Am I going to kill myself with these?

[wrek]

I don't expect I'll be doing acrobatics but I'm fairly interested in the fun that can be had with these.
My concerns are... I am 30+ yrs old, I'm not in the best shape right now but I'm in week 4 of a 10 week extreme body workout class.  I can't run distances because it's no damn fun.  If I had these I think it'd be more fun for me than just boring running from A to B and it would allow me to build up my cardio and endurance some.

Anyway, I weigh about 210 now but I expect to be dropping 10-15 lbs over the next year with the new workout routine (it's 6 days a week) and the diet that goes with it.

My question is.. anyone else of questionable physical fitness level and age using these things?

Lastly, classic or pro powerisers?

[Pendragon]

If Bill can do it anyone can do it.

http://www.PoweriserPages.com/forum/bock_feature_chart-t3610.0.html;

[XarnuSonci]

questionable fitness level i've got that, you don't have to be fit to enjoy bocks, while being fitter would allow you to run faster for longer, its still fun to sprints a few blocks at 20mph and then be winded, rest, and then do it again.

and as for questionable age, there are several on here well older than you and doing fine, so grab a pair and enjoy.

[Dome]

LOL,
I did start with it at 45 and the oldest owner I know is 73 years old!
And even just to walk arround on stilts is more fun, than running from A to B, like you called it. This at least is my humble poinion about which propably most of the users here arround would share.

Have fun, jump high, says Dome

[Mr Frank]

Running long distances is pretty damn hard on bocks, but it's also on a whole different level of fun from running on foot.  Since you seem to be interested in getting in better shape, bocks will definitely make it more fun to do so.  They use pretty much every body in your body, especially if you get a model with a pivoting footplate.

AS for the classic/pro question, you will get what you pay for either way.  Cuffs are wonderful, but also expensive.  I do believe getting the pro model is much cheaper than getting the classic model, getting snowboard bindings, and then buying cuffs separately.  Pros are $180 more, but $180 better too.  It's a tricky decision because the prices so closely reflect the quality.  I would get the pros, and in fact I DID get the pros, because it's a fairly safe bet you won't decide you don't like bocking.  It'll be a while before you're doing car flips, but they ARE as fun as they look.  And you'll develop all the strength you need after a while, but don't expect to be able to bounce all day the first time you put them on.  For the first few weeks, I couldn't use them for much longer than half an hour because they put a lot of load on weird muscles.

If you're strongly interested in the exercise aspect, you may want to look into the Flyjumper/Powerizer/Pro-Jump (all identical stilts) pro version with the pivoting footplate.  It's cheaper than the Poweriser Pro, but its only advantage is the pivoting footplate.  It has cheap foot bindings and kneebars.  But be dubious of the Up-Wing/Redoxx/ a few other names, the one with a radically different design, as it isn't all it's cracked up to be.  The cuff is uncomfortable and unstable and there are a few other small problems, though the stilts are not as fragile as they look and they are very light.  The annoying thing with the Up-Wing is that none of its parts are interchangeable with other brands.

It may be possible to upgrade the Powerisers with pivoting footplates from another brand, I'm going to find out as soon as I have the spare money.

I think you would be best off with the Poweriser Pros in the end, and you'll want the 90-120kg springs even if you're planning to lose a lot of weight.  By the time it's gone, the springs will have gotten a little softer anyway.

[Bill C.]

If Bill can do it anyone can do it.

Yep.  55, bad knees, and I need to lose some pounds.  I believe I qualify.

[wrek]

You guys got me psyched!   I'm going to go order mine as soon as a couple ebay auctions on cars wind down

I didn't really mean I'd try running in them over distances, just that a lot of the muscles that I need to work on could benefit from a pair of these.  Mostly the lunge and squat exercises are destroying me right now so I expect these would help that a bit.

Thanks for the encouragement.  -- Bill, what are "tiresocks"?

[Mr Frank]

Tire socks are strips of bicycle tire attached over the hoof to protect the hooves from wear, or to cover over worn-out hooves.  Hooves die faster than any other part, so many people use them.  If you pick the right tire, you'll get more traction too.  Check out the mods section of the gallery to get a better picture of what they are.  They're usually fastened with jubilee clips or zip ties, but if you step with your feet a little out of alignment, they will slip.  I didn't notice my right foot turned outwards until my tire sock kept slipping.

And yes, using bocks will definitely make you better at lunges and squats.  There are few muscles they don't work out.  Legs, abs, back, shoulders if you use your arms to balance, pretty much everything is tired when I bock for too long.

[coachgeo]

one relationship to fitness level not hit here in this topic yet is "athletic experience"

If your not fit cause for what ever reason you just never got into an athletic environment...... then their is another issue to consider.   FALL RECOVERY.  A non athlete (present or past), often does not have these fall recovery skills so they are more liable to get hurt from falls.   

Make sure you practice falling.  How to aborb inpact such as bending arms in a push up catch as you fall forward in stead of stiff arming the ground and breaking wrist and/or elbows.

Another common mistake is reward falls.  Sticking the arms out backward to catch your fall with the fingers pointed rearward instead of forward.  Nasty breaks occur on that one.

As much as we talk about this .... we need a FALL RECOVERY Video.  There has been several broken arms mentioned in here where such a video might could have prevented if they practiced what they saw.  Thats for another thread  though.  Think I'll start one

BTW I'm 46 but in way better shape than typical. Don't claim to be athletic..... just trained hard to get what little I got.

[Bill C.]

Regarding the tiresocks...  Check the Mods section or go to www.PowerBockResources.com for a complete tutorial and other tips.  If you put a clamp as close to the top of the hoof as possible and really crank it down with a ratchet the tiresock shouldn't slip.

[ElectricStapler]

Coach I don't think many people here qualify to teach fall recovery. I think you'd be the best person for the job. It would be greatly appreciated. I know that they train professional stilt walkers how to fall correctly. Would be good to see how they do it

[Mr Frank]

Dealing with falls seems pretty instinctual to me, although a tutorial video would not be a bad idea.  It would definitely reduce the scary factor of bocking to prospective buyers.  A big part that's not so instinctive is to try and land on your pads instead of unprotected surfaces.  And if you're falling on the ground without any pads on, you've kind of earned the scrapes.

[wrek]

I think I am confident in my ability to control my landings... I do have some athletic background but nothing recent.  Lately I've been mostly a desk jockey but I have experience with football, Tae Kwan Do and Hapkido.

That said, I should break my arm within a week of getting my bocks.