Ryan Banek, RMT, B.Kin

So my TWO experiments are complete. These set of images display range of motion results after roughly 12 weeks of training - 4 weeks experiment 1, 2 weeks rest, 6 weeks experiment 2.
After the first experiment, I had great improvement to my shoulder range of motion, and improved movement quality during my mace exercises.
During the two weeks of rest, I noticed my shoulders and back stiffening up but not to the point of where I started prior to the experiment. I had created better mobility at my shoulders but felt instability increasing due to lack of exercise and working a lot, and the fact my shoulders were more mobile than before.
It was as if stiffness in my shoulders were helping to provide stability, and when it was gone and I didn't exericise anymore, I started to feel the negative impact of this.
Moving onto my heavy second experiment, the movements were a lot more difficult and challenging. I quickly had to learn heavy single arm mace swings, and in 1-2 weeks I noticed significant improvement in my form. I will post a video showcasing the improvement in my form over the weeks.
This second experiment helped me to solidify my stability and strength in my shoulders. I felt my shoulders, back, core, neck, and arms to feel much more solid than before.
In terms of muscle growth, I made a mistake in not measuring the circumference of my flexed arms. In my opinion, my arms did get bigger but only when flexed. At rest they are the same size.
My chest measurement, however, grew nearly 8cm in circumference since the start of the experiment. I feel my pecs and lats really starting to fill out.
So to summarize - I've greatly improved my shoulder, core, and back/spinal strength and mobility, increased the flexed size of my arms, increased the circumference of my chest in roughly 10 weeks of training (4 weeks training 10 minutes everyday, 6 weeks training 2-3x weekly for 30 min). In addition to these benefits, my swinging technique has improved significantly and will allow me to progress to more challenging movements with more weight.
As of what's next, I'm going to enjoy my summer and start training my entire body again. Have a good one!

What swinging mace feels like

Imagine being told that you have a "hunch back" and that it will take a very long time to change.
Photos are taken 5 minutes apart. Before and after. Movement cueing only.
Work smarter not harder. Have a good one!

2 week post experiment update!
If you haven't been following along, I did a 30 day experiment where I performed 250 mace swings everyday. I took progress photos before and after the 30 days to track any changes.
After the 30 days, I wanted to see how long the results stuck around for, so I rested for 2 weeks doing ZERO exercise and took some photos. Here are the results.
1️⃣ First image: Before 30 days
2️⃣ Second image: After 30 days
3️⃣ Third image: After 2 weeks rest
In general, I can say I maintained a good chunk of the gains, but I can feel my shoulders and back starting to tighten up again slowly with no exercise. My left shoulder in particular seems to be getting tighter in particular as you can see me compensating for the lack of motion at my shoulder with my excessive rib motion.
Thanks for following along! Have a good one.

5 years of progress. 2017-2021
1️⃣ 2017: I was finishing RMT school, had chronic SI joint pain, sciatica-like symptoms, upper back pain, chronic neck tightness/soreness, and chronic headaches, and knee pain. I felt tight in most places of my body. I didn't do any resistance training (because I continually injured myself doing it), only stretching and corrective exercises. It didn't help. Despite all of this, I could play and perform any sport that I wanted. I wasn't prevented from doing anything.
2️⃣ 2018: I had been an RMT for one year, and my chronic issues continued to an issue, to the point where it was limiting my work. I knew a change had to be made. I hit a breaking point and reached out to who completely overhauled my approach to exercise, movement, and health. It wasn't until I hit that "rock bottom" that I was forced to changed. I didn't have the motivation to change before I hit that point, but I wish I did.
3️⃣ 2019: I was training with Mark for 6 months and starting to make incredible improvements to my chronic discomfort. Majority of my pain in my had significantly decreased. My headaches still occurred but were mostly under control. I starting training a lot more on my own and began regular outdoor workouts with my friends. At this point, I became a lot more interested in alternative training methods and becoming a better movement coach.
4️⃣ 2020: At this point, I felt the best I had ever felt in my life physically. Arguably, the "best" looking posture I had. I moved more fluidity, had more strength and mobility. I made a lot of progress. 90%+ of my pains had been resolved. Unfortunately, shortly after this time, my sciatica flared up (from awkwardly lifting furniture), and I began to have numbness/burning again in my leg. Despite this, I was able to overcome it and continue to further develop my movement practice.
5️⃣ 2021: Posture looks good for me, plus b***y gains 🍑. Fast forward another year, the best physically AND mentally I've felt in my entire life. I decided in 2020 that my movement practice had become too limited. I began to look into many other training methods and diversified my movement. Continued in comments ⏩

Here's the aftermath of 30 days straight of 250 mace swings. Check the pictures for a before and after of range of motion and posture.
As you can see, I've had significant increase to my shoulder range of motion, especially on my left side. My tricep and rotator cuff have always been tighter than my right side, likely due to sport specific motion (baseball & volleyball for many years). Flexion of both shoulders improved, along with thoracic spine extension.
In terms of posture, there are mild changes. Posture can change from day to day, and I don't think these photos really reveal much result, other than maybe the rear photo. My back feels decompressed and opened.
It's been a fun, quick experiment, and the improvements are welcomed! If you have any questions, let me know. I will be posting a video summary of more results in the future. Stay tuned.
Have a good one!