and opening the knees, maintaining arm lock and flat back, forcing the club to travel up and outward bringing the muzzle to eye level. Remember the arms do not lift, they only act as a pendulum of the force generated by the hip thrust forward. The downward portion is the ‘braking’ to keep the club from hiking backward. As the club falls down, lean the torso forward like a hinge and slightly bend the knee, applying the brakes with glute and hamstring activation making sure that the club doesn’t travel any farther than 45˚ past the legs. Do not let the club hit the ground, this can cause injury. This may require practice for some, but the benefits will be there. When completed with most all clubwork exercises, lower the club as described above, but instead of swinging it upward, use the slight momentum to let the club drift forward until it slows and gently place it on the floor just in front of your feet - it is now ‘parked’. Keep in mind that this is a posterior chain exercise so be sure to engage those muscles and not squat - yet.



 The clubwork squat can vary. The easiest way to learn it is by placing the club on your shoulder much like baseball players resting their bats. Using your front swing, swing the club upward with control and catch it upon the shoulder you wish it to ‘rest’ on. Now, perform a regular squat, torso upright, scapulae pressing downward, neutral low back, weight loaded into the mid foot and heel descending the hips below the knee keeping the shins as upright as possible then drive upward through the mid foot and heels to the starting position. Keep the torso upright and stable and maintain that neutral lower back. As the squats become easier, the next step would be to hold the club upright with the elbows married to the ribs. This is the beginning of learning the front extended squat. Ultimately, the goal is extending the arms completely in front of the torso while squatting.

 These basics are a great place to start learning clubwork, practice them to get a solid foundation for future exercises.

Sore Shoulder? Your Body May Love You For It

 Club training is the one of the best ways to rehab or prehab your shoulders. The whole reason that I got into club training and designed the Adex Club was to get rid of an achy shoulder that had me in pain for a decade. Chiropractors couldn't fix it, other doctors and specialists wanted to operate but with no guarantee.

 My condition was a 'slightly' separated A/C joint and mildly torn rotator cuff muscles. Relying on time to make it better did nothing but increase the pain. At that time, training heavy was my thing so I'd tough it out through bench presses and live with the soreness. after all this is what we do, right? Until I had gotten to the point where a push up wasn't possible because of the pain. A single push up! The search to repair my shoulder now included seeking other ways of treatment.

 While searching the internet looking for relief Google directed me to a man swinging a club. He spoke of the healing benefits of club training and demonstrated some exercises with a light weight 5lb club. I didn't have a club but I did have a loadable dumb bell that I set up with 3lbs on one end. I tried hard to copy the man's patterns and began doing this everyday. Within a month, I was able to not only do a push up but 20.

 Fast forward through the development of the Adex Club, competing at Crossfit events, back to the gym for regular training all while holding jobs that require physical strength that include the shoulder. Cell tower climber, pizza man, crane operator/mechanic, ditch digger, truck driver - all these jobs wouldn't have been possible with a nagging shoulder. Incorporating club training into my regular workouts kept me working out and out working.

 The shoulder is an easy joint to injure, and the repair and rehabilitation can run into tens of thousands of dollars. Club training may be the way to either help heal or help prevent future or further injury, plus the upside of club training is that a full body workout can be accomplished with a few different weight clubs or just one Adex Club. I now use club training as my sole training preference, to do legs, upper body, arms, to stay lean and muscular. Give club training a try for your shoulder and discover what else you can do. Your body may love you for it. Also check into some of the conventional exercises found here by Mark deGrasse.

The Fitness - Life Crossover

 Reflecting on a failure can often be a good lesson if one does it properly. To just admit failure without learning why is a negative that will always remain as a bad feeling, but, if an assessment is made, it should turn to a positive.

Assessing Failure Immediately 

 How to assess a failure is a trait that must be learned, and though this should be taught in our school programming, it sadly isn't. Being truthful to oneself is an elementary character trait. Learning to be truthful can sometimes be difficult and is often disregarded due to the negative feelings it can provoke. People who live falsely in the 'positive mind set' tend to disregard failures and sweep them under a rug, while those of greatness embrace and search their failures for the err of their ways.

 Failure is a good thing, if one knows how to use failures to succeed. How many failures must Thomas Edison have had? If he failed, which he most likely did at everything that he made, and didn't analyze why the failure occurred, would he have gone on to invent so many things? The answer would be a resounding 'NO!' Mr. Edison kept trying, and analyzing each failure until he had success.

 This same concept can be applied to training. In a minute instance such as a single rep of a movement that failed, use your mind to decipher each detail and find the broken link - was my form good? Check. Was my rest time sufficient? Check. Is my nutrition on point? Check, and so on until the one little mistake, that one flaw is brought forth and identified, making sure that the next time it won't be that same thing to cause failure.

