Steel-Mace Workouts For 3-D Strength

Equipment that had been forgotten to the annals of history is gradually making its way back into use in modern fitness centers, thanks in large part to the recent surge in interest in functional fitness and other nontraditional forms of exercise. It used to be that sandbags, stones, kettlebells, and sledgehammers were left to collect dust in the corner, but now each of these items is getting their moment in the spotlight.

I’ve had a lot of success with all of those, but as of late, my go-to unconventional piece of training equipment has been a steel mace. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that recently I have been fixated on this ancient Persian weapon. I just can’t seem to get enough of it. I also can’t get over how wonderful it makes me feel when I use it. My body feels like a well-oiled machine after a workout with the mace, which is perhaps even more important to me than the results it has brought me in terms of my physique over the past few years.

If you have access to a mace and are interested in training with it, the following list will provide you with five of my favorite movements as well as five of my favorite workouts that use those movements. You’ll see people online performing moves that are significantly more unique and difficult than these, but this is just a primer for you to get started with.

Include them in your regular training split for a fun challenge once a week, or, if you get the bug, use them to build the foundation of your mace skills before moving on to more advanced moves and routines. If you get the bug, use them to build your mace skills foundation.

Mace-Switch Squats are the first exercise.

Maintain a shoulder-width distance between your feet as you stand. Hold the mace so that it is perpendicular to the ground and approximately at chest level. It is important that your hands are wider than your shoulders. Supination, also known as holding the palm up, is the correct position for the hand that is closest to the head of the club. Get into a squatting position where your knees are at least level with your hips. Maintain a tall torso position.

After you have stood back up, you should rotate the mace so that the hand that was previously in the position closest to the weighted end is now in the pronated position at the bottom. After that, return the mace to its initial starting position and perform the squat movement once more. First complete the repetitions with the heavy end of the mace held to one side, then switch it to the opposite side.

Exercise 2: Mace Front Squat

Keep the weight off of your shoulders by holding the mace in a front-rack position with the weight on the left side. In a manner analogous to that of a goblet squat, your elbows should be pointed down, and the weight should be held slightly in front of you. Squat down until your knees are at least level with your hips while maintaining an erect spine and pushing the hips backwards. To get back to the starting position, you’ll need to push through your heels. Complete all of your reps with the heavy end of the mace held in the left position before switching it to the right position.

Keep in mind that the position of the mace will affect the difficulty of this exercise. On paper, this may appear to be an easy exercise, but in practice, it can be challenging. The exercise will be easier for you to perform if the club is positioned closer to your body. Move the club further away from you if you want more of a challenge.

Exercise 3 is a Reverse Lunge with a Rotating Mace.

To begin, you should be standing with the club end of the mace on the left side of your body and the mace hanging in front of your thighs. Take a sizeable step backward with your right leg, and while doing so, rotate the mace around your left knee until it is positioned so that it runs parallel to your thigh on the outside.

While you rotate the mace back to its starting position, you should bring your back foot forward so that it is in front of your other foot when you return your body to the starting position. First complete all of the repetitions on one side, and then switch to the other side.

Exercise 4: Mace Press

Maintaining a grip just under the club end of the mace while holding it with one hand at shoulder level is the correct stance. Holding your abdominal muscles and glutes in a contracted position, press the mace straight up until your elbow is locked out and your biceps are beside your ear.

Reduce yourself to the starting position, then complete all of your repetitions using just one hand before moving on to the other.

Exercise 5: Mace Row

Hold the mace with an overhand grip while maintaining a straight back, knees that are slightly bent, and hips that are pushed back. Your hands should be about shoulder-width apart, with one hand gripping near the club. Your other hand should be on the back of your neck.

Bring the club up to your chest, concentrating the majority of your effort on the arm that is adjacent to the club, and then return it to its starting position.

First complete the repetitions with the heavy end of the mace held to one side, then switch it to the opposite side.

5 Exercises Using a Steel Mace

Workout Plan 1: The Old-Fashioned Way

Complete each exercise for a total of four sets and eight repetitions on each side. One minute of rest should be taken in between each set and exercise. Strength and muscle mass can be improved most effectively with this training method.

Workout Plan 2: Completing the Circuit

Perform each exercise for a total of eight repetitions on each side, moving quickly from one to the next with little rest in between. Perform a total of four rounds. Two minutes of rest are taken between each round. The best way to increase muscle mass as well as muscular endurance is to use this method.

Workout Plan 3: Increasing the Intensity of the Workout

Using a circuit format, perform each exercise for a total of five repetitions on each side. Perform as many rounds as you can in the allotted 10 minutes. Repeat the exercise after resting for four minutes. Make it a goal to complete even more circuits than you did the first time. This strategy is ideal for reducing body fat and improving muscular endurance.

Workout Plan 4 is referred to as the Ladder Circuit.

In a circuit, perform each exercise for a total of ten repetitions on each side. After resting for as long as is necessary, begin again with each exercise and complete nine repetitions on each side. Continue decreasing by one rep with each round until you reach the point where you only perform one rep on each side. This is the most effective strategy for gaining muscle mass. You’re going to have your hands full with these challenges!

Workout Plan No. 5: Do One Minute Of Work For Every Minute

Initiate a timer, and complete five repetitions of mace-switch squats on each side. Take a break and wait for the clock to reach one minute. Continue working up to one set on each side, one minute at a time, for a total of four rounds. When the clock reaches minute 4, transition to mace reverse lunges. Repeat one set of five repetitions on each side, one after the other, every minute on the minute for a total of four minutes, or until each exercise has been finished. This exercise routine should take you twenty minutes to complete if you perform all five of the exercises. This approach is superior for both the building of muscle and the reduction of body fat.