Today though, we are going to look at a product that helps you track one of those important three factors: weight! Now a normal $20 bathroom scale is usually sufficient, but this is the 21st century, so we need to step up our game! When it comes to technology… I’m truly all for it. This high tech scale is called BodyTrace.

Product Name: BodyTrace Internet Scale
Company: BodyTrace
MSRP: $59.99 OR $9.99 with subscription plan
Availability: Low (Online Website(s) only)
Warranty: 1 Year

So what’s so special about this scale? Well first of all it’s fully digital, which means you can measure your weight accurately to the tenth. Now you might think that this type of accuracy is an overkill, but when you see that you’ve dropped from 165.8 pounds to 165.2 in a single day… you know you did some WORK – which is always good.

Official Description & Product Claims

The BodyTrace eScale and Website is a complete package for all of you who take their health seriously. By tracking your weight you can ensure a healthy lifestyle and your fitness or weight loss goals can be achieved in an efficient way.

The eScale is a bathroom scale that wirelessly uploads and displays your weight & BMI at the BodyTrace Website.

First Impressions

After I received the box, I was glad to see that adequate foam protection was used to keep the scale safe and everything visually looked solid… at least for the time being (more on that in a minute). The scale itself is very elegant with the glass top and thick border. It’s just got this high tech look to it and will fit nicely in almost any bathroom, or room for that matter.

It’s powered by six AA batteries and the display readouts are in bright red. I would have preferred if the scale came with a removable/rechargeable battery pack but on the plus side, batteries are included and they do last for quite a while. I’ve been using this for months and it’s still going on the original 6 I got in the mail so that’s always a good thing. Although this scale literally works out of the box without any configuration needed, it would have been nice to receive a user manual. This is the first product I’ve seen that doesn’t come with one… which I found very, very odd (to their partial credit, the website does have an on-line manual but that feels like corner-cutting to me).

When your scale ships, you are also sent an email that takes you to the site and allows you to set up your online profile (which is private and protected by a password so don’t worry, no one will know how overweight you are). This will allow you to log in and track your progress using charts and other tasty numbers.

Your scale is automatically pre-configured when it ships… the whole system works beautifully together without any hassle. Awesome Sauce. (On a side note, if their proprietary online software doesn’t float your boat, BodyTrace also syncs up with DailyBurn. Just email BodyTrace and they will help you set it all up within minutes… even more awesome sauce!)

Now when you think of an “internet scale”, you’re probably thinking that it requires an internet connection… in this case, wifi. But you’d be wrong. This scale uses cellphone GSM technology to submit data to your online profile. In my opinion, this is a decent choice because you can pretty much use this scale anywhere in the world and if your internet is down, you don’t have to worry about it NOT working since cellphone towers have extremely rare failure rates.

However, I WOULD have preferred that it came with a wifi option. I think BodyTrace should sell a top of the line scale which has wifi + GSM and a normal scale with just GSM to let the user decide (I’ll talk about why below).

So how much does this new age fitness gadget cost? Well there are 2 ways to go about it:

1. You can buy the scale outright for $59.99 and with it you will get one year free subscription to the online tracking software ($5.99/month thereafter).

2. If the first option doesn’t suit you (or if you’re strapped for cash), you can pay just $9.99 for the scale but you need to commit to a one year contract ($9.99/month). Once the contract expires, the cost of the online tracking software is the same as the first option – $5.99/month.

Overall I think this is quite reasonable and pretty damn flexible since competing scales that use only WiFi cost well over $100.

Using The Scale

My experience with the BodyTrace scale started as a bumpy ass ride. When my scale first came, it seemed to work fine. All I had to do was tap it to turn it on, wait for itself to zero, step on it and viola! It took my weight and instantly sent it to my online profile, but after a few days it started showing a bunch of errors and shit. Then when it did work, it couldn’t get a cell reception and/or would not send the data to the online profile.

Being a curious little monkey that I am, I just opened up the sucker and found that the PCB had come lose, so I popped it in and everything was gravy… but only for a few days. Then the scale just went bust. Every time I turned it on, it was frozen with some stupid error… my friend said I was too fat for it. What an asshole, hurt my feelings and shit. Anyways, the good news is that the customer support at BodyTrace is top-fucking-notch. They didn’t hesitate, haggle or ask me too many questions, they just rushed me a brand new scale and didn’t even ask for the old one back! Respectable.

We weren’t able to figure out what the exact problem was with the old one, but BodyTrace did insist that every scale is thoroughly tested before it’s sent out and that my problem was the first of it’s kind. Fair enough. The new scale arrived in like 2 days and worked a whole lot better.

