It’s Lotto night tonight which reminded me that I have not used my “NSD powerball” for some time now. Not the powerball you watch on TV, but the gyroscopic hand exerciser. A Powerball is basically a powerful gyroscope inside a ball that you hold in your hand. The idea is to keep the gyro spinning by rotating your wrists. The torque produced is quite strong and helps you increase hand and grip strength.
The power ball I have includes an on-board generator the makes some LED lights go very bright from the power you generate. It also has a electronic readout that lets you see how fast you are able to spin the gyro. Believe me it is not easy to get over 10,000rpm. They are great for increasing your grip strength as the gyroscope generates more and more torque the faster you spin it. You really have to hold on tight with higher speeds.
There is a famous youtube video of the world record holder Arkis Kritsinelis (see below). It gives you an idea of how these things works and illustrates just how much hand strength you need.
Power balls were all the rage a few years ago but after a while they get quite boring so people loose interest in them quickly. I need to strengthen my unusually thin and weak wrists and there is no better hand exercise for grip strength than the power ball. I must admit I was all enthusiastic when my nsd power ball arrived a month or so back but now it just sits gathering dust.
A lot of what I have been reading keeps going back to the idea that we need to form habits in our lives by forcing ourselves to do 30 consecutive days of consistent practice. So I am determined to practice using my power ball every night at least once e.g. whenever I watch TV or take a break. So I started again tonight. I will let you know how I go.
My Parting Power Ball Tips
1. To isolate the wrists and avoid exercising the biceps and shoulders sit in an arm chair and place you arms on the arms of the chair when you spin the power ball. This will ensure you only exercise the forearms, writs and fingers.
2. My left arm is considerably weaker than my right so I try to exercise it a bit more then the right hand.
3. The power ball can wear out quickly. Try to keep the action smooth.
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About Danny Sheehan
Danny lives in Hong Kong but is originally from Australia. He is Married to Maggie and together they have two children with whom they enjoy sharing and enjoying an exciting life with daily. Danny's passions are freedom, adventure and discovery, mainly in nature and science but also spiritually. He is a great believer in living in the NOW.
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Healthy Living