If traditional cardio isn't your thing, or you simply want a short conditioning workout that also challenges your grip, shoulders, core, and legs, this 15-minute steel mace cardio workout offers a fast-paced alternative.
The workout uses an AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) format with six steel mace exercises performed for 20 seconds each. You'll keep moving for 15 minutes, resting only when needed.
Take Your Fitness To The Next Level
This is best suited to people who already understand basic steel mace technique. If you're new to mace training, learn the fundamentals first and use a lighter mace before attempting a continuous conditioning workout.
15-Minute Steel Mace Cardio Workout At A Glance
| Workout Type | AMRAP |
| Equipment | 10 lb Steel Mace; a 7 lb mace may be better for some people |
| Duration | 15 minutes |
| Work Interval | 20 seconds per exercise |
| Rest | As needed |
| Primary Focus | Conditioning, muscular endurance, coordination, and calorie expenditure |
| Experience Level | Intermediate to advanced mace users |
Structure: Perform each exercise for 20 seconds, move directly to the next exercise, and complete as many quality rounds as possible in 15 minutes. Switch sides each round where appropriate.
Don't worry if the timer ends with one side having completed one extra interval. You can start with the opposite side the next time you perform the workout.
Warm Up Before You Start
Take about five minutes to complete a dynamic warm-up. Gradually raise your body temperature and move the shoulders, hips, spine, knees, and ankles through comfortable ranges of motion before picking up the mace.
Because several exercises in this workout are dynamic, it is also smart to rehearse the movements with a light mace before starting the timer.
15-Minute Steel Mace Cardio Workout
This workout can get intense quickly, especially if you try to move continuously for all 15 minutes. The goal is not to sacrifice technique just to complete more rounds.
If you need to rest, rest. Resume when you can move the mace safely and with control.
You can use heart rate as one way to gauge intensity, but you do not need to stay above a specific percentage for every second of the session. A general guideline is that moderate-intensity work often falls around 50-70% of estimated maximum heart rate, while vigorous exercise is commonly around 70-85%. These are estimates, not rigid targets.
Another simple option is the talk test. During vigorous intervals, speaking more than a few words at a time should feel difficult. If you become dizzy, unusually short of breath, or experience chest pain, stop exercising.
Workout instructions: Perform each exercise for 20 seconds, move to the next exercise, and continue for 15 minutes. Rest only as needed and switch sides each round.
Exercise 1: Single Arm 360 to Forward Lunge to Reverse Lunge
Exercise 2: Front Load Squat to Overhead Press to Stiff-Legged Deadlift to Reverse Curl
Exercise 3: Forward Jack Presses
Exercise 4: Side Swing Step Backs
Exercise 5: Mace Jump Squats
Exercise 6: Battle Lunge to Joust
The 6 Steel Mace Cardio Exercises
1. Single-Arm 360 To Forward Lunge To Reverse Lunge
This combination pairs a traditional mace swing with lower-body movement. Keep the 360 smooth and controlled, then stabilize the mace before transitioning into the lunges. Switch arms on the next round.
2. Front-Load Squat To Overhead Press To Stiff-Legged Deadlift To Reverse Curl
This full-body sequence moves through a squat, press, hinge, and curl pattern. Use a pace that lets you maintain control as the mace changes position.
3. Forward Jack Presses
Forward jack presses raise the heart rate quickly by combining continuous footwork with upper-body pressing. Keep the mace light enough that your shoulders remain controlled throughout the interval.
4. Side Swing Step Backs
This movement combines lateral mace movement with lower-body coordination. Control the arc of the mace rather than allowing momentum to pull you out of position.
5. Mace Jump Squats
Jump squats add a plyometric component and can make this one of the most demanding intervals in the workout. Land softly and reduce the jump height, or substitute regular squats, if your technique begins to deteriorate.
6. Battle Lunge To Joust
This exercise combines a lunge pattern with a forward mace movement. Keep your trunk controlled and switch sides as prescribed between rounds.
Can You Do Cardio With Weights?
Yes. Resistance-based circuit training can improve cardiorespiratory fitness while also challenging muscular strength and endurance. That makes workouts using kettlebells, dumbbells, sleds, and steel maces useful when you want conditioning and resistance training in the same session.
However, weighted circuits are not automatically better than running, swimming, cycling, or rowing, and they do not necessarily deliver the same adaptations. Traditional aerobic exercise is easier to sustain for longer durations and is still one of the most direct ways to build aerobic capacity.
The advantage of a steel mace circuit is efficiency and variety. In 15 minutes, you can challenge your cardiovascular system while also asking the upper body, lower body, core, and grip to work continuously.
Are Steel Maces Good For Cardio?
They can be.
A steel mace is not inherently a cardio tool. What makes mace training cardiovascular is how you program the exercises.
Using relatively light resistance, large multi-joint movements, short transitions, and repeated work intervals can keep your oxygen demand and heart rate elevated throughout the session.
For most people attempting this particular workout, a 10 lb mace provides plenty of resistance. A lighter mace may be the better choice if you're smaller, newer to mace training, or unable to maintain good technique for the full interval.
