Isokinator Classic, Mobile Fitness Machine Made by Gert F

I've been enthusiastic about fitness since my teens and I'm now nearing 50 with a large chunk of my working life having been spent in the armed forces. I think this is an outstanding piece of kit. I was hesitant about buying it because it looked expensive and from the You Tube videos that I saw I still couldn't quite see how it worked: it just seemed no different to a standard tension bar. But here is what it does; unlike the kind of tension you get from a tube or chest expander which varies depending on your movement, this device makes you lock specific, isolated muscle groups in a constant state of tension from start to finish. When you first pull the straps (after sliding the small metal side bar along the chart that you see displayed on the front of the device), the two golden balls at the top move apart and there is a bit of 'give': the idea is not to go for as much tension as possible. Once the balls move apart to the point where each is on either side over a little marker (a small hole) that is your indication that you have reached the optimum point of tension and you hold that degree of effort while moving your arms, shoulders, torso, legs, through the exercises in the booklet which target those precise muscle groups. There must be some ingenious design inside that manages that tension as the description doesn't do it justice. It works really well - those groups really feel thoroughly worked after very little time. I still think it's worth having other things in your exercise routine as most people like a bit of variety, but this will now be an integral part of mine. The effect it produces is similar to tension exercises used in some martial arts. It is very simple to use (my advice would be to practise the first time on the lowest possible setting so you can find out how it works); you just move the slide, grab the straps, lock your arms in a state of tension and follow the exercises. It is the epitome of German engineering: beautifully crafted, light yet solid and sturdy. A very good invention and a very clever idea.

The isokinator. Hmmm, I’m still not convinced after owning one for several months. Having used a bullworker for a few years where you pull/push/stretch against a spring and hold the pose, this very small device is made so you move whilst pulling the straps. Circle your arms, perform curls etc The range of movement in the straps is tiny, probably less than an inch, there is a slider to create more resistance in that inch of movement which works well – this is the brass balls you see in the picture indicating your pressure is correct. You can certainly exercise to exhaustion, however I’m not convinced that pulling against a normal solid loop strap would be that different, due to the tiny range of movement. I guess this little device shows you how much pressure you are exerting but for the money asked that is an expensive way of determining how much effort you are using. The device itself has phenomenal build quality and I can imagine it surviving a very long time however the instructions are very dated and the videos are terrible, poor quality – think grainy 1980’s infomercials. I’ll stick with it but I get far, far better results and more sense of achievement with the bullworker and steel bow.

I have had this since January of this year. Without a doubt, it is a well-made piece of kit hence the 20-year warranty. Although I am not convinced it is the be all and end all of fitness equipment. I did all I was instructed to, e.g. measured my body took proteins and kept a diary. The first week I really felt the exercises. As such the length of time taken to do them was longer than stipulated, in fact, the first month I felt that ache of well-worked muscles. Yes, it does keep you strong and resilient, as for muscle mass well, I am not sure.I may not have followed to the letter everything in the manual eg no 20 the maximum strength test. So it is possible that some of this is down to me. It certainly does not cause any injury pulled muscles, or strained joints as stated in no 18 of the manual. All in all an excellent piece of portable kit. I am just not 100% sold on it.

Disappointing. Bought this to do some strength training after intending to buy a bullworker, which I had as a young man. I feel I can do these exercises without any equipment as they are basically dynamic isometric exercises.

At a casual glance the Isokinator may appear to be another of those fitness gimmicks that produce little in the way of results. At this price the Isokinator has to be good and show a change in physique. As a fan of the Bullworker and Isometrics in general, I purchased this item knowing it was invented by the same person as the Bullworker and that certainly gives great results if used correctly. The Isokinator is VERY well made. Only the best materials are used. Some parts are even gold plated! Obviously it has to be sturdy as you are pulling as hard as you can on the straps, or with atleasy 70% of your strength anyway. It's made to last and the 20 year warranty reflects this and shows the company have confidence in their product. The first time I used it my muscles were quite sore next day. I've had it a couple of weeks now and it seems very effective. My strength has definitely improved (I've almost doubled the amount of push-uos I can now do) and my wife says I'm looking more muscular. It is expensive but you can see that it's made very well indeed and worth the money.

