Flexsolate Wrist Cuffs

Gadgets and 'toys.' Some lose their charm quickly whereas others become highly useful tools in one's arsenal... a mainstay for effective training. Flexsolate straps certainly belong to the latter category.

The idea of bodybuilding obviously is to 'build' the body... to hypertrophy the muslces (with a secondary emphasis, albeit an important one, to create harmony and balance). However, how one goes about doing so spells the difference in results. Some trainees merely focus on how much they can lift for a certain rep goal range, but true bodybuilding requires targeting and isolation, i.e., it's not how much weight you use, but how you use it. That's were the Flexsolate wrist cuffs come in.

The general and simple concept of Flexolate's design is to allow the grip muscles to relax as much as possible so that less forearm work is involved. Two things occur when this happens. First, less forearm contraction means less energy transfer to the targeted muscles, such as arms or torso, which further means the use of a lesser weight but with greater emphasis on what you want to work (which means less elbow strain in many exercises). Second, by reducing forearm strain, there is one less link in the chain that needs focus and one less weak link within that chain to fail before the larger targeted muscle. Again, for those with elbow problems (often a result of tight and spasmed forearms, rather than tendinitis always being the culprit), or those with carpal tunnel syndrome, these straps are a must.

Flexsolate can be used effectively for any arm or torso muscle and in a variety of environments, whether doing chins, rows, curls, pushdowns... and whether using free weights, cables, snap-hooks or a simple wrap-around on a bar (see above arm curl photo). The product comes with an instructional DVD showing dozens of exercises. However, they do not show how these can be used to train chest. And so, here are a few examples. Below are two pec cable flyes, the first being a cross-over version and the second being a modified pec deck with the strap located on the forearm. As well, these straps can be wrapped around dumbbells for dumbbell flyes (or many other dumbbell exercises for shoulders, back, and arms) to simulate a kettlebell feel as the weight hangs off the strap.

HINT: For back work, the more the hand is left open, the more isolation experienced in the back. Consequently, when ordering by size (S, M, L) it may be best to select a size smaller than you think best, to allow for a snugger fit and less slippage off the hand. Or, order all three sizes so that smaller sizes can be used in the palm or heel of the hand, whereas others can be worn on the upper wrist/forearm (rather than the upper hand/wrist) for exercises like the modified pec deck shown above. As a side note, you will notice that the further the strap is toward the elbow, the greater the isolation when working some muscles, which is why buying all available sizes will be to your benefit and if used among a variety of a fitness professional's trainees.

For more details and further instructional use visit www.Flexsolate.com. At a modest price, you will get much use of these straps.