What This Program Is
Clubbell Single Arm Program Level 3 is the first full mill program in the single-club track. Over 8 weeks and four sessions per week, it builds the single-arm mill and reverse mill with one clubbell (also sold as a steel club or heavy club), and gives both directions exactly the same number of sets every week.
Two sessions each week are preparation days. They use mill prep before a lower volume of mills. The other two are volume days. They skip mill prep and put the extra work into continuous mills.
The program has two variations:
- Mills - the base program, with the most mill practice
- Mills and Squats - the same four days, with 3 sets of the main movement replaced by 3 sets of squat work at the end of each session
Use the Bells and Moves app to choose your variation, run each session, and track your sets week to week without counting anything yourself.
Prerequisite
Complete Clubbell Single Arm Program Level 2 first, or meet its standard: smooth mill prep and 180 pullovers on both sides at Week 7 volume, with a stable grip and no club crash.
Level 3 assumes the mill prep transition and the 180 pullover turnover are already familiar. It joins them into full mills and builds repeatable volume in both directions.
Program Overview
- Duration: 8 weeks
- Frequency: 4 days per week (Monday / Tuesday / Thursday / Friday default), never more than 2 sessions in a row
- Session length: 25-60 minutes
- Equipment: One clubbell, used at the same weight for the whole cycle
- Key exercise: Single-arm mill
- Reps: 5 per side on every single-arm movement
- Sets: 3 sets of every circle, mill prep, and 180 pullover block, in every week
- Progression: Only the mill and reverse mill blocks change, in two waves across the cycle
Weekly Training Plan
Train the days in order: mill, reverse mill, mill, reverse mill. Complete all sets of one movement before moving to the next, with 1:00 rest between movements. Each set includes both sides.
- Day 1: Mill Preparation - Single-arm front circle, single-arm mill prep, single-arm mill
- Day 2: Reverse-Mill Preparation - Single-arm backward circle, single-arm mill prep, single-arm reverse mill
- Day 3: Mill Volume - Single-arm front circle, single-arm 180 pullover, single-arm mill
- Day 4: Reverse-Mill Volume - Single-arm backward circle, single-arm 180 pullover, single-arm reverse mill
Day 2 uses the same mill prep drill as Day 1. There is no separate reverse-mill prep.
Main Movement Sets by Week
| Week | Days 1-2 | Days 3-4 | Emphasis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 8 | Establish both directions above Level 2 volume |
| 2 | 8 | 10 | Add continuous main-movement volume |
| 3 | 10 | 12 | First build peak |
| 4 | 8 | 10 | Consolidation week |
| 5 | 10 | 12 | Restart from the higher base |
| 6 | 12 | 14 | Higher-volume mill endurance |
| 7 | 14 | 16 | Peak week for both directions |
| 8 | 8 | 10 | Deload before a weight increase or repeat |
Days 1 and 3 use these sets for the mill, and Days 2 and 4 use them for the reverse mill, so both directions get the same weekly volume.
Mills and Squats Variation
The squat variation keeps the same four days, the same circle, mill prep, and 180 pullover blocks, and the same session totals. It removes 3 sets from each day's mill or reverse mill block and finishes the session with 3 sets of squat work:
- Day 1 - Single-arm inside circle to squat, 5 reps per side x 3 sets
- Day 2 - Single-arm outside pendulum squat, 5 reps per side x 3 sets
- Days 3 and 4 - Two-handed circle to squat, 10 reps alternating direction x 3 sets
The squats come after the main movement so leg fatigue does not reduce mill technique. On the two-handed circle to squat, both hands stay on the club. "Alternating" refers to the direction of the circle, not to switching hands.
| Week | Days 1-2 | Days 3-4 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 2 | 5 | 7 |
| 3 | 7 | 9 |
| 4 | 5 | 7 |
| 5 | 7 | 9 |
| 6 | 9 | 11 |
| 7 | 11 | 13 |
| 8 | 5 | 7 |
Choose this variation if you want the same skill work with less repetitive mill volume and more lower-body coordination.