It's hard to believe the Isokinator given its small size could provide a hard workout .... but it does in spades. It's an outstanding piece of equipment with top-notch build quality !! So compact you can take it anywhere ....I absolutely love the Isokinator !! 30-40min workouts 3 times a week (7 exercises) are all that is required. I'm sold .... It works well for me ....

I do NOT use the IK as per Koelbel's instruction. I use it only as an ISOMETRIC training device like one would use a BULLWORKER (also invented by Koelbel.) Two reasons. First, I have severe shoulder impingements and those motions exacerbate the condition. Secondly, even if I had no injury, I would still use it purely isometrically. This is the best isometric trainer on the market-superior in many ways to the BULLWORKER which I have (both the classic and steel bow), and have trained with for four and a half years. NOTE: Training with isometrics has improved my shoulder condition by about 50%. Call it what you want, the IK IS an isometric trainer-the main difference between THE IK and the BW, is size, and the fact that the IK has you train using MOTION. You can train with motion with A BW, but it is awkward. Isometrics work! A multitude of studies have proven this, and I did so myself. In May of 2014, I dropped all other modes of strength training, and trained exclusively with a BW steel bow. After six months, I was 30 to 40% stronger in all my isotonic and free weight lifts. Also, a slew of studies have shown that isometric training is one of the best ways to improve bone strength and stop bone loss in older people, and isometric training has proven to lower blood pressure. There are NO studies showing that using isometrics with motion is superior than using isometrics with static holds. Why is the IK such a great strength trainer/bone loss-bone builder? LEVERAGE! I can train with my hands close to my body when I train purely isometrically on the IK, and can exert more force on the IK than I could on the BW, where my hands start 20 inches apart-about 20 to 30% more force. If you use the IK with motion, as soon as your hands move away from your body, you cannot exert near as much force as you can with your hands close in to your body, and those little gold balls will sink to the center, and you will have to adjust your starting resistance lower if you want those balls to stay over the holes. I'm NOT saying DON'T train using motion-I'm sure that will be effective, but you have the choice, and either way you'll get results, but for pure strength, I would go with static holds. I do the static holds at different positions, so the argument that I'm not strengthening the muscle through a"full range of motion" has proven not to be. Another reason the IK is so effective: Its external resistance-the spring inside the device, which forces you to press against the resistance to keep the balls over the holes. This external pressure-up to 200 lbs (the CLASSIC MODEL) you have to fight against is truly a great way to build strength. NOTE: The IK is a great device EVEN if you doing other modes of strength training, like free weights. Using isometrics is a proven method of getting you past sticking points on many free weight lifts. If you are very strong, they have model that has 400 lbs of resistance (THE GREEN GIANT). The amount of exercises is up to your imagination. I bought mine with the isohook which allows many more exercises. I have another strap I use with the isohook, and hook the IK to some of my other equipment and do isometric one legged leg presses, isometric lat pulldowns, isometric one arm presses, plus all the ones I could do on the BW, plus the ones in the IK exercise book-except I do them statically. I train ONLY ONCE A WEEK, as isometric training, is very hard on the central nervous system (studies have shown) and my further strength gains do not justify more training. In fact a bit of advise. The IK manual says train 3 times a week-make that 2 times a week, I guarantee you'll get better results. NOTE: Even the IK exercise manual says, when you get up to where you want strength wise, "you only need to train every TEN DAYS". I pretty much reached my strength limit at my age, but my gains with the IK have led to another 15% strength increase, and much improved definition. The IK is built like a tank, and is durable to a fault. I do use the BW classic to do ab exercises and a few other exercises along with the IK, but if I had to choose just one device to train with, the IK would be it.

