Last modified: 19-Mar-2004

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What is the Powerpole?

The Powerpole is unique and highly successful system offering space-age home fitness and strength training for all, irrespective of age or gender.  It makes use of the method known as “Isokinetics” that has for many years been confined almost exclusively to the world physiotherapy and scientific laboratories.  Various “isokinetics” systems have been marketed over the years for home use, but none of these has ever managed to produce one which is small and light enough to fit into one’s hand luggage.  Powerpole has now developed the technology to make hydraulic based iso-kinetic exercise methods available at low cost.

What is Isokinetics?

The word “isokinetics” comes from two Greek words: ‘iso-‘means “the same or equal” and “kinetics” relating to “movement”.  Thus isokinetics exercise refers to exercise which is done at constant speed.  In imposing this constant speed over most of the movement range, isokinetics exercise offers resistance that automatically adjusts itself to the user’s strength.  In other words, an isokinetics training device accommodates to your individual capabilities throughout your range of motion, instead of forcing you to accommodate to the resistance decreed by some other type of machine or system of free weights.

When was isokinetics developed?

The history of isokinetics parallels the history of space exploration. Apparently, since traditional weights weigh almost nothing in space, far from the Earth’s gravitational pull, scientists decided to create a system which could be used under such conditions and the “isokinetics dynamometer” was the result that emerged more than 30 years ago.  A few home versions of these space devices were marketed for some years, the major application is isokinetics was in physical therapy and exercise physiology where scientists and therapists wanted to measure accurately how much force or torque (turning ability of a force) can be produced by different muscles.  Isokinetics machines became and still are very widely used for measuring any changes in muscle strength, which is not only useful for certain types of research, but also for assisting medical insurance companies in dealing with claims from patients.

In the sporting arena, some coaches use smaller isokinetics machines for improving muscular strength and endurance in certain types of athletes, in particular, swimming, where ‘Doc’ James councilman successfully used them for several years. Since those days, no other isokinetics machines have been produced for the home user and Powerpole has now emerged to fill the void.

What is so special about isokinetics?

The fact that the Powerpole allows you to carry out many exercises at constant speed is not so much important in its own – what really is important is that it automatically changers the resistance throughout the while range of movement.  As know, you are stronger or weaker in different positions, so that almost all training with weights or gym machines doses not allows you to use your muscles throughout their entire range of movement.

For Example research has shown that you usually product maximum force in different exercise like this:

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On top of that, the region in which you produce the greatest force can be affected by how fast you are moving, your posture, how your joints are held to one another, how fatigued your muscles are, which exercise you did earlier, your training history, and the after-effects of old injuries.  In other words, it is virtually impossible for you to find any kind of weight system of machine which can automatically adjust to exactly the level of resistance that need at every point throughout the range of every joint in your body.  Many be you have tried devices that offer resistance in the forms of elastic bands, springs or bows which flex.  The problem here is that the elastic band, spring or flexing bow offers increasing resistance as you stretch it near the end of the range of movement.  This means that you do not have enough resistance where you need it most and that you and that you have too much resistance where you muscles can not produce enough force to manage.  Maybe you have tried machines with cams and sliding levers which change resistance over the range of movement of the machine.  Well, these machines are designed to match the so called “strength curves” of your joints, but they are set in advance to what their designers felt is best for you at every stage of each exercise.

Powerpole Automatically Adjusts to You.

Maybe you have used barbells and dumbbells, but their mass never changes, which means that you often have to “cheat” or use lighter weights to enable you to complete a full movement.  In all of these respects, we believe Powerpole stands head and shoulders above current competition.  It does not inefficiently or unsafely increase resistance near the end of range of your joint, nor does it impose any preset level of resistance of your muscles, but immediately changes its resistance in response to what your muscles can do.  Stronger and weaker members of your family – even a very young child or very old adult – can use the Powerpole directly after you without any need to change anything.  The resistance will automatically adjust to the capabilities of the user.  Thus, the Powerpole automatically and instantly produces resistance which equals the force you develop in any movement in any position.  So, if you choose to use only one finger to pull with only one pound or kilogram of force, the Powerpoles unique system automatically responds by offering exactly one pound or kilogram of resistance.  Yet, without making any changes to the settings, you could use a while hand to exert 50kg or pounds of resistance.

Powerpole avoids Overexertion.

It is also difficult for you to overexert or injure yourself on the Powerpole, since it automatically reduces resistance the moment fatigue, discomfort or loss of energy are compelling your muscles to produce decreased force.  Instead of having to stop part f the way during any exercise,, you can simply continue working while the Powerpoles automatically reduces resistance to enable you to complete your set.  In other words, Powerpole enables you to involuntarily carry out a form of “interval” or “fartiek” training that is widely used by all athletes, a method that involves alternating phases of fast-slow or heavy-light activity.  You just cannot do this with other forms of resistance training – as soon as you become fatigued or less energetic, you invariably have to stop exercising completely to recover.

Powerpole Safety at High Speed.

Powerpole allows you to work safely at high speed with high resistance, something that is generally not possible with most other resistance training systems.  Working at high speed with small resistance is not very effective except possibly in the earliest stages of rehabilitation after serious injury – in fact, acceleration small loads to high acceleration, as is the case in throwing, kicking and hitting, can produce very large forces on the joints and tissues, which can result in major injuries such as those of the rotator cuff (four muscles that control the movement of the shoulder), the hands, the knees and ankles.  With the Powerpole, you simply cannot produce great acceleration, because it immediately increases resistance and forces you to continue moving at the same speed as before – and there is absolutely no way in which you can “cheat” the Powerpole.