 Now this simple training analytical tactic can be pole vaulted into other areas such as work,  personality, relationships, efficiency, saving money, etc. Here is a concept that when practiced during physical exercise to proficiency builds the mind and character and that can make the big difference between failing and succeeding at everything. Go out and proudly fail at something today but be sure to give yourself some credit when that flaw is identified.

Clubwork Exercise The Clean

Clubwork Front Swing exercise

Trainers, teach newbies to learn the kettlebell front swing quickly by having them practice Clubwork front swings. The clubs are easier for the students to swing and reduce the learning curve.

45lb Gamma Cast

Clubwork Inside Mill To Outside Mill Transfer

A simple move to develop coordination. Easy to do, just perform an inside mill as normal and at the bottom of the swing pass the club to the opposite hand to begin performing an outside mill. Try it a few times to get the feel. You can see in the video that my first few swings are 'clunky' but by the 3rd one the smoothness comes out.

Being In The Moment of Movement

Today's training was my typical Monday workout. It's clubwork. it's always clubwork and maybe some sprinting. Today, I hearkened to some fine words while grinding out my reps. Concentrating on the feeling of moving the club, rather than just moving it. I became aware of subtleties that have plagued past workouts where I became frustrated with my lack of skill, and more often than not, blaming the poorly executed rep on too heavy a weight or being too tired. 

Using An Adex Club For Leg Training

 I do perform 'tune up' metcons on my off days. Either doing clubwork Tabatas or 100+ rep schemes that serve 3 purposes. The first is the obvious, to build endurance and burn the fat off my belly. Second reason is to do some opposite direction work from my normal clubwork training. The third and becoming the more important reason, is to practice the movements I do for heavy training days with a lighter weight. If you are a veteran of heavy clubwork, then you know the difference between doing an inside mill with a 15 pound club vs. a 35 pound club. If you aren't, you need to try this shit out! Back to my point - I use my Adex Club set to 15 pounds for my 'off' days. This way, I get the high reps and concentrate on where the club is, how it rotates, and what each part of my arm and body is doing. This changes to me controlling the club rather than letting it hurl itself around me.

 I first took notice of being in the moment of exercise when I read Scott Shetler's Abundant Health article about QiGong and being in the moment of performing a movement in a relaxed state. Concentrate on the flow of energy when doing QiGong or Tai Chi. Chip Conrad also has numerous articles that he's written about enjoying the moment of exercise. Chip says that we shouldn't look at exercise as drudgery, but to study it while actually doing it, to gauge how our body feels and where it is in space. This may sound very 'heady' and almost spiritual, but it opens up the mind's eye to better performance for the next time we attempt that movement. This practice has taught me when I up the weight on my club, I have to process the movement to be sure it's going correctly.

 The gist of the story is to practice movement, especially complex movements. Revert back on your off days to some lighter work and take the time to 'feel' what is going on. You'll surprise yourself when you hit the gym on your regular days and feel the progress in your body. It's the beginning of the difference between being good and being great. Move and enjoy it.

Defining Toughness

 When recently asked what toughness was. I gave it some thought, and what came to mind was an excerpt of Teddy Roosevelt's great speech "Citizenship In A Republic" and it's passage;

 "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." 

 Physical strength can be measured by lifting a weight, by running a race, or swimming a distance. Toughness has to be shown. It is shown when the underdog defeats a champion. It is shown, when, even if one fails, he pulls himself up to rally at it another time. Toughness is the tenacity one attacks a challenge with, not yielding a single drop of sweat until it's laid to rest. 

 Toughness isn't learned. It resides deep within us, and has to be coaxed from one's heart. When you see a man with a shovel and the hole he is charged to dig is large, will his strength determine the speed at which he digs, or will it be his persistence to get that task done? Sure, the strong will have an easier go at it, but it's the toughness of that man, when his strength is all but gone, to get that hole dug. Holding fast to your beliefs is toughness. Facing fears is toughness. Following through on a project is toughness. Adhering to a routine is toughness. Being uncomfortable without complaint is toughness. Effort is toughness.

 In this day of automation and instant gratification, is our toughness being washed away from us? Do we as humans have the guts to participate in the very things that defined the generations before us? Is the toughness that helped us flourish as a species dwindling from our very DNA to the point that future generations will crumble from the weight of world? One would hope not. Challenge yourself, make yourself tougher, the rest of humanity is watching.

