Have you heard the word about clubbell training? Like kettlebells, clubbell work is a unique form of strength training that’s relatively new on the scene — and as more and more people realize how effective, challenging, and downright fun this creative exercise can be, clubbells are gaining the popularity and attention they deserve.

But what exactly is a clubbell? If you’ve never heard of this ancient training technique, read on. Today, we’re taking a crash course in clubbell training!

What is club bell training?

The humble club bell can be traced back all the way to Ancient Persian, Roman, Greek, Indian, and Egyptian cultures. Athletes used club bell equivalents in their strongman and endurance competitions. Strength training and conditioning for soldiers relied on club-like weights as well. Basically, any worker, warrior, or athlete who used a hammer or a club was laying the groundwork for the club bell training we know today.

Simply put, club bell training involves strength training with a specific type of weight shaped like a club or hammer. Although club bell training has been in the United States since the early 1900s, it only truly found its popularity in the 2000s.

Club bells are so popular because they boost strength and endurance training, improve grip strength, and can be used in ballistic training (like throws and spikes). However, in recent years, club bells have been praised and prized for the benefits they provide to shoulder mobility. In fact, club bells are such an effective tool for mobility and functional movement recovery that they are used in many medical rehabilitation programs for people recovering from injury or surgery.

What kind of clubbell should I use?

There are five main “types” or categories of club bells: sledgehammer clubs, hex clubs, round club bells, gripper club bells, and adjustable club bells. Which type you use depends on what your desired results from club bell training.

• Sledgehammer clubs are the most commonly found club bells. Shaped, you guessed it, like a sledgehammer, these clubs are made from a heavy weighted head attached to a grippable handle. The exercises we do with sledgehammer clubs look a lot like what you’d do with an actual sledgehammer: chops, overhead presses, and swings.

• Round club bells are another popular club bell choice. These weights look like cylinders with the handle on one end, and they’re best for rotational exercises. Round club bells are great because they can be used both for strength training and for rehabilitation. Depending on the weight you use, a round club bell exercise can be focused on endurance training or something simpler like shoulder rotation.

• Hex clubs look a little wild, and they’re SO much fun to use. Hex club bells are typically made from two hexagonal prisms (how’s that for cool gym math?) on either end of a central handhold. These look similar to regular hand weights, except their unique shape offers a challenge to grip strength as well as a wider variety of effective exercises compared to the sledgehammer club.

• Gripper club bells — you might guess this from the name — are primarily focused on grip strength. Gripper club bells are very popular among rock climbers for this exact reason. These one-handed clubs have narrow grips that challenge your hand strength while opening you up to a wide range of functional movement exercises.

• Adjustable club bells are just that — adjustable! The unique handles of these club bells are designed to allow changes to their weight. So, like adjusting a dumbbell’s weight, you can add or remove weights depending on the style of training you’re after. This makes the versatile adjustable club bell an excellent choice for anyone who wants to focus on strength training and shoulder rotation. Just swap out the weights and you’re good for a whole new round of HIIT!

What exercises can I do with club bells?

Like kettlebells, club bells are meant for simple, effective movements like swings, presses, and rotational exercises. The exercises you do will change depending on the club you’re using. For example, a sledgehammer club is typically used for overhead swings and chops, while round club bell exercises might focus more on mobility and stretching.

Although club bell exercises are definitely not limited to these examples, here’s a quick list of what you might use a club bell for:

• Sledgehammer club bells: Club bell swings, club bell presses, overhead presses, club bell chops

• Round club bells: Club bell presses (at a lighter weight for rehab exercises), overhead presses, club bell lunges, weighted stretching, club bell mill

• Hexagonal club bells: Grip strength exercises, club bell casts (for the LARPer in all of us), club bell squats

• Gripper club bells: Grip strength exercises, club bell lunges, club bell cleans/side cleans

• Adjustable club bells: All of the above, at a variety of weights!

Ready to give club bell training a try yourself? F3 Wellness Connections has the thing for you! We offer comprehensive personal training and small-group training sessions, not just in our specialty kettlebell programming but in just about every exercise you can think of.

And club bells are a great thing to try out with F3 — you can get a feel for the different tools and weights by using our gear during classes (without dropping a ton of dough on equipment!). Then, when you know what you like, our certified personal trainers can help you choose the best club bells for you.

Ready to take on the challenge? Book your FREE 30-minute wellness consultation here, or email sarah@f3wellnessconnections.com to get started!