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Why train with clubbells and macebells ?

In the world of fitness, each tool brings its own advantages. But some stand out for their ability to deliver benefits that other equipment simply cannot. The clubbell and macebell, with their distinctive shape and weight concentrated at one end, are such tools.

This article explores two specific benefits of using the clubbell and macebell in your training: developing rotational strength and improving rotational overhead mobility of the shoulders and thoracic spine. These aspects are not only essential for athletes, but also beneficial for the musculoskeletal health and daily performance of anyone seeking to enrich their sporting practice.

Development of rotational strength

The main advantage of the clubbell and macebell is their ability to develop rotational strength, a quality little or not worked on with other fitness equipment such as dumbbells, Olympic bars or even kettlebells.

By their shape and the nature of the associated exercises, the clubbell and macebell engage the body in the frontal and transverse planes, unlike traditional strength and conditioning movements which are generally performed in the sagittal plane. Although other tools can be swung in a circular fashion, the clubbell and macebell are the best tools for the job.

This multidirectional solicitation is crucial to the development of strength that is not only powerful but also adaptable to a variety of sporting and functional movements, offering more complete physical preparation and better injury prevention.

In fact, rotational strength is crucial for many sports and physical activities, such as golf, tennis, martial arts and swimming. The “swing” and “mill”, flagship movements with macebell and clubbell, deeply engage the core muscles, especially the obliques, as well as the back and shoulder muscles.

This specificity makes the clubbell and macebell extremely effective tools for improving athletic performance and reducing the risk of injury in situations where rotary movements are frequent.

Improvement of rotational overhead mobility

The second advantage of the clubbell and macebell is their contribution to improving overhead rotational mobility, particularly in the shoulder and thoracic spine areas. This ability is essential not only for athletes, such as throwers or swimmers, but also for the general health of the shoulders and back.

Overhead swings with clubbell and macebell force the user to maneuver the weight in complex planes of movement, encouraging greater range of motion and strengthening the muscles responsible for arm rotation and elevation.

This practice stretches and strengthens the tissues around the shoulders and upper back, improving flexibility and reducing tension often associated with static posture or repetitive movements.

Conclusion

The clubbell and macebell prove to be exceptional tools for those looking to enrich their physical training with exercises that go beyond conventional routines. Thanks to their unique design and the specific movements they enable, these tools can significantly improve rotational strength and shoulder and back mobility, skills often neglected in more traditional training.

These benefits are essential not only for top-level athletes, but also for anyone concerned about their musculoskeletal health and their ability to perform on a daily basis with greater efficiency and less risk of injury. If you want to transform your approach to fitness training, pick up a macebell or clubbell, and swing regularly!

What’s the difference between functional training and hybrid training ?

In the world of fitness and physical preparation, there are a multitude of approaches to improving performance and achieving specific objectives. Among these, two methods stand out for their effectiveness and unique philosophy : functional training and hybrid training.

Hybrid training aims to combine several, often opposing, training modalities to excel in various disciplines such as strength and endurance. Hybrid athletes seek to bypass the areas of interference between these physical qualities to perform simultaneously in strength and endurance sports.

Functional training focuses on preparing the body for everyday tasks, emphasizing movement, motor patterns and energy systems. The aim is to develop overall performance in order to meet the challenges of everyday life and improve health and general well-being.

This article explores in detail what distinguishes functional training from hybrid training.

What is hybrid training

Hybrid training is an approach that involves mixing several training modalities – usually two, sometimes more – often “opposite” on the spectrum of physical qualities : for example, strength/power and endurance.

The term “opposite” refers to the area of interference that can occur when an athlete tries to develop two antagonistic physical qualities. This area of interference could severely limit the practitioner’s progress in the two qualities he is trying to improve.

The hybrid athlete seeks to bypass this area of interference by performing in both strength sports such as weightlifting or athletic strength, and endurance sports such as running, cycling or swimming.

