Mark is far and away the best "functional strength" expert on the Net. 68 years old, Father started me on the "Big 3" of barbell lifting when I was 8 years old. I've never stopped training/working out.
As a beginner to kettlebells and club bells, I would happily pay for a nicely organized app that I could follow along. Perhaps 5 mins warm up, 5 mins skill work, then a workout incorporating the skill development work plus a cool down at the end. I’m really struggling with figuring out the best way to develop skills and build my own workouts. It seems like Mark has all the info, but watching RU-vid vids in my opinion can get a bit confusing as I struggle to put it all together.
I found two really important queues in this video that haven't been emphasized in previous ones on the single hand shield cast. The first was the proper rotation; I've been going down the "intuitive" path if rotating at all and often whacking myself in the shoulder even with a relatively light Adex setup. This is a self correcting mistake. The next quality nugget for me was to reduce the number of reps, at least in the beginning. I've trying to do 10/10 like my inside/outside circles and these exercises are totally different. Fatigue led to more shoulder whacking. Thanks for adding more details as I've skipping the single arm variation due to the pain. This is very helpful.
@@MarkWildman with the rotation is it like the inside and outside circle where u move the knee forward when rotating or do you leave them stright and just move the shoulder?
I think the training seminars are making your videos even better then before. I'm going to go back but I don't remember the discussion about rotation of the torso in your older videos (I'll edit if I am wrong), but just a week or so ago I restarted clubs after having some shoulder issues and watched several videos of single and two hand shield casts, and suddenly something clicked "his other should is moving... he's rotating", and on my third set or so it clicked and suddenly the whole thing felt 100% different, my abs, glutes, whole core lit up it. felt AMAZING, I had easily done thousands of reps of this movement in the past, or so I thought, but I had never really done it at all apparently. (edit - grammer tweak)
Pretty sure your right, the movement towards the club was elaborated on in later videos. I was keeping my torso square, which in retrospect I view as kindof a hardstyle version, i.e. it forced me to find more mobility in shoulders ( not saying anyone should do this ). It surely would have broken down with higher weights as I wasn't transferring the forces fully down into the legs, the midriff beared the brunt. Edit: have a feeling someone else suggested this hardstyle comparison previously in an exchange, Robbery ! 😂
single arm club stuff you talk about actually improved my sholders 50% in just last 6months. I've been doing stuff for years but being consistent is the key and volume cycles of course
Just to share something I do with Volume Cycles and Single Hand Club. I lose track of the "set" that I'm in. To get around this I need to say the "set" number every time. That means. Weak side "Outside Circle", "1-5", "1-4", "1-3", "1-2", "1-1". change sides. Strong side "Outside Circle", "1-5", "1-4", "1-3", "1-2", "1-1". change sides. Weak side "Outside Circle", "2-5", "2-4", "2-3", "2-2", "2-1". change sides. Strong side "Outside Circle", "2-5", "2-4", "2-3", "2-2", "2-1". etc.... You can see that I count up the "sets" and count down the "reps". I was counting up the "reps" but when I got tired I'd forget to stop. I'll find myself saying "10-6", "10-7", "10-8". Then I'd realize I forgot to stop and change sides. So for the "reps" I count down. I got the idea to say the "set" number every time from a user's comment on another Mark Wildman video a couple years ago. I just thought I would share this here, in case it helps anyone.
Having a rotator cuff injury from my 20s, kettlebells, dumbbells, clubbells, and chest expander allow me to keep using it without injury. It forces you to focus on form and start with lighter or no weight to master the foundation movements. I can always tell if I’ve gone too hard not by any pain but by the strength of my slinging ball bearings 10 times in a row.
I wasn't rotating my opposite shoulder toward the club when I started, and I didn't start two-handed. The first club exercises I started with were single-arm inside circles, outside circles and shield cast. I actually haven't actually done any clubs with two hands yet. I also had to learn to bend my knee when doing inside and outside circles, because I'd missed that. Now I'm doing pretty well with both, though I still have to keep the weight down to avoid trouble with tricep tendinopathy (I think it's the shield cast or the kettlebell halos affecting that.) I had to back off several times as I learned my connective tissue was behind my muscle growth.
I found the same when trying mills too quickly. I think shield casts are like mace 360s insofar as it’s essential to engage the lats during the final pullover section. Not to yank it with the elbow, and let club momentum do much of the work too. Smoothly and controlled whole body coordinated, with good rotation at the hips & waist. Early days and still learning here, happy to be corrected if I’m off.
Question. Like you, I started with SA almost a year ago. Up to 10lbs x 14 x 5/5. I bought the 2A program but have not yet added in to my routine. Have you given any thoughts to doing 2H? I am interested in trying it soon. Unfortunately it would probably be at the expense of the 1H program.
Figured out one of the main reasons why I reckon I had missed the rotation with the 2-H SC ( could be 1-H ), apart from listening skills and other flaws 😂.. It started because I wasn't doing gama-casts 2-H ( and as you shouldn't with 1-H ).....a perspective... The London video copped me on. With the gama-cast, the alternating pattern of the swings leaves you naturally turned towards the correct side for the next rep ( the momentum rotates you to a fair degree, with some weight, into the right position pretty much). With the 2-H SC ( could be 1-H ) I would end up facing the opposite way from the ideal position ( the momentum of swing can put you there) for the next iteration. This is the wrong position from which someone could attempt the next iteration of the SC ( using the same top-hand requires a reset) as mentioned. Then I'd correct by squaring up instead of continuing around to face the other side ( to face the correct way for the next same top-hand SC ) Maybe was thinking 'order position' , a beneficial cue elsewhere. Once I started this pattern I just didn't consider it anymore, seems obvious now. I'm training alternating 2-H SC ( swapping top hand each rep and you probably are in the correct rotation) for a few reps every now and again, to melt it in. This could be an argument to train some alternating approach from the get-go, albeit with the problematic near-side portion of the gama. Always return to basics, said somebodys
Mark, fantastic video. Two Qs: are we meant to adjust (reduce?) arm tension on the back part of the swing (after push and before pull) and thereby letting gravity and momentum take over? And also are glutes activated on throughout? Thanks.