I found myself stepping on the scale wayy more often that I would have with my original bathroom contraption because I loved the way I could visually see my progress (or in my case, the maintenance phase). The online profile is also very easy to use, and works really well when viewed on the ipad or any cellphone browser. I did however have a few complaints: first, you cannot upload a custom avatar, you have to pick from a specified group. This is odd because you CAN upload pictures of yourself to see how you’re coming along. Second (and this is huge) is the macronutrient ratio suggestions. Jokingly, I had made my goal 200lbs and the nutrient recommendation I got was absurd, take a look…

Don’t get me wrong, this type of carb/protein ratio will get me to 200lbs but I’ll be fat as fuck. A ratio of 4:1 is unacceptable and this needs to be fixed because people will follow it and will look softer than a Tellytubby.

Third, there is no ability to manually add your data should the reception or data sending fail. The software has the ability to remove measurements but from my experience, I found that the system was smart enough to not need this option (more on that below). Other than these quirks, the online thingamajig is recommended.

Now let’s visit the core technology of this scale – GSM. Because there is a SIM card in the scale, it will (just like any regular cellphone) lose reception depending on the placement in your home. While there is no official signal strength indicator, the scale does say “ERR CELL” when reception is lost and I found that the basement and rooms with thick walls were problematic.

So what happens when the scale has no reception? Well what it does is store your last recorded weight into memory and the next time you use it with a reception, it will send along the previously memorized data in order. It’s a nifty feature in theory but I found that it only worked 60% of the time… which is why I think this scale would benefit hugely with a WiFi connection as a backup.

False Negatives

One feature which did work well was the scale’s ability to omit odd fluctuations and false negatives. After using it for a few weeks, I guess the scale “knew” me quite well. One day I decided to fuck with it and put my friend on it (who is 30lbs heavier). While the scale itself didn’t behave any differently, the online software was smart enough to detect this odd fluctuation and it never showed up on my progress graph, keeping my record un-harmed. Nice.

This feature will come in very handy when there is more than one person living in the house and they want to check their weight everything now and then.

Conclusion

I like how the BodyTrace is so easy to use right outta the box, but it isn’t without its quirks. The thing desperately needs wifi, there is occasional loss of reception (could be because I’m in Canada), the online nutrition suggestions are a bit whack and most annoying of all is that even when you do have reception, it sometimes fails to send the data (not sure you can blame this one on my location… it’s not like I’m in Yukon). 

On the other hand, the online tracking software is smart enough to omit useless fluctuations, has a food tracker and will allow you to post pictures, links and notes, will allow syncing with twitter (should you choose) and works nicely on portable devices such as the iPad or a smartphone.

Then there is the fact that it’s reasonably priced and has some really honest people backing the product. I’ve had quite a few email exchanges with the President and I can confidently say that you’ll be in good hands. The customer service that you get on the back end is just as important as the product itself. The overall product experience is pretty good.

So taking everything into consideration, I’m giving the BodyTrace an overall 3.8 stars out of 5. The beauty of online software is that feature updates can be applied within weeks and should things improve, so will this rating.

[UPDATE]: BodyTrace confirmed that the scale is only sold in the USA for proper GSM coverage and that I was a special case (duh!). So while the reception in Canada was off and on, potential US buyers should know that reception problems and data loss in their region is rare. To me, this makes sense and props to BodyTrace for clearing that up as quickly as they did. They are also looking into the software feature updates I mentioned so let’s see what happens.

Cheers.

- FitJerk

Originally Written By FitJerk for www.fitjerk.com – © 2010 All Rights Reserved – This post is NOT to be republished without author consent. If you are reading this on any other site besides www.fitjerk.com , then it has been stolen!

Product Name: FitDeck Playing Cards – Combat Sports
Company: FitDeck
MSRP: $9.95  >>Click To Check Out Lowest Prices<<
Availability: Medium-High

In the box: You get your exercise cards, info cards, a cardboard card holder, a mini promo brochure and a hard plastic carrying case that is actually quite well made.

So my first impressions started off well, but quickly turned a bit sour. First of all, I want to get a few quirks out of the way for those that didn’t read my previous review (since these quirks seem to be present throughout their product range). Let’s start off with the card count – FitDeck says that this “booster” pack has 26 cards on the packaging, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Six of the cards are info cards and two of them are “wild” cards that tell you to either repeat the last card or “double up” the next card. This leaves you with a grand total of 18 actual exercise cards. Kinda lame if you ask me.

Next we have this custom cardholder. You get a hard plastic case so I’m not sure why this was necessary but I figured maybe it’s not a bad idea to have it… since it will keep everything organized. The problem? It’s the wrong size. LOL! The cards are wayy to big for the card holder, see for yourself…

So that was a complete waste. In the garbage it goes.

Then we have the infamous names that are made up by the crack team of “experts” at the headquarters of FitDeck. You see, while color coding the cards is good, they should pay attention to the terms used by today’s standards. So blue is for upper body, orange is for lower body and green is for “middle” body – they meant to say core, in case you’re confused. But in this deck, the crazy naming is not as bad as their original deck. I had a good laugh with that one, they should’ve called it the comedy deck.

