Club bell guide

[Animalonfire]

Just wondering if anyone can recommend a good club bell guide, as there are plenty out there and if other genres of book are anything to go by the majority are probably to a low standard. I'm mainly in it for the pre/rehab to the wrists and shoulders, so unless told otherwise I'm going to go for a 6kg pair and strive for 30 or so reps/set (measured in seconds after I've established how long 30ish reps take).

Back to the point: Any good club bell guides? I don't mind old school books btw...

Thanks

[Cole Dano]

If you want club bells for the reasons stated, you are much better to use Indian Clubs and start with a light weight.

Already at 6kg the types of movements available are limited unless you already have prefect and very strong shoulders.

I started with a one and two pound pair, and for the first number of months didn't pick up the two pounders. In fact using them two soon along with being overzealous with dislocates caused me a bout of impingement that is finally subsiding.

Oddly once the movements have become smooth, and after dedicated shoulder rehab, i find using a pair of three pounders i received for Christmas to be like magic for my shoulders, but this is after about a 9 months of building up to it.

I will say that properly used the Indian Clubs are one of the greatest shoulder prehab tools, and are an enjoyable art of their own.

If you want sources for clubs or educational materials please ask, otherwise i'll avoid making unnecessary advertisements.

[Aaron Griffin]

To clarify something: clubbells are full on workout tools, in the same vein as kettlebells are. Indian Clubs are pre/rehab tools. Though I guess they do sell started clubbells....

[Pedro Otero]

I will say that properly used the Indian Clubs are one of the greatest shoulder prehab tools, and are an enjoyable art of their own.

If you want sources for clubs or educational materials please ask, otherwise i'll avoid making unnecessary advertisements.

I don't know about him; but I'm certainly interested

[Cole Dano]

To clarify something: clubbells are full on workout tools, in the same vein as kettlebells are. Indian Clubs are pre/rehab tools. Though I guess they do sell started clubbells....

Club bells have managed to confuse themselves with Indian Clubs. Club bells being made of iron in a shape similar to a baseball bat, and generally come in heavier weight ranges.

Indian Clubs start quite light, one pound, and get heavier, up to 60 pounds. They are fatter and longer than the club bells and have what i think is a nice balance. The light ones are the best for prehab, up to about 5 pounds. The movements done with the heavier ones will be quite similar to the club bells, and are more strength oriented.

For prehab the Indian Clubs and the 'traditional' patterns are the way to go. Start light and work up.

The best source to learn the patterns is a DVD by Grey Cook in collaboration with Dr Ed Thomas and can be found at Dragon Door.

They also sell a thermo plastic club which is just fine to start. The club set also comes with a DVD, but its hard to learn from at first as the presentation doesn't make the different patterns clear. The Cook DVD is much better, but unfortunately the pricing is more than the clubs!

Richard Army Macguire also has a DVD out its not a expensive, covers a few more topics, but overall the instruction and demos of the Cook DVD are by far and away the best.

[Animalonfire]

Thanks for the help. I'll defiantly buy one of the DVD's and go for the 1lb Indian clubs (6Kg was a recommendation from the first site I stumbled across :oops: ).

One last thing, as I'm going for such a modest weight could I get away with saving money buy finding cheap cricket bats or something similar? 40 USD seems quite steep for two clubs, but of course I'll go for it if need be. My grip is surprisingly weak considering the amount of penny pinching I do :wink:

[Cole Dano]

Being in Bath you might be able to find something locally, as the clubs are more popular in the UK, the last bastion of old time strength training! There is a club in Sheffield, but the prices are high.

The nicest ones i know of are from Revolution Clubs in Texas. For the small price difference i'd get them, wood trumps plastic. I have the plastic one and two pounders, and i'll tell you the oak ones feel much less like toys, though the plastic ones are fine, and admittedly will be indestructible.

I don't really know how well a cricket bat would work, but if you have a couple laying around you could try.

If you do get something, let me know, i'm happy to help figure anything out.

[Pedro Otero]

They also sell a thermo plastic club which is just fine to start. The club set also comes with a DVD, but its hard to learn from at first as the presentation doesn't make the different patterns clear. The Cook DVD is much better, but unfortunately the pricing is more than the clubs!

Richard Army Macguire also has a DVD out its not a expensive, covers a few more topics, but overall the instruction and demos of the Cook DVD are by far and away the best.

Does that refer only to Maguire's "Introduction and Techniques for Club Swinging" that comes with the club sets, or have you seen the new "Techniques for Light Indian Club Swinging" too?

[Cole Dano]

I haven't seen it, its on the list though.

[Pedro Otero]

I bit the bullet and got the Gray Cook one and the dragoondoor plastic clubs (with the free Ed Thomas DVD as well.) After too many hours obsessing over it I figured the added price was worth not losing yet more hours out of my life deciding.

Even Maguire's new "light" clubs DVD is apparently for 2 and 3lb clubs, so for a raw beginner your original assessment will probably stand anyway.

Can't wait for my super shoulders, heh. If this helps them stop popping all the time I'll owe you one.

[Cole Dano]

I bit the bullet and got the Gray Cook one and the dragoondoor plastic clubs (with the free Ed Thomas DVD as well.) After too many hours obsessing over it I figured the added price was worth not losing yet more hours out of my life deciding.

Even Maguire's new "light" clubs DVD is apparently for 2 and 3lb clubs, so for a raw beginner your original assessment will probably stand anyway.

Can't wait for my super shoulders, heh. If this helps them stop popping all the time I'll owe you one.

Hey let me know how this goes, its kind of become a bug for me now. There is so little info out there that, the more of us there are the better. It almost became a lost art. And i've done the same obsessing!

My popping has improved allot, i'd say we aren't that far off body type wise. Of course its also due to all the routines learned at the seminar, every Saturday its like a ritual, shoulder routine followed by DVD rental.