If you want to improve the strength of your gripping muscles and build forearms that demand attention, then training with a quality forearm wrist roller is one of the most effective methods for building up your lower arm muscles.
The trouble is that most wrist rollers don’t provide a good workout because of their lousy construction. For example, the handles on some products often come loose or even fall off completely during intense training.
Other wrist rollers can actually do your forearms more harm than good. Not just because of their uncomfortable grips but because the rope often becomes lopsided, which in turn creates muscle imbalances in your forearms and hands.
But as you’ll soon learn in this Sidewinder Pro Xtreme review, if you’re willing to go upmarket and invest in a premium product, then you can achieve gains in forearm size, strength, and function that simply wouldn’t be attainable with lesser grip training tools.
Sidewinder Pro Xtreme facts and figures
The Sidewinder ProXtreme measures 14.75″ long and weighs 4.3lbs, making it the largest and heaviest out of all the Sidewinder Wrist Roller devices (full comparisons coming up later).
Sport Grips, which is the company that manufactures the Sidewinder product line, gives us 6″ of grippable space on each side of the Pro Xtreme. This makes it ideal for those with larger hands. But of course, anyone with enthusiasm for building stronger hands and forearms can benefit from using the Pro Xtreme and its thick 2″ diameter handles.
Although Sidewinder Pro Extreme workouts are certainly intense, the comfortable neoprene rubber handles help you to keep calluses to a minimum by providing a layer of protection between your flesh and the sturdy steel frame.
Like the other Sidewinder forearm products, the Pro Xtreme is made and assembled by hand in the USA. [1] And due to its quality construction, the unit is completely covered by a lifetime warranty.
Similarly, as with the company’s other wrist rollers, the Pro Xtreme provides smooth, infinite resistance in both forward and backward directions. So however you decide to roll your Sidewinder, your forearms are guaranteed to get a great workout regardless.
And since the Pro Xtreme offers the highest resistance of any Sidewinder, you can see what your forearm genetics are really made of by testing your strength and triggering more muscle growth by working your grip muscles hard with this innovative wrist roller.
Of course, all of this comes with the convenient benefit of being able to work out anywhere. Since the Sidewinder Xtreme doesn’t require any weights, you can blast your forearms from the comfort of your own home. So no longer will you need to trek to the gym just to work your lower arms. Since you can use your Sidewinder Pro Xtreme in numerous positions, you can achieve a total shoulder, tricep, bicep, forearm, and hand workout without lifting any free weights.
Sidewinder Pro Xtreme construction quality
The Sidewinder Pro Xtreme is made in the USA from aluminum tubing and solid steel. As such, it’s considerably heavier (4.3lbs) than your run-of-the-mill, hollow wrist roller. This means that, despite the premium price of the Sidewinder Extreme, you’ll likely still save money in the long run because these high-quality American–made components will not wear now under the pressure of even the most hardcore workouts. Therefore, you’ll never pay for another wrist roller again.
But for complete peace of mind, Sport Grips has even thrown in a lifetime warranty to guarantee that their industry-leading craftsmanship will serve your forearms for years and decades to come, unlike a DIY wrist roller.
The tear-resistant handles are made from comfortable neoprene rubber that provides a nice cushion between the dense metal and the skin of your hands. Of course, they don’t offer 100% protection against calluses (nothing does), but the material certainly keeps your hands in reasonable condition.
Also, since Sport Grips uses much higher quality materials than the average wrist roller manufacturer could even fathom spending their precious profits on, you won’t have to replace the handles because of their inherent durability. This makes a refreshing change because, as you might have experienced yourself, many wrist roller handles wear down extremely quickly and can even fall off in the middle of a workout if you’re rolling your device aggressively.
Yet even with this solid construction and forearm–pumping resistance, the Sidewinder Pro Xtreme is still incredibly quiet during use. In fact, it’s virtually silent. And I reckon that if you’re brave enough, you could even sneak in a quick workout in your cubicle at work without your boss suspecting a thing!
Sidewinder Pro Xtreme resistance levels
The Pro Xtreme provides the most resistance of any Sidewinder wrist roller. And while mere mortals like me may never be able to use the upper-end tension levels in their weekly workouts, they’re still there if you need them.