Powerpole eliminates Warming-up.

Another special advantage of the Powerpoles is that you do not have t use lighter loads or resistance for warming up.  All that you need to do is simply move at a more leisurely pace and the Powerpole will automatically offer you less resistance.  As you feel warmer and more ready for harder work, all that you need to do is exert more effort without, then just put in greater or maximum effort and you will automatically be taken to your limits of strength.

Powerpole Minimizes Soreness.

Research has shown that a great deal of muscle soreness is caused by “eccentric” action, the sort of so-called lengthening muscle action in which you use the muscle to lower or return a load back to its starting position.  This sort of action takes place, for instance, during the lowering or down phase of a pushup, squat r bench press.  The Powerpole does not involve eccentric action at any stage, so that you will not develop any soreness from eccentric actions, especially the form known as DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscles Soreness), which is usually the most intense about 2 days after your exercise session.  This is not to say that eccentric exercise is “bad” for you  -  only to point out that the average person who is not used to heavy loading or new patterns of exercise usually experiences a great deal of eccentrically caused soreness and stiffness.  Of course, if you wish for more sporting reasons to include eccentric training to supplement your Powerpole sessions, you can always do so with some conventional barbell or dumbbell training.

Cooling Down with Powerpole.

Sometimes, just as elite athletes do, you might like to do a “cooling down” set near the end of your training session, so all that you need to do to apply this method is to reduce the effort that you are exerting against your Powerpole and you will immediately be taken into this “cooling down” mode.

How dose Powerpole Work?

Powerpole is described technically in its patent as “a solid state liquid displacement device”.  This means that it is a hydraulic system some what like that used in modern vehicle shock absorbers to exert control over any forces that are imposed on it.  You will have noticed that, if you are in a swimming pool, the faster you try to move, you will experience resistance form the water.  Well, Powerpole has been designed to offer a similar type of fluid resistance in a small, portable device which varies its resistance according to how much force you try to exert on it.  Because scientists have discovered that the body becomes more effectively trained if it is exposed to a variety of training conditions, Powerpole has a resistance dial which allows you to simply and easily change the speed at which you train, So if you use a variety of different training speeds, you can produce a superior type of physical fitness, not just one which can cope with slow activities, but a much wider range to suit the wide range of different actions that you finds in your daily life.

The ability to pre-set the training speed on the Powerpole is especially useful for anyone with specific movement o injury limitations; because the higher speed setting enables one to produce resistance that is lower and less prolonged than the lower speed setting.  It is well know that more intense efforts tends to produce breath holding and a temporary increase in blood pressure, so, if you wish to minimize this effect (which is a perfectly natural response to strenuous strength training, no matter what type of resistance you may use), then you will chose to set the dial for higher speed movement.  This is also the recommended setting for novices to the fitness training world or for warming up.

What can you use Powerpole for?

Powerpole is a device for offering resistance for training your muscles and the way in which you choose to use your muscles will determine the outcome of your training with Powerpole.  In other words, you can use Powerpole to produce just the result that you desire, depending on how much effort you put into using it, what speed setting you use and the time you spend on any given exercise.

If you wish to focus more on “aerobic” exercise or exercise which is meant to increase your cardiovascular fitness, then the muscles must be exercised for prolonged periods against low resistance with normal, unrestrained breathing.  If you wish to concentrate more on “anaerobic” exercise to increase strength, muscle bulk, power and muscle endurance, then the muscles have to be worked for shorter periods against higher resistance.  Quite simply, the higher the resistance (i.e. the harder you work against Powerpole), the more stress will be placed on your muscles and the more strength you will develop.  If you wish to develop.  If you wish to develop muscle bulk, than you will use an intermediate speed for 8 – 12 repetitions against an intermediate level of resistance (i.e. working just below the “all-out” level).

For those who wish to use Powerpole for serious competitive sport, you can add it to your existing training routines.  In addition, its absence of eccentric action means that it will not lead to any increase in muscle soreness and stiffness.  It may also be of great value in helping you repair an injured muscle because it produces only just enough resistance to suit your needs any given time, whether you are extremely strong or very weak.  Your therapist will be able to advice you in this regard.  There is no need to change weights, elastics or anything else other than the speed control, Generally, it is a good idea to begin with higher speeds because this tends to be easier for personal motivation and for minimizing your tendency to forcefully hold your breath, something which can be less safe for anyone with higher blood pressure of circulatory problems.

In general, resistance training enables you to develop what have been called the S-Factors of Fitness (Siff Super training 2000 – Dr Mel C Siff Author):

-         Strength

-         Stamina

-         Skill

-         Speed

-         Suppleness

-         Spirit (mental capabilities)

-         Speed-Strength (Power)

-         Structure (Shape)

Most of these S-factors can be enhanced by the correct use of the Powerpole, especially as you become more experienced in its use to suit your specific characteristics and needs by keeping your mouth slightly open and gradually breathing out when you are producing the greatest force. 

Begin all Powerpole exercises with a preparatory set with the speed adjustment set as its fastest level: after that initial “warm-up” stage, you can use any speed that you wish to use to achieve your specific training goals.

Remember that the muscles often cannot produce great force near the beginning of any movements (especially of the shoulder), so that you should not try to exert too much force right at the start of any movement or if you starting position feels weak or uncomfortable. 

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