BARBARIC TOOL FOR THE TRULY HARDCORE

By Marty Gallagher

The Mill
The Mill hits the shoulder in every direction and recruits pecs, lats, traps and delts. Begin by holding the Clubbell in front of you in Order Position. Elbows and pelvis are tucked and glutes clenched; now exhale and extend your arm to full lock out. Minimize twisting. Grip hard and swing across your body upwards allowing the Clubbell to travel behind your head. Flex pecs, lats and bicep hard. Lead with the elbow and carry the Clubbell back to the center line, bringing the Clubbell back to Order. Continue reps without any break by continually casting across your body. Go for flow. 4 sets of 8 reps is a good initial scheme. Try using this exercise on your recovery days or perhaps between benches and squats to keep back, chest and shoulders flexible.

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Photos by Radley Muller

ardcore trainers dont shy away from pain and suffering they embrace discomfort and gut-busting effort because they know that nothing of any physical significance occurs without teeth-grinding, eyeball popping physical effort. Give a true hardcore trainee a choice between using a rusty old barbell with lots of plates or a shiny chromed ball-bearing smooth exercise machine and the real men pick primitive tools every single time. In an age where everyone is hawking slickness and ease, the hardcore subculture seeks methods that make exercise harder not easier. Primitive methods and modes blast the body into submission and when an effective new tool appears the word goes out over the Iron Grapevine. The word has gone out recently about a tool so primitive and effective that hardcore trainees worldwide are lining up to lay their callused hands on it. The Clubbell is a patented strength training tool which combines modern technology with ancient science. Predating the barbell and dumbbell, the modern Clubbell used to be in the arsenal of every old-time strongman. The Indian Club was resurrected by Scott Sonnon, a former international martial arts champion who was the USA National Coach in SOMBO, a Russian fighting style of grappling similar to Jiu-jitsu. Sonnon is a hardcore trainee of the 1st order: he relocated to Russia to live and study with Soviet Olympic Coaches. He immersed himself in a mysterious Russian system of performance enhancement called Zdorovye. Scott had his mind opened to the immense possibilities of alternative forms of exercise and absorbed

ancient modes and methods. During his athletic odyssey he rediscovered weighted clubs and began a period of experimentation that wedded a modern methodology with an ancient tool. His Circular Strength Training (CST) System was born and the results he and his inner circle experienced using weighted clubs was astounding. Clubbells accelerate the acquisition of functional strength, increase stamina and improve agility. Heavy Clubbells build brute strength and lighter Clubbells build lung-searing cardio capacity. The versatility of Clubbells is mind-blowing and the CST system provides lifters three dimensions of resistance. Conventional progressive resistance training works in one or two planes of motion but Sonnon discovered that a third dimension of tension could be accessed using Clubbells. By swinging Clubbells around the body in a variety of movements, muscles are targeted from angular, diagonal and rotary motions not possible using conventional linear exercises. It is one thing to have a huge bench press and it is quite another to be able convert all that power into usable athletic strength, the kind that can be applied on the ball field, court, ring or mat. Scott Sonnon discovered that concentrated Clubbell work improved applicable strength by addressing the gaps and spaces that exist outside the

ultra-specific motor-pathways of conventional progressive resistance lifts. Athletes seeking a manly cardiovascular alternative to gerbil wheel treadmills, stationary bikes and effete aerobic dance modes can generate a fat-burning, endurance-increasing cardio workout by using lighter Clubbells in big motions for high reps. Enough talk; here is an ultra basic, elemental Clubbell workout that a true hardcore trainee can sink their teeth into.

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The Swipe
The Swipe can be used as a cardio exercise or as a strength movement. The swipe keeps chest and back muscles flexible and pliable and can add mass to lat and tricep muscles. Light and fast will burn off body fat. The Swipe attacks external obliques, serratus, spinal erectors and rectus abdominus. Keep the elbows locked and swing both Clubbells behind you simultaneously. Sit back and keep your spine straight; now bend the abs to thighs while exhaling forcibly. Swing the Clubbells forward while pressing your feet into the ground. Snap your hips forward to full lock out. Avoid using arm strength. Instead use your entire body as one muscle to rip the Clubbells forward at full elbow lock-out. Exhale! When the Clubbells are parallel to the ground, bend your elbows and send them over your shoulders. Before the Clubbells stop moving, rip them the other direction by flexing your pecs. Drive your elbows down like a barbell pullover. Pass through the order position and cast the bells back to elbow-lock. Begin the down swing. Sit back deep on back swing and ramp up for another explosion. For an incredible cardio burn perform 3-5 sets of 20-25 with 1 minute rest periods. Perform the Swipe at the end, not the beginning of your workout. Pick up the Clubbell video/DVD and book at www.clubbell.tv to ensure proper skills. Visit the free online magazine for training tips www.circularstrengthmag.com.

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