Finger Weights

[Bilbin]

Supposedly makes your taps per second faster in gaming, strength, accuracy. Apparently it makes you type faster! A friend recently bought them and swears by it working for him.

I'm really curious about them, I have a friend telling me it's really good but I don't know... it just screams gimmick. Would there be a cheap alternative?

http://www.finger-weights.com/

Bilbin.: Do you think it makes your typing faster?
friend: It does
friend: I got my touchtyping back and my wpm is already up by 5 extra.

He's had them for 5 days now.

Any first hand experiences or thoughts? They're quite intriguing.

[itlnstln]

Really?  I mean, I know this is Geekhack, but damn.

[Bilbin]

So that's why playing bass guitar makes typing feel so good!

Making an "okay" sign with a clothes peg inbetween thumb and each finger strengthens your fingers and joints!

[Gerk]

Those things are in no way "good" for you at all ... ergonomically they are going to put stress on your fingers in ways that they shouldn't have stress put on them which and and will come back to haunt you.  

I have a drummer buddy who spent years practicing drums with ankle and wrist weights on for the same sort of reason, to supposedly strengthen his arms and legs.  I asked him why he did it and he said that when he took them off he could play all that much faster.  They did indeed make him stronger, but in the process they caused all kinds of collateral damage.  He now no longer has a drumming career (he was a KILLER drummer and had some serious potential as a studio pro), has shot knees (thanks to the ankle weights) and serious elbow issues (thanks to the wrist weights).

None for me, thanks.

[Bilbin]

Hmmm, yeah, it got me really thinking though. I'm already putting enough stress on my joints pushing down keys and moving my fingers over 1km a day, forgot the distance of qwerty typing in reality but it's something crazy like that. That and moving a mouse across a mat for more than 3 hours a day at really fast speeds, it all adds up in the end. Probably why I already have tendinitis in my index finger.

I asked my friend when he got them if it will be bad for him and he said, no since you're meant to go up in weights step by step, warm up excercises, 5g each finger, excercises after you've finished using them. Then move up. He's getting a bit out of hand though, he just ordered another set which he could then put max 30g on each finger. (15g each ring on a finger at max level)

Accuracy would be really nice, but I'd rather be able to play games when I'm 70 instead of stopping at 40.

[Gerk]

Gradually increasing the weight is not going to make a difference, you're just easing into the potential damage it will cause is all.  Your friend is welcome to them, thanks

[Bilbin]

Really odd how they claim on the site it cures so many illnesses, I'm guessing the clothes peg way wouldn't be anywhere near as harmful as weights which are constantly straining the joints and muscles in the hand.

[AlleyViper]

Anything that is too much localized, usually harms more than helps. Even on guitar stores, the usual hand exercise gimmicks for sale is stuff like gripmaster, where you work a bigger set of muscles on your hand.

[Gerk]

To quote Frank Zappa ...

And it'll cure your asthma too

[Daniel Beaver]

No. This is going to **** with your muscle memory.

[sordna]

Those things are in no way "good" for you at all ... ergonomically they are going to put stress on your fingers in ways that they shouldn't have stress put on them which and and will come back to haunt you.

How can you tell good from bad exercises? What do you think is a healthy exercise for typists?

[Gerk]

A healthy exercise for typists is .... typing LOL

All kidding aside adding weights that will end up producing additional additional lateral motion in your finger joints (or any joints) is a bad idea, that's the stuff that causes damage over time by slowly destroying the cartilage and the like.

If you're a serious typist you honestly probably don't need to do any funky exercises as your muscles are already built up and toned.  If anything is helpful I would say that stretching (or the finger equivalent of it, i.e. wiggling your fingers, expanding and contracting a fist, etc) would be the most beneficial thing you can do IMHO, but I'm not a doctor or anything, just spent a long long time worrying about my hands (I have had arthritis since my late teens).

[Mazora]

Bwahahaha.

Real men just do the Stevie Ray trick and use thick ass strings and detune.

Plus if you are the sensitive sort that would try them it probably increases ping.

bigger strings -->better tone

[Gerk]

bigger strings -->better tone

Indeed .. that's physics for you.

Also though if you're a real man you use thick ass strings and tune standard (said by the bass player that thinks guitar strings are pretty wussy)

[Arc'xer]

I'm really curious about them, I have a friend telling me it's really good but I don't know... it just screams gimmick. Would there be a cheap alternative?

Reminds me of when I read that Nada in BW days would use some sort of weighting device on his hands/fingers to increase APM not sure if he made his own or bought something. In a way these things work like the finger resistors that they sell at music stores were you keep using them to increasing grip strength. The difference between that and this is that it seems like you continue to use the instrument, while the other it's merely a device to force the fingers/grip.

Seems like it is gimmicky at least the way it surrounds your finger might have been better if it worked completely around your finger and not at a specific area. Kinda makes it seem like it only works based on momentum rather than stationary weight plus it seems to be big and bulky; might hinder your fingers from contracting properly potentially causing damage.

I guess if you really want to you could just build your own from some arts and crafts store.

[Gerk]

Hey, one SemiTone is OK By Stevie Ray is OK by Ripster!

Makes my bass strings too mushy.  I have actually gigged tuned to A440 on my bass while the guitar was tuned a step down just because I could (also playing a fretless you kind of learn the feel and rely on it feeling right when you're playing certain notes).

