Home Gym Equipment: Steel Weights

Workout clubs and maces are weight training tools that offer a dynamic and functional approach to fitness. They resemble ancient hand-to-hand combat weapons (clubs and maces) with a long handle and a blunt, weighted end.

A workout club looks remarkably similar to the weapon it’s named after. It features a handle and a wider, heavier end, sort of like a baseball bat, but thicker. Compared to maces, clubs (also called “clubbells”) have a short handle and a more evenly distributed weight, instead of the weight being packed into a tight ball on the end of the shaft. This makes them versatile for a variety of exercises, including swings, rotations, and throws. They're great for building grip strength, shoulder stability, and overall coordination.

Compared to a club, steel maces or “macebells” have a longer (but thinner and lighter) handle and a heavy, bulbous head, with most of the weight concentrated at the very end. This creates a greater offset weight and leverage challenge, making them ideal for rehabilitation and developing rotational power, core strength, and shoulder mobility. Maces are often used for dynamic swinging movements that engage the entire body.

Yes, clubs and macebells offer unique and effective workouts! They engage muscles differently than traditional weights, improving grip, functional strength, coordination, and mobility, particularly in the shoulders, elbows, wrists, and core. The dynamic movements involved in swinging and rotating these tools also enhance cardiovascular fitness and burn calories. Many people find exercising with clubs and maces much more fun and engaging than traditional weightlifting.

Mace and club training offer amazing benefits, including improved functional strength, coordination, grip strength, and shoulder health. There aren’t any “cons” when it comes to mace and club training, as long as it’s practiced safely and in moderation, along with a varied workout plan, but maces and clubs—like any other fitness tool—do require proper technique to avoid injury. It’s also worth noting that unlike kettlebells or traditional dumbbells, maces and clubs are primarily upper-body tools and have limited usage in a lower-body workout.

Maces and clubs are not considered dangerous workout tools, but just like any piece of fitness gear, they can cause injury when used incorrectly. Swinging a mace or club is a dynamic movement pattern, unfamiliar to many fitness enthusiasts. These movements generate significant force, which can be hazardous to yourself and those around you if not controlled. Take it slow at first, and start with light weights, focusing on your form before progressing to heavier weights or more complex exercises. Remember, with proper instruction, gradual progression, and mindful practice, mace and club training is safe and highly effective.

Macebell training engages a wide range of muscles throughout your body. It's particularly effective for strengthening your shoulders, elbows, wrists, core, and grip. The dynamic swinging motions activate your rotator cuff muscles, deltoids, and trapezius in the shoulders, while your obliques, abs, and lower back work to stabilize and control the movement. Forearm and hand muscles are heavily recruited to maintain grip on the mace. While the macebell itself is primarily an upper-body tool, many macebell workout routines also involve squats, lunges, and other lower-body movements, engaging your legs and glutes as well. This can make mace training a true full-body workout.

Like a mace, training with a club provides a comprehensive, full-body workout. It particularly targets the shoulders, core, and grip. The swinging and rotational movements engage the rotator cuff muscles, deltoids, and trapezius, building shoulder stability and mobility. Your core muscles, including your obliques, abs, and erector spinae, work hard to stabilize your body and control the club’s movement. Forearm and hand muscles also get a significant workout from gripping and manipulating the club, and because many clubbell exercises involve squats, lunges, and presses, your legs and glutes also get strengthened in the process.

There is no right answer here. Clubs have slightly more of a strength and conditioning focus, while maces are often fitness enthusiasts’ first choice for rehabilitation and mobility, but both tools are similar and can produce similar results. It’s worth knowing that workout clubs are considered slightly harder to use properly. The weight is more diffused among the entire tool, not concentrated at the end of a long shaft, so—all other factors being equal—it requires more stability and grip strength to maintain control of a 20-pound club compared to a 20-pound mace. (You’ll notice that a 15-pound club is longer than a 5-pound club, but a 30-pound mace, for example, is the same length as a 10-pound mace, because the weight is still all at the end of the shaft.)

Due to the factors discussed above, the recommended starting weights for clubs are slightly lower than for maces. For maces, the average beginning starting weight is 15 lbs for men and 10 lbs for women. For clubs, most practitioners recommend going slightly lighter, with an average starting weight of 10 to 15 lbs for men and 5 to 10 lbs for women

There are a variety of ways that you can use a steel mace to work out, and tons of workout plans are available from certified instructors online. Below is a sample workout plan for a beginner macebell practitioner.

Warm-up

• 5 minutes of light cardio, like jogging or jumping jacks
• Dynamic stretches, such as arm circles, leg swings, and torso twists

Workout: (10-15 repetitions per side per exercise)

• 360s: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding the mace in front of you. Swing the mace in a circular motion around your head, keeping your core engaged and arms extended.
• 10-to-2s: Hold the mace vertically in front of you. Swing it up and overhead, bringing it down to the opposite side of your body. Repeat on the other side.
• Offset Squats: Hold the mace horizontally across your shoulders, gripping it near the weighted end. Perform squats while maintaining an upright posture.
• Macebell Rows: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding the mace vertically in front of you. Bend at the hips, keeping your back straight, and lower the mace towards the ground. Pull it back up, engaging your back muscles.

