14 Indian Club Exercises for a Full Routine

While the Indian Club is an ancient fitness tool from the Middle East, it has become a lot more popular in the Western world in recent years. And for good reason, Indian Club exercises are an excellent way to maintain upper body joint health and integrity. The fluid motions that you will perform with a 1, 2 or 3 pound Indian Club (yes, Indian Clubs are meant to be light) will increase the mobility and durability of your upper back/scapula, shoulders, elbows and wrists.

Indian Clubs are particularly beneficial for your shoulders, which are the most dynamic joint in terms of range of motion and often take a beating in many sports. With the help of Indian clubs, you can add years to your sport by keeping your shoulders and other joints healthy and performing at their best.

In this video, MMA practitioner Mike Pastor demonstrates 14 of his favorite Indian Club exercises. With each exercise, he explains important cues and why the exercise is beneficial.

While we have made this into somewhat of a compilation video, these 14 Indian Club movements are actually meant to be done one after the other for a full upper body mobility and durability routine.

The exercises will increase in complexity as we go on.

Here are the 14 Indian Club Exercises:

1. Marching (0:04)
2. Twists (0:21)
3. Reverse Arm Circles (0:52)
4. Forward Arm Circles (1:12)
5. Back Circles (1:38)
6. Front Arm Circles (2:09)
7. Double Down (2:37)
8. Criss Cross (3:09)
9. Mill Variation (3:40)
10. Overhead Cast (4:05)
11. 4 Point Cast (4:36)
12. Movement 1 (5:02)
13. Movement 2 (5:28)
14. Movement 3 (5:58)

The Indian Club Workout Routine Using These 14 Exercises:

- Do each exerciser time 30-60 seconds or a 12 to 15 reps range. Just do one set and move onto the next.
- After you are done, if you feel like it, you can do another round or start your strength training or sport specific workout.

Key points to remember when training with Indian Clubs:

- Maintain good posture
- Practice and master your breathing
- Keep a relaxed grip
- Keep your shoulders back & down

If you want to learn more about the history, benefits, sizes, and styles of Indian Clubs, check out this video by Mike Pastor:    • Indian Clubs: Brief History, Benefits...  

You can also read our in-depth blog post on Indian Clubs to learn everything about them: https://www.setforset.com/blogs/news/...