The PowerCube: work out in half a cubic metre
14.10.2020
Responsibility for translation Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
Pictures: Thomas Kunz
Has Arnold Schwarzenegger taken over designing modular furniture for USM Haller? You'd think so to look at the PowerCube, a steel structure that lets you do all kinds of training exercises using your own body weight. It's my new favourite home gym (and desk).
Can you control yourself? By that I mean, can you master your body? If you want to work on it, that's where the 22 kg of galvanised steel of the PowerCube comes in. Tim Wacker, a German judoist and calisthenics athlete, came up with the concept. If you like training using your own body weight, you'll find plenty of new ways to challenge yourself. Rather than looking for a public calisthenics park, you can use the PowerCube in the basement, the garden, in the back court or in the living room. It can really go anywhere. This flexibility is especially handy in corona times. I've been quite attached to it for a while now. Even for reasons that didn't occur to me at first.
Assembly
At 113 × 63 × 63 cm, the PowerCube isn't really a cube, but it's fairly handy and at the same time incredibly stable. It can withstand up to 190 kg, as long as you're careful when you assemble it. When you open the box, you'll find four long and six short, matt black rods as well as twelve silver couplings and an Allen key.
Once all the parts are attached, they form a cuboid that's open on one side. You can position it differently based on the exercise you're doing. You can have it standing, lying, inside or outside – it's versatile. Not only that, the PowerCube fits through doorways. In the instructions, there's a very important section at the end: you have to keep an eye on the screws regularly and tighten them where necessary. I kept checking them for weeks and rarely found a loose one. But it's better to be safe.
Getting started
Once you've assembled the PowerCube, there's nothing to configure or adjust and there's no app you need to install. It's just you, the steel cuboid and a flyer with Tim Wacker demonstrating exercises. Giving tips on dips, negative pushups or «Skin the cat», a backwards rotation.
It's a good idea to have a basic level of fitness before you get started in the PowerCube. But you're probably already at that level if you've read this far. In theory, absolute beginners can also start with simple exercises but I wouldn't say they were the cube's cuboid's main target audience.
Working out
Apart from that, the PowerCube is for anyone who's willing to torture themselves. If you're 2 m tall (6'5), you might find some of the exercises tricky. The average central European height is 1.8 m (5'9). I'm blessed with being completely average. As far as the dimensions go, the PowerCube seems to be made for me. The grip width is comfortable and so is the rod diameter at 33.7 mm.
As long as I do the exercises in a calm and controlled way, the cuboid doesn't shake – even when it's standing upright. Things get a bit more dicey when I try to add some swing, which isn't how the inventor intended the Cube to be used. Controlled movements are what it's all about. And it's fun to build up more control of your own body little by little.
You don't have to pump iron to get more power, coordination and body control. Doing basics like the horizontal bar, the parallel bars and floor exercises is enough. After all, that's how people used to train in the past. Today it's back in fashion but in a slightly modified form. This way of working means you train the muscle groups together rather than separately. And in doing so, it brings your body's weak points to the fore.
Lack of core stability, limited flexibility and issues with coordination can add an extra challenge. For instance, I struggle to get my legs horizontal in exercises like L-sit. I'm held back by the short hamstrings at the back of my thigh.
When you're working out using your own body weight, small changes in your body position make a big difference. So it's a good idea to build up to more difficult exercises gradually. Tim Wacker shows you how in this video.
Verdict on the PowerCube... as a sports device
You don't have to splurge on loads of different devices to be able to train well. When it comes down to it, the main thing you need is motivation, your own body weight and a few grip options. The PowerCube has all that covered. And it makes working out fun. I'd highly recommend it. Add a pull up bar to it and you're all set for home workouts.
PowerCube desk
I'd have finished the article here were it not for the fact this thing has become a central fixture in my home. Given I spend most of my working day in my home office, I've had a standing desk on my wish list for a while. And now I've accidentally got one via the PowerCube. Add a wooden board on top and the fitness device transforms into a top-notch desk for averagely tall people like me. The height is perfect. My elbows are in line with the edge of the desk, just as it should be.
Rather than getting myself a separate standing-sitting desk, I just turn the PowerCube upright and use that. It's not just practical. I also think it looks uncluttered and neat. It's as though the bodybuilding and office furniture worlds collided.
The wooden board is so secure on top of the rubber ends of the rods that there's no risk of me accidentally knocking it off. And once I have a few Cling nanoSTRIPS in between, there's definitely nothing for me to worry about. The same goes for load capacity. It can take 190 kg. And my job isn't anywhere near as heavy as that. My other PowerCube deals with the electricity. And there you go – that's my gym-living room-office set-up within 2 m².
What I didn't have to splurge on:
Furniture
You can also use the PowerCube as a balcony table or a slightly lower side table for children. But that only works if you attach the table top. On the plus side, the result is more appealing and original than many table frames you'd pay loads more for.
What I didn't have to splurge on:
Verdict on the PowerCube... as a piece of furniture
Nicht mein Fachgebiet, darum habe ich im Netz gespickt und in jedem zweiten Beitrag zu Möbeln mit rauem Charme diesen Satz entdeckt: «Im Industrial-Stil ist alles erlaubt.» So I think that qualifies me to say this Cube is a strong piece.
P.S.: Auch mit einem Kleider- oder Wäscheständer kann er es aufnehmen, was den Funktionsumfang angeht.
What I didn't have to splurge on:
Michael Restin
Senior Editor
Michael.Restin@digitecgalaxus.chSimple writer, dad of two. Likes to be on the move, shimmies through everyday family life, juggles with several balls and occasionally drops something. A ball. Or a remark. Or both.
