It happens to every true clubbell athlete at some point. No one can avoid it forever. For me, it happened at the local YMCA in the weight training room two years ago. I was working out in the free weights section, tucked in a corner where, hopefully, nobody would bother me. Alas, my efforts to remain anti-social did not succeed for long. I had brought a pair of 15 lb clubbells with me that day, which I brought to the gym regularly, and was performing my usual routine with them.

Then it happened. Despite my lack of proximity and the scowl that appeared on my face as he approached, he started his long journey from all the way across the free weights section. Picture a guy in his mid-20′s who has been training for years, but hasn’t managed to change at all. He’s cocky, and naturally, he’s also a know-it-all – despite his apparent lack of progress (25 lb curls anyone?). His pace was steady, and eyes, hungry. I tried not to make eye contact in hopes that my awkward presence would detour him to the hip adductor machine. It was no use. He walked right up to me, nearly getting his pimpled face impaled by a 15 lb clubbell traveling at the speed of light. And what does he do? He just stands there and stares at me for a moment, with an almost satisfied look on his face.

“Nothing to see here – no tricks today,” I thought as I stared back into his inquisitive eyes. Then it happened. He opened his mouth and revealed his true incompetence when he said with a sinister smirk, “Hey man, those bats look great for shoulders.”

Knowing full-well the implications of this ludicrous statement, I cringed at the thought of how I would respond and instinctively gripped my clubbells until my knuckles whitened. This was in part an instinctive move for self-defense purposes and also to avoid a massive forehead-slap that would have broken the sound barrier and dropped everyone in the room like flies – bodies falling into an immediate comatose state.

After I had taken a deep breath and suppressed the surge of adrenaline in my veins, I looked him directly in the eyes and said what any self-respecting clubbell athlete would say, “Yeah, you got that right buddy.” And immediately, I started swinging my clubbells again, at which he chuckled and went back to whatever he was doing before.

Now, I think I dissolved the situation pretty well, and most importantly, nobody got hurt. But had I been as clever as my good friend, Shane Heins, a fellow clubbell athlete and expert instructor, then I might have responded like this…

Clubbell Training – More Than Meets The Eye

Note: For those who are not yet familiar with clubbells, this will help you get an idea of the total cumulative training effect that clubbell training – done properly – can have on the body. In particular, note that the vast majority of exercises are actually driven by the legs and hips, channeled through the core, and extended down the arms and into the clubbell. So much for clubbells being just for grip strength and shoulder mobility.

Continue reading Clubbells: Not Just For Grip Strength and Shoulder Mobility