Andreas Dietzel | Wed October 12, 2011
filler post? 
Do Power Balance Bracelets or Bands Work?
October 10 2011
Power balance bracelets have become wildly popular in the last couple of years. There are dozens of professional athletes, celebrities and musicians wearing these, and some even endorsing these bracelets.
So what are Power Balance bracelets?
As the name suggests, these are just ordinary rubber bracelets made in China. What makes it stand out is they have embedded these bracelets with holograms.
They come at an 'affordable' price of $29.99.
What are the Power Balance bracelet claims?
Hologram: The hologram is supposed to interact with your body frequency and it supposedly reacts differently for different people. Also according to the website, "The thin polyester film hologram is programmed through a proprietary process, which is designed to mimic Eastern philosophies that have been around for hundreds of years."
Performance: Before thy got sued for false and misleading claims, they advertized power balance to increase strength, power and flexibility by 500% and called it performance technology. Now they cleverly word it as "maximize their potential and live life to the fullest."
Testimonials: There are lot of testimonials from professional athletes about how it helped improve their performance and they just can't take it off now.
Does Power Balance bracelet work?
Nope.
Then why do people think it works?
There are no scientific studies showing that it works. And there is no earthly science even remotely saying that we can capture frequencies and bottle it in a hologram. Then why do some people feel or think it works?
Placebo Effect: If you believe or expect a procedure or a pill to improve you health or behavior, it will. Apparently, the pill or procedure do not have anything to do with is improvement. Watch this cool video about placebo effect.
Flexibility: Power balance test involves a flexibility test where you try to stretch and reach as far as you can. And then they are made to repeat the stretch wearing the power balance band. This always works since now you have a goal to go beyond. People always do better the second time than the first one even if they wear a band or not.
Strength: Another test they use to have you stand on one leg and have your arm to the side. The sales guy then pushes down on your hand. Almost everyone falls off balance. After they wear the power band, no one falls off balance.
This is just basic physics being abused. The first time the sales person pushes down and out of the body which pulls you out off balance. The second time he just pushes down and 'into' your body which is not pulling you out of balance. This is what is shown in the picture.
Practical Applications
- Power balance band do not work. Period.
- If you still wear it, you are just openly endorsing your lack of basic critical thinking skills than anything else.
Related Articles
hi Andreas
Thanks for the comment.
Nope. The majority of people have questions like these. I thought it was waste when I wrote the shaker weight article, but the highest visit to this website comes from people trying to find if shaker weight works.
Believe it or not, both the shaker weight and power bands had a booth at the Nsca national conference. and when I talk to a couple of people they were convinced that they felt a difference when they wore those bands!
Andreas Dietzel | Thu October 13, 2011
wow!
Either way, keep up the good work! 
Did you see my post regarding the ancestral health symposium on your FB page? I will moste likely check out next years event in Boston.
Steve Ocvirek | Thu October 13, 2011
Hi Anoop - I love your observations on the strength test in the commercials. I never noticed that until you pointed it out.
Also, I didn’t have time to comment on your “4 hour body by Tim Ferriss” review, but that was some really great insight on how this was done. You did a fantastic job on picking apart his claims. Although . . . admittedly I wish it were true I could add 34 pounds of muscle in 28 days. Oh well, back the the gym.
FullDeplex | Thu October 13, 2011
“If you still wear it, you are just openly endorsing your lack of basic critical thinking skills than anything else.”
Well said.
Anoop | Sun October 16, 2011
Sorry for the late reply guys. Was at a conference this week.
Hi Andreaz,
No. What is it about? If you want you can start a thread in the forum about. Hope it is not paleo diet 
Hi Steve,
Thanks for the wonderful comments. I saw our web and your transformation. That is awesome and even awesome when you stick with an evidence based approach to health.
Hi Fulldeplex,
Thanks Fulldeplex!
And honestly that’s what I feel when I see someone wearing those bands. It was just an irony to see the power band booth at the NSCA, and NSCA is all about science!
Andreas Dietzel | Tue October 18, 2011
oh, paleo is a huge part of it as far as I’ve understood, but I’m interested in the movement aspect of it…not the anti-pizza part
Though, I am interested in the paleo diet debate as well, but so far people seem more assertive than scientific…
I believe that this band works, i tried experiments myself and it definitively works, i tried that “law of physics” thing you talk about but it didn’t change the end result. Here: I put the band on my cousin without telling him what it was for, then i tried knocking him out of balance but it didn’t work, now when i took the band of and tried to knock him out of balance he fell. I believe this band works. Don`t believe this guy who wrote the thread.
Anoop | Mon January 23, 2012
Hi Juice,
Sure the experiments tried by an anonymous poster on his cousin is evidence for the validity of power band.
Thanks
