Mace weight training is great for building your core strength, stability, and upper body power—and that’s just the beginning. Learn more about mace swing benefits from your friends at Jack City Fitness—we’re experts!

Plenty of workouts are inspired by a real-life object or physical activity. From climbing machines and walls to airbikes, the gym often imitates life. An excellent example of this is steel mace training. After all, a steel mace may be known as an incredible workout tool, but it has a longer history than any gym. Bludgeons of this type have been made and used by humans globally since prehistoric times—you can see ancient ones in museums! 

Historically, maces were used mainly as a weapon or form of warfare. That violent history is pretty far removed from how people use the mace these days. Now, its primary purpose is to provide athletes with a treasure trove of effective arm toning exercises.

At Jack City Fitness, we’re experts on all the latest workout trends—and today, we’re going to cover the basics of mace training, from benefits to how to try it yourself. If you’re ready to begin swinging, you can get in touch with the Jack City team. Our coaches would love to help you get started!

What Is Mace Training?

The mace workout is a type of functional strength training. While still a relatively new concept, it’s growing in popularity in gyms across the country, especially those focusing on functional fitness. 

As the name suggests, these workouts always involve a mace (or macebell). The macebell can be found in various sizes and weights and is physically fairly similar to its warlike predecessors: a long steel bar with a heavy metal ball on one end.

Due to its unique weight distribution and form, there are multiple ways to engage in mace training. If you’ve only heard of one mace workout, it’s likely mace swings—they’re a unique and powerful way to build muscle and increase functional fitness levels. Plus, they have countless varieties—once you get a grip on mace training, you can incorporate swings into all sorts of moves and workouts. 

As popular as mace swings might be, they are not the only way to use this equipment! We’ve seen athletes perform mace lateral shifts, curl their macebell during sumo squats, hold it overhead while doing crunches…the sky’s the limit with such a versatile piece of equipment. 

What Is Functional Fitness?

We’ve mentioned a couple of times that mace training is a form of functional fitness—but what exactly does that mean?

Functional fitness refers to workouts that improve your range of motion and help your body move properly in your daily life. By engaging in functional fitness training, you might find it takes less effort to do activities like pushing a grocery cart or carrying a baby. 

Is Steel Mace Training Effective?

Absolutely! The sheer versatility of the macebell alone makes it an effective tool. Not only does it come in a variety of weights and sizes, but it provides an enormous range of workouts for types of athletes—and you can actually adjust your grip to shift your workout to meet your fitness level. This flexibility and accessibility make it an easier tool to stick with, leading to more motivation and better results.

Steel Mace Workout Benefits

There are lots of mace workout benefits! Here are just a few:

1) It’s Unique

If you’ve never tried mace training, your first time will be unforgettable. After all, there aren’t many workouts that let you wield a medieval-style weapon like a character in an action movie, all while giving your body a strength conditioning workout that also offers functional fitness training! We promise you’ll leave your first session energized by the unique workout you just tried.

2) It Offers a Varied Workout

There’s not just one way to swing a mace! There are so, so many variations on steel mace training for athletes to try. The classic mace swing can be incorporated into all types of workouts: jumping jacks, squats, and burpees among them. Besides, there are plenty of ways to use the macebell without swinging. We’ve seen it utilized in all sorts of ways, from rows to bench presses. You’ll never be bored with a macebell!

3) It Grows With You

The macebell might seem like it’s only for top-tier athletes, but it’s an accessible piece of equipment. Its unique build allows for athletes to choose their difficulty “level” by grip. As a general rule, the closer your hands are to the weighted metal ball on your mace, the more beginner-friendly it will be. Moving your hands away from the ball will make your workout more challenging.

4) It Allows for Microtraining

The unique build and weight distribution of the steel mace allows athletes to target muscle groups in their training. By gripping your mace in certain ways, you can focus on creating more resistance to specific muscles.

5) It Helps Build a Stronger Core

Steel mace training can lead to a stronger core. That has a ton of benefits in itself; when you strengthen your core, you can enjoy a better sense of physical balance. That improved sense of stability will translate both to your athletic performance and daily movements. 

6) It Leads to Improved Functional Fitness

As we mentioned previously, steel mace training is a fine workout for folks interested in functional fitness. It can help you move through life with more ease and less pain—what’s not to love?

7) It Can Improve Your Grip Strength

Get a grip! 

Gripping a macebell is important—as we covered before, how you do so impacts your workout difficulty. It’s also crucial to have correct form and hold on tight. But that’s not the only way grip comes into your steel mace training. By participating in these workouts, you will be able to improve your overall grip strength. That’s thanks to the unique weight distribution of the mace itself.

8) It Offers a Full-Body Workout

Looking for a full-body workout? Mace training is a top option! It allows you to get in a full workout without logging hours at the gym, and it’s fun, unique, and feels powerful to perform. 

Can Anyone Try This Workout?

The mace workout can be a fantastic workout for beginners! However, if you’re trying this particular type of training for the first time, we highly recommend doing it alongside an experienced fitness coach. They’ll be able to ensure that you are safely using proper form. Plus, they’ll have plenty of dynamic mace workout ideas for you. Once you feel confident in the workout, you can do your own thing or continue with more advanced workouts alongside your coach. 

Try the Mace Workout at Jack City Fitness

At Jack City Fitness, we have everything that athletes need to succeed in crushing all their goals—and that includes first-class workout equipment, knowledgeable coaches, and heart-pumping fitness classes. We’re the first and best results-oriented gym in Boise—we know that your goals mean everything to you, and we love helping you reach them.

Get in touch with our team today by calling (208) 999-1111 for a FREE fitness consultation and a chance to see our facilities in person. Once you sign up to become a Jack City Partner, you’ll have immediate 24/7 access to our entire fitness center, plus the chance to work with our amazing coaches and counselors, experience customized training, and more. We can’t wait to meet you and help you reach your goals!