Powerball – fad or good ?

Got one of these last week to help with a sprained wrist and have had a few reccomendations. I've used it for a few 1 minute sessions and it seems to help. not bad for £9 methinks 🙂 does it 'work' though ??

i have just bought one for the same reason.
used to use one a few years ago when i was playing rugby.
seemed to work for sprained wrists, very theraputic.

I rerally liked mine but got banned from usuing it in the flat as GF was irritated by the noise.

:-/

I got one a few years ago and didnt really use it much. But found it helped loads after I had broke my wrist. Had to build the speed up very slowly though, I can hit just over 12,000 revs now.

Got one as a stocking filler at Christmas. Tortured everyone around me with it all day then then counter broke and it lost its appeal.

there's a joke in here somewhere…

i bought the cheap one, so no counter ! Seems okay though.

The legend

Try as you might, you can never be as good as Akis!

i got one to build up the power in my wrists as it was hurting when playing guitar – did the trick

do they build up strength in your arm or just tone the existing muscle?

the GF suffers from RSI in her wrists due to typing all day long. would one of these help?

"typing", yeah right

sister uses one to help with motorbike riding strength and I have one too, 'sposed to help reduce arm pump, and good for my chainsaw work as well, more strength and movement

Used one to strengthen fore arms and help reduce arm pump on the downhill tracks

Highly recommended. I suffered with pain from a broken (pinned + plated) wrist for 2 years. Bought a powerball and used it daily, pain was gone within 3 months.

They're great for improving your speed with a powerball. What they're best for though is just leaving on your desk for blokes to come over and show what weak nancys they are.

The perfect target is one of them lads that we all know, fancies himself a bit, might even be a bit of a hit with the ladies, dresses like a girl. Does the silly scarf throw over thing, uses male skin products, 'goes down the gym' (and spends all the time looking at himself in the mirror), shaves his bollocks. You know the type.

Now wait for him to walk past and spin it up so it makes a noise. Thinking he's actually a man he'll decide to impress you all with his physical prowess. He'll try to play down his eagerness although he'll already be catching the eyes of the girls in the office. 'Watch me show these idiots just who is butch round here. I play football once a week and go down the gym me, I'm about as fit and as strong as a person can be'.

Spin it up for him and put it carefully in his hand.

GAFHAAA LIKE A UPPER CLASS GIMP AS HE THROWS HIS HAND AROUND THE PLACE LIKE A SPACKER AND EVENTUALLY LOSES GRIP ON THE THING AS IT PROVES TOO HARD, EVEN AT 1000RPM FOR HIM TO HOLD ONTO!!!!

I think we did this about 10 times. It never lost its attractiveness.

That's what powerballs are for. Fun ,fun, fun.

Flaperon – Member

Highly recommended. I suffered with pain from a broken (pinned + plated) wrist for 2 years. Bought a powerball and used it daily, pain was gone within 3 months.

ditto…

Was orignally given one when I spent a couple of months in hospital in traction, was great for annoying others on the ward… A nurse borrowed it and I didn't see it again for a couple of days, was handed back by another nurse i'd not met before…

Yup, I have one, really helps with wrist strength for badminton and other wrist-using duties. We're all running a competition in the office (we have a proper excel spreadsheet plotting progress) but we're all hovering around 11K currently. Oddly enough the guy with the biggest wrists and forearms is getting the lowest scores lol. It does ave to be used regularly and the 60 second average is by far the best workout, better than the "who can get the highest max" – I can hit 11K in 10 seconds, but I can't hold it for more than another 10 or so.

GAFHAAA LIKE A UPPER CLASS GIMP AS HE THROWS HIS HAND AROUND THE PLACE LIKE A SPACKER

😆

They worked for me to reduce arm pump when on my mx and enduro bikes

Wanna look like this guy?!

LOL at Samuri that's the only good use I've found for mine.

Prefer the cheap Tesco spring grip things, my Powerball seemed to shag up my wrists rather than improve my forearm/hand strength.

