Steel Mace Training for Shoulders

This will not only satisfy your “no days off” fitness ego, but it will also keep your body guessing and your metabolism in check, which is perfect for those who want to skip a day of working out but don’t want to feel guilty about it. For those who want to get in a quick and effective workout so that they don’t feel guilty about it, this is the solution.

In point of fact, if you have a packed agenda because of your work, this kind of workout is ideal for you. You don’t have to put in an excessive amount of time at the gym. Therefore, the fact that you are unable to find the time is not a valid excuse. If you know how to train efficiently, you can maintain your fitness level in just twenty minutes per day. A workout that only takes twenty minutes is something that everyone can fit into their schedule, especially if it is one that can be done literally anywhere.

• Every Minute On The Minute Workout is the type of workout.
• Equipment: Steel Maces aka Macebells (if you have multiple steel mace sizes, use the size that will challenge you for each particular exercise)
• Time: 20 minutes
• Shoulder muscles are the focus here (secondary: core)
• The goal of this approach is to reduce body fat while simultaneously increasing muscular strength and endurance.

The structure of this workout is as follows: First, start a timer and immediately complete 16 repetitions of the first exercise. After that, stop and rest for one minute. Carry on by performing one set for every minute on the minute for a total of four minutes. At the end of the first minute, proceed to the next exercise. Continue doing so for a total of five different exercises.

WARM UP: Make sure you get your shoulders ready by doing a dynamic warm up that focuses on your shoulders (try these bodyweight shoulder exercises as a warm up)

Exercise 1: 360 

Place your hands in a stack close to your navel, and begin by bringing the steel mace up to your vertical front. Maintain a neutral spine and feet that are hip-to-shoulder width apart. Swing the steel mace over your shoulder at the ten or the two o’clock position (depending on how your hands are stacked – with hands right over left you should swing to your left; left over right means you swing to your right). During the back part of the swing, you should keep your ribs tucked in, avoid flaring out your elbows, and keep your hands as low as they can get behind your head. When the steel mace reaches the opposite side, pull it over your shoulder using the momentum (while still maintaining control), and then bring it back to where it started. After a pause of 1 second, continue holding the position tightly.

Exercise 2: Offset Overhead Shoulder Press

Maintain a neutral spine and feet that are hip-to-shoulder width apart. Lift the steel mace to your head, pause at the peak of the movement, and then lower it back to the starting position. Always make sure the steel mace is parallel to the ground.

Exercise 3: Bayonet Strike

Take a stance similar to that of a boxer. Forward blow with the steel mace, just above the level of your shoulders. To make the exercise more challenging, when you strike forward, slide your top hand down the steel mace as close to the bottom hand as you can, and pause at the top of the strike.

Exercise 4: Spiral Curl Press

Maintain a neutral spine while contracting your abdominal muscles and glutes to achieve a shoulder-width stance. Bring the steel mace close to your chest, then rotate and press it upward and outward, and finish by pressing it overhead. To get back to the starting position, go in the opposite direction.

Exercise 5: Rotating Press

Position your feet so that they are shoulder-width apart; maintain a neutral spine position; and engage your core. After rotating the steel mace to the Vertical Front position, turn it around so that the ball of the mace is pointing in the opposite direction. Your hips should be squared forward, and the mace should be held in a position that is parallel to the ground. From that position, you can bring it to the opposite side by using an uppercut swing. After that, you should go back to the starting position.