Heavy maces still have an important role in strength-oriented mace training, including traditional movements such as 360s and 10-to-2s. They simply aren't ideal for a workout built around continuous 20-second intervals.
Why Steel Mace Circuits Raise Your Heart Rate
Many mace exercises use several large muscle groups at the same time. Squats, lunges, presses, swings, and hinges all require considerable muscular work, particularly when linked together with little rest.
As the working muscles demand more oxygen and energy, breathing and heart rate increase to support the effort.
The key is still technique. If you haven't learned the fundamentals of steel mace training, develop those skills before attempting a high-intensity mace workout.
Looking for other options? Read our guide on how to do cardio without running.
Steel Mace Flows For Conditioning
If you've spent time training with a mace, you've probably encountered steel mace flows.
A flow connects several exercises into one continuous sequence. Because the movements transition without repeatedly setting the mace down, a well-designed flow can challenge muscular endurance, coordination, and cardiovascular fitness at the same time.
The intensity depends entirely on the exercises, mace weight, duration, and rest intervals. A technical flow performed slowly may be more about skill and coordination, while a faster flow with repeated compound movements can become a demanding conditioning workout.
Flows can also make training more engaging because they allow freedom of movement and creativity. They do, however, require solid steel mace fundamentals.
Check out 20+ Steel Mace Flows from the Instagram Community.
Here is another steel mace conditioning option: Steel Mace Swing & Stamina. This workout uses a 1:1 work-to-rest ratio and places more emphasis on muscular endurance than the AMRAP featured here.
How Often Should You Do Steel Mace Cardio?
For most people, one to three mace conditioning sessions per week is plenty, depending on what else you are doing.
If you already strength train, run, cycle, play sports, or perform other high-intensity workouts, account for that total training load before adding more conditioning.
This specific workout is vigorous and includes dynamic movements, so doing it nearly every day is unnecessary for most people and may interfere with recovery.
| Training Level | Suggested Frequency |
| New To Mace Conditioning | 1 session per week |
| Intermediate | 1-2 sessions per week |
| Well-Conditioned / Advanced | 2-3 sessions per week if recovery is good |
You can also use the workout as a finisher, but reduce the total time if you've already completed a demanding strength session.
How This Fits Into Weekly Cardio Recommendations
Current physical-activity guidelines generally recommend adults accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, 75 minutes of vigorous activity, or an equivalent combination, along with muscle-strengthening exercise.
A 15-minute mace workout can contribute toward that total if the session reaches an appropriate intensity, but one short workout does not replace the rest of your weekly physical activity.
Common Steel Mace Cardio Mistakes
Using Too Much Weight
A heavier mace is not automatically a better cardio workout. If the weight forces long rests or compromises your technique, go lighter.
Chasing Rounds Instead Of Technique
AMRAP doesn't mean sloppy reps. Complete as many quality rounds as possible.
Starting Without Mace Experience
Dynamic mace exercises require skill. Learn the individual movements before combining them under fatigue.
Refusing To Rest
Rest when you need it. Fifteen minutes of controlled hard work is more productive than forcing yourself through unsafe repetitions.
Treating Every Workout As HIIT
High-intensity conditioning is useful, but easy and moderate aerobic work should still have a place in a balanced fitness program.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can steel mace training improve cardiovascular fitness?
Yes, when the workout is structured to keep you moving at an appropriate intensity. Circuit-style mace training can challenge the cardiovascular system while also training muscular endurance.
Can you lose fat with steel mace cardio?
Steel mace workouts can increase calorie expenditure and contribute to a calorie deficit, but fat loss ultimately depends on your overall energy balance, diet, and activity levels.
What weight mace should I use for cardio?
Use a weight you can control for repeated 20-second intervals. For many people that means a 7-10 lb mace, but strength and experience vary considerably.
Is 15 minutes of cardio enough?
Fifteen minutes of vigorous exercise can be valuable and counts toward your weekly activity. However, overall health recommendations call for substantially more total physical activity across the week.
Can beginners do this steel mace workout?
Complete beginners should first learn basic mace exercises. Once you can perform the movements confidently, you can attempt a scaled version with a lighter mace, longer rest periods, or a shorter duration.
Should I track my heart rate?
You can, but it isn't mandatory. Heart-rate zones are estimates and can be influenced by age, fitness, medication, temperature, and other factors. Perceived exertion and the talk test are also useful.
Final Thoughts
This 15-minute steel mace cardio workout is a fast, challenging option when you want conditioning without heading out for a run or spending an hour on a cardio machine.
Its biggest advantage is that it blends several training qualities at once: cardiovascular work, muscular endurance, grip, coordination, and full-body movement.
Just remember that the mace is a skill-based tool. Keep the weight manageable, maintain clean technique, and rest when necessary.
Use this workout once or twice per week alongside strength training and lower-intensity aerobic exercise, or pull it out whenever you need a short conditioning session that feels very different from conventional cardio.
Have you tried this steel mace cardio workout? Let us know below.
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