UF Product Review
by ez

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For many people new to Freestyle Parkour, among the many questions asked are "How do you guys have the strength to get up and over walls like that?!"  Its no secret that key muscle areas are used to enable this.  Generally strength conditioning increases with practise, but for people wishing to work on specific exercises, this little gizmo is definitely worth a look.  Lets take a look at the cat leap for instance; when a cat leap is executed and contact with the wall is made, you rely on your fingers and feet to hold you in place before finalisation.  An incredible amount of stress is placed on the forearms and obviously it makes sense to be strong in this dept. With the gyro ball, you can very quickly build up your forearms and develop a vice like grip.  A strong grip will carry over into the rest of your game for climbing, swinging, underbars etc.


The ball itself is great fun to use and takes minutes to complete an effective workout.  There's no need to pull on a tracksuit or prepare for a workout as these simple exercises can be done anywhere.  Anyone trying the gyro ball out will instantly see how effective they are from the amount of force generated by doing so little physically.  While at the LIW show in Birmingham, Blue and I bought a couple and couldn't believe how effective they were.  Since then, 5 mins a day using them has made a massive difference to grip strength and after a short workout, our forearms are burning and resembling the likes of Popeye the sailor man. The same kind of burn/pump would normally take about 20 mins of wrist curls and reverse curls using weights.

Outside of being a fun exercise tool, they are also recommended for rehabilitation for people suffering with carpal tunnel syndrome - CTS, arthritis, repetitive strain injury - RSI, wrist Injury/break, tendonitis or tennis elbow. 

Key points

Style - Looks cool.  Is about the size of a tennis ball. The ones we have have flashing blue lights which coe on when the gyro is rotating.  If you don't suffer from epilepsy, it can be quite mesmerising.  4/5

Fit - Nice and snug.  Fits perfectly into the palm of your hand. 5/5

Grip - Has a rubber non slip strip around it, so no matter how sweaty your hands get, you can still keep a firm grip and continue with the pain. 5/5

Shock resistance - N/A

Weight - Lightweight and small enough to sit hidden away in your backpack or conveniently fit in your pocket. 5/5

Durability - Made from hard plastic.  I've dropped mine a couple of times with no effect. 5/5

Value - You need to shop around.  The ones with added features cost about £25 GB Pounds but they all provide the same workout, so go for a bog standard one. 4/5

Overall - If you wish to develop forearm strength and a vice like grip, but can't be bothered to start weight training, this is your answer. 5/5

Check them out here http://www.powerballs.com/