There is a new opinion that if you train with extra weight than you’ll perform better when it’s taken off. This is just part of the concept behind the Titin Weighted Compression Shirt, which also allows athletes to pack the base layer with gel inserts. These can be heated or cooled and either way add eight pounds to the torso. The heat can obviously help relax sore muscles while cold packs could be used to stay cool on hot day. In addition it could be used post-workout for an icing routine.
Category: Exercise
Kinetic Trainers Goes Interscholastic
Kinetic, a division of Kurt Manufacturing, announced this month that it will continue its support of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) as a bronze level sponsor for the next two years. Kinetic has created a detailed training section for the fourth edition of the NICA Coaches Manual to help volunteer leaders provide the best information to young student-athletes looking to maximize their training. This eight-page contribution outlines the basics of stationary bike workouts, safety precautions, creative and fun training techniques and race warm-up and cool-down routines for race-day use. In addition the coaches’ manual is available to individuals participating in NICA’s coach licensing program across the country and provides detailed guidance on riding, training, coaching and other relevant topics essential to creating a fun and positive environment for adolescent cyclists.
As part of the sponsorship, all certified NICA coaches can purchase the full line of Kinetic trainers and accessories at a discount through a Kinetic retailer in their area. This program enables coaches to set up an indoor “practice” facility so the team can get together for a workout regardless of the weather.
Reign It In
There may be a new fitness monitor that is looking to take the top spot. The Reign Activity Tracker from Jaybird rules by providing more flexibility – not so much in letting you slack off in your workouts, but rather by featuring materials that shape to your wrist over time. There are eight interchangeable size options and this provides just enough customization. This activity monitor is compatible with Android, iOS and web apps and features wireless connectivity. It tracks your sleep and daily activities and helps you “reign” in your workout.
Hitting the Sauce
Rock Sauce is something you put on you not your foot, but the new topical lotion for isolated muscle pain and joint soreness just turned up the head. Rocktape has released a new super hot version that the company says is the most powerful – meaning hot – product on the market. The lotion features 20 percent Methyl Salicylate, 10 percent Menthol and .002 percent Capsaicin.
“To be clear, Rock Sauce isn’t for everyone,” the makers warn. “It will make your eyes water and muscles sing.”
After a long ride that might be music to our ears!
Move It With Kiwi
This month Kiwi Wearable Technologies announced the launch of its pre-order campaign for the Kiwi Move, an Internet-enabled wearable device that can track a user’s physical activities. It can also interact and even control Internet-connected devices at home.
“The Kiwi Move is next-generation when it comes to design and performance and we’re excited to bring it to market for consumer use,” said Ashley Beattie, chief marketing officer at Kiwi. “Unlike other wearables on the market, the Kiwi Move is fashionable and unique in that it can be worn anywhere, whether that be on your arm, wrist, waist, ankle, collar or chest.”
The Kiwi Move will make its move in July. Video after the jump
The World of Atlas
The developers of the Atlas are looking to Indiegogo to bring out what they believe is the first fitness tracker that tracks all aspects of a workout. It can identify your exercise, count reps, calculate the calories you burn and even evaluate your form. The developers noted on the Indiegogo site that “Atlas is packed with a suite of inertial sensors, similar to those used in smartphones. The Atlas sensors see your movement in a 3D trajectory and identify the specific motion fingerprint of each exercise you’re doing. Atlas then sifts through a sea of data and picks out the pearls that are valuable to you.”
During and following workouts it can highlight the muscle groups you’ve focused on, and then suggest where to go next. Video after the jump
CES: Vivo Las Vegas
Garmin has long been in the fitness technology wearable market, but last week at CES it entered the fitness tracker space and unveiled its vívofit, a sleek personal exercise assistant.
“Garmin has been providing fitness monitoring devices for over a decade, and with vívofit we say hello to the fitness band that knows your potential,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of worldwide sales. “Being able to monitor the quality of rest after retiring for the night, being challenged by personalized daily goals and doing so without having to charge it every few days, makes vívofit a fitness band that should be on everyone’s wrist.”
It is designed to automatically greet users with a personalized daily goal, tracks their progress and reminds them when it’s time to move. Vívofit follows progress 24/7, and it can stay on for more than a year without a battery change. Viva to vívofit.
Garmin Blog: Garmin vívofit — A Fitness Band That Moves at the Pace of Life
CES: Up Next
The NextONE smartwatch and wristband pedometer made its debut at last week’s CES. YiFang Digital introduced the new device combo that can track daily activity, while also adding a social networking component to the experience.
“YiFang is excited to launch two products in the wearables category at CES 2014,” said Tina Yu, sales director, YiFang Digital Smart Device Unit. “YiFang is committed to making cutting-edge technology accessible to everyone with appcessories that enhance the smartphone experience. The NextONE smartwatch and wristband pedometer are designed to make a users’ life simpler and more enjoyable.”
The NextONE smartwatch runs on the Android 4.1 operating system, and thus provides an open architecture system, which allows verified third party applications to be utilized. The NextONE smartwatch can also act as a remote control for a smartphone, controlling both the camera and music. It has a calendar, calculator, recorder, weather, file manager and clock apps built-in. The smartwatch features a 1.55 inch TFT capacitive touch screen with 240×240 resolution, a 1.0GHz low power MCU, 4GB ROM, 512MB RAM, 290mAh battery, and a built-in microphone.
CES: Head Above the Rest
At last week’s International CES Audio-Technica expanded its SonicSport fitness-oriented headphones lineup with the ATH-CKP200iS ear hook style headphones, which feature a mic, volume and control functionality.
The ATH-CKP200iS (SRP: $US44.95) offer an IPX5-certified waterproof rating and is sweat-proof and washable, while its hinged ear hook adjusts around the ears for a perfect fit. These fitness headphones come with both standard silicone and ridged XS/S/M and L eartips to provide a choice of greater sound isolation or allowing in a low amount of ambient sound for greater safety outdoors.
CES: Come To Your SenseGiz
A new Star is born, at least in the world of fitness monitors at this week’s CES in Las Vegas. The SenseGiz Star is a wearable fitness trackers that can monitor the number of steps a user makes, distance traveled and of course calories burned. The 24/7 monitor can also track sleep patterns.
Unlike other wearable sensors this one can also track falls and crashes thanks to an on-board sensor, and this can be used to alert others remotely should the wearer take a spill and not recover. This tracking functionality can be used with cyclists and skiers and help ensure that in an accident the user isn’t left waiting for help that might otherwise not arrive.
CES: Log Jam
This week at CES a lot of attendees will be forced to do a lot of walking. That’s a good thing as a quick glance around the show suggests a bit of indulging from the holidays and a bit more than a bit of bulging. Walking is a rather simple way to stay healthy, but knowing if you walked enough can be a problem. This is where the FootLoggers insoles come into play. These utilize a three-axis accelerometer along with eight pressure points to determine distance walks. Knowing is the first step in setting goals that will get wearers on their way to better fitness.
Happy New Year
Happy New Year From Kinetic Shift!
Pyle Scale for Those Who Piled on the Pounds
Did you pile on the pounds this holiday season? While the Pyle Audio Bluetooth Fitness Scale won’t actually help you shed the pounds, it could help you monitor the progress. Along with an integrated app it is designed to provide the most critical data points for any workout regimen including body fat, hydration levels, muscle level and bone level percentages.
It can wirelessly send data to a mobile device, and work with the free Pyle Health Fitness Tracker app to create user profiles and chart progress. Workout data can be shared online via Facebook and Twitter or kept password-protected for private tracking.