10 Macebell Exercises For Every Fitness Level

Steel maces can be fun and powerful tools with the right movements. Discover some of the typical macebell exercises to improve a variety of areas of your fitness.

Make sure you warm up before these exercises. Especially the ones that involve a lot of shoulder mobility. Simple movements like arm circles and bodyweight squats can help you avoid a lot of trouble.

1. Steel mace 360

As you can expect, you need a good macebell of the right weight for this first movement and all of the other ones. Most people want to start with a 10-pound (4.5 kg) model.

Once you have that, take the following steps to do a steel mace 360:

1. Get to a position where you stand up straight and hold the end of the macebell handle with both hands and elbows at about 90-degree angles. The mace is pointing straight up for now.
2. Tilt the macebell a bit to the side and let gravity initiate the swing down of the mace head.
3. At the same time, move your hands somewhat sideways and behind your head.
4. Let the macehead swing sideways behind your head. Pull somewhat sideways to the side opposite of where the mace head is going to generate enough speed for the next step.
5. Swing the mace head up and move your hands in front of your body again.
6. After a brief moment in starting position, initiate the next swing in the same way.
7. Repeat the same number of repetitions swinging in the other direction.

This exercise is described in separate steps to make it clearer how the exercise goes but in reality this is one smooth movement.

The muscles worked with macebells vary from exercise to exercise. This 360 mainly works your forearm grip and other wrist muscles, deltoids, a variety of scapular muscles, latissimus dorsi, and core muscles

Additionally, the mace 360 can be a helpful way to improve shoulder mobility.

2. Macebell pendulums

The 360 is a typical exercise for this piece of equipment and part of many macebell workouts but some beginners and other people find it too challenging for now.

In that case, it can be smart to start with a macebell pendulum. Take the following steps to do this exercise:

1. Stand up straight with the macebell behind your back. Your hands are holding the mace at the end of the handle. Your elbows are at angles of about 90 degrees.
2. Swing the mace head to one side.
3. Swing the mace head to the other side.
4. You can start with small swings and if that goes well, increase the size of the swings.

Pendulums can help beginners get the coordination, mobility, and muscle strength required for typical macebell exercises like the 360 and 10 to 2.

You can also just do this movement on its own to train your grip, shoulder, tricep, and ab muscles.

3. Barbarian squats

Since the main muscles involved are typically stronger, most people can use somewhat heavier steel maces for this next exercise. Take the following steps to do a barbarian squat:

1. Stand up straight with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Hold a macebell above/behind your head with your slightly folded arms pointing up.
2. Slowly lower your hips by bending your knees. How far depends on different factors like knee health but at your lowest point you want your hips to be at or lower than your knee height. Keep your lower back about straight.
3. At the same time, move the mace forward and downward as if you would hit something in front of you. Adjust the speed and how far you move the macebell so that you stay balanced.
4. Push yourself up again into the position of step 1 by stretching your legs and moving the mace backward and upward.

Barbarian squats will mainly work your shoulder, scapular, latissimus dorsi, and forearm grip muscles. Additionally, your quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, calves, and lower back muscles will have to work a nice amount.

That being said, this exercise will mainly improve coordination and mobility and train the upper body muscles involved. You likely need more resistance to see significant muscle growth and strength progress in the leg muscles.

4. Macebell 10 to 2

To do the macebell 10 to 2 you want to switch to a more average macebell weight again. Once you have done that, take the following steps to do the exercise:

1. Get to a position where you stand up straight and hold the end of the macebell handle with both hands and elbows at about 90-degree angles. The mace is pointing straight up for now.
2. Tilt the macebell a bit to the side and let gravity initiate the swing down of the mace head.
3. At the same time, move your hands somewhat sideways and behind your head.
4. Let the macehead swing sideways behind your head. Pull somewhat sideways to the side opposite of where the mace head is going to generate enough speed for the next step.
5. Swing the mace head up and move your hands in front of your body again.
6. Instead of letting the mace handle go vertical, let it stop briefly at an angle (in theory the same as the 10 or 2 on a clock).
7. Initiate the next swing but in the other direction.

The steel mace 10 to 2 sounds, looks, and is very similar to the 360. However, changing the direction after the swing engages your deltoid and pectoral (shoulder and chest) muscles more than just continuing the swing.

Additionally, the 10 to 2 trains your coordination and how well you are able to control the movements of the mace just a bit more.

The potential downside of this is that it will also be slightly more challenging to do successfully. Most people want to get used to the regular 360 first.

5. Dynamic curls

Dynamic curls are typically done with relatively low weights because the main muscles engaged are relatively weak. Take the following steps to do a dynamic mace curl:

1. Stand up straight and hold the mace horizontal with your arms slightly less than stretched. One hand is on the end of the handle, the other one at a distance where your hands are about shoulder width apart.
2. Fold the arm closest to the mace head at the elbow with enough power for the next step. You can also move the other hand down and tilt your body depending on what muscles you want to work.
3. Swing the mace head to the other side and switch your hands from positions during the movement. This results in the starting position but with the mace head on the other side.
4. Repeat the same sequence.