With resistance levels that could challenge even the biggest of bodybuilders, it’s no surprise that Sidewinder forearm products are the grip training tool of choice among athletes and weight lifters.
Of course, if you’re a complete beginner or are seeking to rehabilitate your forearms after an injury, then you can still benefit from using the Sidewinder Pro Extreme. The resistance dials down to very light tension levels, which makes the device accessible to anyone with a desire to build stronger and more functional lower arms at their own pace.
Having both high and low tension settings is doubly beneficial. Not only does it make the Pro Xtreme great for the whole family, but it also means that you’ll never need to buy another wrist roller again because unless you’re the world’s strongest man, you’ll never come close to maxing out the highest resistance level.
While hand grip trainers certainly have their place, you constantly have to buy new grippers when you max out your current one. So although they may be relatively inexpensive when purchased individually, when you add up the total cost of buying multiple pairs, you begin to realize that the Sidewinder Pro Xtreme actually provides fantastic value for money.
Changing the resistance is incredibly simple thanks to the convenient adjustment knob that’s located on the side of the Extreme. This built-in convenience also speeds up your workouts dramatically because, unlike with other wrist rollers, you don’t have to load any weight plates onto the Sidewinder Pro Xtreme.
This naturally makes it an excellent tool for high-intensity training techniques such as drop sets because you can dial down the resistance in a matter of seconds and then get back to blasting your forearms.
Sidewinder Pro Xtreme benefits
In their Sidewinder Pro Xtreme reviews, many users noted that they experienced visible gains in forearm size, strength, and vascularity after just a few weeks and months of use. And the majority of the time, they achieved these results without performing other exercises for their lower arms.
So it just shows how effective the Sidewinder Pro Xtreme can be if you use it on a regular basis.
Athletes have also reported performance improvements from training with their Sidewinder wrist roller. Boxers remark that their wrists feel healthier and their punches more powerful now that they’ve developed greater strength in these small yet vital body parts.
Similarly, arm wrestlers say that they’ve pinned more opponents now that they’ve developed greater forearm power by training with the Sidewinder Pro Xtreme.
As impressive as these results are, anyone who plays a particular sport or performs an activity that demands the use of the gripping muscles can improve their physical performance by working out with the Sidewinder Pro Xtreme. [2]
Yet, even if you’re getting back into training after a layoff or injury, you can still reap the rewards of using this unique Sidewinder forearm trainer by performing high-rep wrist rolling. This can help your injuries to heal quicker by flushing the affected area and its damaged connective tissue with fresh blood.
Sidewinder Pro Xtreme vs the competition
The Sidewinder Pro Xtreme is an excellent wrist roller—there’s no denying that. However, there are some other Sidewinder wrist rollers with rave reviews that can produce comparable results. So scroll down for a comparison with the rest of the Sport Grips product line, or check out the other brands linked just below this paragraph.
- Grip Freak Hanging Wrist Roller review
- Rogue Wrist Roller review
- Vikingstrength Forearm Blaster review
- GD Wrist Roller review
- Pellor Wrist Roller review
- Twist Yo Wrist reviews
- IronMind Wrist Roller review
- Bison Forearm Exerciser
Sidewinder Pro Xtreme vs Sidewinder Pro Plus
The Sidewinder Pro Xtreme is 2lbs heavier than the Pro Plus, and it also has thicker handles by half an inch (2″ vs 1.5″). Therefore, if you want to maximally stimulate the recruitment of your gripping muscles, then the Pro Xtreme is the superior choice because it’s well known that thicker grip training implements recruit more muscle fibers.
While both wrist rollers are made in the USA with the same rigorous attention to detail, the Pro Xtreme offers higher top-end resistance levels. So if you’re a beginner or intermediate lifter, then you’ll find that the Pros Plus provides more than enough challenge. Yet, if you’ve been pumping iron for decades, then you might want to plan ahead for your increasing grip strength by investing in the Pro Xtreme.
It’s worth noting, however, that the Pro Plus has enjoyed an upgrade to its own top-end resistance levels. So if you see old reviews mentioning that the tension is insufficient, then you can skip over them because they’re in reference to the old version of the product that’s no longer sold.
