The kettlebell guys like to call the unexpected benefits gleaned from training the “what the hell” effect.
It goes something like…
You have your sights set on a goal like strength and then…”what the hell? Where did these abs come from?”
Or…”how is my press stronger from doing a swing program?”
Sometimes you get results without exactly trying, or knowing why they happened.
Since I started training with clubs back in 2021, here are 3 “what the hell” hidden benefits I didn’t expect.
Fortified Elbows
When you start swinging clubs your goals are usually focused on increased rotational strength, better mobility, or improved movement.
I never expected my elbows to thicken up.
Im referring to the muscles above and below the elbow joint, and as a grappler, this hidden benefit was even more rewarding after 14 years on the mat.
In jiu-jitsu, our elbows are constantly attacked with submissions, but also take repeated abuse from framing, posting, and simply playing the sport.
When you manipulate a lever, aka a club, the stabilizing muscles of your forearms and upper arm are called to work like nothing you’ve done before.
The muscles of the wrist, elbow, and shoulder all work to maintain the positions required for the movement.
Over time, this has a profound effect on their strength, endurance, and hypertrophy.
Even just holding the Order position with a heavy club will deliver this.
That’s why working up to single arm club work is a must. These benefits are amplified with single arm work.
But you must build the requisite technique with two-handed clubs first to prevent injury and ensure effective movement.
I’ve also noticed the pain in my elbows has reduced, which can be attributed to the traction, or creating of space between joints, that club swinging produces.
Improved Core Strength & Function
Core strength is a common benefit of club swinging, but not in the way I expected.
Sure, your core fires up every time you manipulate a weight around your body.
But, when you swing in the traverse plane, you do much more than stabilize. The core becomes the engine for the movement.
In most club movements you must brace, flex, rotate, and bend. It’s a complete engagement of the entire core working together to move and manage a load.
I find this hard to simulate with other tools like a med ball or bands, which just can’t supply the resistance a heavy club can.
The most obvious changes to my core were stronger and more defined obliques and serratus anterior.
These are your rotational and throwing muscles, which are profoundly important for optimal spine and shoulder function and resilience.
Additionally, each time you do a standing rotation or pullover, your pelvic floor contracts. The pelvic floor is an often overlooked area, but has a significant contribution on low back health, as well as other important physiological functions.
Nearly every standing movement has a core and pelvic floor contraction, adding to optimal health and resilience.
Stretching, Decompression & Mobility
Club swinging can be thought of as loaded mobility training. You are using load to further increase range of motion.
So, improved mobility was to be expected. What I didn’t realize was how club swinging decompresses your joints and muscles.
Some of this has to do with the traction mentioned earlier, but it’s also from stretching the muscular chains and surrounding fascia.
Many of the club swinging moves are throwing patterns. These movements pull and stretch the muscles, joints, and fascia, leaving you feeling better than when you started.
Most traditional movements like pressing, squatting and hinging compress the body, tightening things and closing space. Club swinging does the opposite, opening and freeing your body.
The Shield Cast for example (pictured above), opens the ribs, mobilizes the shoulders and spine, and stretches the lats – valuable things for anyone interested in longevity and optimal health.
Finally, the way club swinging mobilizes joints simultaneously was a powerful discovery.
Typically, mobility drills are done with a joint-by-joint approach. But human movement is never in isolation.
Most club movements mobilize multiple joints together. The Mill, for example, mobilizes the pelvis, femur, tibia, ankle and the spine in combination with the shoulders, ribs, and arms.
It’s total functional mobility excellence.
Final Thoughts
Clubs are one tool in the box, but with the amount of useful benefits for resilience and longevity, they should be a main tool.
With the seemingly endless amount of training options out there, but limited amount of training time, we have to be strategic with our choices.
Club swinging is a high-value method that gives the grappler exactly what they need without huge time or equipment demands.
Come for the rotational strength and more resilient spine, stay for the fortified elbows and better core.
What hidden benefits have you noticed?
WHENEVER YOU’RE READY, THERE ARE 4 WAYS I CAN HELP YOU:
1. Start improving your BJJ durability and performance with the new Foundations of Rotational Strength.
2. Fortify your body for BJJ with this free course on the Grappler’s Get Up.
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