Back in 2003, I started out working as a personal trainer in Sydney… first at Golds then a health club called Definition.
Now, back then, everyone was training with fitballs.
You’d walk into the gym and everyone was using them.
Squats on fitballs… push-ups on fitballs… sit-ups on fitballs… basically, if it didn’t involve a fitball, it wasn’t “functional.”
Fast-forward twenty years… I barely ever see anyone use a fitball anymore.
That’s the thing with the fitness industry… fads come and go.
In the short term, there’s usually an overreaction… but in the long term, there’s often an under-reaction.
Years ago I injured my shoulder.
That’s when I started training with Indian clubs to help with rehab.
And once my shoulder got stronger and more stable, I moved on to heavier steel clubs and maces.
People often ask me…
“Dan, do you think club training is just another fad? Like the fitball craze back in the early 2000s?”
And my answer is simple… “no, I don’t think it is.”
Because Indian clubs and maces have been around for thousands of years.
And I reckon they’ll be around for another thousand.
The reason why?
They improve human movement.
Take a simple club mill… it’s basically a throwing or striking motion.
It’s a primal movement.
Something we’ve done since the dawn of time and something that we’re designed to do.
Standing on an inflatable ball?
Humans don’t normally stand on unstable surfaces unless we’re on a boat or surfing.
If you’re a surfer, then fitballs could be a great training tool for you.
But otherwise… we’re meant to be grounded.
If anything’s unstable, it’s usually what we’re carrying… not what we’re standing on.
That’s why tools like sandbags or aqua bags are actually way more functional.
They move, they shift, and they force your core to stabilise and control that moving load… just like in real life.
So, to circle back to the question.
Is steel club training a fad?
No.
Indian clubs, steel clubs, and maces are timeless tools that have stood the test of time.
They improve human performance and I believe they’ll still be around long after today’s fads have come and gone.
Dan Clay
Dangerously Fit
