Anyone that has read many of my articles knows that I am a huge fan of strength training history and the modernization of ancient training methods. Not only do I find researching these methods interesting, but it is also a fun way exercise and to gain an understanding of how people of other cultures and eras forged tougher minds and bodies.

Just as kettlebells came back into vogue in the 1990s and early 2000s, weighted clubs have also come back into popular use the last several years. You may have even seen some smaller versions, commonly called Indian clubs, sold at flea markets or antique shops.

The proper names of these strength training implements vary, depending upon origin. In India, they are called jori, karlakatti, or mugdars, depending upon the region and the design. In Iran, training clubs are known as meels or mils. The size of these implements can vary from a pound or two up to well over 60 pounds, depending upon their intended use.

For gymnastic style training, popularized by early European strongmen, lighter weights were used for complex choreographed sessions. Zurkhaneh members, however, used much heavier weights, usually starting around 15 pounds, which, considering the length of these weights, is like swinging a 15-60-pound baseball bat with one hand.

Today, we will be specifically discussing the meel and its use in the zurkhaneh, which literally translates to “house of strength.”

The zurkhaneh history dates back to at least several hundred years AD in the Persian Empire, which would be Iran in modern times. These domed buildings were training facilities meant to educate young men in vazesh-e bastani, or ancient sport were academies where warriors would be taught wrestling, strength training and would develop a sense of national pride.

When the Arabs invaded Persia in the 600s, zurkhaneh became meeting places where soldiers would secretly train. Later, in the 700s, the training system became known as vazesh-e pahlavani, or heroic sport, and philosophical and spiritual components were incorporated into the training.

The popularity of zurkhaneh and their training methods waxed and waned in popularity through the centuries. Still, the facilities were actively discouraged after the Iranian Revolution in the late 1970s, as they were seen as pre-Islamic and pagan. However, the anti-zurkhaneh stance was later reversed by the Iranian Republic, and they once again became recognized as a source of national pride. In fact, they were often cited as the reason that Iranians did so well in international wrestling and weightlifting competitions.

While part of a pahlavani training session involves prayer, the majority of time is spent on strength training and combat practice. Traditional equipment would include large wooden clubs known as meels; a sang, which is a wooden shield; and a bow-shaped iron weight called a Kaman. The athletes move in time to a drum called a morshed, and a typical workout would include body-weight exercises such as squat and push-up variations.

In addition, the participants would work with meels, singles for beginners, and pairs for advanced practitioners, and the implements would be used in movements called casts, which is a circular movement behind the back. Each cast would be performed in a low, middle, or high fashion, depending upon the difficulty sought.

Meels come in a variety of sizes. Smaller meels start at around 10-15 pounds and could be used for hundreds of casts in a single workout. Large meels, usually 20-60 pounds, were intended mainly for more advanced strength training. It is said that Pahlavan Mustafa Tousi, pictured above, performed thousands of meel casts daily.

After work with the sang and Kaman, every session would end with combat wrestling practice. Over time, a practitioner that gained mastery over the physical exercises and exemplified high moral character might attain the rank of pahlevan, or hero.