Swing Away With A Mace

            One of the oldest tools of the ancient warriors is the Mace or Gada of Indian Culture. It was a soldier’s prominent weapon for combat which he also used to train sufficiently with. When he swung it, it was beautiful but also powerful. A Mace can range in weight to well over 70 lbs. and an expert of the Gada took no exception to master its intimidating look. It’s come into prominence lately in the last few years even though it’s not as popular as the clubs; it’s still an effective exercise.

            In wrestling, circular movements are the foundation of mastering the art like the Hindu Squats & Hindu Push-ups, the Gada and the Clubs. These things build a level of strength & endurance that works the whole body from head to toe and give you a workout that will have you begging for mercy. In its heyday, Indian Wrestling or Kushti was the dominant sport and nobody made it more feared all over than the Great Gama. He used these very same exercises and tools to become the only undefeated man in his sport with a record of 5000 matches won. Using the Gada in a circular fashion works your body like very few can compare.

            There are many ways to use the Mace, the main one is what’s called 360’s where you put one hand over the other, push up and let the Mace swing over the shoulders as you keep a tight grip. I love this exercise as it works your upper body like crazy and the heavier it is, the more balance you’re going to need to do this with ease and that’s where great strength and coordination come into play. Other exercises like spearing, chopping, shoveling, curling and others work the body like I said before that very few can compare. Karl Gotch also used this and can be do well over 100 reps with a 50 lb. Mace and did it with ease even into his 60’s. A workout just with this can help you gain flexibility in the shoulders, hits your obliques, strengthens the arms and works your back to give you that muscular look but have the strength to go along with it. Never underestimate this.

            I've always emphasized old school training because quite frankly it works but more than that it gives you a chance to feel like you’re back in time to a place where training was not that huge on society and fitness was more of health and natural strength & conditioning. Take into consideration that at this point in History, if you wanted to get in awesome shape you used basic weights, odd objects if you were in a job that required that, trained outside climbing, swinging clubs and a mace, plus diets back then didn't exist. To get the most benefit, think old school training and eating because when you come to grips with this, it gives you a perspective on why it’s so much better for you and less confusing than the crap being thrown around today. Give it a shot and be shocked on how simple real exercise can be without the wear and tear of isolating every single thing in your body.

Hints Of Conditioning From The 60 Min. Men

           Back in the old days of Professional Wrestling, if you were the world champ and you had a main event, it was common for wrestlers to go for an hour or more draw. Now just being physically gifted is one thing, you also needed the mentality because wrestling for that long would give the average person a stroke if not kill them. Men like Lou Thesz, Vern Gagne, Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Jerry Brisco, Harley Race & the Funks all at certain times in their careers had what was the called The One Hour Broadways where commonly if there was running feud, they’d have matches that went to an hour draw or drew from 2/3 falls. Ric Flair was considered the 60 min. man because he constantly went that amount of time with whomever he wrestled when he was the main guy.

            Granted, this was around the early TV era to about the late 80’s, nowadays, hour long matches are rarely seen, mostly in the indies or every now and then Ring Of Honor but long before the TV era, matches sometimes lasted more than 2 hours. One match where Ed “Strangler” Lewis and I believe Joe Stecher went at it for more than 5 hours. I couldn't sit through a match like that and I’m big on technical/scientific wrestling. To be prepared for a match of an hour or more is insane, the conditioning is beyond its peak and you’re mental capacity is taken to the limit.

            To even get to that point, your training has to be at the top of your priority, even back when wrestlers fought for real and entertainment wasn't a factor yet except in the carnies you had to be in the best shape of your life otherwise you’re out of a job or if you couldn't handle it, your pay was cut short. One of the best in the game who didn't have the charisma but the physical and mental attributes to be tireless was the late Karl Gotch. He emphasized the importance of training your musculature from every possible angle to get the best benefit for a match or to stay in peak physical condition. Squats, Push-ups, Bridging are key ingredients but keep in mind the supplemental exercises that become a factor.

            One of my favorite forms of conditioning is training like an animal in the jungle where you learn to move in awkward positions, think about it in wrestling (not WWE crap), you’re going to be in a position that isn’t always natural and might need to get out of a hold or keep your opponent at bay. Training with basic elements using multiple muscle groups keeps you in shape for the long haul. Barbell & Dumbbell Exercises are great for moving weight but they don’t have that same awkward positioning you have to make say like from lifting Odd Objects or moving with weight on your back.

