What This Program Is
A mace is a steel ball on the end of a long handle. Almost all of the weight sits at one end, far from your hands, so a 10 lb mace feels considerably heavier than 10 lb held close to your body. The length of the handle, rather than the weight itself, is what makes it difficult.
The best-known mace exercise is the 360, in which the mace is swung in a full circle around the head. This program does not include the 360. It is an 8-week beginner program that builds the things a good 360 depends on: grip strength, a braced torso, a controlled shoulder position, and familiarity with the swing path behind your body.
Six movements are used across the whole program: the prayer switch, barbarian squat, offset overhead press, pendulum, pullover, and grave digger. Beginners benefit more from repeating a small number of movements than from sampling a large catalogue, so the selection stays deliberately narrow.
Use the Bells and Moves app to run each session, track your sets week to week, and follow the progression without counting anything yourself.
Why Train With a Mace
- Builds grip strength - the long handle creates leverage that your hands have to resist for the whole set
- Demands a braced torso - the mace constantly pulls you off balance, so your midsection works throughout
- Trains rotation and off-centre loads - most strength training is symmetrical and moves in straight lines; mace work is neither
- Needs one implement - a single mace covers the entire 8-week program
- Starts light - a 10 lb mace is a reasonable starting point for most people, because the difficulty comes from leverage rather than load
Program Overview
- Duration: 8 weeks
- Frequency: 3 days per week (Monday / Wednesday / Friday default), at least one day between sessions
- Session length: 15-20 minutes
- Equipment: One mace, used at the same weight for all 8 weeks
- Starting weight: 10 lb suits most beginners
- Exercises: Prayer switch, barbarian squat, offset overhead press, pendulum, pullover, grave digger
- Reps: 10 reps for two-handed movements, 5 per side for movements trained one side at a time
The Six Movements
Each movement has a specific job in the program:
- Prayer switch and barbarian squat build grip, bracing, and the ability to hold the mace in a stable position. These appear most often.
- Offset overhead press adds straightforward pressing strength with an uneven load.
- Pendulum, pullover, and grave digger are the direct prerequisites for the 360. They teach the swing path behind your body, the overhead path, and diagonal control, which are the three components the 360 combines.
Weekly Training Plan
Sessions are organised into blocks rather than circuits. Complete all sets of one movement before moving to the next, and rest 60 seconds between blocks. There is no rest before the first block.
Each day ends with the movement that progresses. The three blocks before it stay at 3 sets for the entire program.
Day 1 - Foundation
- Prayer switch - 10 reps, 3 sets
- Barbarian squat - 5 reps per side, 3 sets
- Offset overhead press - 5 reps per side, 3 sets, one arm at a time
- Pendulum - 10 reps, progressing sets
Day 2 - Pullover Path
- Prayer switch - 10 reps, 3 sets
- Barbarian squat - 5 reps per side, 3 sets
- Pullover - 10 reps, 3 sets
- Grave digger - 5 reps per side, progressing sets
Day 3 - Prerequisite Practice
- Prayer switch - 10 reps, 3 sets
- Pendulum - 10 reps, 3 sets
- Pullover - 10 reps, 3 sets
- Grave digger - 5 reps per side, progressing sets
Sets by Week
These numbers are the sets of the final, progressing block on each day:
- Week 1 - 2 / 2 / 2 sets. Establish positions
- Week 2 - 3 / 2 / 2 sets. Add pendulum practice
- Week 3 - 3 / 3 / 3 sets. Build diagonal mace control
- Week 4 - 2 / 2 / 2 sets. Consolidation week
- Week 5 - 3 / 3 / 3 sets. Restart the build
- Week 6 - 4 / 3 / 3 sets. Higher backside-path volume
- Week 7 - 4 / 4 / 4 sets. Peak practice week
- Week 8 - 2 / 2 / 2 sets. Deload and assess
Weeks 1 to 3 build up, Week 4 drops back, and Weeks 5 to 7 build again from a higher starting point. Week 7 is the highest-volume week of the program and the one used to judge whether you are ready to move on. Week 8 reduces the volume so you finish recovered.
Total volume per session stays fairly even at roughly 110 reps in the 2-set weeks, 120 in the 3-set weeks, and 130 in the 4-set weeks.
How to Execute
- Choose one mace and use it for all eight weeks
- Complete every set of one movement before starting the next
- Rest 60 seconds between blocks
- Perform two-handed movements for 10 reps, and one-side movements for 5 reps on each side
- Work at a controlled pace of roughly 6 seconds per rep rather than moving quickly
- Stop a set if your technique changes, even if you have reps remaining
At this pace a session takes about 15 to 20 minutes including rest.