As above, mine seemed to sort out residual pain from a broken wrist – although that was about 2 years after the injury, so it could have resolved itself naturally. I can't start one with my moobs like that bloke on Youtube though.

As i don't have one with a counter, i guess just keeping it going fast for 60 seconds is about right then ?

thanks

I can't start one with my moobs like that bloke on Youtube though.

Yep, other boy/man seperator. Who can start a powerball without the string?

Yep, other boy/man seperator. Who can start a powerball without the string?

Well seeing as the sting WILL fall off in the first week, i imagine everyone.

Yep, other boy/man seperator. Who can start a powerball without the string?

What string? Just flick and spin, So to speak.

I only know of a few people who can start one without the string. *obviously* I can. 😉

+ for the "good" opinion.

Found myself getting aching forearms on longer DH sections, especially where there was a lot of braking involved. Started using a powerball as part of my overall fitness/training set up and have really been very impressed with the improvement in both forearm strength and grip. The grip element has also helped with my wakeboarding and kite flying.

Recommended.

all it did for me was annoy the 5h1t out of my keyboard/mouse RSI.

(lots of muscles are being tensed, but they're not moving much. the better/faster you get the smaller the movements required)

instead i use the metal bar from a dumbell, and a piece of string, and one of the weights, and a 'wind it up, wind it down' excercise with my arms held straight out in front of me.

those powerballs are quite good fun for an evening drinking beer with friends; photo's of the event are a good way to document what people might look like during the 'vinegar strokes'…

(for less arm pump in the alps, try not BRAKING SO VERY VERY HARD ALL THE TIME – this worked for me)

I only know of a few people who can start one without the string. *obviously* I can.

Obviuosly 😉

I think it's time for some willy waving on this post. So, your best RPM ladies (if you have a willy to wave) and gents!

8200 RPM for me, must try harder 😥

OK, I'm sold – I'm told it'll help with my biking and squash – and I do have little girly wrists.
So, can someone explain the model lineup?

I hit 12559 on mine about a year ago and haven't been able to get over 12100 since. Great fun to play with although I think mine has a slipped bearing in it now as it makes a rather nasty scrapey sound now.

nicko74 – i bought mine last week on Amazon. The basic one I got has no counter and is 250Hz (not quite sure what frequency that relates to though). It was only £7.99 and free delivery. Seems you can spend easily £20 or so on better/heavier/clever ones with counters, but I reckoned I would get he basic one to see if it was any good before chucking money away. 60 seconds per hand is enough for me, particularly on the wrist with the sprain and not too fussed on the rev counter !

Well seeing as the sting WILL fall off in the first week, i imagine everyone.

The string isn't meant to stay attached you know?!

I've never been able to start it without the string.

Can't see the point in a powerball without the counter, I'd lose interest rapidly if I couldn't assert my dominance over it and improve daily!

Would this help my forearms not get knackered so quickly from climbing?

That Akis clip reminds me of the Catchphrase Mr Chipps/Snake Charmer thing.

I'm sure it would help a little, though you'd probably benefit more from a brick-stick.

I've googled brick-stick, a sort of builders ruler. Is it heavy then? Or have I spectacularly missed a joke? 😕

Take 1/3 of a broom stick, drill a hole through it, put a rope through hole and tie a knot in the end of the rope. Now tie a brick to the other end of the rope so that it's just the right length so that you pull the rope taut with your arms held out horizontal. Now keep your arms horizontal and your elbows straight, use your fingers/wrists ONLY (no moving your forearm or elbows!) to rotate the stick and lift the brick up to the top, do the same in reverse to lower it without cheating and letting it slip. If you can do that more than 5 times in a row with a full brick you already have VERY strong wrists/fingers/forearms!

Before mine got dropped by a number of weak wristed individuals while we gafawed away, I could get mine up to around 12500 and Chris in the office could get it past 13000. Now as above it just makes a horrible grinding noise and it appears to be impossible to get it much over 11000.

Chris went out and bought a titanium one which was a slick item. So easy to get that up to 12000.