            In India where wrestling was the sport of all sports, athletes worked in many different aspects and most likely Physical Culture developed. They used exercises in a more circular fashion (Hindu Squats, Hindu Push-ups, Clubs & Mace) so they can get great benefit for when they did Jor (aka Wrestling). Their matches in tournaments would commonly last an hour or more and the better man was usually the one in more condition and would end up beating the opponent by a throw or a pin or even took him by surprise when the other man was exhausted. These guys were some of the most feared in all aspects of wrestling; the most feared of them all was the great Gama to a degree that even American Champ Frank Gotch wouldn't want anything to do with him. Gama’s conditioning is the stuff of legends and although most of his matches rarely lasted more then a few minutes, he most likely could go easily in an hour or longer bout if he wanted to, he was that well conditioned.

            You don’t have to be a wrestler to understand conditioning but it wouldn't hurt to learn how you can keep your endurance up in other sports say like the Ironman, Basketball, Football, Gymnastics, even Soccer & Rugby. Every sport has specific conditioning programs to them but if you want to be the very best, you have to condition more than the other guy, not to compete against him in a training session but to keep you as less tired and fatigued as possible. In the UFC, conditioning is a tool you need more than anything else. You can punch, kick, slap a hold on or takedown as many times as you can but if you can’t keep it up in the later duration of the fight, you will get your ass kicked. If you want to be in serious condition, train like you can go an hour or more without blinking an eye.

            Nobody knows conditioning more than a wrestler does. He/she has to go through training that breeds a special kind of athlete, to understand conditioning to the highest level, turn to a wrestler and they’ll tell you how easy you have it made. You don’t have to be a wrestler to be in crazy condition but it’s important to learn the aspects of conditioning from a wrestler that’ll give you the competitive edge over your sport and training in general. Even if you just want to get in great shape and high levels of energy, a wrestler can give you the best tips.

            If you know the fictional legend of Tarzan, he is the embodiment of the ultimate athlete. He climbs, runs, swims, wrestles wild animals and can move through the jungle like nobody’s business. He’s one of my favorite characters and I strive to train the best I can to be like that, maybe not to the extreme like he does but to keep in awesome life-long shape. Want to know a certain way to in touch with your inner Tarzan, look to Erwan Le Corre, the founder of the Physical Education system MovNat that teaches you to unleash your inner spirit for natural movement like when you were a kid. Keep in condition, stay healthy and have a kick ass time doing it.

Powerful Functional Legs

             It is one of the most solid foundations to have strong, agile, functional and powerful legs. If you’re in a sport, your legs are your carryover. You can’t kick a soccer ball, score a touchdown, jump shoot a basketball or run the bases in baseball without the use of your legs. It is important to have the best legs possible, not just in sports but in real life, if you’re in law enforcement you might need to run down a suspect, if you’re a strongman you might need to use your legs for certain feats like bending or maybe pulling a large object like a truck possibly. You see way too many guys in the gym that have flamingo legs meaning large upper body and bird legs. Never fall for this.

            Having a powerful lower body is essential to the many things life offers but power doesn't always mean super strong, it’s crucial to also have flexible and supple joints, tendons and ligaments. I know this all too well because of the recovery from my accident 8 years ago. I started out with squats but as I learned flexibility training it became more important. Stretching is a key to lifelong health so it’s important to find the best ways to keep you from having burned out legs as you get older. Remember to learn to relax as you stretch, the key is to release tension because the more relaxed you are, you can be more explosive and powerful later on.

            We all know the key to superhuman legs is squats but that’s not the only exercise that builds them. Squats are usually the straight up and down exercise but what about directional movements or isometric holds for different directions. When you lift odd objects, your legs aren't always going to go up and down, you need to move in different patterns to lift certain things like Rocks, kegs, logs and furniture. You want to keep strong in every direction possible. Think of it like wrestling; you don’t always shoot in for the kill, you need to shift the body for certain moves or holds that require flexibility otherwise you’re just going to be stiff and you’re down for the count.

