Resistance bands are a great way to build strength or aid on the road to recovery from an injury. These bands are typically made of rubber, similar to Latex, and can sometimes break during use causing additional injury. This is counter productive especially if they are being used for rehabilitation. Since the mid-1990’s, Stroops has been making a safer resistance band under the name Slastix Technology – designed and manufactured in America.
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Commuting on a bicycle can be a great way to start the day and for many people it is also the only time to get some exercise. Unfortunately, commuting can also be a sketchy proposition depending on the route that is used to get to work. When my wife and I lived in California I had a 50 mile round trip commute that took me over the Golden Gate Bridge and into San Francisco. Fortunately for me, there were very few incidents that occurred, but occasionally there was the run-in with an inattentive driver or bus operator. Since those days, I have always been alert to new ideas regarding commuting. Recently one in particular caught my eye – the Speed Vest, which was profiled recently in Make magazine.
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At last month’s Interbike we saw a number of products that were designed to help riders train through the winter season. These trainers came in a many varieties including stationary bikes, rollers and the basic rear-wheel trainer. The latter category has plenty of basic devices, a few even seem quite similar, but one in particular caught our eye at the show – the Kinetic Rock and Roll by Kurt. At first glance this trainer resembles the basic rear-wheel configuration where the back end of the bike is attached by clamps while the rear wheel is allowed to spin freely, rolling against metal drum that is attached to a resistance device, but the Kinetic Rock and Roll has more to offer.
It is a simple device, and has the benefit of being easy to transport, easy to store and easy to set up. Unlike a stationary bike it is compact, and lets users actually ride their own bike. Rear-wheel trainers tend not to offer the road-like feel that rollers provide, but unlike rollers there is virtually no chance of riding off of a rear-wheel trainer. This style of trainer is good in that it allows riders to mount their own bike easily and has the resistance device that rollers often lack, but a rear-wheel trainer does not have the road-like feel of rollers (especially while out of the saddle) or allow the rider to have the opportunity to ‘train’ their bike handling skills while getting a workout. Continue reading Hands On: Rock and Roll Trainer First Impressions
Earlier this year Abvio previewed its 5.0 version of its trio of iPhone apps, which included a Runmeter, Cyclemeter and Walkmeter. Now the developer has announced the 6.0 version that includes advanced support of the Wahoo Fitness ANT+ system. These three GPS fitness apps deliver the power of an expensive bike computer or GPS watch to a user’s iPhone by tracking workouts with a host of features designed to help you improve performance and fitness.
Post workout, users can utilize the social sharing features, which include support for Twitter, Facebook and dailymile.com. This functionality can provide extra motivation with a fun twist: where your friends, family and coaches can reply to your posts on these social sites, their replies are then spoken using text-to-speech technology during your workout. Continue reading iPhone Shows Can Do App Spirit with ANT+ from Abvio
A kick ass workout could involve actually “kicking ass,” or you could take part in some high intensity Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Interval Training. At last week’s UFC Fan Expo in Houston, Nexersys Corporation announced the launch of the Nexersys iPower Trainer in both consumer and commercial versions. These systems combine the intensity of combat sports training with a sophisticated electronic interface. The result is much like a fast-paced game with the motivation of a personal trainer.
The Nexersys iPower Trainer is designed to deliver a heart pounding workout through 4 minute technique, strike, core and cardio video training and Avatar sparring rounds. The system utilizes seven strike pads located in three strikes zones that represent the head, body and legs. Built-in accelerometers in each strike pad capture extensive data on each strike and send that data to the Nexersys computer where it is processed delivering individualized performance feedback to the user. And don’t worry this system will let you pack a punch and will still be there for more. (Video after the jump) Continue reading Interactive Trainer Makes Workout an Art Form
According to a report from Research and Markets titled, Bluetooth 2011: Rapid Growth for Established Interface, the demand for Bluetooth-enabled devices worldwide is expected to exceed 2billion by 2013. The wireless protocol has continued to gain design wins over a wide range of applications, with Bluetooth device shipments increasing by 23 percent between 2009 and 2010.
It was noted that this growth has been due to the continued success of the so-called “Classic Bluetooth,” which includes all Bluetooth 1.x and 2.x standards. Bluetooth has been further bolstered in the past year by the emergence of two new standards, which include Bluetooth 3.0 + High Speed (HS) and Bluetooth 4.0.
