PowerBlock Pro Rexan Review
Then one evening, I decided to try out PowerBlocks, carried at high-end fitness stores. The sales associates at these types of stores are very knowledgeable and helpful and I was told the PowerBlocks were one of there biggest sellers. After trying them out, I bought a pair.
A brief description is in order: There are various PowerBlock systems, but all use a core handle to which you add weights. The system I purchased was the Pro Rexan (the material the core is made of) that adjusts from 5-45 lbs. using nested weights in 10 (actually 9.5) lb. increments by inserting pins just like on a selectorized weight-stack machine. Each nested weight has a color-coded band to indicate how much weight is being used. I also bought an add-on kit that increased the total weight to 85 lbs. which I figured would be useful for leg exercises and to accommodate me as I got stronger. There actually is yet another add-on kit to increase the weight of each PowerBlock to 125 lbs., but I think I’d have to evolve into a different species to use this much weight! This system also comes with four chrome cylindrical adder weights, 2 ½ lbs. each. To keep the PowerBlocks balanced, you need to add two adder weights to each core, thus allowing weight increases in increments of 5 lbs. per dumbbell. The adder weights are inserted into holes in the core and locked in by pushing a lever on the handle. The stainless steel selector pins are attached to a magnetic bar that helps retain it against the weights to prevent them from falling off. The selectorized weight pins and magnetic bar are tethered to the uppermost nested weight to keep it from becoming separated and possibly misplaced. All in all, PowerBlocks are a well-thought-out, high-tech system. The system is approximately the size of a shoebox and the total weight is 170 lbs., quite a bit less than the monstrous 1530 lbs. mentioned earlier. The total cost was $560, comparable to what a full set of hex dumbbells would cost. In addition, I bought the PowerBlock stand that raises the dumbbells off the floor 24 inches at a convenient angle for use and has a color-coded chart that corresponds with the color-coded bands on the nested weights so you can easily determine how much weight you are selecting. The stand also has four circular storage slots for the adder weights when not in use. As the PowerBlock literature states, the entire system takes up about the same amount of space as a small chair. The stand costs an additional $120.
So what are the PowerBlocks like to use? Well, the weight changes are quick, taking only a couple seconds each. You do have to exercise care, though, in inserting the pins parallel to the nested weights. If you insert them crookedly, the nested weights are not secured and could fall off and cause injury. In addition, the user must make sure the adder weights are locked in to prevent them from falling out when exercising. PowerBlocks feel substantial and well balanced although some users might consider their boxy shape awkward. Personally, I welcome the differences from traditional dumbbells, much like I prefer the difference in the Bowflex from traditional weights. PowerBlocks behave like traditional weights, generally harder at the beginning of a movement and easier as one completes the movement. The feel is the exact opposite of the Bowflex –not a bad thing -- making the two systems compliment each other rather well. Of course, unlike the Bowflex where the danger of accident is minimized, one must be constantly careful not to drop or lose control of weights and possibly cause injury. A good carry-over practice from using the Bowflex is that I am now experienced in slow, controlled movements that transfer well to using dumbbells. In actuality, the only exercise I have problems with on both the Bowflex and the PowerBlocks is the bench press. The long reach to the handles on the Bowflex while doing a bench press with the bench at a forty-five degree angle and with heavier resistance (100 plus pounds of power-rod resistance) has caused me chronic shoulder soreness. I’ve considered shortening the movement on the Bowflex bench press by using short lengths of chain to attach to the pulleys and keeping the movement intense by using higher resistance. I can more easily control the range of movement of a bench press with the PowerBlocks, but without a spotter there’s always a chance of losing control of the weight if I work until failure. This has, in fact, happened to me a couple of times, but the failure has occurred at the beginning of the movement when the weight resistance is most intense, and I’ve been able thus far to avoid injury by gaining some control of the weight and just lowering the dumbbell carefully down to my thigh. Nonetheless, free weights definitely carry a higher risk of injury than the Bowflex.
There does seem to be a difference in intensity between a PowerBlock workout and a Bowflex workout. I use a Polar heart-rate monitor while working out on each system. Typical results are that I average about 115 BPM (beats per minute) during a Bowflex workout and 130 BPM during a PowerBlock workout. These figures are derived from doing the exact same 12 exercises and number of reps on each system. I use approximately 60 to 80% less weight per exercise with PowerBlocks vs. Bowflex to achieve the same intensity. The PowerBlock workout is somewhat faster due to the quick changeover times and takes about 22 minutes while the Bowflex workout takes about 25 minutes for the same workout. I attribute the difference in heart rate to the time under load using each system. While doing changeovers with the Bowflex, taking perhaps 30 seconds per exercise, I’m not under any load until I begin the exercise. When doing a PowerBlock workout, the changeovers are faster, minimizing rest between exercises. In addition, after selecting the PowerBlock weight, I have to haul them into position and return them to the stand after finishing the exercise, again increasing the time under load. To be fair, the intensity while performing the same exercises on each system seems equally challenging, and I probably should rest a bit more between exercises while using PowerBlocks. But since I enjoy HIT training, I don’t like doing anything to decrease intensity. I could add Bowflex rows between exercises to increase the intensity and my heart rate while using my Bowflex, but this would also make the workout lengthier, negating some of the benefits of a HIT workout.
Lastly, as many others have indicated, using free weights causes more post-workout soreness and slightly more additional joint pain than a Bowflex workout, but no one seems to have a definitive answer as to the benefit or disadvantage of post-exercise soreness. The bottom line for me is that, after using both systems, I wouldn’t want to go back to either to the exclusion of the other since they complement each other so well. Rotating workouts on the Bowflex and PowerBlocks helps me to keep progressing and the soreness I experience on the PowerBlocks is ameliorated by alternating with a Bowflex workout, giving me the best combination of both free weights and machines like the Bowflex that use progressive resistance. I’ve increased my strength, lost 10 lbs. (I was not obese to start with) and decreased my body fat from 20% to 14% in the last few months using both systems in conjunction.
If you can afford them, I’d highly recommend PowerBlocks, either as a stand-alone system or as an adjunct to using other equipment including a Bowflex.
To learn more go to: http://www.powerblock.com/ or to buy check out: Power Blocks at Amazon.com.
Review by Andrew Kranjc
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