Yes. Adjust tension. The weight swings in the back. The heavier the weight, the more you need to squeeze the glutes to lock down the bottom of the core and keep from being pulled into uncontrolled extension
I know someone else asked this in the comment section, but I'm still not clear on whether to start with single arm clubs or 2 handed clubs. I know in prior videos regarding deconditioned and overweight individuals you recommended single arm, but in this video you state that we should start with 2 hands. Is this a demographic thing? Deconditioned and overweight start with 1 hand, and those that are a step beyond that should start with 2 handed clubs? Perhaps I'm just missing it entirely lol
Hi Mark, throwing a lot out here....so great also if anybody else has guidance.... @domzbu asked a question here about releasing tension on the SC swing. Somebody asked a q&a question about the grip changing on the SC back swing ( if I remember right ). You explained something about the ice-cream cone grip ( need a refresher !) Are these related ? In the sense that these grips ease the swing and / or are like the rotation talked about here, a nuance that could add to trainees practice? Cheers for all these pointers
@@johnstephenmurphy546 But it's very solid stuff that'll last for years, I ordered my adjustable clubbell from the US to GB and have got a ton of use out of it, so it's been worth it for me. But obviously might not be for you
@@johnstephenmurphy546 I am in UK and have ordered from Adex - I think if you work out the costs then you can decided if it’s worth it to you / affordable. I decided it was worth it for me vs the alternatives where I am - have not regretted it.
It’s in the works. But my programs are about 17x larger than what other people write. So they take a long time to edit and develop. The single arm program is a 3 year program at the short side
" Don't wait until you've been injured and are in rehab to start this movement." Would this be beneficial for those who are IN rehab/P.T for their shoulders?
Coach Wildman, when changing from 2 hand to single or visa versa, what percentage of weight difference is recommended? Example: doing 15 lbs single hand, would you start with 10 or 15 2 hand?
After rewatching the video it'd be... Pick your 2-H club weight e.g. 15lbs Stick with the 2-H training for three increases in weight, for adex say 17.5lbs ; 20lbs ; 22.5lbs This trains the movement and gets shoulders ready for the demands of 1-H. At that stage introduce 1-H by going back down to initial weight ( 15lbs ) and in addition use the 'sword fingers' progression to ease into the single hand training. That's my take on it, the initial weight and increments are variable, as are everyones strength and mobility ( that was helpful!) But using this scheme, after the sword fingers get removed, you'd have 15 / 22.5 = 66% of the weight. Maybe you'd already progressed on the 2-H..... 15 / 25 = 60% Around the golden ratio again 🌬 , so yes about double ! , but why not push it out a little, just a bit.
Hey Mark, I have made the mistake of starting my club program (inside, outside circles and shield cast) with a single-arm and I have been doing that for more than a year already. Did I F up myself by doing that? Can I still correct that? I'm not seeing or feeling any adverse effect at the moment and in fact, like I have mentioned previously, it has helped level up my mobility and agility in my kali practice. But I'm now thinking long term. Have I set myself up for any injuries in the future by doing single-arm first rather than double-arm?
I’ve never heard any of the other coaches say you can’t do single arm shield casts. Probably not advisable with heavier clubs in the beginning. I think there’s a difference between the inside and outside mills versus the shield cast like Mark is doing.
I don't think it's a big deal, he used to recommend starting with single arm, very lighr weight (as low as just the adex handle no threadset, 3.5lbs) for certain demographics. I don't know if he has changed his mind or what the status of the programming for overweight/injured/detrained individuals is at if it's just in the backburner or what. If you start with a single arm then you should start with very low weights possibly less then 10, probably even 5lbs or something. I am guessing (not sure) that the recent advice to start with two handed is aimed to get you to higher weights faster, this would be a great question for a Q&A or a dedicated video.
My belief is that the point of starting with 2 hands is to teach a better form. I did the same thing as you. With single hand you can cheat on the rotation and it becomes pretty much an arm only exercise. But when you add that 2nd hand on a circle it forces you to rotate all the way to the side so you can keep your arms straight and shoulders packed. The more you rotate the more the rest of your body has to be involved in the whole movement pattern. But im no pro that's just like my opinion man.
@@lowflyingdonut appreciate your reply. Yes, I did start with a low weight - 4kg - just to be on the safe side and to get a feel of this. And after a year or so of doing SA inside & outside circles and shield cast, I'm bumping up to 6kg, again, to be on the side of safety.
hey can you explain the difference btwn the single arm shield cast and the single arm mill. seems like the shield cast goes over the head and the mill stays over the shoulder??? that’s how it looks when i see you perform the two.
Hi Mark, just wandering what bat weight would you recommend to start with for male of about 90kg and fairly fit and strong? Have only online options and no way of testing it first this is why I need your advice...