Hybrid training most often takes the form of powerlifting + ultra running. Some hybrid athletes are beginning to be known for their more than respectable performances in both sports : examples include Nick Bare and Fergus Crawley.

The real advantage of this training method is that you can perform at the same time. It’s not a question of lifting big amount of weights 6 months of the year to reach a PR, then switching to running for 6 months and running an ultra marathon.

No, these athletes are capable of achieving both performances on the same day.

What is functional training

Functional training is a type of training designed to prepare the body for life’s daily tasks. It’s a vision of the body as a whole, an approach to training through movement, motor patterns, physical qualities and energy systems.

The aim of functional training is to make you more effective in your everyday life, both at work and in your personal life. It allows you to be ready for more or less any situation. Above all, it makes you healthier and helps you feel good in body and mind. Feeling flexible, mobile, strong, explosive, enduring and so on has repercussions on the mind.

To achieve this result, it is necessary to work the body as a whole. Training must therefore incorporate all types of body movement, in all planes, with the aim of developing all physical qualities and stimulating all energy production systems:

  • Bodyweight movements : crawling, pushing/standing up, crouching, walking, running, pulling/climbing, jumping
  • Loaded movements : lifting, carrying, squatting, pushing, pulling, throwing, landing
  • Movement planes : sagittal plane, frontal plane, transverse plane
  • Energy systems : anaerobic alactic, anaerobic lactic, aerobic

In short, for a training program to be considered functional, it must involve all types of movement, in all planes of motion, and at different intensities, with the aim of developing all physical qualities:

  • Movement capacity (flexibility, mobility)
  • Muscular capacity (max strength, explosive strength and endurance strength)
  • Work capacity (stamina, endurance)
  • Coordination capacity (differentiation, reaction, rhythm, orientation, balance)

The difference between functional training and hybrid training

Functional training and hybrid training are similar in that they share a common objective : to develop several physical qualities at the same time.

However, functional training goes further.

Firstly, functional training doesn’t just seek to develop two opposing physical qualities simultaneously, but all the physical qualities at once to be as complete as possible.

What’s more, one of the main aims of functional training is to be able to adapt to any situation you encounter : whether you’re moving a load or moving your body, over a short or long distance, for a short or long time, and so on.

One type of training is not necessarily better than another. It all depends on your desires and goals.

Functional training focuses on the overall development of physical capacities to improve daily performance and general health. It aims to prepare the body for all possible situations by integrating a variety of movements and motor patterns. It’s all about being “good” everywhere.

On the other hand, hybrid training pushes the boundaries by combining often opposing training modalities, such as strength and endurance, to excel simultaneously in several disciplines. Hybrid athletes demonstrate a remarkable ability to perform in demanding sports, balancing the constraints and benefits of each type of training.

Choosing between these two approaches largely depends on your personal goals and preferences. Whether you’re looking to improve your overall fitness and daily well-being with functional training, or push your limits in a variety of disciplines with hybrid training, both methods offer unique and significant benefits.

What is the kettlebell really made for ?

Today, there are many articles and videos presenting the many benefits of the kettlebell : total body strengthening, grip strengthening, cardio development, core strengthening and more. All these benefits are real. However, they could just as easily be brought in with other tools like the Olympic barbell, dumbbells, etc.

The aim of this article is to identify the real benefits of the kettlebell. Is there really any benefit to be gained from the kettlebell that can’t be achieved with other tools ?

Make no mistake : in our opinion, the kettlebell is indispensable. But maybe not for the reasons you might imagine.

What the kettlebell is not the best tool for

We’ll start with the benefits that we believe the kettlebell can actually deliver, but which could be achieved just as effectively with other tools.

