Club training offers the ability to train the core whilst standing upright on two feet (rather than laying on the floor), the way we were designed to move in everyday life.
A powerful core allows you to generate force from the ground up which is especially important for all of the athletes out there.
Due to the leverage of the club and the ballistic nature of club training itself, most club exercises will target the core in one way or another.
Here are my 3 Favourite 3 Steel Clubs Exercises for Building a Powerful Core;
- 360’s to Mill
- Single Arm Cast (heavy)
- Flag Press to Iron Cross Rotation
360’s to Mill
This movement forces the core to stabilise as the arm moves through the full range of movement as the club swings around the body. The further the club is away from the body, the harder the core has to work to stabilise the trunk while the arm is in motion.
Single Arm Cast (heavy)
The exercise is a staple for club training and is excellent for targeting the core. When the club is cast behind the body the core is forced to engage in order to control, stabilise and then move the club back of the body to the front of the body. If you use a heavy club you can really feel the abdominal muscles contract to prevent the body from being ripped into two.
Flag Press to Iron Cross Rotation
This is a fantastic core exercise and a challenging movement because you have two points of leverage, you have the leverage of the club with the point of contact (grip) being far away from the weight of the club (barrel). Plus, you have the club itself being far away from your centre of mass. Using a single club unilaterally loads the body, forcing your trunk to remain in a vertical position and the twisting part of the movement forces your core to engage through rotation.
