What are the DIY instructions to make a Shena board and how do you make a Shena board?

shena push board

Making a Shena board is a relatively simple process. It’s basically a 75x10x5 cm wooden board that has two legs or stands that are 10-15 cm high. I have made Do It Yourself instructions available for those who are interested in making their own Shena board. Just sign up to my mailing list and you will get the step by step instructions of how to make your own Shena board as well as instructional videos on the fundamental Shena exercises and Persian pushups delivered to your inbox.

Furthermore you will also get the DIY istructions and schematics for making your own Persian Meels.

If you want to get started sooner and be sure that you are getting a high quality Shena board based on the traditional and recognised standards of the Zurkhaneh (house of strength) then checkout the Shena boards collection on my webstore.

Buying authentic and original shena boards made by the traditional artisans not only ensures high quality products but also the perserving and the continuation of an ancient art form and the old and original community. Shipping to most destinations takes 7-10 days.

What is Persian pushups?

kashi azad doing split stance push-ups on the Shena push-up board

If you don’t do pushups you’re not serious about your strength.

The Shena unlocks a great variety of pushup exercises that will make pushups fun and exciting again. Doing Persian pushups does not only develop strength but also great flexibility, endurance, mobility, agility and stamina. Plus you can now do pushups anywhere on almost any surface.

All combined there are over 75 different Persian pushup variations (that I know of) based three fundamental Shena pushup postures, or asanas.

These three fundamental asanas (postures) for doing Persian pushups on the Shena are

The Split push-ups;
The Stretch push-ups, and:
The Twist push-ups.

To learn more Shena pushup variations signup to my free Persian Yoga email course or checkout my instructional video series.

What is a Shena board & why should I use a Shena board?

Premium Shena board

The Shena board is a stable symmetrical platform enabling push-ups that are gentler on the wrists with correct joint alignment. So you wont need to bend the wrists at 90 degrees acute angle and can have your wrists in a more obtuse angle and relatively straight hence reducing the pressure on your wrists especially if you are unaccustomed to doing pushups.

It is near impossible to do pushups incorrectly on the Shena as it enforces external rotation (elbows in and closer to the body) at the glenohumeral or the shoulder joint and so reduces the risk of acromioclavicular (front of shoulder) impingement that can occur when doing pushups tucorrectly with internally rotated shoulders (elbows out and away from the body).

The Shena also enables a much deeper range of motion during push-ups, so you can perform a greater variety of psuhups styles and variations even with your hands at the level of your twelfth ribs.

Additionally the Shena is a tool that you are engaging with and is more conducive for use in a systematic, ritual practice, much like yoga blocks or martial arts tools. And if you’re a fan of exercising outdoors with a Shena you can perform pushups or a systematic Persian Yoga practice on practically any surface, including rough or soft surfaces when in nature.

How do you swing Persian Meel & how do you use Persian Meels?

Dominic Lo exercise physiologist Japanese and Persian Yoga teacher

Persian Meel are  fashioned after the oldest tool and weapon of mankind, the club. They’re used for strengthening the posterior chain and specifically for increasing stability, mobility, endurance and tissue resilience, as well as rehabilitation of the shoulder girdles.

The Meel is held upright and swung circularly over the shoulders and behind or besides the body in various circular patterns and configurations as opposed to being pushed or lifted in a straight line.

The rules of Meel swinging are that they should not make contact with the body (other than the hands of course), they should not make contact with each other, and they should not drop, ie. they should be held upright unless they’re being swung.

To see instructional videos of how to swing the Meel sign up to my free online email course and you’ll get the instructional videos direct to your email inbox.

What weight is a good starting or beginners weight with Persian Meel?

persian martial arts - dr kashi azad

The answer is, it depends. In our tradition a healthy adult male starts on 6kg/13lb pair of Meel. Meel are masured in the combined weight of the pair e.g. a 6kg/13lb pair weighes 3kg/7.5lb per club.

In my experience beginners with Meel start on average on 4-6kgs/9-13lbs Meel for men and 2-4kgs/4-9lbs for women. There are exceptions of course. 

If you strength train regularly, have some experience with clubs but not Meel and would like a challenge for the next couple of years, at least, then I’d recommend max 8kg/17lb Meel, anything heavier will be too challenging to learn with.

And if you’re completely new to this and feel that you want to progress more slowly over time (safer) then I’d recommend the 4 kg Meel for beginners male and 2 kg for beginner females.

What weights are Persian Meel?

Authentic Persian Meel 12, 9 & 6 kg

Persian Meel can weigh as little as 1kg each, ie. 2 kg pair, up to 100 kg pairs, ie. 50 kg each club. I have however only seen 80 kg pair Meel be swung effectively.

The lighter Meel ranging from 2-5 kg pair are commonly used for technique variations and Meel over 20 kg pair are considered to be heavy Meel.

In my experience beginners with Meel start on average on 4-7kgs/9-15lbs Meel for men and 2-5kgs/4-11lbs for women. There are exceptions of course. 

If you strength train regularly, have some experience with clubs but not Meel and would like a challenge for the next couple of years, at least, then I’d recommend max 8kg/17lb Meel, anything heavier will be too challenging to learn with.

And if you’re completely new to this and feel that you want to progress more slowly over time (safer) then I’d recommend the 4 kg Meel for beginners male and 2 kg for beginner females.

What is Persian Meel?

Authentic and genuine Persian Meel mace clubs 10 kg pair i.e. 5 kg each

Persian Meel, sometimes referred to as Persian Meels, Persian Mace or Persian Clubs are tear shaped wooden clubs used as a strength training tool and practice substitute for learning to handle battle maces, hammers, axes and other handheld melee weapons.

Persian Meel are the grandfather of the Clubbells and Indian Clubs, they have been used in Iran since time immemorial. Original and authentic Persian Meel are made from one piece of walnut or cherry timber for exceptional beauty, balance, symmetry and swing performance. Persian Meel are functional art and they have been used for millenia by ancient warriors and knights as well as modern martial artists and wrestling campions as a time tested method to develop superior strength, endurance, mobility, stability and syncronicity of the shoulders, core and grip.

Meel are unique in that they provide continuous resistance throughout the range of motion of shoulder joint circumduction, or rotation in 360 degrees. It is a superior tool for rehabilitation of and development of powerful shoulders. Each Meel is held upright and swung in circular patterns, this focuses the weight distribution primarily on the muscular frame and produces Torque, which requires more than twice the work compared to moving the same mass linearly.

Meel increases and develops superior mobility, stability, synchronicity, coordination, rhythm, concentration and tremendous shoulder, arm, core and grip strength. It will take your strength to new levels.

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