[QUOTE=caselynette, post:1, topic:330738]
(Mod: Oh folks, please don’t requote spam!)
[/quote]
Is this really what the Woot forum is coming to? 
isometric < concentric. don’t buy this.
They still make these? We had one of these in the house in the eighties.
[QUOTE=Batman4oz, post:15, topic:330691]
Yes! I’ve been wanting to mention this since this popped up, but the comments section would not work for me till just now!
I actually Had a Bullworker…40 years ago! And it cost me $30 back then!
Everything Old is New again…even Us!
^^X^^
[/quote]
My brother had the Bullworker. That was the first thing I though about when I saw this woot. Bullworker was actually quite the workout for my 7 year old self.
The things people make these days for money… unreal. This guy probably made a million dollars or more off of this lame workout bar. Hats off to him…
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
I’m an old guy.
I’ve been using this thing since the mid-1970s when it first came out. (they originally called it the “Bullworker”). I use it off and on.
It’s based on isometric principles.
My testimony… for very little workout time, you get quite good results. If you’re wanting to be a bodybuilder, don’t use this, but if you want a well toned body and you haven’t the time or money to devote to hours in a gym, then this is a great alternative!
Over the decades, the 7x has allowed me to have the look of a devoted gym user. On several occasions I’ve had folks ask what exercises I do (they seem to be wanting to know what my weight training routine is) and they are a bit surprised that all I do is ten to fifteen minutes of isometric training a day. This thing has allowed me to maintain wide shoulders, large chest, small waist, and large biceps… at least beyond other men my age who aren’t devoted to working out.
No bragging here… just giving a perspective from a long-term user.
[QUOTE=pphilipp, post:46, topic:330691]
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
I’m an old guy.
I’ve been using this thing since the mid-1970s when it first came out. (they originally called it the “Bullworker”). I use it off and on.
It’s based on isometric principles.
My testimony… for very little workout time, you get quite good results. If you’re wanting to be a bodybuilder, don’t use this, but if you want a well toned body and you haven’t the time or money to devote to hours in a gym, then this is a great alternative!
Over the decades, the 7x has allowed me to have the look of a devoted gym user. On several occasions I’ve had folks ask what exercises I do (they seem to be wanting to know what my weight training routine is) and they are a bit surprised that all I do is ten to fifteen minutes of isometric training a day. This thing has allowed me to maintain wide shoulders, large chest, small waist, and large biceps… at least beyond other men my age who aren’t devoted to working out.
No bragging here… just giving a perspective from a long-term user.
[/quote]
Same story here. I still have my Bullworker from decades ago and get it out every so often. I think very highly of the results of a few weeks of workouts. Shapes your body and builds power.
I’ve owned one of these for about a year now but I don’t use it much (although I could/should). It’s not really meant for building muscle but it’s good for warming up before a workout and to help stretch a muscle after a workout. Otherwise, it’s not much different than flexing your muscle as hard as you can for 7 seconds at a time.
I would not recommend this for helping recover from an injury especially if it’s in the shoulder region mostly because it’s too difficult for weaker body parts in certain positions (eg compressing it horizontally directly in front of you which causes discomfort in the shoulder socket since it pushes your arms outward). If you don’t exercise regularly to begin with, this will not likely change your habits but it can be useful in limited capacities.
I had one of these as a teenager when it was called a bullworker. It’s like an archery bow and a gas shock absorber combined. I ordered one for my son and one for me for nostalgia. You can’t beat the price.
I will skip this and continue with what I’m doing. I have a set of Bodylastics bands that I love, but I use them with the P90X strength routines.
On cardio days I ride the bike for an hour. The P90X cardio routines were either too hard (plyometrics near ruined my knee/hip and I wasn’t jumping very high) or boring (yoga/kenpo…and I used to take yoga classes and am in martial arts. The routines are just so dull).
Then again, this isn’t a review for P90X. I will say this thing scares me though. I have a bad shoulder (torn rotator cuff years ago that still hasn’t healed totally) and a bad hip (sports injury, but it is fun to tell people I might need a new hip at 40). I can see this doing some serious damage to both.
Isometric training is actually the worst way to build muscle, concentric is better, and eccentric is best.
You remember from before you were born? Was it really dark in there and sorta slippery?
Just my opinion…with isometrics you’re basically pitting one muscle against another, with neither moving or you’re pitting a muscle against an immovable object. For example, you could bend your elbows and place your hands together and push your hands against each other, like you’re praying, thus working your triceps. You could stand on the edge of a bathtowel and try pulling it out from under your foot in a biceps curling type position. Lie on your back on the floor, knees bent and feet flat on the wall and push and you’re working the front of your thigh.
Rubber tubing would also offer resistance in a fixed position, but I’ve seen rubber tubing used more in a rehab situation where you actually go through a range of motion rather than work the muscles from a fixed position.
I wouldn’t say this device is necessarily a gimmick, but I do think much of what it can do can be accomplished just by using basic household items, pressing against a wall or other immovable object, or your own body.
Next on Woot! - The 1973 Datsun B210!
Not sure what I find more amazing: the notion that the Bullworker is still being manufactured or the possibility that a forgotten 30+ year old cache has been discovered.
A shiny, brand new B210 would be pretty neat. And a bargain at $7.99. 
The guy in the video did NOT get that way by just using the “ISO 7X” … it’s just the next ridiculous gimmick that makes people think you can get ripped by doing almost nothing.
The only way you will get in shape AND STAY THAT WAY is with a combination of resistance training and cardiovascular workouts combined with a balanced diet.
Live with it.
And don’t buy cheaply made products that promise magical results.
Hello? Oh, yes ok…
Woot, the 70’s called and they want their gimmicky workout contraption back.
Thanks.
My best friend’s sister’s boyfriend’s brother’s girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who’s going with the girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31 Flavors last night.
Nope I’m out!
Years ago this was marketed under the name “Bullworker”. I think it’s BS they changed it.
[QUOTE=bluejester, post:14, topic:330691]
I was wondering the same thing. My younger brother works out a bit, and recently got a resistance band for his birthday. I saw this come up and was considering doing a bit of early Christmas shopping. However, I don’t want to grab something that is all gimmick and no substance.
Anyone out there have personal experience with this device?
[/quote]
NASA researched the topic extensively. They wanted to know if isometrics helped astronauts avoid atrophy. Isometrics were chosen due to the limited amount of space for other protocol. In the end, NASA found that isometrics did assist in maintaining and building some strength, it did not stop contractile proteins from diminishing. These are the proteins involved in concentric/eccentric movement – that is, essentially “MOVEMENT”.
I found an article you might want to read:
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/livingthings/10dec_muscles.html
There’s more to it, but it’s a bit of a standard in physiology. Also, true isometrics are actually against something truly fixed. Doesn’t this bar move? I do not see how this bar, with its moving parts, is isometric. For “isometric holds”, which almost always involve a starting and finishing movement?
My view is that you could (WILL) get more out of simply bodyweight movements and their many varieties – pushup, situp, pullup, and air squat – than you ever will out of this device. Why even consider it? Save your $$ and get stronger without it.