Am I doing anything wrong/Best use...

[RNUK]

Hi,

I received my powerball yesterday morning and barely put it down since.

I have bought it because I Quarterback for an American football team and I find that after every practice I get alot of pain in my elbow. I have been told that strength training is the best bet to stop the pain.

I started spinning yesterday as soon as I got it and all in all probably spent about 2-3 hours yesterday with it. Although I my muscles ached a bit, I certainly didn't feel any kind of burn and I have no side effects today, which I thought strange as I don't do any free weights at all...

I think I may be doing something wrong but I have no idea what?

Also, I really want a quick hit workout for my Forearms and Biceps. I don't really want to build my muscle, just strengthen what I have. Anybody got any suggestions as to what would be the best use of my powerball?

Thanks in advance.

[Adrena1in]

Welcome to the forums, and the wonderful world of Powerballs.

Perhaps you're incredibly fit, and don't notice the benefits of Powerballs so much. When you say you didn't put it down for several hours, were you literally spinning it constantly, or were you doing short, sharp bursts of speed?

First time I got one I noticed my forearm muscles tightening within 20 or 30 seconds of use, at only around 6000 rpm. Nowadays it takes about half an hour at 10000 rpm for me to get a good workout.

For best results I would suggest around 8000 to 9000 rpm, constantly, for, at first, 5 or 10 minutes, (longer if you can carry on), swapping hands perhaps every 30 seconds to one minute. Try to grip the Powerball nice and tight and move your hand and arm as little as possible. (The smaller the movement the more actual resistance you will be applying against the Powerball as it tries to move your arm, and therefore the better the workout will be. I see some people twirling their arm around in big circles, which I don't think works the muscles that well and which I don't think is that good for the joints.)

Hope that helps a bit? I'm sure others will have opinions and suggestions too.

[RNUK]

Thanks for the advice.

I can assure you I am not even vaguely fit!!! :)

By several hours I mean that I'd spin it up and use it for about 10 mins, then do a speed run to see if I could increase my score, then put it down in disgust as I couldn't... then the instant addiction took over and about 10 mins later I'd pick it up again. So yeah, it was pretty much short sharp bursts. I did however do a constant hour last night, but perhaps not as high revs as it should have been...

[petemayhew]

hey RNUK

some nice socres you got there!

keep up the powerballin' :)

[Physioblue]

I Quarterback for an American football team and I find that after every practice I get alot of pain in my elbow. I have been told that strength training is the best bet to stop the pain.
So you don't feel the pain during practice? Just after?
Is there any pain first thing in the morning?
And where is the pain?

Let me know and I will see what I can come up with for helping you.

[RNUK]

Hi Physioblue,

Thanks for replying. I get pain during training which is mainly, I believe, due to pushing to hard. After training I am normally ok on the first day (Monday) but Tuesday through to Thursday is when it really hurts. It does hurt first thing in the morning, sometimes easing off during the day, sometimes not. The pain is inside and outside the joint with discomfort down my forearm and just into my bicep.

Thanks for your help in advance.

[RNUK]

hey RNUK

some nice socres you got there!

keep up the powerballin' :)

Thanks. Hoping to put another couple of grand on that very soon!!! :)

Seems like the perfect tool for me to use, especially as I don't have a huge amount of time for free weights.

[Physioblue]

I get pain during training which is mainly, I believe, due to pushing to hard. After training I am normally ok on the first day (Monday) but Tuesday through to Thursday is when it really hurts. It does hurt first thing in the morning, sometimes easing off during the day, sometimes not. The pain is inside and outside the joint with discomfort down my forearm and just into my bicep.

Ok, a challenge. Bring it on!!
The morning pain suggests something is inflammed. And the pain around the joint would probably be because, as a quarterback, you are flicking your elbow into extension and jarring the joint.
What should happen is, the bicep muscle should cut in to prevent the hyperextension.
And it appears that it probably is doing, for a while, because you manage OK at first. But then something is stopping it working properly and the jarring is coming in.
It seems that the discomfort down the forearm and into the bicep may be either a bicipital tendonitis or bursitis, and this could be responsible for the bicep not controlling the hyperextension.