Moreover, users who weigh well over 200lbs have applauded (perhaps reluctantly!) the difficulty of using the high resistance levels of the Pro Plus because they were extremely challenging for their forearms to the point where these big men actually had to tone down the tension to get their reps in.
The Pro Xtreme has longer handles by an inch, but it’s also a bit more expensive than the Pro Plus. You can read my full Sidewinder Pro Plus review to learn more, or you can click below to check the current prices.
Sidewinder Pro Xtreme vs Sidewinder Grip Twister
The Grip Twister is an entirely different beast to the Sidewinder Pro Xtreme. First off, the handles are thicker by 2.25″ (2″ vs 4.25″). This increased diameter will undoubtedly maximize the recruitment of the muscle fibers in your hands, but in all likelihood, you’ll also need to use less resistance, which may actually reduce your forearm activation a bit.
The Grip Twister is 0.8lbs lighter than the Pro Xtreme and is also far more compact because it’s over 10″ narrower (14.75″ vs 4.25″). Still, both devices are highly portable. But if you want to get the smallest possible Sidewinder, then the Grip Twister is definitely the way to go.
Additionally, the Grip Twister has thick knurling rather than rubber handles, which may make it easier to grip when your hands start sweating. That said, it’s not like the Pro Xtreme will fall out of your hands when they sweat. Sport Grips has designed the Xtreme so that it stays firmly in the grasp of your palms even when your sweat-filled hands are rolling it aggressively.
Finally, the Grip Twister is marginally cheaper. To learn more, you can read my full Sidewinder Grip Twister review or check the latest prices via the button below.
Sidewinder Pro Xtreme vs Sidewinder Revolution
The Revolution is 4.25″ shorter than the Sidewinder Xtreme (10.5″ vs 14.75″), weighs 2.3lbs less (2lbs vs 4.3lbs), and has handles that are 1.6″ shorter (4.4″ vs 6″). So as you can see, the Revolution is more compact than the Pro Xtreme.
It also provides less resistance than the Pro Xtreme. And because it’s also around 50% cheaper, the Revolution is the ideal choice for beginners and intermediate lifters who don’t have the desire to push their grip strength to its limit.
Again, both products provide smooth, infinite resistance in all directions and benefit from the same sturdy American construction. But like the Grip Twister, the Revolution has knurling built into the roller for enhanced grip.
You can read more in my Sidewinder Revolution review, check the current prices below, or keep reading for the final verdict.
Should you get the Sidewinder Pro Xtreme for your forearms?
The Sidewinder Pro Xtreme is Sport Grips’ top-tier wrist roller, and by my reckoning, it’s their best forearm strengthening product by quite a margin. It offers higher resistance levels than any other Sidewinder, which means that you’ll never need to upgrade your wrist roller again because, as numerous reviewers mentioned, this wrist roller is incredibly sturdy and scales to the ability level of the user.
In fact, like the rest of the Sport Grips product line, the Sidewinder Pro Xtreme is built to last for a lifetime of intense workouts, and, like its never-ending resistance, it comes with the equally infinite resistance to match.
You can roll your Sidewinder Pro Xtreme in both directions or with one arm at a time and still enjoy some of the smoothest resistance in the wrist roller industry. So ultimately, considering that it costs less than a weekend away in an average hotel, the Pro Xtreme is pretty much a no-brainer if you’re seeking a wrist roller that’s been proven to strengthen your grip and improve the muscularity of your forearms in only a few weeks and months.
I hope that you found my Sidewinder Pro Xtreme review and comparison helpful. While I prefer the Xtreme, you’ll definitely get a great workout no matter which Sidewinder you go for!
References
- https://www.cgsinc.com/blog/manufacturing-america-benefits-and-drawbacks-reshoring
- Cronin, J., Lawton, T., Harris, N., Kilding, A., & McMaster, D. T. (2017b). A Brief Review of Handgrip Strength and Sport Performance. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 31(11), 3187–3217. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000002149
- Jedd Johnson. (2015, July 1). Sidewinder Pro & Sidewinder Pro Extreme Review – hand forearm wrist grip strength [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTyiUe1Ye9U
- Freddie’s Modern Kung Fu. (2020, July 26). The SideWinder Pro Xtreme #3 and The Grip Twister – Product Review – SportGrips.com [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZaf_w2r4MQ