Attention Formulator Owners (poll)

[Scott Styles]

I've got a Formulator sitting in my closet collecting dust. It seems like a good tool, but I find it too boring to use consistently. I wish I had bought a narrow wrist roller from PDA instead. I'm just wondering how common my sentiment is. I'll probably buy the wrist roller in the near future and if works out, sell my formulator. Before anyone asks, I am not selling it now.

[WildGorillaMan]

I answered the first poll, with "Several times per week" but nothing in the second poll directly applied to me.

My forearms are definetely thickening and filling out, both close to the elbow, as well as further down the muscle bellies towards the wrist, even as I've dropped thirty pounds of flab in the intervening time.

Hand and grip strength is definetely up, both with grippers and on the Formulator. I just closed the HG250 for the first time last week (yeah, my grippers still have a long way to go... ) Causation or coincidence, I can't say. Just training hard and banging away at my forearms is prolly 90% of my progress (imagine that!)

All in all, I like my TEH FORMULATOR and am happy with it.

[Bob Lipinski]

I thought I posted before? If it was deleted and I am reposting, I am sorry I won't try again!

I just have a homemade wannabe, but I just can't get hyped enough to use it. I am making decent gains with other wrist work.

However, I haven't really given it a fair shot. I might be motivated to use it again someday.

[TelegraphKey]

It wouldn't let me only vote in the first poll. I don't really have an option in the 2nd poll, either. I like the Formulator well enough, and I can even use it as a dard if I want. But it isn't wide enough, and also, I don't really understand how the common complaint seems to be that it's good on reverse wrist curls (extensions) but hurts the back of the hands on normal wrist curls (flexions). I wonder if mine has the lever welded on the opposite side of everyone else's, because I have the exact opposite complaint. I duct taped folded socks to the metal side, and now I can comfortably flip it over for both flexions & extensions. I also haven't given it much of a chance, I think. There are many other things, lifting & real life, that keep me from working the Formulator very seriously. So far, ever since I've been more into levering and actually working grippers, my elbow tendonitis hasn't been an issue, and that's the main reason I was interested in doing wrist curls in the first place. But when I have used it, I do get a decent forearm pump, and I do like removing grip from the equation.

Edited August 4, 2006 by TelegraphKey

[pdoire]

I have my homemade version which works just fine. It has helped me close bigger grippers and also helped with injury prevention by targeting the extensors like few exercise devices can. I like that the thumb is not the limiting factor in what I can do reverse wrist curls with.

Strong wrists are key in almost all grip endeavors and the Formulator seems to be a surefire way to get them.

[Mlstrass]

I've got a home made one that I use twice a week at the end of my weightlifting sessions. It works great for extensors, but I don't like the movement for flexion, so I made a P device for that.

I would suggest to those that have one but don't use it, just do 1 set of med/high reps 1-2 times per week. I like mine a lot, but could no way be doing lots of sets multiple times per week. HUGE waste of time to me that could be spent doing major compound movements for the body.

[TelegraphKey]

I happened to stumble upon the kick-ass KINE way to finally get bang for my buck out of my Formulator!!! On the day I did sledge/lever, I decided to screw around with the F to try some reverse wrist curls/extensions. I do my levers on a stair bannister which forces me to be strict. I did the Formulator on the bannister, too, for the first time -- and it kicked ass! Instead of doing wrist flexions & extension from my lap, by hanging off the bannister, the weight was completely isolated and it was only all wrists doing the lifting.

I only had ~18 lbs on it (with most of the weight sticking out on the end), and could barely manage 9 reps for 2 sets. I TRIED to do 10 reps, but could not do it!!! And my forearms BURNED! SWEET! I am so psyched I finally figured out how to use this thing!

I agree with Mlstrass: I'm just going to do 2 sets of about 10 once a week. That will definitely be all I need!