OK, treatment time.
Assuming its tendonitis. You need to make the tendon stronger, not the muscle.
Use the powerball with your arm slightly in front of you and your elbow bent slightly. So instead of your hand by your side it should almost be pointing straight forward.
Powerball for about 10mins, or longer if you feel nothing. (Shorter, of course, if it starts hurting)
Then grab something with a bit of weight behind it, ideally a dumbell, but anything will do. It shouldn't be a muscle workout remember, so not too heavy.
Now do very fast bicep curls, flicking your arm out straight but quickly stopping it before you reach straight. (30-40 degrees is ideal)
Do 10 "flicks", have a 20 second rest, then do another 10. Rest again and do a third set.
Another 10 minutes powerballing, then put your hands behind your back with the fingers interlocked and with straight elbows try to lift your arms as far behind you as possible. Hold for 20 seconds. Repeat once more.
Finish off with something nice and cold over your elbow.

If its a bursitis, do the same thing, and when tears start rolling down your face and your arm gets worse, say to yourself "oh, it must be a bursitis" and either give up throwing stuff at motorcycle couriers who want to run into each other, or see your doctor and get referred for an injection which should sort things out.

Sorry its long winded, hope it all makes sense!!!

[RNUK]

Ok, a challenge. Bring it on!!
The morning pain suggests something is inflammed. And the pain around the joint would probably be because, as a quarterback, you are flicking your elbow into extension and jarring the joint.
What should happen is, the bicep muscle should cut in to prevent the hyperextension.
And it appears that it probably is doing, for a while, because you manage OK at first. But then something is stopping it working properly and the jarring is coming in.
It seems that the discomfort down the forearm and into the bicep may be either a bicipital tendonitis or bursitis, and this could be responsible for the bicep not controlling the hyperextension.

OK, treatment time.
Assuming its tendonitis. You need to make the tendon stronger, not the muscle.
Use the powerball with your arm slightly in front of you and your elbow bent slightly. So instead of your hand by your side it should almost be pointing straight forward.
Powerball for about 10mins, or longer if you feel nothing. (Shorter, of course, if it starts hurting)
Then grab something with a bit of weight behind it, ideally a dumbell, but anything will do. It shouldn't be a muscle workout remember, so not too heavy.
Now do very fast bicep curls, flicking your arm out straight but quickly stopping it before you reach straight. (30-40 degrees is ideal)
Do 10 "flicks", have a 20 second rest, then do another 10. Rest again and do a third set.
Another 10 minutes powerballing, then put your hands behind your back with the fingers interlocked and with straight elbows try to lift your arms as far behind you as possible. Hold for 20 seconds. Repeat once more.
Finish off with something nice and cold over your elbow.

If its a bursitis, do the same thing, and when tears start rolling down your face and your arm gets worse, say to yourself "oh, it must be a bursitis" and either give up throwing stuff at motorcycle couriers who want to run into each other, or see your doctor and get referred for an injection which should sort things out.

Sorry its long winded, hope it all makes sense!!!


Not a football fan I see! :) Greatest sport in the world...

Thanks for that Physio. I'll give that a go. It's all well and good being told that I need to strengthen the area around the elbow, but it's another to be given guidence on how to actually do it...

[Installed]

Wow, now thats cool stuff. Free examination and prescription online! :D Would you recommend that sort of thing for anyone wanting to build tendon strength? Or just someone with the same symtoms as RNUK?

Hey welcome to the forum RNUK! Its good to see more people discovering the awsome benefits of powerballs. What sort of football are you playing? Heh, cause I'm thinking anywhere from a high school team to the NFL. :p

[Physioblue]

Would you recommend that sort of thing for anyone wanting to build tendon strength? Or just someone with the same symtoms as RNUK?

It can be adapted to anyone wanting to strengthen their tendons, although its a slightly different technique for each tendon.

[RNUK]

Wow, now thats cool stuff. Free examination and prescription online! :D Would you recommend that sort of thing for anyone wanting to build tendon strength? Or just someone with the same symtoms as RNUK?

Hey welcome to the forum RNUK! Its good to see more people discovering the awsome benefits of powerballs. What sort of football are you playing? Heh, cause I'm thinking anywhere from a high school team to the NFL. :p

I would love to say NFL but alas, no. British Senior League... At the moment ;) :D