Great for upper body strength (Powerball Neon Pro)

Member Name: Gav86

Product:	Powerball Neon Pro
Date:	07/10/09 (19 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun, addictive, good for your arms

Disadvantages: First few goes are quite difficult!

I bought my Powerball without ever having used one before, and got it just on word of mouth from others.

The concept is simple. Within the ball is a gyroscope, which is started with a length of string which you must wrap around it. Once the string is around the ball, give it a sharp pull and the gyroscope will start spinning quickly.
The idea is then to have your palm around the Powerball and using only your wrist, bring the gyroscope up to much higher speeds. You move your hand and wrist in a circular motion and this helps the gyroscope accelerate.
It sounds quite simple, and at lower speeds it is. But when you get it spinning at a good rate, you can really feel it working your arm muscles. Not just those in your wrist - it can be felt all the way up to your shoulders. Its really great for upping strength in your arms.
The product was originally designed to help treat carpal tunnel syndrome and RSI and after a few short turns, you can see why. It works great.

Around the powerball is a soft rubber grip which adds comfort - and trust me, after 30 or so seconds of high speed spinning, comfort is required!
On top of this model is a small LCD screen. THis can be set to show different information - such as the highest RPM achieved on your last go, the highest RPM ever achieved on your Powerball and various other settings.
This little screen makes it a great item to be passed about. Its fun trying to beat everyone elses high scores. Its also useful to keep yourself using it. You always just want to try and beat that highest score!

The neon powerball also has LED's inside it which light up and flash when the gyroscope gets to a high speed. Its nothing earth shattering or vital to the product, but when it is dark, it looks very cool!

In the box is your Powerball, the instructions and 2 strings which will start it spinning. Very useful if one goes missing as i found out when a friend had a go! He dropped the string, but weirdly, we couldn't find it for days!

They are available in many places, i got mine in Argos, but i know they are cheaper at sellers such as Amazon.

Summary: A cheap, fun way to help upper body strength and RSI