"Club Weights" vs. Clubbells

[dharmadave]

A buddy of mine sent me this link yesterday and asked me what the difference is between these and Clubbells other than the fact taht these club weights are massively less expensive.

I don't really have an answer. It's the first I have heard of Club Weights, but they are indeed massively less expensive than Clubbells. Anyone care to comment??

http://clubweights.com/cw/Home.html?gclid=CJfsm7mVzaECFUtX2godni0jiA

[W_Brister]

They don't look like to bad of a knock-off. But what support system do they have for them, and instructions on techniques, any world class coaching you can ask for help from?


Personally I would rather support a company that also provides the intangibles that I have received from this forum alone, not just selling me a product.

[Miykael]

The price of authentic clubbells has gone down recently to a more affordable rate. Who knows about the quality with these and how they handle in comparison etc. I'd rather pay $20 more or so for the real deal, don't think it is a massive difference if the product is top-notch.

[BADKARMA]

I bought a set for a friend of mine. The quality seems to be fine. Ship time was unbelievable.

[John B]

Interesting.

I wonder how the profile stacks up in comparison to our Clubbells.

It's interesting to read the ad copy in juxtaposition to watching the video. 'Safer' and 'Smarter'. When you watch the accompanying video, however, you can clearly see that those qualities are heavily, thought not totally, determined by the user, not the tool (somebody help that man with his side rockets!) - yet, anyone new to Clubbell®® training will unfortunately not know the difference. :frown:

[wildman]

i'd never trust a man to sell me something who's technique is that poor. i'm rmax all the way. go with those who know.

[Glenn Sunshine]

As Clubbells become more popular, other companies will inevitably move into the market, much like what happened to Dragondoor when they lost their de facto monopoly on kettlebells. That's how the free market works. For KBs, some of the new ones are better than DD, some worse, though I doubt anyone will improve on authentic Clubbells, and if they do, it will be RMAX itself making modifications on their original design. In the long run, it will be good for everyone, I suspect, because as more people start swinging clubs, the ones that are serious will end up over here sooner or later.

[deanmc]

When I see a video like that, so poorly done, it makes me wonder about the quality of the product they are trying to sell. I mean they could have picked a better background as opposed to the garage filled with junk. Not to mention the horrible display of technique that went along with it. It just seems like it was thrown together real quick without much thought. That alone should tell you something about the product!

[dharmadave]

lol. You guys all picked up on such interesting and idiosyncratic things.

I hadn't paid much attention to the video, because I was mostly interested in the product specs. I think the junk-filled garage was meant to illustrate that you could work out anywhere, and no special space or gym is required.

As for the technique, I certainly can't argue with anyone about that. Dude's form leaves something to be desired, to be sure.

[Scott Sonnon]

These "club weights" were originally called "power clubs" - a Hungarian design trying to make a buck off of the Clubbell wave sweeping the globe. The problem is that they were designed to produce a quick, cheap alternative to Clubbells without ever having swung the heavy clubs.

The over-sized knob becomes a wrist impingement since it forces lateral deviation beyond the ability of the forearm muscles to stabilize it as an extension of the arm. This leads to rapid tendonitis and shoulder bursitis.

This over-sized neck-to-knob ratio also destabilizes the scapula by distorting the tightly compact relationship of wrist-elbow-GH when swinging through back position. The deviation of the wrist narrows the elbow stabilization which decreases potential for the GH requiring the scap to destabilize; IOW, bringing you out of shoulder "pack" on every repetition.

I went through 3 years of design research working with an engineering firm whose primary contracts regarding aeronautics. Although the tool is retro-tech, the science behind the design is based upon proper biomechanics. Often around the world, people have resorted to variations of these clubs, but as a result they've become turned off to club swinging because of the rapid and serious injuries they're incurring as a result of the poorly engineered design. That's a shame. Someone makes a quick buck off of the eventual harm to others, and ultimate distaste for a fitness modality, if not exercise altogether. A ironic tragedy really.

Now, the following issue is a cost-effectiveness argument rather than an engineering error. By not designing the weight with rolled steel at the end, the leverage challenge of these "club weights" is actually significantly less than the authentic Clubbell. For example, I can swing the 45lbs "club weight" for hundreds of mills without breaking a sweat, because a major portion of the weight is distributed into the neck and knob. Contrarily, the Clubbell has an insignificant amount of weight and nearly non-existent weight in the knob. The 45lbs Clubbell by comparison feels like twice the weight of the "club weight's" doppelganger of the same weight.

