If you’ve spent any time around CK Maceworks, you’ve probably heard us talk about mace training as more than just “shoulder work.”
Recently, someone asked a simple question that isn’t actually that simple to answer:
“What do you get out of swinging a mace?”
The honest answer is… a lot.
And that’s exactly why it’s hard to reduce mace training down to one benefit.
Over time, swinging a mace has delivered physical improvements, restored movement quality, built durability, and introduced a completely different training stimulus than most people are used to. It’s not just one thing — it’s the combination that makes it so effective.
Physical Relief You Don’t Expect
One of the first noticeable benefits many people experience with mace training is joint relief, especially in the shoulders, elbows, and triceps.
For us, that showed up as relief from nagging tricep discomfort. The swinging motion creates an active stretch and pull through the arm while simultaneously driving blood flow into the area. That combination alone can be incredibly therapeutic.
This isn’t passive stretching.
It’s loaded, dynamic movement that encourages tissue adaptation rather than forcing range of motion.
We’ve also had countless people tell us the same thing — long standing shoulder mobility issues improving simply by spending time swinging a mace at appropriate loads.
Shoulder Health Without Beating Yourself Up
Mace training places the shoulder in positions that most traditional lifts don’t. The offset load and long lever arm demand stability, control, and coordination through a full arc of motion.
What’s important here is how that load is introduced.
One of the biggest advantages of adjustable maces is the ability to start very light and increase load gradually. That matters because most people don’t need more weight — they need more tolerance and control.
Being able to unload a mace down to a manageable starting weight allows you to:
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Reintroduce movement safely
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Rebuild confidence in the shoulder
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Progress only when your body is ready
That gradual progression is often what allows mobility to come back instead of being forced.
A Completely Different Training Stimulus
Mace training isn’t just strength work.
It isn’t just mobility work.
And it isn’t just conditioning.
It lives somewhere in between.
The dynamic nature of the swing challenges coordination, timing, and rhythm while simultaneously loading muscles and connective tissue. You’re training strength, endurance, and motor control at the same time.
That’s a big reason why mace training feels so different than barbells, dumbbells, or kettlebells.
With most tools, you can force your way through a rep even with poor technique. The mace doesn’t let you get away with that for long. It demands respect, attention, and patience.
Why Mace Training Takes Time (And That’s a Good Thing)
One of the most important points we stress is that learning to swing a mace isn’t just mental — it’s physical.
Your body has to adapt.
The tendons around the elbow, especially the tricep tendons, experience forces they likely haven’t felt before. That adaptation takes time, and rushing it is where people get into trouble.
This is especially true as loads increase.
Heavier weights amplify mistakes.
And anything over roughly 20 pounds is where injury risk climbs quickly if technique and tissue tolerance aren’t there yet.
Some people may handle heavier loads sooner. Others need more time. That’s normal.
The key is letting technique, control, and connective tissue strength dictate progression — not ego.
Progressive Loading Without Guesswork
This is where adjustable maces shine.
Instead of being locked into a single fixed weight, you can make micro adjustments as your strength and mobility improve. One pound. One and a quarter pounds. Two and a half pounds. Small jumps that your body can actually adapt to.
That smooth progression is what allows:
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Safer long term training
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Better technique development
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A natural transition into heavier loads
If your technique isn’t ready for more weight, your body will tell you. And when it is ready, the transition feels smooth rather than forced.
Grip Strength, Carryover, and the Fun Factor
Beyond joint health and durability, mace training builds serious grip strength. The offset load demands constant engagement through the hands and forearms, and that carries over to just about everything else you do.
But there’s also something that often gets overlooked:
It’s fun.
Mace training introduces a dynamic, almost playful element to training that many people have been missing. It keeps sessions engaging, challenges the brain as much as the body, and gives people a reason to enjoy training again.
That enjoyment matters. Consistency follows enjoyment — and consistency is what actually drives results.
A Long Game Tool
Mace training rewards patience.
If you take the time to learn it, respect the process, and allow your body to adapt, the payoff is significant:
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Healthier shoulders
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Stronger triceps and elbows
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Better grip strength
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Improved coordination
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A new way to train your aerobic system
Before you know it, you’ll be swinging heavier loads — and feeling better while doing it.
That’s why we continue to train with the mace.
And why we hope more people take the time to experience it for themselves.
If you enjoyed this breakdown, be sure to watch the full video above and let us know what you’d like to see next.