Customer Reviews

Clubbell Training For Circular Strength: An Ancient Tool for the Modern Athlete

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First, I would say that Harold Jones' review of this video is agenda driven and dishonest. The production values in Sonnon's video may not up to Hollywood standards, but they're perfectly fine for an exercise instructional video. Also, most of the info about Indian clubs available on the Internet pertain to the light-weight clubs that were once very popular for exercise. These too are useful tools, but they are NOT the same as the much heavier Clubbells. The techniques for exercising with Clubbells and Indian clubs are very different.

Sonnon does a fine job demonstrating the Clubbell techniques. Also, he gives appropriate safety warnings. Where this video falls short is the lack of detailed info about setting up a personal exercise program for the Clubbells. But, this information is available on the Internet. Further, this video will be of no real use unless you have Clubbells to exercise with(or you manage to acquire some HEAVY antique Indian clubs). Clubbells are expensive, only you can determine if they will be a waste of money or a great investment in your quest for achieving a high order of fitness.

Sonnon's Clubbells, just like Pavel Tsatsouline's Russian Kettlebells, are not miracle products. You will have to supply the motivation and the drive to use them to their full advantage. Both Clubbells and Kettlebells are excellent tools. Both Sonnon and Tsatsouline are class acts and each has contributed greatly to presenting advanced, truly functional information on physical culture. It's too bad that some of Pavel's fanatic "comrades" feel the need to be dishonest about those they perceive to be rivals to their guru. I'm sure that Pavel would not approve.

After I received RMAX's new Clubbell Training video, I commandeered the TV/VCR so I could watch it through twice. Then I got on the phone and ordered another pair of Clubbells to go with the one I already had. Folks, you have got to see this video before you dismiss the idea of Circular Strength Training, and if you ARE interested in CST, you have got to see this video.

The first reason you need to see it: safety issues. Coach Sonnon details proper 'parking' and 'pickup' protocol, and proper hold intervals for the extended isometric positions. It becomes apparent that most 'homemade substitutes' for the clubbell (sledgehammers, baseball bats, Weaver sticks, etc) aren't really suitable for many of the exercises and routines Coach Sonnon demonstrates. That doesn't mean you can't try to substitute something else (ie, plastic baseball bat filled with sand) for a Clubbell, but it is obvious that the Clubbell is the 'best fit' for what Coach Sonnon is doing on the video especially for the 8 ultimate combination exercises at the end of the video.

The second reason is to learn how coordinate and focus the breath while using the Clubbells. Pay attention to how Coach Sonnon punctuates the lifts with his breath - it's important to the process because it helps you learn to use the breath to reinforce the body's structures to compensate for the leverage disadvantage. If you don't breathe the proper way demonstrated on the video, your progress will stall out early in your training.

Some of the exercises are obvious and intuitive. Some of them are simple and brutal. All of them are harder than Coach Sonnon makes them look. I almost broke my shin the first time I did clubbell swings to shoulder height for reps, and I'm a fairly coordinated person - I wasn't concentrating hard enough and ended up with a huge welt above my left ankle) That drove home the point that Circular Strength Training is potentially hazardous - it is really easy to clobber yourself (and other people) while training. At least it was my shin and not my head. Though some people claim that there is no difference in my case. Anyway...

You must concentrate to get the hip-snap into the ballistic drills because the Clubbell seems forgiving at first - you think you can get away with using arm and shoulder power for the lifts to compensate for a lack of lower body drive. But the habit of depending on shoulder strength instead of hip snap and leg drive will cost you when you venture into high rep territory.

After a 30-40 minute session of practicing swings, pendulums, cleans-to-order, and 'liberty torch' snatches, my wrists and forearms are always "fried". It is tough but exhilarating and I invariably feel like an initiate into a new order of 'knuckledragging dinosaurs'. Swinging the 15 lb beasts seems to revive some dormant caveman/warrior/baseball player instincts that I hardly ever get to indulge.

One caveat - there are no guidelines in the video regarding sets, reps, or intensity, or for setting up a program. Coach Sonnon emphasizes at several points that you should never train to failure (or sometimes, to stop at the last rep before failure), but that's about it. Supposedly the forthcoming book version of Circular Strength Training will contain more concrete details about creating programs and juggling volume, load, and intensity for best results. You can bet that I'll be ordering the book as soon as it becomes available; I also hope to attend a certification seminar in Circular Strength Training to take the practice to 'the next level.'