Keeping It New

 It seems that for many of us, fitness is a way of life, and it seems, that it has always been our way. Throughout the lay-offs, injuries, and excuses about not having the time, we have begun a hundred beginnings and still persist. Fitness is ingrained in the human DNA. We are born both hunter and gatherer. Nature has given us the natural ability to chase a meal for miles and carry it home, or spend the day bending repetitiously to only have to carry the bounty back to our dwellings. The human body was designed for hard physical work but the advent of industrialization reduced much of that activity. 

 Now a days, we humans seek out ways to be active beyond our jobs. We join gyms and do the prescribed 3 X 10 workout of bench press to get our activity. After some time, that activity becomes rote, boring, and common. We have an inherent desire to try something different but don't know what or, even worse, don't know what will be an acceptable form of exercise to our peers. Try telling your bench press only buddies that you go to yoga class. Tell the ladies in the spinning class that you do 300 front swings with a 16kg kettlebell. The looks and comments that follow will sometimes amaze, keep in mind the fact that kettlebells and yoga are pretty common forms of fitness. Despite the exposure to the mindless comments, some continue to learn new ways to train, to stay strong, and challenge ourselves.

 Our peer groups seem to not invite change, especially when it has to do with the betterment of one of the individuals. Hierarchy is now challenged. The once leader of the bench press group is now trumped by the curious individual's discovery of a new way. Defense mode starts in the form of negativity toward the new activity by berating it. "Yoga is for women." "300 swings with that heavy thing? You'll look like a man." These comments are meant to determine others from joining and sometimes they work. For the most part, the curious individual continues his new found passion and becomes the trail blazer, leaving the others to discover unconventional fitness when it becomes more mainstream. Look at Crossfit, once known as circuit training in its primitive form, had no appeal to us in Junior High School. The reason? No scheduled heavy movements and the added running, so the common conception was it was for girls. Speaking of girls, they were encouraged to 'shape and tone' then. This was tunnel vision of the first degree. Looking back, if anyone had kept on doing circuit training from the '70's until now, they'd be smashing WOD's like crazy today.

 The sum of this article is a slight delve into the realities of discovering a new fitness trend - especially an unconventional one. The world longs for change yet refuses it in the same breath. We have all the proof about fitness, and yet, on it's most exposed level is still it is a cult, a sub-culture lying deep beneath a potato chip and onion dip crusted society that lays on excuses formed by negativity. This conditioning makes it harder for those who have broken through that crust, embraced a form of fitness, yet refuse to see another. Only the brave who will explore other paths, openly regarding all movement as fitness, will truly achieve a life of effortless motion.   

I'm Not Trying To Live Forever

We all have that friend, the one who says, "I'd rather enjoy life than watch what I eat, how much I drink or waste time exercising, because you've got to die from something." 

 Yeah, we'll all die from something that goes without debate, case closed. The response to the above statement is an important question - how will you live the last 20 years of your life? Granted that there are no guarantees especially on your health, we all know that, but what if you could lessen the possibilities of being dependent on the medical industry to keep you alive and moving? What if you could lessen the possibilities of being a burden to your loved ones?

 There is no need to reference the benefits of a sound diet and movement. We were born to move, from our very first hours out of the womb we began to develop motor coordination and it shouldn't stop as we grow older. Our bodies, like our minds need to be stimulated and challenged throughout the course of our lifetimes. 

 I am not going to cite references here, no medical stats, no feely good sugar coated anything. This is full on, hard core stuff that everyone needs to address in their lifetimes. The information is out there. The people to help you are out there. You just need to get off of your ass and begin to do something because the more you sit, the closer you are to being a burden. You'll spend your life's savings, your family's money on medicines and doctors instead of enjoying your retirement. 

 So begin doing something - anything today and let it progress. After all, you have to die from something but try to live a full life until the very end.

I Like To Call It Clubwork

by Don Giafardino

 Unconventional fitness is on the rise and is becoming a big business in the fitness industry. All sorts of equipment and implements are being used to train ourselves for the real world. Instructors using sandbags, wheelbarrows, and sleds are showing up at gyms everywhere and for good reason, after all, who does a bench press movement when not training? This makes perfect sense and one of the oldest, if not the oldest fitness tool ever developed is making a huge come back and it’s the club. You read that right, the club as in that big bat portrayed in comics of cavemen.

 Club training was used by ancient warriors to develop the strength and speed necessary to do battle with sword, spear, and shield. Many of the training movements in clubwork emulate sword strikes, spear throws, and shield swings.  The development of bi-lateral coordination is also a huge benefit. Have you ever tried to throw a ball with your non-dominant hand? Over time clubwork will develop your nervous system and musculature to give you the proper mechanics to use the non-dominant side of your body with a higher degree of proficiency. Think of the warrior who injures his dominant arm and is now able to continue in battle using his other. Also, with this development comes the lessening of injuries which most commonly plague the weaker side of the body such as hip, low back, and shoulder problems.