Cool-down: 5 minutes of static stretching, holding each stretch for 30 seconds.

There are a variety of ways that you can use a workout club, and many plans are available from certified instructors online. Below is a sample workout plan for a beginner club user.

Warm-up:

• 5 minutes of light cardio, like jumping jacks or high knees.
• Dynamic stretches, such as arm circles, wrist rolls, and torso twists.

Workout: (10-15 repetitions per side per exercise)

• Two-hand Swings: Hold the clubbell with both hands, palms facing down. Swing the clubbell between your legs, then up to shoulder height, keeping your core engaged and arms straight.
• Single-arm Swings: Hold the clubbell in one hand, palm facing down. Swing the clubbell between your legs, then up to shoulder height, keeping your core engaged and arm straight. Repeat on the other side.
• Shield Casts: Hold the clubbell in one hand, palm facing up. Swing the clubbell upward and around your head, as if casting a shield. Repeat on the other side.
• Mills: Hold the clubbell in one hand, palm facing up. Swing the clubbell in a circular motion around your head, keeping your core engaged and arm straight. Repeat on the other side.

Cool-down: 5 minutes of static stretching, holding each stretch for 30 seconds.

A medicine ball is a weighted ball, usually about the diameter of your shoulders, used for a variety of exercises. The best medicine balls are made from durable, grippy materials like polyurethane leather that will handle extensive abuse. Medicine balls come in a variety of weights—from as light as 4 lbs up to 30 lbs—making them useful for athletes of all strength and experience levels, and adaptable for everything from rehabilitation to power training. Unlike dumbbells or barbells, medicine balls are designed to be thrown and caught, adding a dynamic element to your workouts and improving not just strength, but coordination and explosive power.

Medicine balls are versatile tools used to enhance strength, power, and core stability. They can be thrown, caught, and incorporated into various movement exercises to increase resistance and challenge muscles. Medicine balls are also useful for rehabilitation, improving range of motion, and boosting cardiovascular fitness through circuit training or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts. Their versatility makes them suitable for individuals of all fitness levels, from athletes seeking to improve power and coordination to those recovering from injuries.

Medicine balls have many advantages, and few drawbacks. They can be used for an extremely versatile array of full-body workouts, improving strength, power, and coordination. They're also relatively inexpensive, durable, easy to store, and come in a variety of weights—in the case of retrospec medicine balls, from 4 lbs all the way up to 30 lbs.

Medicine balls are great for dynamic movements and are easily incorporated into rehabilitation exercises. However, they aren’t as effective for building isolated muscle strength compared to free weights (like a dumbbell or kettlebell) or machines. As with any workout tool, improper use can also lead to injury.

Traditional medicine balls—like the ones we sell here at retrospec—are often made of leather or dense rubber and are not designed for slamming. Their construction is geared towards throwing, catching, and weighted movements. They’re certainly durable enough to handle hard throws and catches, but constant, repeated slamming can damage them, potentially causing them to split or lose their shape.

However, a specific type of medicine ball called a “slam ball” is custom-built for slamming. These balls are typically filled with sand or gel and have a hard outer shell designed to absorb the impact of repeated slams against the floor or wall.

Medicine balls may use one of a variety of fillings. The two most common are either sand or gel. These materials are pliable but dense, providing the heavy weight needed for the medicine ball. Sand is affordable and dense, with a consistent weight distribution, making it predictable for throwing and catching. Gel is usually more expensive but offers a softer, more forgiving feel, making it good for beginners or those worried about impact on their joints.

The ideal weight for your medicine ball depends on your fitness level, the exercises you plan to do, and your specific goals. Beginners should start with lighter weights (4-10 lbs) to focus on proper form and avoid injury. As you gain strength and experience, you can gradually increase your weight. For strength training, choose a weight that allows you to perform 8-12 repetitions with good form. A slightly lighter ball may be preferable for power exercises like throws to maximize speed and explosiveness. Before purchasing a medicine ball for at-home use, you can always experiment with different weights at your local gym to find what feels challenging but manageable for your chosen exercises.

The use of weighted balls for exercise actually dates back thousands of years! Ancient drawings depict Persian wrestlers training with sand-filled bladders, and legendary Greek physician Hippocrates reportedly stuffed animal skins for patients to toss as a form of rehabilitation. Gladiators in ancient Rome also used similar weighted objects in their training.

Although its exact origins are unclear, the modern medicine ball is often credited to William Muldoon, a 19th-century wrestler and boxing coach. He popularized its use in strength and conditioning routines. The term “medicine ball” first appeared in writing from Boston YMCA instructor R.J. Roberts in 1876, and it was in English dictionaries by 1895.

Store your medicine balls, steel clubs, and maces in a cool, dry place where they won't be exposed to extreme temperatures or moisture. A dedicated storage rack or shelf is a great option to keep them organized and prevent them from rolling around. If space is limited, you can store them in a corner or along a wall, ensuring they are secure and won't fall or cause damage.