by Skye Nacel, Certified Personal Trainer (MovNat Level 2), Certified Broga Instructor

We are excited to announce our new Maces and Movement classes coming to Evolve Fitness Studios this winter! The steel mace is a training tool with ancient origins that has stood the test of time, and we use them regularly in our programing at Evolve, as well as with physical therapy patients at our sister company, Staszak Physical Therapy & Wellness Center. We think of the steel mace as one of the most functional tools you can possibly use which is why we invested in a fleet of Set for Set steel maces and trained the staff in their usage.

Steel maces are incredible for overall mobility, strength, and conditioning and there are literally hundreds of moves that our expert instructors can teach you, ranging from basic to advanced moves. The weight distribution of the mace requires full core integration throughout all of the movements and, of course, grip strength is another area of importance that the mace helps to develop.

We are also pleased to offer this class to non members as a winter series and will release pricing details on the website soon. The class is slated as an intermediate to advanced class or those who are very comfortable in any of the classes currently at Evolve Fitness Studios. Stay tuned for updates and details on our social media pages.

We are pleased to announce that we have steel maces at Evolve and have been using them regularly in our classes ranging from Fit Fusion to Movement Fundamentals as well as with personal training clients and physical therapy patients. The benefits of steel mace training are numerous! Since the mace holds almost all of its weight in the ball head, this results in an uneven weight distribution which really engages stabilizing muscles around our joints. ​

Core strength is required to keep the mace in position as we move through positions which includes lots of rotation. Grip strength is also a very huge benefit and as we know, there are several research studies linking grip strength and mortality. We think of it as one of the most functional tools you can possibly use which is why we brought them in and trained the staff in their usage.

We have a range of 10 and 15 pound Set for Set Steel maces. Feel free to ask one of our trainers about them and arrange a short demo so you can see some ways to use them. Feel free to check out this video by our friends Anthony Rock and Set for Set  to see them in action.

When you hear people talk about the "core muscles" do you know what they are talking about? In simple terms, your core is just about everything on your body except your arms and legs. This means you can think of your glutes, hips, abdominal muscles, inner abdominal muscles, pelvic floor, and scapula as your core. Your core is where your power is generated in order to carry out any movement. While abdominal and inner abdominal muscles do play a large roll in core stability, they don’t make up the core all by themselves.

What does the core do?
Your core most often acts as a stabilizer and force transfer center rather than a prime mover. Yet consistently people focus on training their core as a prime mover and in isolation. This would be doing crunches or back extensions versus functional movements like deadlifts, overhead squats, and pushups, among many other functional closed chain exercises. By training that way, not only are you missing out on a major function of the core, but also better strength gains, more efficient movement, and longevity of health.

So, with all this in mind, it's a good idea to keep your core at the top of the "to strengthen" list.

Watch the video below for 5 great core exercises you can do today.

If you'd like personal help in strengthening your core, contact us today to schedule time with one of our certified personal trainers.