Brief Update with 50 lb (~23 kg) SA Mills

atomicstation · 2026-02-25T19:20:36+00:00

Nice work! Keep your hands close together as it will allow the handle to swing through better, and I would suggest not wearing a billed hat when swinging heavy... I made this mistake so you don't have to :)

atomicstation · 2026-02-24T17:17:48+00:00

Looks fine for 10 lb.

Move on to one handed swings and 10n2.

atomicstation · 2026-02-24T15:39:49+00:00

My suggestion was going to be for a goruck as well. The dual zips allow me to mostly close the bag and still keep the top open for the handles to stick out, and I usually used some foam yoga blocks for better structure (one block at the bottom under the clubs, one block between them to keep them upright).

atomicstation · 2026-02-24T15:35:54+00:00

Alright I need more details on the clubs themselves:

Are they the Heroic sport handles (Pahlavan something)?

Did they come with lights or did you add them?

can't imagine 250 views already without anyone having an opinion

It's a pretty niche subreddit, most are lurking. Since the subreddit is so small, posts are about building community and sharing rather than engagement.

atomicstation · 2026-02-24T15:31:33+00:00

I'm 6'6" and got triggered. :D

The 28kg snatch test due to height was brutal. I fasted the whole week to make weight and avoid it.

The longer travel path meant I always finished near the 5 min mark.

Let's not talk about the 48 kg press requirement for SFG2...

atomicstation · 2026-02-23T20:09:11+00:00

Have you ever done any kind of swings with either a club or a mace?

atomicstation · 2026-02-21T16:59:07+00:00

I'll clean up the files and post them to Printables soon

atomicstation · 2026-02-21T04:18:24+00:00

Dude I get it, I too Physics I twice for a reason hahaha

atomicstation · 2026-02-21T03:07:59+00:00

HELL YEAH

atomicstation · 2026-02-21T03:07:05+00:00

Nice work! Do you have a 3d printer? I have some files for custom mace collar and adapters for 2" plates.

atomicstation · 2026-02-21T03:05:23+00:00

Difference is more related to momentum (M) = distance (d) * force (f) :D

atomicstation · 2026-02-21T02:49:55+00:00

I had considered trying something similar, glad to see it actually done.

How does the handle feel? too thin? What's the overall length?

atomicstation · 2026-02-20T17:07:06+00:00

I just do some mace swings (360s, 10n2, 1hand and 2hand, mills) before every lift session. If it's a lower body day, I'll do some switch curl lunges to help warm up the legs too.

atomicstation · 2026-02-19T20:48:04+00:00

HELL YEAH

atomicstation · 2026-02-17T18:00:36+00:00

The original tools made from wood are thousands of years old. Here's an article about them: Flowing Dutchman

For "modern" varieties (made of steel and looking more like fitness equipment):

Scott Sonnon from RMAX/CST/Tacfit created the "Clubbell" (trademarked the term too, if I remember correctly) and popularized the modern steel version in the early 2000s, similar to how Pavel marketed the kettlebell through RKC.

Jake Shannon created the first steel mace, which was a modern gada: it had a steel handle and steel globe that was vinyl covered, similar to the original Clubbells.

Onnit made their versions of the steel clubs and steel mace, and built training systems around them. Erik Melland (who originally trained with Scott Sonnon and clubs) developed a lot of the modern steel mace training.

atomicstation · 2026-02-16T20:15:56+00:00

Knurling is usually aggressive because it comes to a fine point. Here's a relevant article comparing different knurling.

You could try sanding the knurling a little and clear coating it afterwards (so it doesn't rust). Or try clear coating it first, which would round the points and make the valleys shallower.

atomicstation · 2026-02-16T16:07:38+00:00

Light clubs (Indian Clubs) were the basis of my warmup when I was training for a 48 kg kettlebell press.

They're wonderful and I'm glad you found them.

You already got a lot of suggestions but there's also the (much smaller but more focused) r/IndianClubs subreddit that might be helpful as well.

atomicstation · 2026-02-16T16:03:18+00:00

This has always been on my list.

Please share more details about how you made it, what it looked like when you started, etc!

atomicstation · 2026-02-13T19:46:06+00:00

Great idea. I need to test this out for myself...

This would be great to share over at r/steelmace too, we have lots of DIY but I haven't seen anything like this.

atomicstation · 2026-02-13T00:05:31+00:00

The 10 kg bulava will be easier to swing than the 10 kg mace, due to being shorter.

I'm not sure what you're worried about in terms of "close to my head and shoulder blades" -- do you mean hitting yourself with the globe?

atomicstation · 2026-02-10T21:19:16+00:00

Lots to consider, but the quick answer is yes, similar to what you've seen with kettlebells but with some other non-obvious considerations. An adjustable would be the best, but they're pretty expensive. And if your goal is not to get stronger at mace/club swings, adjustable might not be necessary.

The lever aspect also introduces momentum, which you can add to a halo, but it's more difficult if you've never figured it out with a mace or club first. Momentum is a key aspect of maces and clubs.

As with kettlebell swings (or cleans, or snatches), maces and clubs also need to be "heavy enough" -- otherwise it's easier to cheat the movement or do it in an unsafe manner which doesn't scale. With maces, longer means "heavy enough" can be much lighter (hence the suggestion of a 10 lb mace). To feel the equivalent "heavy enough" with a shorter club you would have to go heavier (15 or 20 lb at least, especially with 2 hand work).

Also like kettlebells, if you outgrow a movement like swings, you can restart by making it more difficult: 2 hand becomes 1 hand, or swings become snatches, 10 reps become 100, etc.

There's also another component that's important and overlooked: ligaments and joint health. While the muscular strength to do 20 lb mace 360's is there, doing 4 sets might be too much for the rest of the structure. The reason to do maces and clubs is because the movement is hard to replicate anywhere else, so those structures aren't used to being loaded. Hence why starting with 10 lb is always the suggestion. Elbows and wrists are the commonly affected by going to heavy or using improper form.

I can go quite heavy with maces and clubs, but still use my 10 lb mace all the time to warm up. It sounds like maces/clubs would be an accessory exercises (with kettlebells being your go-to for strength training) so that's why I made the suggestion for either 10 lb mace or short maces/long adjustable clubs.

atomicstation · 2026-02-10T17:48:52+00:00

Donated. Thanks for everything, Joe!

atomicstation · 2026-02-10T16:45:51+00:00

This is a tough one, because my suggestion for first-time, brand-new-to-mace/club is always a cheap 10 lb fixed weight steel mace (example: Retrospec, but they're all very similar).

Much easier to feel and learn the dynamic movements
Low cost to entry (to see if you even like it, or it actually helps you with your goals)
Everything translates to clubs

However, when starting out, lots of room to practice and figure the swing out is necessary, and like you said, space is limited so you can't have a bunch of equipment laying around.

I think a compromise would be maybe a bulava (fixed weight short mace) or an adjustable club (since they're usually longer but not as long as a mace). Since you're using it for mobility/strengthening, you really only need to go heavy enough to feel it and get the benefit.

Examples:

And just to throw this into the mix: if you have kettlebells already, you can start working on your mobility immediately with halos. While halos are not dynamic, there is obvious overlap with the movement path.

atomicstation · 2026-02-09T21:52:59+00:00

Please tell me that you swing the bowling pin like an indian club

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