Over the last few months I’ve been thinking a lot about something I keep seeing with clients and coaches.
People are getting stronger…
But they’re not always getting more durable.
And those two things aren’t the same.
You see it all the time in the gym.
Someone can:
Squat heavy.
Bench heavy.
Deadlift heavy.
But the moment training becomes a little less predictable… rotation, asymmetrical loading, explosive movements – things start to fall apart.
No shoulder mobility.
Tight hips.
Aches, pains and little niggles appearing.
Most people don’t fix the problem.
They just train around it.
What I’ve realised over the years is that strength alone doesn’t guarantee a pain-free, durable body.
Because durability isn’t just about strength.
It’s about being able to produce, control, and absorb force through a wide range of positions and movement patterns.
That’s one of the reasons I’ve always liked training tools like steel clubs and steel maces.
They naturally train something that a lot of modern gym training misses.
They force the body to control weight through movement.
Rotation.
Momentum.
Changing leverage.
The shoulders don’t just push or pull.
They stabilise.
They guide.
They absorb.
They coordinate with the rest of the body.
And when you start training that way consistently, something interesting happens.
People don’t just get stronger.
They start becoming more durable.
More resilient.
More capable of handling the unexpected.
Which, when you think about it… is what strength should really be about in the first place.
Strength that actually holds up outside the gym and in everyday life.
Dan
Dangerously Fit
PS: Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing more ideas around durability training and why tools like clubs and maces are so effective for building resilient shoulders.
