I keep seeing advertisements for the RMT Club—a modern “Indian Club”. For the unfamiliar, these are resistance tools that are shaped similar to an elongated bowling pin (no they are not gyms or social clubs). Personally, I have never really incorporated one into my training—mainly because I don’t quite have the room. (At 6’5”, ceiling height can significantly limit what motions you can do.) As such, I have personally gravitated toward the Bulgarian bag, but the Indian club can be a great tool at any age. There are quite a few available commercial options, as well as DIY. (Personally, I would probably lean toward something with an adjustable resistance.)
My preference for the Bulgarian bag or Indian club is the versatility. These allow for a wide range of multi-directional and rotational movements not possible with kettlebell, barbells, or the like.
Much—most—of the exercise that we do is uni-directional/planar. For cardio, we walk/run, bike, use a stairstepper or elliptical, row, etc. All of these, while great for the heart and muscles, are overly repetitive and for little for joint health and neuromotor fitness. Even so-called “core work”—e.g., planks, sit-ups/crunches, and isometric holds—are rather linear. We might do some rotational exercises—e.g., Russian twists and oblique crunches—but these, too, tend to rely very little of the dynamic qualities of movement. We need to include movement patterns that are a bit more complex and include elements of power and acceleration/deceleration.
The structure of the musculoskeletal systems is intended to provide both stability and mobility. These are rather fluid and be trained as such.
I support a compartmentalized approach to fitness training. Let strength training be trained with strength exercises—i.e., overload the muscles in a progressive fashion. Let cardio exercise focus on the cardiorespiratory system—i.e., be performed to increase the capacity for oxygen consumption. Exercise using Indian clubs, Bulgarian bags, or the like is useful for mobility and expending calories. It is much less effective to building strength (it does not sufficiently overload the muscle) nor is it effective in increasing VO2max. Consider specificity and realize that fitness is best developed with intentional variety.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!
Image source: http://mvmntgym.com/wednesday-5615/indianclub/
(Who knew Freddie Mercury was into Indian clubs?? lol)