Real World Results:

Now, being a guy who’s done Karate for YEARS, is a huge fan of MMA and teaches self defence… I know a thing or two about “combat specific conditioning”. So I was excited to see what they had to offer.

Unfortunately I was shocked… shocked to find that they had omitted some crucial combat drills and exercises from their deck. Like, my fucking jaws dropped to the floor! Before we go into the details, here are the exercises that are included:

• Judo Pushup (or more commonly known – Hindu Pushup)
• Fingertip Hold (in pushup position)
• Sprawl
• Staggered Leg Pushup
• Escape Drill
• Mule Kick
• Spiderman Plank
• Shoulder Bridge
• Backbend (so useless…)
• Red Rover
• Hip Up (Also known as pulse ups)
• One Arm Tripod
• Level Change (basically half lunges with hands up)
• Horse Stance
• Hopping Knee Strike
• Jumping With Rotation
• Tightrope
• Rear Thrusting Kick

Some of these are ok, some of them don’t need to be there, but where the HELL are the essential ones?! Where is shrimping? Where are the 3 basic kicks? (front, side & roundhouse) Where are clap-pushups for explosive power or knuckle pushups for strengthening your wrists and knuckles? Where are the god damn blocking drills… those alone used to make me sweat. How about elbow strikes? How about dodging, ducking and shoulder rolls?

I cannot believe this is called the “combat sports” deck. That’s like calling a bowl of diced chicken with 3 pieces of lettuce on top a “chicken salad”. Or Soulja boys’ songs “music”. There is a lack of substance for what it claims to be, and that doesn’t fly with me.

As for the workout itself, it works just as well as the original deck. You will have great variety, a decent challenge and its fun when you get the Double wild card once in a while… but there is no way this will get you combat ready. No way! There are wayy too many essential drills and techniques missing. I think with the rise of UFC and the worldwide explosion of MMA… that this could be a GREAT product for FitDeck. In fact, it could be one of their hot sellers, but they need to revise it and put up a true card count. Again, they can always talk to me… but something tells me they wont. Oh well.

Conclusion:

I guess if you look really hard, think about it and maybe sleep on it… you will see that this deck would be decent enough for a beginner to combat sports. Or it could make an ok booster for the original deck… but who wants to look that fucking hard? I don’t.

I know it’s 10 bucks but unfortunately I was less impressed with this deck than their original. For this reason, I’ll give it a major passing grade at 2.5stars outta 5.

- FitJerk

P.S – All hope is not lost! I still have 2 more decks left to review… watch for them in the coming weeks. At this point I’m literally ROOTING for FitDeck to impress me with something kick ass. I have my fingers crossed and everything… let’s see what happens.

Originally Written By FitJerk for www.fitjerk.com - © 2010 All Rights Reserved – Content not to be republished without author consent.

So today I’ll be reviewing a hard cover book, courtesy of Price World Publishing.

Book Name: Pure Physique
Publisher: Price World Publishing
Author: Michael Lipowski
MSRP: $14.95
Availability: High (Amazon & Bookstores)

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover. Well I don’t know who “they” are but screw “them”, because as far as I know, a book is a product… and a product needs to sell and if the presentation is shit, the sales will be shit. Simple marketing 101.

So my first impressions of the cover were pretty positive. It looks very pro and I’m a fan of the “dark” stuff. Dark designs, dark layouts etc. Even my blog’s default personal setting is dark (for those who don’t know, you can change it VIA the dark/light switch up top). So it’s fair to say if I was wandering around Chapters or some shit, I’d def give this a peek. So marketing mission accomplished. Next!

Next we have the layout itself, this is where it hiccups a bit. The writing margin is kinda messed up, it’s all printed “into” the book. There is a ridiculous amount of space on the outsides so it makes reading for long periods a little awkward since you have to literally pry the book open so you can see everything. Something to think about.

The backside has a decent little summary to it, and it seems that the author has decent credentials. Michael is a certified fitness clinician, president of the International Association of Resistance Trainers, INBF competitive natural bodybuilder and contributes to a few magazines such as Natural Bodybuilding & Fitness. Cool, but can he really write? Let’s dive in.

Thoughts After Reading The Book:

For those who know how I write reviews, this is where I either start with the good or the bad… well I flipped a coin and I’ll start with the bad. I won’t pussy foot around, this thing reads like a damn text book. Which means it reads like 90% of the other factual books out there. Sure it gets the job done, but when you have to force yourself to read it… it’s kind of a bummer. Who ever said that factual books can’t be entertaining to read? Who? You tell me who, and I’ll directly punch that guy in the face. Bam!