Who I am: mid-40s elementary music teacher. High school track, cross country, and wrestling. Black belt in Tae Kwon Do, brown belt in Shotokan Karate. I was in top shape until my late 20s, when I stopped running and working out. I'm now 60 lbs overweight, all of it in my gut. I agonized over this product for months. Was it a gimmick? Was it really worth all that money? Could isometric exercises really build muscle? Well, I'll keep updating this review to let you know! I've had the Isokinator for a week now. Shipping was very fast, but untrackable through Amazon. It took 7 days to get to me. Very well packaged. I ordered the long strap along with it, but I now see that the original 7 exercises you're supposed to do don't use the long strap! (It was only $25.) The Isokinator itself looks very high quality. I think I like the workout so far. I've done the exercises for one full week now (3 days of exercise). I'm starting very low, so I'm on 22 lbs of resistance. I like the feel of resisting the springs and then doing slow movement. It does feel a bit like Tai Chi to me. The only things I don't like thusfar are: you can't really watch the golden balls as you exercise, so the whole idea of seeing that they're over the holes doesn't make sense to me. On almost all of the exercises, you can't watch the balls for the entire movement. Also, the straps dig into your hands...and I'm only on 22 lbs resistance! What will it be like when I'm at the top resistance? (I'll probably need to invest in some gloves.) I'll write more in a month or so... **Update** It's been over a month of regular use now. 3 sets of 10 exercises. I do the 5 upper body exercises (I don't yet do the abs or legs exercises). My weight has increased from 22 to 66 lbs. I see a definite increase in muscle mass and I feel stronger. I can feel the distinct muscles in my triceps when I flex...couldn't before. This product definitely works! And it's awesome to have it in such a small package. My complaints are the same: the straps really hurt for some exercises. I really need to invest in some lifting gloves. Also, you really can't watch the golden balls while you exercise. You just have to pull as hard as you can and hope that you're getting them over the holes. Finally, the bicep/tricep exercise is a little awkward. It's building lots of mass in my tri's, but I don't really see in in my bi's. Overall, I'm glad I purchased the isokinator. I'll update in a month or two.

Well designed product, top quality materials. Provides an efficient and effective workout!

Quick rundown on me. Have trained since age 20. Now 58. Have experienced old and new Nautilus, Hammer Strength, MedX, Life Fitness, Cybex, free weights, X-Force negative equipment, etc... Training protocols have included High Intensity, Escalating Density, Vince Gironda, Positions of Flexion, Super Slow, Timed Static Contractions, Pre-exhaustion on the old Nautilus double machines, PHA, etc... Have been more involved lately with Timed Static holds/ isometrics in an attempt to maximize muscle tension and minimize joint strain. 90 second holds in the mid-range position of most exercises. Have used the Isokinator over the past 2 weeks, and can't sing its praises enough! The unit is so versatile-- have used it on its own at home, and in conjunction with strength training equipment at the gym. The unit not only allows for Isokinetic training for reps, but is also ideal for timed static contractions/ isometrics, which can be performed in whatever range of motion (ROM) you're comfortable in. The muscle pump, whether performing reps or holds is intense, and the number of exercises you can perform, honestly... are up to your imagination. The manual and movie, IMO, just scratch the surface. Once you've gauged the proper amount of tension, most upper body barbell style exercises can be performed with the Isokinator. Just today I simulated a Nautilus pullover exercise, working through an approximate ROM of 175 degrees. Barbell style curls, 2 arm tricep pushdowns, cable crosses, Arnold and Scott delt presses, seated and bent over rows... all can be performed for reps or holds. What I love is that once the tension level (resistance) is proper for YOU (will take a little break in period to nail it down and have a challenging level) the contractions- whether you're doing reps or holds is truly a constant tension, with NO respite! No joint strain/ inflammation, just muscle contraction! Awesome piece of equipment!