By this point, you’ve dumbbell-ed, kettlebell-ed, and barbell-ed your way around the weight room floor more times than you can count. Plateauing is an exerciser’s sworn enemy, and the best way to bypass a stand-still and progress toward your fitness goals is to constantly innovate. For New York City-based Tier 4 coach Matt Delaney, whose Instagram account is a testament to his love of experimentation, finding new tools that not only refresh his routine but also help him multitask is top priority.

“I began working with the mace at the beginning of the year and added Indian clubs into my routine shortly thereafter,” he explains. “I am always looking for ways to mix up my routine and was drawn to both because of the unique combination of strength and mobility they require.”

If you’ve yet to encounter these pieces in the real world, Delaney offers a primer below, as well as a video demonstration in the short film above. Take a read:

What They Are:

Indian Clubs: As Delaney describes them, these tools “look and feel like bowling pins” and come in a range of weights up to 12kg; in the video, he uses 2kg clubs.

Mace: “I tell people the mace is like a kettlebell on a stick,” Delaney says. The mace can skew a bit heavier, clocking in at up to 40 pounds. Due to its design, which places the center of mass far outside your grip, it makes even the most basic movements increasingly more difficult.

The Benefits:

(1) Strength: “As a massage therapist, I am constantly looking for ways to improve my grip strength and that is a major benefit of both of these tools,” Delaney says. The clubs and mace also offer significant strength benefits to the core musculature—the mace is particularly useful for working your obliques—and the shoulder girdle.

(2) Proprioception/Mobility: The design of these tools makes them harder to control, Delaney explains, and thus require coordinated efforts of multiple muscle groups, “therefore developing and strengthening new motor control pathways.” Not only is your brain working harder, they also improve wrist, shoulder, and thoracic spine mobility.

(3) Meditative Payoff: As Delaney does in the video, exercisers can work their way up to piecing together exercises into flows. “It can become almost meditative as you get lost in the movements.”

How To Incorporate Them:

Delaney uses clubs for movement prep and for active recovery during training session; the mace he also uses as active recovery in-between sets, but “will occasionally make it the focus of an entire training session because of its versatility.”

What To Watch For:

Because these tools require a good deal of technique and coordination, you’d be wise to consult a trainer before using. “Anyone with significant orthopedic issues, especially wrist or shoulder issues, may want to consult a doctor before adding these tools into their program,” Delaney says. “That being said, when used properly they can be great for rehabilitating injuries in those areas.”

To reap the rewards—increased calorie burn, strength, power, blissful endorphin high—truncated workouts must be insanely intense. So, we asked a team of Equinox trainers and group fitness instructors what they would do if they were given just 20 minutes to have at it. Here is the latest in the series. 

The Pro: Taliah Mekki, group fitness manager for Equinox San Mateo, certified group fitness instructor, certified Schwinn cycling instructor, former professional NFL and NBA dancer
The Club: San Mateo, Union Street, Pine Street and Palo Alto (California)
The Workout: Boost your mood, melt away fat and tone your entire body all in one quick, 20-minute session with these calorie-blasting cardio kickboxing combos. “Do the workout regularly, and you’ll feel stronger, more positive and more confident in no time,” says Mekki. For best results, perform one round of this kick-butt, high-intensity routine 3 or 4 times a week.

WARM UP

Jump rope for 2 minutes

WORKOUT

Punch/Knee Combo: Two right jabs, one left cross punch, followed by 2 left knee lifts; continue for 1½ minutes. Switch sides and repeat.

Cardio Combo: 4 push-ups, immediately followed by 2 burpees; continue for 2 minutes.

Punch/Knee/Kick Combo: Right jab, left cross punch, right jab, left cross punch, followed by 2 left knee lifts and one right front kick; continue (moving as fast as possible) for 2 minutes. Switch sides and repeat.

