Clubs are wonderful things. If you've ever tried sledgehammer levering, you'll be familiar with the concept - a heavy, unstable weight held at a distance; and moved under control. Different tool, similar feeling.
Of course, clubs are used for much more than that. For a peek into their history, and to get an idea of how they are used, take a look at these sites :
The fun - from my point of view, anyway - also comes from the creation of the equipment. I love being able to use gym gear that I've made; it's a particularly satisfying feeling. When it comes to clubs, the thinking's no different. Here's how to make your own clubs.
The Equipment
Before you head down to the nearest hardware store, consider this : there are two basic techniques for making your own clubs - each with their own parts list. Here are the details.
The first technique involves filling a plastic toy club with a heavy material (usually sand, cement or lead shot). To do this you'll need :
plastic toy club (hollow), usually available cheaply at bargain stores and service stations
small bag of sand, cement or other heavy, granular material (if you've ever made a sandbag, grab the same stuff - works well)
tube of plastic-friendly glue
grip wrap or duct tape
The assembly process is fairly straight-forward. Cut a small circle in the base of the club's handle, insert a funnel and slowly fill it with the sand or cement. When the club is almost filled, swing it about a bit to compress the sand/cement at the top.
Remember to plug the hole you've just made (using a plastic-friendly glue).
To make the handle a little less slippery, add some duct tape or the wrap used on cricket bats and tennis rackets. If you made the nunchaku, it's the same stuff.
The final weight of the club can be easily adjusted using ankle weights. Just slip them over the handle and push them up as far as they'll go.
Brilliant device.
If your shoulders aren't quite as flexible as you'd like, grab The Rotater. Love it.
Already got one? Looking for something specific? Swing by the Straight to the Bar Store. It's all in there.
Tubing
The second technique involves making the club from scratch, using various lumps of metal and a bit of duct tape. Personally, these are the clubs I favour.
The parts list will depend on the size and weight of your intended club. To make the 9lb club shown in the video below, you'll need :
1.5" x 12" nipple
2" cap
2" x 10" nipple
2" to 1.25" reducer
.75" to 1.25" bushing
.75" x 12" nipple
.75" cap
NB : if you're unfamiliar with the term 'nipple' in this context, it's just a length of pipe with a screw thread at each end.
Once the club is assembled, tape up the handle if desired. Once again, grab the duct tape or grip wrap.
To adjust the final weight of the club, either fill it with a fairly course material (tyre balance weights are ideal - and usually quite inexpensive) or add ankle weights as before.
Here's a great video showing this process in action :
What do you do with them?
Once you've assembled your clubs, you may be wondering just what to do with them. Here are a few ideas :
As with any home-made piece of equipment, it's always great to see how other people are doing things. Once you've got your club assembled, post a pic to the Flickr group. Alternately, put a quick video on Youtube. Leave a comment below to let us know where it is.
Scott Andrew Bird is a writer, photographer and a guy who just loves this stuff. He's been at home in front of a computer for more years than he cares to remember (OK, 37) and is now making amends for years of many mistakes noted in the De-constructing Computer Guy articles (part 2) on T-Nation.
This month's collaboration with Run to Win's Blaine Moore - Things which deserve more attention - continues with a look at one of my favourite areas of training, the forearms.
This site - Straight to the Bar - has been around for an incredible 7 years (the first post was on Jan 17th, 2004), and to say I'm grateful is a gross understatement.
, or if you'd like to join the team of Moderators here (I love hearing about everyone's training approaches) - get in touch. And if you've got a fitness competition or seminar coming up, add it to the calendar.
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Cheers.
what we're saying
NB : As well as leaving a comment or two beneath the articles themselves, you might like to swing by the Daily 'Paper' for a somewhat more frequent dose of training goodness.
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the future of fitness
Over the years we’ve looked at the fitness industry from a number of angles - discussing the history, present approaches and potential future trends involved. Fascinating areas.
When it comes to the last part - discussing potential future trends - things get a little, well, unusual. If it’s an interest you share, or you just want to find out the types of things we think are likely, check out the posts tagged ‘Futurism’. And of course, Gymchat 224 (Roundtable) - The Future of Fitness. Superb discussion.
air pollution & health
We discuss air pollution quite a bit on this site - particularly the various health impacts involved. If you'd like to dive in a little deeper, I invite you to check out the following :
We looked at the first edition a while ago, and this second volume looks equally superb. I'm about to dive in to it myself, and you can check out the details (and grab a copy) here :
And for the full list of the Books & DVDs we recommend, swing by the Recommended Books & DVDs page. To check out what we're reading at the moment (and to make suggestions), join us on Goodreads.