  Now that you have read this far, it’s time to introduce the club itself. Standard modern clubs are called leverage clubs, power clubs, Indian clubs, and Clubbells®. They are made in various weights starting at 1 pound and going over 80 pounds. Most are now made from metal and some are still produced in wood. Almost all clubs are manufactured in set weights (pounds or kilos) like dumbbells. Before you sneer at the seemingly light weight scale, consider going outdoors with a shovel and holding that shovel straight out at arms length. The average variety garden shovel weighs in at 4 pounds. A 25 pound club generates about 700 foot pounds of torque when swung. Pictured to the     left is a 25 pound Adex Adjustable Exercise Club®, it adjusts to 6 different weight settings. The shape of clubs are basically the same consisting of a muzzle or end, a barrel, handle, and knob. Most exercises are performed by holding the handle with one or both hands though some are done by holding the barrel and handle or just by the knob.                                                            

 Adex Adjustable Exercise Club

 Key rules to remember when beginning clubwork is good posture - chest up, neutral back, shoulders blades pressed downward. Your grip will be determined by the movement such as a straight, full handed grip for heavy swings and presses verses a relaxed thumb and two finger grip for lighter, complex swings involving wrist and elbow articulation. Grip placement on the handle is also a factor in that it changes the leverage weight of the club. Gripping the club near the barrel decreases the force of leverage while gripping further down the handle closer to the knob increases it, so the same weight club can be fine tuned to each user.  Remember to have a clear, open area with plenty of space and height - you are adding almost another 2 feet to your arm length. Also, watch for pets and children.

 Clubwork exercises will add a new dimension to your training whether it is for strength, rehab, or endurance. The exercise are multi-linear, meaning they work muscles throughout a complete range of motion or ROM. Most weight training exercises are single or two planed movements which don’t allow the muscle, tendons, and ligaments to travel their full range. This alone is what makes clubwork an excellent choice as a stand alone training system or as supplemental training to another modality. Clubs are also an awesome tool for pre/rehabbing injuries, especially the shoulders, back, arms, and chest due to the full ROM and traction on the connective tissues.

 When trying clubwork for the first time, don’t be fooled by the weight. A 25 pound dumbbell may seem light but a 25 pound club is serious business. Most men tend to do well with a 15 pounder while most women could use a 10 pound club. These weights prove challenging for basic two hand and some one handed movements. Big two handed moves strengthen the whole body, including the legs. There are many good instructional videos online to learn how to use the clubs but nothing is better than a certified instructor. 

An I, I, I Article

Today's training was my typical Monday workout. It's clubwork. it's always clubwork and maybe some sprinting. Today, I hearkened to some fine words while grinding out my reps. Concentrating on the feeling of moving the club, rather than just moving it. I became aware of subtleties that have plagued past workouts where I became frustrated with my lack of skill, and more often than not, blaming the poorly executed rep on too heavy a weight or being too tired. 

 I do perform 'tune up' metcons on my off days. Either doing clubwork Tabatas or 100+ rep schemes that serve 3 purposes. The first is the obvious, to build endurance and burn the fat off my belly. Second reason is to do some opposite direction work from my normal clubwork training. The third and becoming the more important reason, is topractice the movements I do for heavy training days with a lighter weight. If you are a veteran of heavy clubwork, then you know the difference between doing an inside mill with a 15 pound club vs. a 35 pound club. If you aren't, you need to try this shit out! Back to my point - I use my Adex Club set to 15 pounds for my 'off' days. This way, I get the high reps and concentrate on where the club is, how it rotates, and what each part of my arm and body is doing. This changes to me controlling the club rather than letting it hurl itself around me.

 I first took notice of being in the moment of exercise when I read Scott Shetler's Abundant Health article about QiGong and being in the moment of performing a movement in a relaxed state. Concentrate on the flow of energy when doing QiGong or Tai Chi. Chip Conrad also has numerous articles that he's written about enjoying the moment of exercise. Chip says that we shouldn't look at exercise as drudgery, but to study it while actually doing it, to gauge how our body feels and where it is in space. This may sound very 'heady' and almost spiritual, but it opens up the mind's eye to better performance for the next time we attempt that movement. This practice has taught me when I up the weight on my club, I have to process the movement to be sure it's going correctly.

 The gist of the story is to practice movement, especially complex movements. Revert back on your off days to some lighter work and take the time to 'feel' what is going on. You'll surprise yourself when you hit the gym on your regular days and feel the progress in your body. It's the beginning of the difference between being good and being great. Move and enjoy it.