Cardio Combo: Jump squats (1 minute), followed by jump lunges, alternating legs with each jump (1 minute)

Knee/Back Kick/Side Kick Combo: Right knee lift, left back kick, right knee lift, left sidekick; continue for 1 minute. Right cross, right hook, right cross; continue for 30 seconds. Switch sides and repeat.

Cardio Combo: Rotating bag punches (elbows bent at shoulder level in front of you, fists pointed toward ceiling, moving hands in a circular motion, rotating torso from left to right) while in right forward lunge; continue for 1 minute. Alternating upper cuts; continue for 30 seconds. Switch sides and repeat. Then lie face-up on floor with legs together and lifted about six inches, ankles crossed; hold for 45 seconds.

Core Combo: Right side plank, pulsing hips up and down for 30 seconds; switch sides and repeat. Get into plank position, then bring right knee up to right elbow; continue for 30 seconds. Switch legs and repeat. Finish with a 1-minute plank hold (on hands or elbows).

A simple explanation for the surging popularity of martial arts-based workouts: Our unchecked stress levels make us want to punch and kick things. A more sophisticated one: This category encompasses some of the most efficient, effective styles of fitness.

Just ask the experts featured in our video above: “Martial arts involves all the important elements of movement, including coordination, strength, balance, and breath control,” says New York City-based group fitness instructor Phoenix Carnevale, who has trained in karate, Muay Thai, boxing and MMA grappling.

Across the category, the body types are strong but lean, powered by cardio engines rivaling those ofdistance runners. The movements are graceful yet kick-ass, requiring intense coordination and concentration. And the mental effect is cleansing and empowering—a form of therapy sans the couch.

Each session is a total-body workout, too. “Punching and kicking techniques obviously work the arms and legs, but it’s the effect they have on the core that stands out,” says group fitness instructor Alex Lawson, who has won a world kickboxing title and owns and runs Springhealth Kickboxing & Tabata in London. “Working through all the planes of motion with rapid movements puts a varied and high workload on the core.”

And the sheer focus and concentration required ups the physical challenge. “Using the brain makes the heart work harder,” says Equinox specialist trainer Anthony Fletcher, who also coaches at Snipers Thai Boxing in London and is a C class competitor. “My clients tell me they could never do this level of work by themselves—running on the treadmill or using a cross-trainer is never going to give you the stimulation and concentration needed for Muay Thai.”

Newcomers to the category have the option of starting with one discipline—and our experts suggest working one-on-one with a coach—or testing out a hybrid group fitness class. The Cut, Equinox’s latest signature programming, “is a rhythmic mix of boxing, kickboxing and sports-specific conditioning elements without the use of heavy bags or gloves,” explains creator and Florida-based group fitness instructor Christa DiPaolo. “We wanted to create a format that welcomes both newcomers, who haven’t punched or kicked before, and also make it challenging enough for seasoned athletes.”

Don’t be surprised if you fall completely in love. “I am currently preparing a 32-year-old lawyer (who just happens to be female) for her first amateur fight,” says Lex Igwe, a London-based Equinox boxing specialist and former Royal Marine who holds three middleweight boxing titles. “Having the nerve just to turn up to a class and join in is a respected hurdle in itself. But if you think turning up is the hard part, then you’re in for a surprise—a beautiful one at that.”

Try this DIY session from London-based personal trainer and professional Muay Thai fighter Georgina Starkie, who trains under fellow Equinox trainer and pro Rob Lynch:

Choose 3 exercises and execute on a timed structure with a timed recovery. (Starkie says: “Similar to rounds in a fight to practice both mental and physical endurance!”). She recommends:

1. Continuous straight air punches and high knees (1.5 minutes)

(30 seconds recovery)

2. Traveling leap-frog jumps (1.5 minutes)

(30 seconds recovery)

3. Planks (1.5 minutes)

(30 seconds recovery)

Repeat for 3 to 5 sets.

*Says Starkie: “This can be broken down and made easier or more difficult with the intensity of the exercises and the times of the work and recovery.”