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Powerball - perfect for exercise and physiotherapy

Powerball — many of you have heard about it; some of you probably even use it – but what is it? The powerball is primarily an exercise tool used for physiotherapy, stretching, and building hand, forearm, and finger strength. And it's also great fun to use.

Fitness tool

But first things first. For those of you who haven't heard about the powerball, here is a brief explanation. As we have already mentioned, the powerball is primarily a hand-held exercise tool. Its appearance, dimensions, and weight somewhat resemble a tennis ball, but hidden inside is a free-spinning sphere (rotor) connected to a steel ring. The interior components are housed in a plastic or (for more expensive models) metal casing.

After giving it an initial spin, you can use a circular motion of your wrist, forearm, or entire arm to make the powerball’s rotor reach different speeds. Generally, the more force you apply, the faster the powerball rotates. On the other hand, greater speeds also cause greater torque resistance. Increasing resistance then requires more force to sustain the rotation and coordinate your overall exercise. Ultimately, the intensity of your workout depends entirely on you.

How to spin a powerball

In principle, there are two basic methods:

using a starter cord
without a starter cord

For beginners, we recommend using a starter cord, which is included in every standard packaging. Place the end of the starter cord in an opening in the inner sphere and rotate the rotor while simultaneously smoothing the cord into the midline crease. Then simply pull the cord, making the powerball spin. With some practice, however, you should be able to make the powerball rotate even without a cord. The process is easy enough — simply brush your thumb or palm quickly across the surface of the rotor.

Powerball - strengthens, stretches, and regenerates

Now let’s take a closer look at what powerball exercises actually do. As previously mentioned, the powerball helps to strengthen, but also stretch and regenerate hand and arm muscles. Everything depends on how you hold it, what exercises you do, and how much force you apply. The powerball’s biggest advantage is that the intensity of your workout increases gradually, easing your muscles into higher levels of performance. This makes it different from most workout techniques, as high-impact exercise is simply incompatible with physiotherapy and stretching.

The powerball is a great exercise tool for athletes (if used in combination with their actual sport), but also for people who spend long hours at a computer with a keyboard or play a woodwind instrument. The powerball is a useful aid when recovering from wrist injuries or carpal tunnel syndrome.

Exercising with a powerball

If you want your powerball exercise to be effective, you should work out every day — if your physical condition allows it. The recommended daily exercise time is 5-7 minutes.

Some tips for exercising different body parts:

Fingers: Hold the powerball in your fingers, placing them on the outer rubber strip. Perform circular movements starting from the wrist, forearm, or shoulder	Wrist Hold the powerball firmly in your hand so that your fingertips are pointing downward. Maintain the rotation speed with circular movements stemming from the wrist
Forearm: Maintain the rotation speed using the muscles of your forearm. This can be done by keeping your wrists level with the ground	Biceps: Grip the powerball and rotate your wrist so that the underside of the powerball faces upwards. Bend your arm at the elbow at a 90-degree angle and maintain the rotation speed by exerting force from the elbow
Triceps: Hold the powerball so that your arm is stretched out beside the body. The palm must be rotated backwards	Shoulder: Stretch out your entire arm beside the body and maintain the rotation speed by exerting force from the shoulder

If you simply want to stretch or do some physiotherapy instead of strengthen your muscles, do the exercises more slowly and using less force — this will help your muscles relax and heal better.

Powerball differences

Powerball models differ mainly in their appearance, weight, maximum number of rotations per minute, and resistance. Generally speaking, the greater the weight or rotation number, the greater the resistance. At full spin, basic models offer a torque resistance of about 18 kg, which is quite a lot even for athletes. More expensive powerballs can even reach 20 kg.

As for equipment, some powerballs have a built-in speed meter. Some meters offer several additional functions, such as recording the current, average, and maximum speed you have achieved. These allow you to compete with your colleagues, friends, or family.

Powerballs with built-in speed meters