I read about how to "Prevent sore wrists and elbows in boxing" and now I am curious. I train Muay Thai 6 days a week for 2 hours a day. I understand that placement is key when delivering a jab or punch and that doing push-ups on the knuckles/fists will strengthen as well.
Will the use of a gyroscopic trainer, like this one, help prevent pain in the wrist? Does anyone use one in their practice and does it work?
Scientific skepticism is your friend. The only thing this ball can offer is a bit of resistance in the form of gyroscopic action. In what manner could a resistance exercise "prevent sore wrists and elbows from boxing?" There is no magical process radiating from the flywheel, and that means that this ball can only accomplish the same results that comparable resistance exercises can.
If your workout regimen leaves you with joint soreness which falls outside the norm for exercise of that intensity and duration, you should consult a physician.
If something seems too good to be true, it almost certainly is.
Edit: If you are looking for exercise tools/exercises to strengthen your hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulders, I would strongly recommend that you look into some of the tried-and-true free weight options. I personally benefit from training with weighted Indian clubs, maces, and kettlebells. There are several exercises with these training aides which strongly benefit joint rotation and strengthening. These types of weights are relatively inexpensive, and have a broad utility in training the upper body.
No, something like this will probably not help you.
You have to consider how your specific situation differs from the standard marketing target. If you train six days a week, you are definitely not the standard audience for gimmicky exercise equipment.
Exercising is almost always better for you than not exercising, and most people do not exercise. In general, if a device gets people to exercise at all, it can be considered a success, and it probably will help to reduce joint pain for the average person.
But you train six days a week. When your wrists and elbows hurt, it's probably not because you sit in stasis at a desk 50 hours a week. I would guess your problem is one of three things:
Your technique needs improvement. For example, if you punch with a bent wrist or hyperextend your elbows while striking, you will hurt yourself.
You are overtraining. Human joints cannot withstand an infinite amount of pounding, and as you get older your body's tolerance decreases. You can help by eating and sleeping well, and ensuring good circulation to your joints. You can spend more time on skill work and less time hitting things.
You need supplementary training. For example, if you have prior wrist injuries that affect stability and range of motion, you should start fixing this with exercises less strenuous than pounding on a heavy bag.
I have a couple of these. I like them and I think they do a decent job of strengthening the forearm, I suppose the elbow may gain some support thereby and IMO the wrist gains some benefit. For forearm exercises, I have always thought the spring -type grip trainer is a little better even, but it's a good idea to do various exercises to make sure all parts get a workout. What made my grip quite strong years ago was a mix of judo and hockey.
I believe the most important activity for wrists is regular stretching, that really applies to the rest of the body especially where martial arts is concerned.
I have one and a spring grip flexer, which works for wrist like the the hand ones do. My opinion is they work. A lot of skeptics here. Try the ball and see for yourself. Its just a cheap fun little device to throw into the bag of tricks. Its fun, like one of those rubber balls on a string you punch at for hand eye coordination, just a fun little tool. Does using gyro ball mean you give up weights, or kettlebells? Of course not, but I think they work. Something xtra to do while watching TV. I train 2x a day, and use this while sitting around....buy one! I have lots of little toys for grip/wrist/arm/hand/finger strength why not?