Choosing Your Mace
Start with a 10 lb mace if you have not trained with one before. This is lighter than most people expect, and it is the right choice: the leverage of the handle, not the weight of the head, is what your grip and torso have to manage.
Use the same mace for every movement and for the full eight weeks. The program progresses by adding sets, not by adding weight, so there is no need to change implements partway through.
Why There Is No 360 Yet
The 360 swings the mace in a complete circle around your head. It is the movement most people associate with mace training, and it is the reason most people buy a mace.
It is left out of this program on purpose. A 360 performed without sufficient grip strength, bracing, or shoulder control tends to result in the mace striking your back or shoulders, which is both painful and a good way to develop a fear of the movement. The pendulum, pullover, and grave digger train the same paths in separate, more controllable pieces.
When those three are smooth, the 360 becomes a matter of joining them together rather than learning something new.
When to Stop a Set
Stop the set, rather than continuing at a lower quality, if any of the following occur:
- The mace makes contact with your body instead of following a controlled path
- Your grip loosens during a rep
- Your ribs flare and you lose your braced position
- You feel any irritation in the shoulder, elbow, or wrist
When to Move On
You are ready to progress to full 360 practice when you can complete Week 7 with all of the following:
- The mace never crashes into your body
- Pendulums are smooth on both sides
- Pullovers travel smoothly to the front
- Grave diggers are controlled on both sides
- No irritation in the shoulders, elbows, or wrists
- Your ribs stay down and your bracing holds even when you are tired
If any of these are missing, repeat the cycle with the same mace. The point of the program is the quality of these positions, and there is no benefit to moving on before they are reliable.
How to Perform Each Movement
Mace Prayer Switch
Hold the mace vertically in front of your chest with both hands, as though holding a staff upright. Let the mace tip toward one side under control, then switch your hand position and return it to vertical. The work is in resisting the mace's fall and controlling the switch.
Cues: Keep the mace close to your chest. Stay tall. Control the tip in both directions. Keep your ribs down.
Avoid: Letting the mace drop rather than lowering it, leaning back to counterbalance, or rushing the hand switch.
Mace Barbarian Squat
Rest the mace handle across your upper back and shoulders with the head extending out to one side, then squat. The load is uneven, so one side of your torso has to work harder to keep you square. Perform 5 reps with the head on one side, then switch.
Cues: Keep your shoulders level. Squat straight down. Brace before you descend. Switch sides evenly.
Avoid: Letting your torso tip toward the head of the mace, allowing the handle to slide during the set, or performing all reps with the mace on the same side.
Mace Offset Overhead Press
Press the mace overhead with one hand, gripping the handle below the head so the weight sits off-centre. The offset load means your shoulder and torso have to stabilise as well as press.
Cues: Keep your ribs down. Press in a straight line. Keep the wrist firm. Control the descent.
Avoid: Arching your lower back to complete the press, letting the mace head drift behind you, or choosing a grip so far down the handle that you cannot control the mace at the top.
Mace Pendulum
Hold the mace with both hands and swing the head behind you in a controlled arc from one side to the other, letting it travel and then guiding it back. This teaches the path the mace takes behind your body during a 360, without committing to the full circle.
Cues: Let the mace swing rather than forcing it. Keep your shoulders down. Stay braced. Guide it back on the same path.
Avoid: Swinging so far that you lose control at the end of the arc, shrugging your shoulders toward your ears, or letting your lower back take over the movement.
Mace Pullover
With both hands on the handle, take the mace from in front of you up and over, so the head travels behind your head, then bring it back to the front. The movement is vertical and controlled, and it trains the overhead portion of the 360 path.
Cues: Keep your ribs down throughout. Move the mace on a consistent path. Keep your elbows tracking. Return under control.
Avoid: Arching your lower back as the mace goes overhead, letting the head fall behind you rather than lowering it, or losing the position of your shoulders at the top.
Mace Grave Digger
Hold the mace with both hands and move it diagonally across your body, hinging at the hips as the head travels down and across, then returning. The pattern resembles digging, and it trains the diagonal control the 360 requires. Perform 5 reps on one side, then 5 on the other.
Cues: Hinge at the hips rather than rounding your back. Keep the mace close. Control the diagonal in both directions. Work both sides equally.
Avoid: Turning it into a fast swing, rounding your lower back at the bottom, or letting the mace pull you out of position on the return.