If you keep the mace dynamic curl strict, it mainly works the bicep muscles of the arm closest to the mace head.

You can also generate extra force by pushing down the end of the handle with the other arm. This will train the tricep muscles of that side.

Additionally, you can also tilt your upper body sideways to generate extra force. This will work your oblique core muscles more.

There is no one “best” way to do mace dynamic curls. Which version you want to choose depends on your training goals.

6. Lateral presses

For this next exercise, you can use a somewhat heavier mace. Once you have that, take the following steps to do a macebell lateral press:

1. Stand up straight and hold the mace horizontal at about chest height. One hand is on the end of the handle, the other one at a distance where your hands are about shoulder width apart or closer to the mace head if needed.
2. Push the macebell sideways in the direction of the mace head as far as comfortable. You want to do this with some speed but within the limits of what your body can deal with.
3. Return the steel mace to starting position.
4. Finish your set and do the same number of repetitions with the macebell pointing to the other side.

Lateral mace presses will mainly work your shoulder, tricep, and bicep muscles and to some extent your chest. You will also train your coordination and how comfortable you are with the macebell.

The closer you hold the second hand to the end of the handle, the more challenging the exercise becomes for the deltoid and bicep muscles on the side of the mace head.

7. Gravediggers

Most people can do the following exercise with a relatively heavy macebell. Take the following steps to do the gravedigger exercise:

1. Stand up straight with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Hold the macebell with one hand at the end of the handle and the other hand close to the mace head. For now, the macebell can stay close to your body.
2. Rotate your upper body slightly to one side.
3. Bend forward and swing the mace head down by stretching the arm close to the mace head. Most people want to keep their lower back at least somewhat straight.
4. Move the macehead slightly above the ground to the other side while turning your upper body to that side too.
5. Raise the macebell head and tilt your upper body back.
6. Rotate your upper body to the center to end in starting position.
7. Repeat the same number of repetitions with the mace head on the other side.

You can basically describe the macebell gravedigger as the movement you would make digging in the ground. Most people want to focus on keeping their backs straight. Especially when using a heavy macebell.

This exercise will work muscles like your lower back, glutes, hamstrings, obliques, and biceps. The faster you swing at the bottom, the less you will have to use your biceps to get the steel mace back into starting position.

8. Advanced mace pushup

The weight of your steel mace does not really matter in the next exercise due to the way you use it. Take the following steps to do an advanced mace pushup:

1. Sit on your hands and knees with your shoulders right above your wrists. One hand is placed on the head of the mace and the other one holds the handle.
2. Move your feet back until your body is in a straight line from your head to your heels and your arms stand vertically.
3. Raise the handle off the ground and keep your arm on the macehead slightly less than stretched. If needed, put your feet wider apart for balance.
4. Slowly fold the arm of the mace head side at the elbow until your face is close to the ground. Your upper arm should be at an angle of about 45 degrees to your side.
5. Stretch your arm in a controlled motion until you are back in the position from step 3.
6. Repeat the same number of repetitions with the mace head under your other arm.

As the name implies, this is a relatively advanced exercise when it comes to balance and muscle strength. You can also start with regular pushups and the many variations to build up to the advanced mace pushup.

When done successfully, this exercise works your chest, triceps, shoulder, and core muscles.

9. Double lunges

Most people can use above-average weights for macebell double lunges. Take the following steps to do this exercise:

1. Stand up straight with your feet about shoulder width apart. Hold the macebell with one hand close to the head and the other one at the end of the handle.
2. Take a big step forward so you can achieve the desired knee angles in the next step. Your back foot only touches the ground with its front part. Move the hand of the forward leg next to it at about the same height. Move the other hand to this side too but keep it at shoulder height.
3. Slowly lower your hips by bending your knees. How far depends on different factors like knee health but at your lowest point you ideally want both of your knees at 90-degree angles.
4. Push yourself back up towards starting position.
5. Instead of putting your feet right next to each other, move the foot in the air back and take a big step backward.
6. Lower your hips and move your hands similar to the step forward. This time the other leg is the front leg so move your hands accordingly.
7. Repeat the same number of repetitions with the other leg moving first and the mace head in your other hand.

The macebell adds some extra resistance, coordination, and shoulder mobility to the double lunge exercise.

That being said, this movement will still focus on your glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and calf muscles. Since these muscles are relatively strong you can likely use a bit more weight.

10. Overhead press

Overhead presses can typically be done with above-average weights. Take the following steps to do this steel mace exercise:

1. Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a macebell in your hands at about shoulder height with your hand palms facing forward and at about shoulder width. Your elbows can point slightly more forward than just a horizontal line with your shoulders.
2. Slowly move the steel mace up until your arms are slightly less than stretched.
3. Lower the steel mace back into starting position in a controlled motion.
4. Repeat the same number of repetitions with the mace head on the other side.

This macebell exercise works your deltoids, triceps, obliques, and shoulder stabilization muscles.

The more the mace head is removed from your hands, the harder the exercise becomes for the deltoid and triceps on that side, the obliques on the other side, and shoulder stabilization muscles on both sides.