One of the things I've been wanting to get for a long time is finally coming true and that's having a set of Indian Clubs. I have a Mace and a couple Thor Hammers at home that I use from time to time in Indian style training but knowing that having the classic style Clubs will be in my possession is another layer of icing on the cake.
For those playing the home game and wondering what the hell the Clubs are; they're an ancient training tool for the middle eastern wrestlers that dominated their variation of the sport for centuries and arguably started the Physical Culture evolution. There are heavier weighted clubs you can grab but that's mainly for strength purposes and only for those particular athletes that are at an advanced level of elite competition. Wrestlers were considered the elite group of athletes in India for many years and were some of the most feared in their time. The most famous and arguably the greatest of all Indian Wrestlers was the Great Gama who was undefeated in 5000 Matches over a 50 year career.
Back to the Clubs; the lighter sets focused more on mobility and conditioning to keep the body healthy and targeting the shoulder joints and arm agility. This helped keep wrestlers in shape especially with the way they grip, these guys could squeeze the living hell out of you and they're serious business. In addition to calisthenics, wrestling, running, rope climbing and gymnastic type movements, they were in far better condition than many of the elite wrestlers around the world. The lighter Clubs became a staple for Physical Culture within the British Army in the Victorian Era as soldiers were taught a series of exercises that educated the musculature structure and evolved this style of training for health enthusiasts in Europe and eventually in the United States.
In the 20's and 30's, Club training started winding down due to up and coming training methods brought on the weightlifting popularity that took the world of fitness at the time by storm. Gymnasiums becoming more like a Health Club and revolutionizing fitness to whole new era. In the last decade, the Indian Clubs have slowly started making a comeback due to bringing back the ideal methods of functional movement and increasing the health of the joints and ligaments regardless of age.
Companies such as Onnit, RMAX, Atomic Athletic and others provide variations of the Indian Clubs from modern craftsmanship of Metal and Wood to the classic development of the Persian Meels that were a staple in Indian Culture. I got my Clubs from here and started training my shoulders to prepare for them using the Chest Expander and doing various exercises to hit from many angles as possible. I snatched up a 2 lb. pair of Clubs and sure the weight may seem like nothing but when you dig into the movements and keeping a solid grip and utilizing your core, shoulders and arms, they can give you a workout that will blow your mind. Kids at a young age can do them, people in their 40's, 50's, 60's and beyond can do them, they're amazing for combat athletes and can aid the average joe in getting him/her into amazing shape.
Grab a pair for yourself and open up a new door to a world of fitness that has become nearly a lost art. Do the very same exercises as soldiers from the 1800's to the athletes of early 20th century. Be a part of history again in the technological age and get your body fit in the old school style.
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