PERFORMANCE
Flywheel training is getting more and more momentum in sports performance as athletes and coaches see the benefits.
Scientists are gathering increasing evidence to support flywheel training methods, and its adoption is growing in sports medicine. The advantages of flywheel training in performance sports include physiological, practical, ergonomic and economic benefits.
Sport examples
The advantages of the kBox for improving strength and conditioning are valid in a wide range of performance sports. The following sports are examples where there is already broad evidence of improvements and reference clients are established:
Baseball
The popularity of the kBox among coaches who strive to develop baseball players’ strength is growing. The equipment is already used by several Major League Baseball teams. Read more.
Basketball
The kBox targets many important aspects of developing basketball athletes’ strength and is already used by several teams of the US National Basketball Association. Read more.
Cricket
Whether you’re a batsman, a bowler or wicketkeeper, cricket players require a broad range of skills and strengths which can be improved by using flywheel training as part of a player’s regime. Read more.
Cross Country Skiing
A low impact, joint friendly, full body workout and one of the hardest cardiovascular exercises possible, cross country skiing is one of the most popular sports in Nordic countries. It is incredibly demanding and has one of the highest rates of calorie expenditure, using a large number of muscles during training and competition. Flywheel training with the kBox and kPulley can offer a whole-body training option that can meet the strength and cardiovascular demands of this sport. Read more.
CrossFit
Athletes in Crossfit or functional fitness claim the title of the “Fittest on Earth” due to the nature of a sport that requires the strength of an Olympic weightlifter, the agility of an elite gymnast and the endurance of a marathon runner. With a sport that demands so many skills, the kBox offers a flywheel training platform that ticks many boxes. Read more.
Cycling
Flywheel training is gaining momentum also among endurance athletes as they realise the benefits of strength training supported by scientific research. Examples include an International Cycling Union pro team which has been training extensively on the kBox in Belgium. Read more.
Endurance Sports
Strength training has proven benefits for endurance sports athletes, for which the kBox offers a highly versatile and portable solution for efficient and evidence-based training. Read more.
Football (American)
The kBox has many features for building strength, mass and power, which is critical in football, with teams such as the Oakland Raiders and the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL incorporating the kBox into their training already. Read more.
Football (Australian)
Players in the AFL and Australian Rules Football are improving many aspects of their game by incorporating flywheel training. Read more.
Football (soccer)
In association football, flywheel training is used by head strength & conditioning coaches of many elite teams in their regular training protocols. Clients include top teams in the premier professional football leagues of France, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden and the UK, as well as top international academic institutions developing football talents. Read more.
Golf
Many important aspects of developing golf players’ strength are targeted by the kBox, and it is already applied by several prominent golf trainers and their clients in Europe and the US. Read more.
Gymnastics
The kBox targets many important aspects of developing gymnast athletes’ strength and is already used by several troupes in different countries. From high-end gymnasts, we see more examples of sport-specific drills aimed at improving maximal power development. Read more.
Handball
Functional leg training for handball athletes are lateral squats and lunges. This can be performed with the kBox unaffected by casts or upper limb injuries because of the harness. The kBox is used with great success by elite handball athletes both in pre-season training and during the season for upper limb injury rehab. Read more.
Ice Hockey
In professional ice hockey, flywheel training is used by strength & conditioning coaches and players of many elite teams in their regular training protocols. kBox users in ice hockey already include coaches and players in Sweden and Switzerland as well as the National Hockey League in the US. Read more.
Martial Arts
Martial artists needs to develop a wide range of physical capacities and often have a very high training volume in the elite and pro leagues. The kBox offers a diverse number of drills to improve overall strength and increase muscle mass, but also more specific drills for core and rotational drills. Read more.
Olympic Weightlifting
Weightlifters are known for their immense levels of strength. Flywheel devices such as the kBox and kPulley can be used within a weightlifter’s training program to further increase their strength and performance. Read more.
Rugby
The kBox and kPulley have many features for building strength, mass and power, which is critical in rugby union as well as rugby league, with many teams and athletes incorporating flywheel training already. Read more.