            The single most important reason the legs need to be super strong is because they also build crazy lung power which amps up your conditioning. I have repeated it so many times but certain people need to get this planted into their brain, the late Karl Gotch has said “Conditioning is your best hold.” This means the more conditioned you are, the longer you can go and can stay in the game. This goes for everything. Endurance is essential and yes it’s possible to have big legs and still have insane stamina (Great Gama anyone). You don’t always need high volume training to build endurance and certain things won’t build lung power the way you might think. Powerful muscle and endurance go hand in hand. Keep your legs strong, supple and crazy powerful because you never know when they might come in handy when the time calls for them. 

Let’s Go Clubbing

            And you thought I was going to tell you to hit the bars, go dancing and have a night on the town. Wrong again. Having fun can be one thing and there’s nothing wrong with going out and having a good time but for right now, health is the focus point here and I’m going to share with you some history, training, ideas and things to try on to get you up to a higher level of strength, flexibility and super power in the joints and muscles.

            The club wasn't originally known as a group of people or a fitness place to go to or even the name of some pampas ass rich people’s venue. This club or series of clubs was the training tool for wrestlers in the middle east for their sport called Kushti, similar in style to our Greco-Roman but still can use the legs for take-downs and such. Each morning a typical coach or Guru would have his athletes get up before dawn, run a couple miles, come back and do warm up drills, wrestle, eat/drink and get back to training until the day was over. In the middle of these sessions, the wrestlers would often swing what’s called the Jori or the Gada/Mace in various weights and proportions. These tools would help the wrestlers learn to move weight in various movements mostly circular.

            When the British colonized in various Middle Eastern countries such as India learned the skills of club swinging and other exercises and took them back to the English colonies in Europe and eventually to the Americas most notably in Northern America and trained with these very same tools for battle during the American Revolution and other wars soon after. It became a hit in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries as you had Physical Culturists from one side of the earth to the next teaching the various movements of the Clubs. Unless you were an advanced athlete, you had to get a weight heavy enough to work but the majority of Clubs used were very light in weight no more than 10-20 pounds and even less than that. The less weighted clubs were used to aid and strengthen flexibility in the arms, shoulders and elbow joints of the upper body giving you that awkward but effective range of motion if you were an athlete or just an average guy looking to be in shape.

            The most famous Wrestler of that era in India was The Great Gama, if you ever read my articles you would know who he is by now. He is considered by many to be the most feared wrestler of his generation, not even the legendary grapplers Frank Gotch & George Hackenshmidt wanted to face this beast of a man. At 5’7 and no more than 270, Gama was at his peak the best conditioned athlete, although his numbers are exaggerated by any stretch he like many other students at that time wrestled, swam, did hundreds of calisthenics such as squats and push-ups and being on a diet that the majority was vegetarian. At times during his 5000 undefeated winning streak, Gama would receive a basket of tropical fruits and vegetables as a championship trophy in his honor as a vegetarian. One of the most famous pictures of the legendary grappler is of him standing with a massive club on his shoulders. This club wasn’t used for training but was considered a Trophy for a big time championship. The club is said to have weighed at 80 lb.

            Club swinging when done properly takes strength training to a whole new level. You can lift as many weights as you want but if you tried to swing a 30 or 40 lb. club you’d getting your ass kicked in the first minute. With lighter clubs however these can help strengthen the joints in your upper body to peak condition. Clubs have been used by top MMA athletes, Football players, baseball players, strongmen, gymnasts, wrestlers, war vets as far back as the Civil War. Some Clubs are made out of natural wood but you can also get them steel made or with very hard rubber. Two guys I can think of that have really cool versions of the Club are Ryan Pitts at Strongergrip.com and Scott Sonnon at Clubbells.tv. Each of them have their own style of swinging and one of them believe it or is used in Yoga to get that extra edge from doing free-handed postures.

            Like with everything else, it takes skill and practice different movements in precise dynamic fashion but they’re a lot of fun to do. I can’t wait to get my own set of clubs that I can play with but for now I’m settling with what is just as fun and even cooler than the clubs and that’s a couple Thor Hammers that I have. The Thor Hammer is just as effective as a regular club for swinging but the extra benefits of hitting it with a tire and the fact that the handle is much thicker than a regular hammer or club makes it that much more effective for grip strength, hand/eye coordination, tendon and joint building and the ability to just hold it for a period makes it a hell of an isometric exercise. Get your hands on your own sets of clubs or hammers and jack up your strength and conditioning faster than ever before. Keep it interesting and have fun, that what it’s all about.