The ancient art of swinging Indian clubs has made a small comeback here in the US, with those involved in  martial arts particularly.

These are clubs that resemble skinny bowling pins and weigh about a pound or two, making them ideal for increasing or maintaining shoulder range of motion.  You can find many testimonials on the web of people who have increased their mobility or reduced pain in their shoulders.

I was introduced to them by Dick Thomas, the owner of Motion Rx.  He had a frozen shoulder when his brother Ed, a PhD in physical education, recommended he try swinging the clubs.  At first all he could manage was to swing them back and forth in an arcing movement, like a pendulum.

Gradually, his shoulder movement increased and over time he could swing them overhead in many different circular patterns.  Club swinging is great for upper body coordination because they integrate the elbow and wrist in all the movements.

Dick demonstrated some of the different patterns and told me that he could go out and throw a baseball with his adult sons once or twice a year and throw as hard as they could, with no soreness the next day.  As anybody who has thrown a baseball will tell you, that’s no small feat for someone over 55.

I like to use them for a few minutes as part of my warmup before doing any upper body exercises.  Its a great way to get blood flow to the shoulders and rotator cuff, and good for prevention in my opinion.

Others are using heavier clubs and “maces” for strength and stability.  These lighter clubs are more for mobility.  The different rotational patterns are important for coordination and swinging them overhead helps expand the ribcage, which can become tight with lack of overhead movement.

One local mixed martial arts legend has successfully used them to help with his shoulder rehab after he hit a sticking point with traditional exercises.  I have several pairs of both the (approximately) 1 and 2 pound clubs.  For those with decent upper body strength, the 2 pounders work nicely.

You know what they say – use it (move it) or lose it!

Get moving

Brian

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