Choose the best Persian meels for you. Read on to learn more, or click below to go straight to the selection chart.
Persian meels are an ancient style of club designed to improve upper body strength and mobility. They originate from training practices dating back hundreds of years, originally to prepare ancient warriors to fight with sword and shield on the battlefield. Generally heavier than Indian clubs, Persian meels are now utilised by contemporary fitness professionals as an effective tool for building strength, conditioning and stamina.
Persian meel swinging is very different to lifting dumbbells. The heavier and/or longer your meel, the more torque (rotational force) is generated as you swing them. For this reason, be prepared to swing less weight than you lift, no matter your current strength level. If you are new to resistance training, or it’s been a while since you have done any form of fitness, consider starting with our lightest available meels such as the 3.6kg set (1.8kg each), 4kg set (2kg each) and our 4-5kg set (2.4kg each) BD-X crossover clubs.
Here are a couple of examples of the Persian meels we’ve launched so far. We are always exploring and developing new shapes and designs, so check our shop page for new releases.
Selecting your meels
Persian meels are traditionally referred to as a ‘set’ which is the combined weight of a pair – so a pair of 2 x 5kg meels are known as a 10kg set. At Body Mind Fit, our meels are available in a wide range of sets, from 3.6kg to 36kg. We hope this guide will help you identify the best type of heavy clubs and meels for your individual needs. If you are short on time, I’d highly recommend having a quick look at the chart below before purchasing your meels. Otherwise keep reading for plenty of information and guidance!
Click here to view or print the full PDF guide. Feel free to share with your meel-swinging friends.
Air-dried or kiln-dried meels?
We offer out customers the choice of meels made from air-dried or kiln-dried wood. This page explains the differences between the two types.
* When selecting Persian meels for heavy club style swinging, you may also wish to consider some heavier Indian clubs, such as our BD-X, Sim D Kehoe, Kai Karlai and Bulava clubs. Indian joris are very similar to Persian meels, but their conal shape creates a longer centre of mass – so a jori of the same weight will be a little more challenging.
Top tips & suggested starting weights
- An ideal weight for most beginners: 3.6-4kg set (1.8-2kg each meel)
- An ideal weight for most active & strong females: 4 to 5kg set (2-2.5kg each meel)
- An ideal weight for most active & strong males: 5 to 6kg set (2.5-3kg each meel)
- Only consider increasing your meel weight when you can comfortably perform 100 casts/reps
- Learn from an experienced practitioner
Choosing your first pair of Persian meels… start with a strong foundation.
Generally speaking, if you are new to training with Persian meels but have a good base level of strength and fitness, I would recommend starting off with a 4-5kg set (2-2.5kg per meel) if you are female, and a 5-6kg set (2.5-3kg per meel) if you are male.
If you are totally new to resistance training, or if it has been a while since you’ve had a regular strength & fitness routine, start with something lighter such as a 3.6-4kg set (1.8-2kg per meel).
Of course, these suggestions are a generalisation based on average muscle architecture, so please take them as a rough guideline. If you or your client is elderly or working on rehabilitation of an injury, you may find that you need to start with a lighter meel or even a set of Indian clubs in order to begin gently and safely building muscle.
Regardless of your current strength level, it is important that you can confidently perform foundational Persian meel movements before considering heavy meels. Indian clubs and Persian meels are very different beasts to dumbbells, and it is important to remember that when weight is positioned at a greater distance from the pivot point (in this case your grip), torque (rotational force) is increased. The heavier and longer your club is, the more torque is generated as you swing them – as illustrated in the diagram above.
For that reason, please start light! It is such a common mistake in club and meel swinging for beginners to start off with Perisian meels that are simply too heavy for them. Remember that Persian meel swinging works your ligaments and tendons as well as your your muscles, and these take months to strengthen/condition, and even longer to repair. Take it slowly and start with a set of meels well within your capability before exploring heavy Persian meel swinging.
Persian ‘mini meels’ – 3.6-4kg set (1.7-2kg ea.)
£86.00 – £101.00
Persian Starter Meels – 4-5kg set (1.8-2.5kg ea.)
£97.00 – £110
BD-X Crossover Clubs – 2-2.5kg
£107.00
