Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

This week we look at fitness gadgets that are so new that they aren’t available to purchase yet. They were featured at the IHRSA (International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association) 2009 Conference in San Francisco.

Of all the gadgets featured at IHRSA, the only one I could find purchase information for was the TRX Suspension Trainer. It just looks like a piece of nylon with handles, but there are apparently lots of exercises that you do with it.

Here’s a video showing a group class working out with the TRX Suspension Trainer:

After watching the video, almost all of those exercises could be done without the TRX Suspension Trainer. In fact, the people doing the lunges look to me like an accident waiting to happen. Sure, it’s a portable gym for “only” $149, but when you could do ninety percent of the exercises in a hotel room without the gadget, it kind of makes it less worthwhile in my mind.

Via: Diet Blog: 2009 Fitness Trends

This week we look at fitness gadgets that are so new that they aren’t available to purchase yet. They were featured at the IHRSA (International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association) 2009 Conference in San Francisco.

If you have ever played DDR and wished you could play it against a whole room full of people, that is just one of the many options available to you at an Xrkade (pronounced e-xer-cade). When I first heard about Xrkade, they were just an idea, but now they are in over twenty states.

• xrkade.com

Xrkade is no more a gym or an arcade than Disneyland is a roller coaster park. It’s a cutting edge environment and experience complete with the most advanced gaming and entertainment systems where people become a “human joystick.”

Here is a promotional video showing people playing and working out:

Here is a virtual tour of an Xrkade:

Unfortunately, there isn’t one in Utah, so I can’t really go and try one out. I do love the idea, though. I can’t wait until ALL gyms look like Xrkade!

Via: Diet Blog: 2009 Fitness Trends

This week we look at fitness gadgets that are so new that they aren’t available to purchase yet. They were featured at the IHRSA (International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association) 2009 Conference in San Francisco.

As if stair steppers and stair machines weren’t enough, they’ve added Jacob’s Ladder to the mix of exercise machines.

• Jacobs Ladder – Ultimate Fitness Experience

Jacob’s Ladder was designed to give a workout without putting stress on the back. This video shows it in action:

The only benefit I can see for using this machine instead of a stair stepper is the fact that you use your arms as well. This workout machine is PERFECT for training firefighters, but for the rest of us mortals, a stair machine is 90% of the way there. If I ever see one of these in a gym, I’ll be pleasantly surprised and INSIST on trying it out, but I doubt that will ever be an experience I’ll have.

Via: Diet Blog: 2009 Fitness Trends

This week we look at fitness gadgets that are so new that they aren’t available to purchase yet. They were featured at the IHRSA (International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association) 2009 Conference in San Francisco.

When I first saw the Alter G-Trainer, I thought it was silly. Why would someone want to run on a treadmill with LESS gravity? Isn’t that LESS of a workout? Why, yes. Yes it is…

• Alter G-Trainer

G-Trainers enable people to improve mobility and health, recover from injury and surgery more effectively, overcome medical challenges that limit movement, and enhance physical performance.

If you have a sports injury, the G-Trainer can reduce the impact on your injured foot (leg, ankle, etc.) to make running easier while you heal. The same can be true for someone trying to learn to walk again after a severe injury.

The video promoting it, however, only brags about how quickly the runners can finish mileage. What’s the point of beating the 1 mile record if you can only do it in the Alter G-Trainer?

I doubt you’ll ever see something like this at your local gym. You might see it at a physical therapist’s office, but even then, it seems like such a specialty product that this might be the only way you’ll ever see it in action.

Via: Diet Blog: 2009 Fitness Trends

This week we look at fitness gadgets that are so new that they aren’t available to purchase yet. They were featured at the IHRSA (International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association) 2009 Conference in San Francisco.

If you like mountain climbing, then the Treadwall is a machine that I bet you’re hoping your gym buys next. It’s like a vertical treadmill that you climb up. It’s better than a climbing wall because you are never more than six feet off the floor, you can set it vertically, an easy incline, or even an overhang incline.

Here is a promotional video about it:

They have a Treadwall at the gym in Camp Buehring, Kuwait. Here is a quick video that gives you a good idea of how they work without the marketing hype.

All the climbing bits are interchangeable, so a gym owner could change them out and make the Treadwall be completely different every week. Since it’s so big, it would be impractical for a normal person. This really seems like a product that is marketed to gym owners. Those mountain-climbing obsessed people might be able to find a spot in their home for a Treadwall, but for the rest of us, we can only hope that one shows up at our local gym.

Via: Diet Blog: 2009 Fitness Trends

This week we look at fitness gadgets that are so new that they aren’t available to purchase yet. They were featured at the IHRSA (International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association) 2009 Conference in San Francisco.

Long ago, they used to make treadmills that didn’t require electricity to run. They were usually small and very cheap. They were powered by you walking on them and to make them go faster, you had to manually change the incline. They were VERY hard to use. It looks like SpeedFit is trying to make a treadmill that doesn’t require electricity, but is much easier to use.

