In our last post, we explored how to break through plateaus with the kettlebell, a tool that challenges our strength and stability. Now, we venture into territory that requires a different kind of mastery. We’re going to talk about a tool where the weight itself is only half the story.
We’re talking about the steel mace.
At first glance, a mace seems simple: a handle with a weight on the end. But its power lies in that simplicity. The offset load—with the globe positioned far from your hands—creates a unique physical challenge that can’t be replicated by dumbbells or barbells. To train effectively with a mace is to learn the language of physics.
The secret to unlocking the mace’s true potential for building resilient, multi-planar strength isn’t about lifting a heavier mace. It’s about mastering the single most important variable in its use: leverage.
The Golden Rule: Leverage is Your Load
Imagine trying to hold a heavy sledgehammer. If you grip it right below the head, it’s manageable. But if you hold it by the very end of the handle, the weight feels exponentially heavier. Your muscles have to work incredibly hard to control it.
This is the fundamental principle of mace training. The distance of your hands from the globe (the weighted head) is the primary way you apply progressive overload. A one-inch change in hand position creates a dramatic increase in torque, the rotational force you must resist and control.
This is how you “add weight” without ever changing the tool.
- How to Apply It:
- Start “Choked Up”: When learning a new movement like a 360 or a 10-to-2, begin with your hands closer to the globe. This gives you maximum control and reduces the resistance. Own the movement pattern here first.
- Extend the Lever Incrementally: Once you are proficient, the path to progression is to gradually move your hands further down the handle, away from the globe. Don’t rush this. A tiny shift of half an inch can be a significant jump in difficulty.
- Track Your Hand Position: Use a piece of athletic tape on the handle to mark your grip positions. This allows you to measure your progress accurately. Moving from “Mark 1” to “Mark 2” is a successful progression, just like adding five pounds to a barbell.
Progression 2: Master Time Under Tension (TUT)
Because mace movements involve swinging and momentum, it can be easy to let physics do most of the work. To force your muscles to adapt, you must intentionally slow down and eliminate that momentum. By increasing the time your muscles are under tension, you build incredible control and stability through the entire range of motion.
- Slow Down the Tempo: Instead of quickly swinging the mace through a 360, perform it with a deliberate count. For example, use a 3-second count on the backswing and a 3-second count on the front swing. This forces your shoulders, lats, and core to manage the load at every single point in the arc, removing any “cheating” with momentum.
- Incorporate Strategic Pauses (Isometrics): Add a 1- or 2-second pause at the most challenging point of the movement. During a 360, this is often when the mace is directly behind your head, at its point of maximum leverage. This isometric hold builds immense stability in the smaller, often-neglected muscles of your shoulder girdle and core.
As the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) highlights, unconventional training tools are valuable precisely because they challenge the body in ways that traditional implements do not, improving motor patterns and building a more robust athleticism. By controlling the tempo, you are maximizing this unique benefit.
Progression 3: Add Movement Complexity
Once you have mastered control of the mace in basic stances, the next layer of progression is to integrate its movements with fundamental human patterns. This is where you build truly functional, total-body strength that translates directly to life and sport. You’re no longer just swinging a mace; you’re moving your entire body as a single, coordinated unit.
- Combine with Lunges: The lunge is a perfect companion to the mace’s rotational movements. Try performing a forward or reverse lunge while simultaneously executing a 360. Your core will be screaming as it fights to transfer force from your lower body to the mace while maintaining balance.
- Integrate with Squats: Hold the mace in a goblet or front-loaded position and perform squats. The offset load will constantly try to pull you forward, forcing your entire posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, back) to work harder to keep your torso upright.
- Create Complex Flows: Weave movements together. Go from a 360, to a 10-to-2, to a squat press. This not only challenges you physically but also sharpens your mental focus and coordination.
Conclusion: From Wielding to Mastering
The steel mace is more than just a weight; it’s a teacher. It teaches you to respect leverage, to control momentum, and to move with intention. Progress is subtle, technical, and incredibly rewarding. By manipulating leverage, slowing down your tempo, and adding complexity, you have a limitless path to getting stronger with the very same tool. You’ve moved from simply wielding the mace to truly mastering it.
You’ve now learned to progress with the stable load of the kettlebell and the leveraged load of the mace. But what happens when the load itself is actively fighting back?
What’s Next: In our final post, “Embrace Chaos: Using Sandbag Instability & Smart Programming to Get Stronger,” we dive into the wild world of sandbag training and, most importantly, show you how to tie all these principles together into an intelligent and effective training plan.
References
National Strength and Conditioning Association. (2017). The value of unconventional training tools. NSCA’s Performance Training Journal, 16(1), 10-14. (Note: This is a representative citation; NSCA articles and position stands affirm the principles of using varied and unconventional training modalities to enhance functional strength and performance.)