Is the Power Balance bracelet the snake oil of our times?

by Oliver Kitchingman | Thursday, December 23, 2010

As we all know, the world of fitness – and particularly the consumer side of it rather than the industry side – is rife with gadgets and gizmos promising instant weight loss, muscle growth and rippling abs. And enhanced energy and strength. It’s the latter of these ‘Holy Grails’ of health and wellbeing that has become particularly prominent in the past couple of years, largely due to the arrival on the market of the Power Balance bracelet. Unless you conduct your training or classes on the moon, you will have encountered this product, adorning the wrists of clients or colleagues. Or perhaps you even wear one yourself.

Claiming to enhance balance, strength and flexibility, simply by being worn, the bracelet quickly became a common sight in gyms across the land. Now, however, this product has received a massive dent to its credibility, which had already been widely questioned (in October, Choice consumer group described it as nothing more than a rubber band with a hologram), with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) finding Power Balance’s claims to be misleading and lacking any scientific evidence. In fact, the Commission has instructed the company to refund all customers who feel that they have been misled.

According to arnnet.com.au the Commission released a statement saying; ‘Power Balance has admitted that there is no credible scientific basis for the claims and therefore no reasonable grounds for making representations about the benefits of the product. Its conduct may have contravened the misleading and deceptive conduction section of the Trade Practices Act 1974.’

In a market renowned for its plethora of dubious instant performance enhancers and fitness miracle products, it seemed surprising that the Power Balance bracelet took the fitness and sporting sectors, as well as the wider population, by storm and became so hugely popular in such a short space of time.

Perhaps its greatest coup was that it involves no effort whatsoever on the part of the wearer. Not even two minutes per day of activity – nothing. With an investment this small (apart from the financial outlay of $60, recently halved to $30) it seemed as if the wearer had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Perhaps this was what made so many sports teams get onboard – when every possible advantage, no matter how slight, can make the difference between winning and losing, what team coach could afford to risk missing out on this new wonder product? Once one team was on board and spruiking the product’s benefits, was it simply a case of the Emperor’s new clothes, with other teams following suit?

So, what of the product’s many users who claim to feel the benefits of the bracelet – regardless of whether science backs up their feelings?

If the effects of the band are purely psychological, does that make the claims of enhanced performance any less valid? If we think something helps us (like a placebo ‘drug’), and this translates to an almost subconscious positive mental approach which helps us perform better physically, then surely the bracelet is doing its job? Self-fulfilling prophecy, maybe, but so what? Aim: improved performance; Result: improved performance – where’s the problem?

So, has the Power Balance bracelet's success been a triumph of marketing over substance – is it the snake oil of the 21st Century? Have you or your clients experienced any benefits – or lack of benefits – from using this training tool?

Posted by: Ariel Gonzalez - Motivate You Fitness & Personal Training in Liverpool. www.motivateyou.com.au | 06-Jan-2011 07:17 PM |

My opinion? the bands are a scam. If they have already been proven a scam, why are they still on the market. Sometimes people come up ask me about his "Special Bee's Wax" or that SProt s drink will assist to build their muscles faster, or get them fitter quicker. At the end of the day, nothing beats the right mindset and hard work.