SpeedFit has been around for a while. Their first version of the Speedboard was a flat treadmill that only used electricity to change the incline. The new Speedboard uses no electricity at all. Instead of adjusting the speed by changing the incline, you adjust your speed by stepping on different parts of the bowl shaped treadmill. Here is a more detailed video about the product:

I am uncomfortable with no handrails, probably because I’m used to being on a treadmill that is powered by something other than my own two legs. I love the idea that you don’t need electricity to run it. The motor isn’t what has gone out on my treadmills in the past, however. It was the TREAD that wore out far earlier than a motor. I like the idea of my exercise not costing any exercise. That’s why I go outside and run a lot of the times. Without knowing the price of this machine, it’s hard to know whether it’s something I would like or not. I suspect they are going for the gym owner market instead of trying to sell to the people who actually USE the treadmills, so don’t expect them to be cheap.

Via: Diet Blog: 2009 Fitness Trends

Last week, Quadrathon ran a 50 kilometer race through a canyon. He wrote all about it here:

• Quadrathon: PCTR Sycamore Canyon 50k

Not only did he run over 31 miles for one race, he filmed video while he did it! You can watch him run down Pt Mugu here:

THIS is why I don’t film running videos. I can’t get them to be steady enough to be watchable for an hour. This short video from Quadrathon is SO inspirational to me, though!

Next time you’re having a hard time getting through your workout, remember Quadrathon. If he can run a 31 mile race up and down mountains, you can finish the last ten minutes of your hard workout!

When I saw this postcard from PostSecret, I nodded my head and said, “I KNEW it!”

It reads:

I feel superior when my machine
is set at a faster pace.

There have been many times when I’ve been at the gym and I’ve noticed the person next to me looking at my treadmill display. Secretly, I’ve always worried that they were looking at how fast I was running and judging me. NOW, I know that there is at least one person out there who DOES.

I try to tell myself that they are just wondering why their machine is showing a heart rate. Since I wear a heart rate monitor that works with the treadmills at the gym, there is usually crosstalk and my heart rate displays not only on my machine, but also the two treadmills on either side of mine. I try to tell myself that even though they are running faster than I am, my heart rate is EXACTLY where it’s supposed to be and focus on that.

As much as we forget about it, exercising at the gym is a group event. You may not know the people next to you on the treadmill, but we are all there together, sweating it out. Next time you think that someone is looking at your treadmill display, don’t assume they are judging you. Maybe they just feel self-conscious because their heart rate monitor is announcing their heart rate on your machine.

PostSecret‘s beneficiary is the National Hopeline Network. It is a 24-hour hotline (1 (800) SUICIDE) for anyone who is thinking about suicide or knows someone who is considering it.

I first heard about Breurer heart rate monitors from Gear Live. Like so many gadgets blogs, they talk about products that are just impossible to buy in the United States. Two years later, it looks like they are finally available through Amazon.com.

• Beurer PM60 Heart Rate Monitor Watch at Amazon.com

You can understand why I might be interested in the PM60 Beurer watch because it looks so good. It’s the kind of watch that I could wear at the gym AND to a nice event. Most heart rate monitors look like ugly digital watches, but this one is as pretty as any of the best digital watches out there. Sure the Nike watches might look almost as good, but their bands are irreplaceable, so you only get to enjoy them for a year at most before you have to toss them out (couple of years if you baby the band like I have on my Nike Imara).

Long ago, I wrote a blog entry about what I wanted from a watch:

• Gadgets Page » I Hate the Watch Designers of the World

I wanted A LOT of things from a watch and to this day, I have never been able to find one that does them all. Even this watch from Beurer falls short, but I’m willing to give it a try. You can see the complete line of Beurer heart rate monitors here:

• Breurer Heart Rate Monitors

I can’t buy it in the States yet, but I love the PM110. Instead of a chest strap, it uses an optical sensor on the hand to track heart rate. Many watches use that sort of sensor, but they are impractical to use while running. Since the sensor is strapped to the hand so perfectly, it would be able to track your heart rate consistently.

I’m even a little excited about their Weight Management System:

• Beurer WM 80 Weight Management System (PM 80 HRM Watch, PG 55 Diagnostic Scale, SB 02 SpeedBox) at Amazon.com

It has a heart rate monitor, a scale and a foot pod that tracks your workouts like a Nike+. They all communicate with each other and it all goes into a software program on your PC computer. Here’s a video showing it.

Congratulations to Breurer for making the jump to the United States! I’m looking forward to seeing what they have to offer!

The excellent Wendy Bumgardner at About.com’s walking blog has a great list of essential gear for walking safely.

• About.com: 10 Walking Essentials by Wendy Bumgardner

Walking is the least gear-intensive sport around, but take her list to heart. You don’t want to find yourself stranded with chaffed inner thighs. You don’t have to spend much money, but you should follow her advice.

Here’s a quickie list:

1. Layered Clothing
2. Walking Shoes
3. Walking Socks
4. Hat
5. Pack
6. Water
7. Sunscreen
8. Route Plan
9. ID and Money
10. Keys

Wendy goes into detail about each item on her list, so click on over to About.com to read all about it!