How to Execute
- Choose one club and use it for all eight weeks
- Perform 5 reps on one side, then 5 reps on the other
- Complete all sets of one movement before moving to the next. Do not turn the session into a circuit
- Rest 1:00 between movements
- Split any block of 5 or more sets into two parts, smaller part first, with 1:00 rest between parts: 5 = 2 + 3, 6 = 3 + 3, 7 = 3 + 4, and so on
- Each mill or reverse mill rep starts and ends in the same side position after completing its full path
Key Points:
- Keep 2-4 sets continuous. Take extra rest whenever technique requires it
- Stop the main-movement block when technique degrades rather than completing poor reps
- Keep rhythm and repeatability. Do not chase speed
Choosing Your Club
Choose your club based on your weakest main movement, the mill or the reverse mill. One club is used for every movement in the program, so it must be light enough to keep both directions smooth at Week 7 volume.
When to Stop a Set
Stop the set, rather than continuing at a lower quality, if any of the following occur:
- The club crashes during a mill, reverse mill, pullover, or squat
- Your grip opens
- Your elbow flares noticeably out of position
- You feel any irritation in the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, or knee
When to Move Up
Move up one club weight and restart at Week 1 when you can complete all four Week 7 sessions of your variation with:
- Smooth mills and reverse mills on both sides
- Deliberate, precise mill prep on both sides
- Controlled circles and 180 pullovers under fatigue
- No club crash in any movement
- Consistent breathing and bracing through the peak week
- Every prescribed set completed: 14 and 16 main-movement sets in the base variation, or 11 and 13 plus every squat block in the squat variation
- No shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, or knee irritation
If a block has to be stopped early or any of these are missing, repeat the cycle at the same weight.
How to Perform Each Steel Club Exercise
The app has a demo video for each movement, for the left and right side.
Single Arm Club Front Circle
A single-arm circle with its own path. It is a different movement from the inside circle. It opens the mill days as the arc to rehearse before mill prep or the 180 pullover.
Cues: Stand tall. Keep the grip closed and the shoulder set down. Keep the arc smooth.
Single Arm Club Backward Circle
A single-arm circle with its own path. It is a different movement from the outside circle. It opens the reverse-mill days.
Cues: Stand tall. Keep the grip closed and the shoulder set down. Keep the arc smooth.
Single Arm Club Mill Prep
Link an inside circle into a shield cast as one drill. On the preparation days it gives you deliberate practice of the transition path before full mills or reverse mills.
Cues: Make the circle and the cast one continuous movement. Keep the transition quiet. Stay deliberate and precise.
Single Arm Club 180 Pullover
With one hand, pull the club behind your head from one side position to the opposite side and back for one full cycle, rotating through the torso while keeping your grip and shoulder position controlled. On the volume days it rehearses the behind-the-head turnover before the main movement.
Cues: Keep the club in one hand. Rotate through the torso. Keep the grip closed through the turnover.
Single Arm Club Mill
The full mill, performed with one club in one hand. Each rep starts and ends in the same side position after completing its full path. It is the key exercise of this program.
Cues: Keep the path smooth and continuous. Keep the grip closed and the shoulder set down. Finish each rep where it started.
Avoid: Rushing the rep, letting the club crash behind the head, or continuing a set once the path breaks down.
Single Arm Club Reverse Mill
The mill path traveled in the opposite direction. It receives exactly the same number of sets as the mill each week.
Cues: Keep the path smooth and continuous. Keep the grip closed and the shoulder set down. Finish each rep where it started.
Avoid: Treating it as a lighter version of the mill. It is a full Level 3 movement with the same weekly volume.
Single Arm Club Inside Circle to Squat
Joins the inside circle path with a squat, without changing hands. It finishes Day 1 in the Mills and Squats variation.
Single Arm Club Outside Pendulum Squat
Joins an outside pendulum with a controlled squat rhythm, without changing hands. It finishes Day 2 in the Mills and Squats variation.
Two-Handed Club Circle to Squat
Both hands stay on the club while the circle direction alternates from rep to rep. It finishes Days 3 and 4 in the Mills and Squats variation.
Completing and Repeating the Cycle
At the end of Week 8, either move up one club weight and restart at Week 1, or repeat the cycle at the same weight if any part of the Week 7 standard was missing. There is no disadvantage to running the program twice. Moving up too early usually means repeating it anyway.