Now, that doesn't sound like a problem right? That is, unless you factor in shipping is a significant issue with Clubbells, so if you continually have to go much heavier to have the same training effect as with authentic Clubbells, then you're paying a lot more money in shipping than you would if you invested in the real Clubbell to begin with.

Furthermore, and not to wax conspiratorial, but imagine what the actual intent of these people promoting that their customers are putting up more numbers than we who swing authentic Clubbells... because the actual leverage challenge is so weak with "club weights" compared to the real deal. Now, factor in to this that the engineering error with these "club weights" leads to rapid tissue damage while people are putting up these numbers (IF they are, and IF it isn't just a marketing gimmick to counter-market against real Clubbells.)

It's a shame that you can't yet go to a store and try out the difference. But if you've ever believed in me, as the guy who pioneered heavy clubs to the world, then trust me, you're saving yourself injuries and money by going with the real thing.

[dharmadave]

Thanks for the comprehensive reply, coach. I'll pass the info in to my buddy.

Dave in Austin

[Scott Sonnon]

Dave, I don't typically respond to these questions because they're will always be the counter-argument from these folks that, "well, of course, he thinks Clubbells are the best since he sells them." No matter how strong of a case I present, or RMAX agents and reps present, it will always be attacked that we benefit from the case presented. However, ad hominem attacks against the designer and provider don't alter the lengthy forethought and testing which preceded the Clubbell design.

[hermanchauw]

Anybody who has been hit by a swinging clubbell in the head or feet is thankful that it is not bare steel.

[Ryan Murdock]

In addition to what Coach Sonnon posted here:


These "club weights" were originally called "power clubs" - a Hungarian design trying to make a buck off of the Clubbell® wave sweeping the globe. The problem is that they were designed to produce a quick, cheap alternative to Clubbells without ever having swung the heavy clubs.

The over-sized knob becomes a wrist impingement since it forces lateral deviation beyond the ability of the forearm muscles to stabilize it as an extension of the arm. This leads to rapid tendonitis and shoulder bursitis.

This over-sized neck-to-knob ratio also destabilizes the scapula by distorting the tightly compact relationship of wrist-elbow-GH when swinging through back position. The deviation of the wrist narrows the elbow stabilization which decreases potential for the GH requiring the scap to destabilize; IOW, bringing you out of shoulder "pack" on every repetition.

I've seen these Power Clubs when doing seminars in Europe, and had an opportunity to try them. As Coach said, they're riddled with design flaws - it was immediately obvious that they were made by someone who looked at photos of a Clubbell but had never swung one. It's all in the details.

The weight distribution is all wrong. As Coach said, their equivalent to a 45-lb Clubbell felt to me like a 25, and I could do pretty near everything with it one-handed. The length was also strange - I'm tall, but I bashed it on the floor in some movements because the barrel of their heavier models is too long.

The knob, as Coach said, is enormous and made of steel. That skews the weight distribution too much towards the handle, removing one of the main benefits of Clubbell training - leverage. The size of the knob also prevents you from achieving proper arm lock and grip confirmation. Your arm is bent slightly at the wrist, and if you know anything about the 7 Key Components of structure, you'll know that this is where you'll leak power, and this is where injury will likely happen first.

They're bare metal - as Herman said anyone who has ever bumped their head with a Clubbell when fatigue sets in knows how important that rubberized coating is.

FInally, I found the grip portion of the Power Clubs to be very bad. The authentic Clubbell was designed with a special crinkle coating on the grip. The Power Clubs use some kind of cheap black spray paint directly on the bare metal. It stuck to my hands, for one thing. I couldn't imagine doing hi reps with that, at least not if I wanted to keep my skin. But the paint also produced a burning sensation in my palms. I have no idea what that came from.

I realize no one is likely to take my opinion as impartial, given that I'm a Faculty coach. But I've probably done more Clubbell swinging than anyone around here, and I've also picked up these Power Clubs on a couple occasions, and that's my honest comparison.

Hope you find it helpful.

[Jarlo Ilano]

I've probably done more Clubbell® swinging than anyone around here....

That's an understatement. You've done so many double density century programs, I'm not surprised if your handprints are etched into your clubbells...