Skiing
The eccentric training possibilities on the kBox highly correlates with the physiological requirements of competitive downhill skiing as well as the possibility for Post-Activation Potentiation on a portable machine. The kBox is used in pre-season training by national alpine teams as well as freestyle skiers. Read more.
Snowboarding
The kBox4 and the kPulley2 target many important aspects of elite snowboarders’ strength and conditioning needs and are already used in training by Olympic athletes as well as national snowboarding teams. Read more.
Strongman
As the name suggests, strongman competitors are some of the strongest athletes in existence. The sport requires explosive power and superhuman strength to be able to lift heavy objects, often overhead or up onto a platform, as well as pulling heavy items such as trucks. Using the kBox and kPulley can bring an extra element to traditional strength training for these athletes. Read more.
Swimming
Studies have shown that by using a Post-Activation Potentiation regimen (PAP) before a race, swimmers can start up to 35% faster, and the kBox is already in use by Olympic level swimmers on several continents. Read more.
Tennis
The kBox targets many important aspects of developing Tennis players’ strength and is already adopted by high-level players. With flywheel training on the kBox tennis players have a tool for improving sprint speed, change of direction ability and hitting power. Read more.
Triathlon
Competitive triathletes are required to be strong across three disciplines, swimming, cycling and running. This demands that their training be efficient, that they are able to achieve optimal results from the time they spend training for each leg of an event. Read more.
Track & Field
The Exxentric kBox is used by elite sprint coaches with impressive results since it can be used for a multitude of exercises for leg and hip extension and the posterior chain, both heavy and explosive. The kBox could also be used for eccentric training and overload, which is known to be highly preventive on hamstring strains. Altogether, it is a competent tool in the track & field coach toolbox. Read more.
Volleyball
The kBox4 can be beneficial in many ways for the volleyball athlete. The possibilities of flywheel training on the kBox highly correlate with the physiological requirements of competitive volleyball, offering accessible training for eccentric and explosive strength and for injury prevention. Read more.
Physiological advantages
The physiological aspects of flywheel training using the kBox are that it offers a variable resistance that automatically gives maximal resistance all through the exercise and increased mass and strength in every angle. With the possibility of a high eccentric load or overload, the effects on these parameters and performance greatly outperform traditional weights. Eccentric overload is much more effective to increase strength, speed and mass, especially in trained subjects.
At the same time, eccentric training is very injury preventive. Many injuries occur during the eccentric contraction, like hamstring strains, so by incorporating this in pre-season or rehabilitation will greatly reduce the risk of new or recurrent injuries.
Eccentric overload is also shown to increase type IIx MHC and volume of the IIX fibre, which means the transformation of the muscle into a faster phenotype. With a digital feedback system, you can monitor your athletes’ performance and progression down to every repetition.
Practical advantages
A practical advantage is that with the variable resistance your athletes don’t have to change weights between sets, users and even exercises. Shorter or taller athletes can easily workout together without having to change the height of the rack. This makes sessions more efficient and saves time for other important aspects of the athletes’ training, like resting, eating, tactics or play.
Using a harness for lower limb exercises the athletes can work at their highest performance and not be limited by any injuries in hands or arms or by inadequate technique. The harness unloads the upper back from point pressure and the lower back from torque which allows the athletes to focus on their performance instead.
Another practical advantage with the kBox is its mobility. Only weighing about 23 kg (50 lbs) with accessories, you can bring it into the field, into the locker room or on your trip or camp just like you bring your water bottles. Start combining heavy lifting or power training with your sprints, jumps or gameplay in a completely new way.
Ergonomical advantages
The ergonomical aspects are that there is no metal-to-metal sound, no risk of collision or dropping weights on the floor. This also results in less need for space and sound-reducing materials to work out, and you and your athletes can focus on the performance.
Economical advantages
With the above advantages, the economical advantage becomes obvious. With a single device offering over 30 exercises, mobility, safety and efficacy with the same or lower price than a complete barbell set you really get your money’ worth, and you hardly even need any extra space.