Here’s what the kettlebell is NOT the ideal tool for :

  • For grip strengthening : Kettlebell training will indeed develop your grip, thanks in particular to the long sets, and also in the rack position compared to the position of the kb on the forearm, but this is a secondary benefit. Your forearms and hands can be worked more efficiently with other tools.
  • For building muscle : Yes, a weight is a weight, so you can build muscle with the kettlebell. But you can do it more effectively with other tools like machines, barbells and dumbbells.
  • For getting stronger : It all depends on how you define “being strong”. As with muscle gain, a weight is a weight, so it’s perfectly possible to get strong with kettlebells. But you can do it just as effectively with other tools, especially the barbell.
  • For improving cardio : Yes, but as with any other tool. It’s how you work with the weight that will make or break your cardio, not the nature of the weight. You can achieve the same results with a dumbbell, barbell, etc.
  • For building core strength : Here again, you can develop your abdominal muscles just as effectively with other tools.
  • For improving flexibility and mobility : Yes, but can be done just as effectively with other tools.
  • For burning calories : Yes, but can be done just as effectively with any other tool. It’s the amount of effort that’s important, not the tool.
  • For correcting muscle imbalances (aka unilateral work) : Yes, but can also be done with a dumbbell or any other one-handed tool.

The point here is not to say that the kettlebell is useless, but on the contrary to prove to you that it is indispensable. It’s just that it’s not particularly so for all the points we’ve just mentioned.

What the kettlebell is indispensable for

The real advantage of the kettlebell lies in its particular shape. As the handle is above the mass, the center of gravity is not in the hand, but rather below it. This configuration enables the execution of pendulum movements, the main one being the famous swing.

Introduction to plyometrics

Before being an exercise category, plyometrics is above all a muscular contraction regime. This is the linking of the eccentric and concentric phases of a movement, without stopping and in an explosive manner.

When a muscle is stretched rapidly, the so-called myotatic reflex occurs. The myotatic reflex acts as a muscle protector : it tries to resist the change in length by causing the stretched muscle to contract. The faster the muscle is stretched, the stronger the contraction.

This is the advantage of plyometrics : the “involuntary/unconscious” elastic force is added to the “voluntary/conscious” muscular force of the exerciser, enabling maximum muscle contraction speed compared to other types of exercise or contraction regimes.

This very fast muscular contraction enables optimum development of explosiveness and power.

Heavy plyometric hip work : the “what the hell” effect

Chances are you’ve already heard about the “what the hell” effect of kettlebell training. This is the effect seen by new kettlebell users after the first few months of training.

These practitioners generally observe a significant increase in their overall athletic ability : they feel sharper, more agile, faster and more powerful.

This effect is often attributed to the fact that the kettlebell works the whole body : improving grip, strengthening the core, strengthening stabilizing muscles and so on. These elements certainly contribute to the general feeling.

But in our opinion, the main factor in the “what the hell” effect is the hip extension power developed by the discipline’s flagship exercise : the kettlebell swing (and possibly associated exercises such as the clean and snatch).

Hip extension is one of the key elements of athletic performance, as it enables the transfer of force from the lower to the upper limbs. And swinging is one of the best exercises for developing this quality.

In fact, the swing is a plyometric exercise par excellence : an abrupt stretch of the posterior chain during the negative phase of the exercise, followed by a powerful, rapid contraction during the ascent phase. And as we saw in the previous section, plyometrics are ideal for developing explosiveness and power.

So new kettlebell users don’t feel more athletic because the kettlebell works the whole body (you might as well work the whole body with other tools), but because they’ve spent time practicing the kettlebell swing and thus developing their hip extension power.

What the kettlebell is really made for

This brings us to the conclusion of this article : what the kettlebell can do that can’t be done with other tools (or at least not as well). As you can see, the kettlebell is the most suitable tool for swing training, and therefore for working the loaded hip extension at maximum speed.

Jumps and sprints also work the hip extension at maximum speed, but are not heavily loaded.

Olympic Weightlifting exercises such as the clean and snatch work the loaded hip extension, but at a slower speed as they are not plyometric exercises and therefore do not benefit from the elastic strength of the posterior chain muscles.

The kettlebell swing combines the best of both worlds : high load and maximum contraction speed.

So swing, swing often, swing heavy !