The shoulders can be a touchy bit of our anatomy. Very few go through an athletic career, or even just regular gym training, without some shoulder issues. I’ve certainly struggled from time to time.
Many of the issues can be prevented by ensuring we follow a balanced training program. Actually, scratch that, we should follow a deliberately UNbalanced training program in that we use our shoulders for more pulling actions than we do pushing actions.
But a few years ago I started hearing about theses magical things called Indian Clubs and how they can regrow missing limbs….
Actually, that’s a lie, I never read that. But much like the kettlebell, the sales and marketing people will have you believing that they are pure magic. They’re not magic, but they are damn good.
The clubs are swung in circular motions. The centrifugal force gives a nice bit of traction through the shoulder joint stimulating the connective tissues and teasing out tightness. The circular action takes the shoulder through its natural ranges of motion and stimulates the rotator cuff in a relatively natural manner.
All in, since implementing the clubs in my upper body warm ups, my shoulders have never felt as good.
The following clip shows how I like to use them and the sequence I encourage my guys (especially the Kettlebell Sports Guys) to use them. It’s a demonstration, not a tutorial, so treat it as such and go out and find someone to show you the finer points.
The clubs I use are 2kg each, believe it or not, this is actually relatively heavy for clubs with many espousing the use of 2lb clubs. I also use the 7lb sledgehammer for a more strength emphasis.
Here’s the video:
Like I said, these are great for the old shoulder joints, but only if used correctly and with caution.
Enjoy your weekend and I’ll catch you all back here on Monday
Regards
Dave www.wg-fit.com