I still think that quadrupling (or more!) the weight of the long bones in your fingers and then repeatedly mashing your fingers into switches all day long can't be a good thing for you no matter how you look at it.  If you could somehow evenly add resistance, then yes I guess that might be ok, but that's why I own a Matias Tactile Pro 3 .. gotta stand on them puppies to get them to register :tongue1:

[sordna]

BTW thick strings have better tone as long as their oscillating length is large enough. As you approach the 20-24 fret, thick wound strings don't sound so good anymore. What's especially bad is the super-thick bass strings in compact pianos. The various harmonics of a single string are out of tune with each other, which is why playing the bassiest notees in a compact piano results in a sound of largely indeterminate pitch... it's basically bad noise.

[Gerk]

Yep very true ... but I don't think thin or thick strings matter that much when you're talking a short distance, it needs room to "vibe" LOL

Of course overdrive and compression help immensely on a guitar, no help for a little piano -- well maybe it would help if they did a rubber core on them, but you'd have to do the whole piano or it would sound too different in the bass register and with all the smaller string's you'd need that's just not possible.  I played a little bass once that had rubber strings and was really short scale.  It put out an incredible amount of bottom end and was very consistent across the whole fretboard (even right at the top).  They still make them (but they are a bit different now) ... Ashbory basses.

http://www.largesound.com/ashborytour/

Another thing with those weights that would make me crazy is that I don't even like typing while wearing a ring, I can't imagine what it would be like with those things on my hands.

[Bilbin]

Reminds me of when I read that Nada in BW days would use some sort of weighting device on his hands/fingers to increase APM not sure if he made his own or bought something.

I remember watching a video about an SC/WC3 player using sandbags to try and increase his APM.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmYhX8fjmo8&t=1m2s

[Playtrumpet]

These things scare me. And as a trumpeter and pianist I'll say no to any extra stress or potential injury to my fingers..

[Gerk]

These things scare me. And as a trumpeter and pianist I'll say no to any extra stress or potential injury to my fingers..

Glad I'm not the only one, that was my immediate reaction too.  "You want me to do what with what?  On my fingers? Ummm ... NO!"

[Canada]

The fact that the Finger-Weights website claims "100% guaranteed" results is shady enough.  I don't buy into their spiel.

[Lanx]

get a stress ball, better yet a cheap tennis ball if you need to build finger strength, which i think is all connected to the ligaments/tendons in the forearms anyway.

[Bilbin]

I think you think correctly Lanx, after playing Insane beatmaps on osu my forearm burns from the workout.

My aim isn't too shabby.

[sordna]

What do you folks thing about the Powerball gyro exerciser ?

http://www.dynaflexpro.com/
http://www.powerballs.com/

I've seen folks around geekhack claim it helps with RSI, I have one and it's fun but can't say it really helped.

[Bilbin]

I can just move my hand around without the ball and get the same effects.

[Gerk]

What do you folks thing about the Powerball gyro exerciser ?

http://www.dynaflexpro.com/
http://www.powerballs.com/

I've seen folks around geekhack claim it helps with RSI, I have one and it's fun but can't say it really helped.

I'll quote Zappa again ... "And it'll cure your asthma too!" ...

Seriously though it seems like it's at least not bad for you like those finger weights, but some of the claims they make on their site are pretty ridiculous.  It might help some people by building up auxiliary muscles, but don't forget that RSI is all about certain muscle groups (and tendons, joints, etc) making the same repetitive motions over and over again.  It's not often related to weakness in muscles or groups, it's a form of abuse.  That said there's not really exercises or exercise gear that are going to stop that from happening as far as I'm concerned.  What will help is it you take regular breaks from the repetitive motions that are causing your hands stress (and possibly stretch or use one of these balls or whatever curing that break to break up the repetitive part of those stresses).

The only real solutions for RSI are ergonomics and trying to lessen the amount of the stress involved by reducing the stresses involved -- i.e. lighter keyswitches, better ergonomics on the board like keywells, better wrist support, etc.  Also relieving real stress (not muscular stress) can make a big difference as well.

My condition, which is arthritis, is a bit different.  I do have to do regular exercise with my hands and fingers to keep them limber, typing alone isn't enough.  The exercise I've been prescribed to do doesn't involve extra resistance on my hands/fingers though .. it's more about range of motion and the like.  Lots of stretching too.

As Billbin says, you can get the same beneficial effects by moving your hand around.  On an RSI related approach I very much believe that is true.

[mbc]

Hey it worked for Son Goku, so it must be good^^

[Lanx]

What do you folks thing about the Powerball gyro exerciser ?

http://www.dynaflexpro.com/
http://www.powerballs.com/

I've seen folks around geekhack claim it helps with RSI, I have one and it's fun but can't say it really helped.

 
lol on the powerballs site, aside from the whacky neon and LED models (wtf?) a basic ball is 25bucks add in coupon code awful(serious thats the code) and you get 20% off with 5bucks for shipping, maybe i'll try it.

[Chobopants]

My friend bought one of those gyro balls...they're cute because gyros are fun but I'd never seriously use one to work out. Would likely hurt my wrist.

As a programmer, gamer, guitarist, and rock climber I'm VERY sensitive to injuring ligaments and tendons in my hands and have experienced all sorts of fun pains due to my hobbies (and job).

These weights are a scam and will cause injury. What was suggested above is the best advice:

- Find comfortable ergonomics however you need to (switch choice, angle of chair, whatever).
- Take breaks often, every 30 minutes just walk around and stretch your hands out. This is healthy for a multitude of reasons.
- Warm up! Don't sit down cold in the morning and start typing an essay at a blistering speed. Let your tendons wake up too.

[TexasMethod]

If you want strong hands, wrists, and forearms, levering is awesome. Much more effective than forearm curls, gyro balls, and certainly finger weights.

Also you can use a bucket of dry sand or rice and dig down into it.

Agreed that the moment produced on the fingers wearing these weights is not good for you.