Bluetooth 3.0 + High Speed combine classic Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to transmit large data files. It was introduced in mobile phones in 2010, whereas Bluetooth 4.0 offers much lower power consumption than Classic Bluetooth and is targeted at medical and fitness devices, as well as PCs and mobile phones. Bluetooth 4.0 can also accommodate the HS option found in Bluetooth 3.0. The first 4.0 devices will ship in late 2011, and is primarily targets new BT markets: medical, fitness, and security devices.
The world could be a blue place in the near future.
Just in time for this past weekend’s Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, Bontrager unveiled a collection of new aftermarket upgrades to its wheel, handlebar, and brake lever triathlon lines. The new products are the result of lengthy testing with the highly successful Trek/K•Swiss triathlon team and allow triathletes of any ability level to improve their bike split with unparalleled componentry, regardless of what bike they’re riding.
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Continue reading Tri, Tri Again With New Bontrager Aftermarket Upgrades
Whether you are jumping out of an airplane or drag racing, a chute is designed to slow you down; but in the case of the Speed Chute, it is designed to actually make you go faster. The Speed Chute, from MuscleDriver USA, is a chute that attaches to your waist and is to be used while running sprints. The concept behind the Speed Chute is that you are building strength through resistance – wind as opposed to weight resistance. Strap the waist band on, face the wind and sprint. It is a pretty simple concept, so we had to give it a try.
When off in the wilds there is always one more thing you could use, but each “thing” means additional weight plus the chances that something will be lost, forgotten or misplaced. But Adventure Medical Kits of Oakland, California has a nifty three-in-one survival tool that is blade, light and whistle. The Core Lite features a short steel blade that is just over two-inches in length, and can be used for “notching and grooving branches, plus a small single LED light. It won’t replace any big flashlight, but the bluish light help offer a little illumination on things. Continue reading How Are You Fixed for Blades, Light and Whistle?
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The popularity of fitness games is influencing gym activities. Bally Total Fitness plans to install video walls with a multi-screen display with a motion-sensing camera. Similar to gesture-based console games on the Nintendo Wii or Microsoft Xbox 360 Kinect, the video will incorporate user movements such as arm sweeps and jumps to control the activity on the screen. Continue reading Wave Your Hands in the Air for Bally
There is some irony in going to the gym to try to burn some calories. It generally means using energy – as in power from the grid – to help users use energy to burn those calories. Shouldn’t there be a way to utilize the latter to help with the former? We’ve seen some gyms devise ways of transforming that burn, and now at least one company is on board to introduce a line of energy-harnessing Green System for exercise facilities and fitness club owners, which will use the energy from exercise to produce electricity for the power grid.
SportsArt Fitness, a manufacturer of high-end cardio and strength products, is introducing its revolutionary Green System with a “pod” of fitness products attached to an inverter that harnesses human-generated power from exercisers -and feeds it back into the power grid as useable energy. Continue reading Fitness Centers to be Powered by the Users
The U.S. Department of Defense is often accused of casting a wide web, and not that include the “Warrior Web.” This isn’t some nefarious program to wage a secret war in some distant land, but instead it could protect those soldiers who do travel to hostile lands in the not too distant future.
Essentially the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) from the U.S. Department of Defense is developing a prototype one-piece suit intended for soldier use, ala a type of armored underwear, or underwear armor. This “Warrior Web” also covers more than the privates, and certainly more than just privates. All soldiers in the field could benefit from this futuristic attire that could protect soldiers from injury, help the wearer actually sustain body energy and even keep track of vital signs, not to mention look pretty cool in the process. Continue reading Under(wear) Armor
Just in time for last month’s New York Fashion Week Polar has introduced new and vibrant color palette for its RCX5, FT4, FT2 and FT1 training computers. While all of these Polar products provide trusted and accurate heart rate based training data, offering clear guidance, feedback and easy-to-use features, the RCX5 includes a slew of new features to meet the demand of today’s triathletes who require the best in training intelligence and tracking capabilities.
Polar also recently announced that the Heart Rate Watch Company, a leading national online fitness electronics retailer, has crowned the Polar FT4 as its top heart rate monitor under $100 for 2011. Citing unique features and fit as the primary reasons for the award the company cited Polar’s four decade commitment to working with personal trainers, gyms and athletes as primary factors for the award.
(Video after the jump) Continue reading Polar Adds New Colors; FT4 Named Top Monitor