Strengthening technique that’s all in the wrist

When Scott Albright played baseball in college, he strengthened his forearms and wrists by doing exercises with a wooden stick that had a weight suspended from the middle with a string. Now that he’s out of college, he’s turned that homemade device into something a little more sophisticated.

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WristRipper: The WristRipper consists of a bar with rubber grips from which hangs adjustable weights on a nylon strap (it can also be used without weights). According to Albright, a series of exercises including curls, extensions and twists can build muscles used in sports such as tennis, golf, racquetball and rock climbing.

Walt Thompson, professor of kinesiology and health at Georgia State University and a spokesman for the American College of Sports Medicine, says other methods can be used for isolating those muscles (dumbbells, for example), but adds, “Anytime you use the upper extremities and you’re strengthening those muscles and adding endurance, it looks to be beneficial.”

Price: $29.95 without weights; $39.95 with 5 pounds of weights; go to www.wristripper.com or call (866) WRIPPER.

-- Jeannine Stein