This is really interesting stuff. Just like all the other RMAX videos, there are years of progressive lessons and material to master on this tape. Any student of old time physical culture, combat sports, racket sports, or throwing sports owes it to themselves to investigate Circular Strength Training.

My favorite quote from the video: "Clubbells offer no mercy to the aspiring strongman or strongwoman. They also offer no pity to the trainee who uses them incorrectly." Absolutely.

In Clubbell Training for Circular Strength (CT4CS), Master of Sport Scott Sonnon takes viewers through a series of "circular strength" exercises using a Clubbell, a 15-pound device Sonnon himself fashioned and sells through his website (rmax.tv). However, viewers without clubbells can use substitutes like dumbbells with weights on one end, axe handles, batons,broom handles, Indian clubs, bowling pins, sledge hammers of different weights, and/or broad swords if you have one lying around. The point is that you can use many different "circular strength tools" to take advantage of CT4CS, although the video stresses for obvious safety reasons the benefit of a genuine clubbell (of which I have two and am grateful for same).

The exercises themselves are --no surprise-- "circular." They work the major joints and the muscle groups supporting them: fingers, wrists, shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, ankles...forearms, biceps,triceps, etc. Your whole body gets a serious workout in short order -- or maybe I should say your body gets seriously "worked over" in 20 minutes or less because of the new "muscles" you may discover in the process of going through CT4CS.

Unlike "linear" strength exercises, such as free weights, powerlifting, and the like, CT4CS emphasizes dynamic ranges of motion found in most sports or combat athletics (martial arts). I.e., your body moves a lot -- just like it would in a sporting or combat event. You don't just stand in one place and heave iron or exercise a single muscle (or muscle group) with a machine.

As a result of the dynamic movement, CT4CS also provides a hearty cardiovascular workout that turns what could be strict resistance or aerobic programs into strength-endurance regimens.

Who could benefit from CT4CS and what might be some of the benefits? Anyone who wanting to develop grip strength, throwing strength, and/or torque in a sport (baseball, football, tennis, and golf, for starters) will feel the difference -- even if it's just prying off an unyielding bottle top or doing emergency home plumbing. Seriously, CT4CS provides strength development exercises for areas of the body "typical" resistance exercises don't touch. Anyone responsible for developing strength training or fitness programs for "combat sports," whether martial arts or wrestling or the like, could find CT4CS a tool differentiating his (or her) offerings.

The exercises derive from regimens used in the former Soviet Union for sports-specific training of their Olympic athletes (think of all those gold medals the "Russians" used to collect) and to train Spesnatz, the Russian Special Forces. The exercises also date back centuries to the days when warriors had to have tremendous "circular" strength to wield broad swords, maces, and other weapons whose impact was determined by the circular strength applied.

Anyone wanting to gain real strength -- functional, sport-specific strength -- will be well served by CT4CS. The instruction is first-rate, with good production values and Scott Sonnon's earthy sense of humor and philosophic asides. Scott's speculations to the contrary, I don't think Nietzsche or Dostoyevsky had Clubbell Training in mind when they offered their takes on the painful insights of various human experiences. But future philosophers of strength might. CT4CS provides new dimensions to the notion of "fitness clubs."

Clubbells are a great way to develop shoulder mobility under a load, hand/wrist/forearm strength, and full-body coordinated power in directions that other weights don't move, but the lever's challenge to the grip won't allow heavy arm/shoulder/chest/back work. No problem, right?... Just switch to dumbells. Well, Sonnen seems to think dumbells would sabotage his Clubbell campaign. Use these for what they can be used for, and keep the dumbells.

Sorry guys, but this is a crock! No, not the video, but the fact that just about ALL of these "reviewers" are either trainers, writers or promoters with financial links to mr. sonnon and his clubbells.
Want proof? Go to www.clubbell.tv/cbarticles.html and scroll down to "training articles" See the names? Gannon, Yakimovich, Boelter and others. Is the video any good? How does one know? How about some REAL reviews by people who aren't in bed with the originator! So much for 'neutral' reviews...!

