Superiority of Clubbell Design
The Distinct Advantages of the Genuine Clubbell®
by Jarlo Ilano, M.P.T.,C.S.T.
The innovative design of the Clubbell® yields force production that is vastly superior to other weight training implements. The “actual” weight of the Clubbell® belies the incredible tension that it exerts on the person wielding the apparatus. Two factors in particular explain how the production of force from a 15# Clubbell® equals 375 inch-pounds of torque! These are the factors of Leverage and Pendulum Motion.
Leverage is often designated “good” or “bad” based upon the mechanical advantage that a particular lever arm gives you to perform the task of moving a heavy object. Good leverage usually indicates that the lever arm is long relative to the length of the force arm to the fulcrum. The closer the fulcrum is to the load, the less force needed to move the load. This is the principle behind the use of a car jack as a first class lever. You have nice long lever arm that makes lifting your car up much easier. When you wield a Clubbell® however, it is a third class lever, the force arm (your hands) lies between the fulcrum (your elbow or shoulder depending on your arm lock positioning) and the load (the Clubbell® center of mass). In this leverage, a larger force is required to move the given load. This is “bad” leverage in terms of energy expenditure to move a weight, but it is excellent in terms of engaging your structure to create significant amounts of force.
Pendulum motion is another important aspect of Clubbell® work. The superior force production here is related to the greater length of the implement relative to other conventional weight training equipment. In swinging the Clubbell®, more force is generated because of the apparatus moves through a longer arc of motion. As the load arm is so long, our force moves the load through a greater distance. This greater distance indicates that more torque (force x distance) was needed to move the load. Torque that was generated by our muscles and structure! So we see that the Clubbell®’s design was intended to create the most bang (force generation) for your buck (weight load).
And what of the other implements purporting to take advantage of the Leverage and Pendulum Motion effects? Traditional equipment such as sledgehammers and Indian Clubs did indeed provide these benefits. However they had limitations that were solved in the Clubbell® design. Indian clubs are traditionally made of wood, which being less dense than steel, made for some extremely large implements when being of comparable weight as the Clubbell®, some as tall as 4 and a half feet! Sledgehammers are also unfavorable because the center of mass is so far from the force arm as to make it untenable for the smooth swinging that is a fine characteristic of the Clubbell®. Homemade equipment have these same disadvantages, and are also quite dangerous, as the materials used can in no way match the quality production of the Clubbell®. Whether it is cement poured into a plastic baseball bat, or one filled with lead shot or sand, the inconsistencies in the fabrication will lead intolerable variances in the equipment. Especially dangerous is the notion of using two of these devices at once to emulate the Clubbell® Swipe exercise! Simply, it is an accident waiting to happen. Also foolhardy, are the attempts to make an adjustable apparatus rather than the fixed weight design of the original Clubbell®. In plate loaded devices that engage the use of a collar to fasten the weights, the danger of shifting plates is not an unreasonable fear. The force production noted above creates sheer forces that can break most plate collars. If you were to devise one strong enough, you would essentially be making a fixed weight apparatus.
Many that have played with homemade and other types of leverage tools are amazed at the feel and performance of the genuine Clubbell®. However, they would not be that astounded if they understood the principles behind the design of an authentic Clubbell®.