This is an excellent video for anyone interested in Clubbell training. As a matter of fact it is probably the only video of it type for this sort of training. Club training has fallen in to disuse over the years. They were an Olympic event until the 1930's. If you are into Martial Arts or any form of grappling, using Clubbells will give you an leg up on your competition. Coach Sonnon makes it look easy on the video. Do not be deceived it is a grueling workout. There should be a link to where you can get Clubbells listed along with the video information. The video without the actual clubs will not be of much use. Go here for more info http://www.clubbell.tv/clubbell.html. I have a pair of the black beauties and in just a few weeks my grip and forearm strength has improved greatly along with the most under exercised part of the body, the core. If you know and understand the reasoning behind Russian Kettlebell lifting then you will be right at home using Clubbells. I would not advise working with Clubbells without repeated viewings of this video. They can be dangerous if used without proper caution and good instruction. Coach Sonnon stresses safety and proper technique throughout this video. In summary Clubbell swinging is brutal, elegant, effective and good sweaty fun.

What the heck?

OK, heck wasn't my first choice, but to exemplify my decision, real people are going to be reading this and I thought I'd give them a real world review instead of what seems like advertising rants. This video is so over-rated that it isn't funny. I mean, I was turned on to circular strength training By Pavel Tsatsouline's kettlebell workouts, and thus expected the same sort of quality from this video as it seems to be an offshoot of the kettlebell training methodology.

To talk about the difference in video quality between Pavels, and this one, is to talk about the sameness between apples and oranges.

A google search on Indian clubs will give you more information than this video, and with less jargon to boot! A search will also prove to provide for added resources and for cheaper product (Indian Clubs).

The video is poorly recorded with segments that are hard to hear and jumps in video recording. The only thing that seemingly was done profesionaly was the art-work, but that was to sell the product. Parts of the video are muffled, and other parts cut off, so it jumps from one section to the next with information missing. You would think that a simple editting process would take care of this, especially for [this price]!

In my opinion, if you want to really learn about the concepts that are spoken of in this book (which are good), any of the kettlebell workout videos will do it with more ease, and less need for a physiologist to translate the over used anatomical and technical jargon used in this video.

Additionally, back to the google search; use "indian clubs" and be amazed at what comes up.

Most people have never heard of circular strength or of clubbells, but it is actually an ancient method of strength training. The club outdates the barbell, dumbbell and swiss ball by thousands of years. Its use faded with the emergence of aerobics and other yuppy methods of staying in shape. However, there is an emerging group of people interested in going beyond the conventional, looking for some serious training. This old-school method has been refined by Scott Sonnon and is now cutting-edge training.
My reason for purchasing a pair of clubbells is that I am a tennis player. I am required to generate force smoothly and in circular trajectories. This type of training addresses my needs perfectly. I also train in conventional linear fashion with power, Olympic and Kettlebell lifting (with great benefit), but the addition of circular training rounds out my strength program. It is good for maintaining healthy shoulders and strong connective tissues. Some people have had success rehabilitating rotator cuffs using clubbells, so I think it is pretty good for the shoulders. A strong grip is important in nearly every sport, but many training programs ignore it, or train it in a way that is dissimilar to sporting actions. The clubbell works your grip in dynamic movements, as opposed to linear training, which challenges you to hold on for dear life. The result is a strong, relaxed grip during sporting movements.
This video is absolutely necessary for learning the proper mechanics of Clubbell lifting. It is a pursuit that very people are familiar with. Have you ever seen a Cast before? This video also makes sure that the club, a potentially deadly weapon, is used safely for the pursuit of strength and health. It also shows some incredibly cool combination movements. If you think this is a limited form of training, I encourage you to check out the video to see how versatile it really is. I also recommend it to people who are not sure if they are interested in clubbell training.

This video, along with regular use of the clubbell, will undoubtedly take your fitness and strength to new levels. Be prepared to work muscles you never knew you had. Scott's instruction is clear and concise and he never sacrifices safety for showing off. The beauty lies in the gradual involvement of more reps or exercises as you progress. In essence, it's tailor made for your current level of ability. I can't say enough good about the video.

Good overview, although I have found many of the exercises demonstrated on YouTube. Sonnon presents well, knows his stuff, and provides excellent instruction on form tips and motion for anyone getting started with ClubBells.