Next, the beginning is VERY repetitive… it’s like “god damn it man, get the point already”. It’s just on and on. But, that’s me and it would be unfair if I didn’t mention that for complete newbies, this might be necessary info. Can’t blame him for covering his bases.

Now lets get technical. The thing about this whole fitness industry is that there are SO many ways to get shit done. It’s not like, say… the automotive field where you have one part for the right job and the room for arguments and bitching is very small. But in fitness, there are plenty of disagreements and I have quite a few with some of the stuff in here.

First being the muscle fibre types. Yes, the author explains the difference between fast-twitch and low-twitch very well but he makes it sound like you are STUCK with this setup when in fact you are NOT. Your muscles can adapt and change to the way you workout, so if you predominantly loaded with slow-twitch fibres, you can start working out explosively and your muscles will adapt and change accordingly – speaking in very basic layman terms.

Then there’s chapter 3, which is supposed to show you how to create an effective training program. Ugh… to be honest, the information is so sparsed out, only very few people will be able to “apply” it and create and effective routine out of it. I mean, 20 pages in and I was still like… “ok, can you put this together?” He fails to summarise it for easy, step-by-step actions and fails to provide one good example of a workout program. In fact, there are NO pre-made workout programs in this book.

I understand he’s trying this whole “teach a man to fish” mentality but for fucks’ sakes, give an example and let the people modify it according to their needs!

Next is an important gap in information. On p85 the author writes…

“Most people in the gym usually move very quickly, banging out reps and then setting (or dropping) the weight down. This is precisely how not to perform the exercise. When moving at this quick pace (one to two seconds up and down) the muscles are not working as hard as they could or should…”

This is only partially true. It was shown that the eccentric phase of an exercise has a greater effect on triggering muscle growth than the concentric phase… 6.6% vs 5%  to be exact [Higbie 1996]. So a slower eccentric phase is good, but that 5% for the concentric phase? Yeah that’s an “explosive” movement. So technically, the most beneficial rep you can do is 3-4 seconds down, hold for one second, then push it back up explosively. [Tempo of 41X for those that know how to read it]

One other piece that really stands out is the contradiction on p118. The author writes…

“Regardless of whether a diet is low-carb, low-fat, low-glycemic, high-glycemic, vegetarian, all-beef, or nothing but Snickers bars and macaroni and cheese, if the individual is calorie-deficient, fat loss will occur…”

But after a paragraph, he follows up with this…

“For those who were getting excited about trying the Snickers/mac & cheese diet: forget get about it! This diet, or any other diet that does not meet your macronutrient requirements will be unsuccessful in helping you lose the body fat and keep it off…”

Uh, correct me if I’m wrong Mr.Lipowski, but didn’t you JUST say that as long as there is calorie deficit, you’ll lose fat regardless of what you consume? (Like Snickers and mac & cheese?). But now you’re saying the macronutrient ratios do play a role in fat loss? So the quality does matter? Go figure!

The problem I have is that for a newbie, this would be a total mind-fuck. His second paragraph that I mentioned is actually correct, but that first one… man I was in complete shock. I re-read it and was like “did he just write that?” If you eat mac&cheese but are still in a calorie deficit, weight loss will occur, but most definitely not fat loss. Big difference! What’s funny is that he actually spent a great deal of time trying to explain such a difference to the reader. lol!

Alright enough bashing, because besides these weird little insertions of information, the book does pickup near the end. There is some valuable information on how to drop the water weight and even I learnt a new technique of getting that “dry & shredded” look for photo shoots. For me, a technique he mentions that “wont” work actually works for me, but its nice to pick up new things along the way. There is also a decent information on the following topics:

• Goal Setting
• Mental Motivation
• Calculating your daily caloric requirements VIA Harris Benedict formula
• Explanation of carbs, fats and protein & how much you need
• Supplements that will actually help (minus “nitric oxide” – I can’t believe he mentioned that. N.O supplements are complete bogus Mr.Lipowski… read my reviews)
• Cardio

Conclusion:

You know what, overall this is a decent book for someone who is totally new to weight training (or any kind of training) and is looking to get a ripped look. You WILL see results if you are able to follow Michael’s advice… but the problem will be putting a routine together all by yourself.

Michael is in excellent shape himself and is no doubt a good Personal Trainer, but he needs to learn how to teach… if that makes sense. This book needs to fix it’s structuring, fix the cracks in it’s armour and lay out a  clear step-by-step plan along with a few solid examples. There is a saying that goes like this: “I listen… and I forget. I see… and I remember. I do… and I understand.”

Unfortunately, this book reads as if all you’re doing is “listening” the entire time. There is very little to “see” and nothing to “do”. I give it a 3.2/5 stars.

Click Here To Check Out More Details On Pure Physique

- FitJerk

Product Name: Pushups Plus
Company: PushupsPlus
MSRP: $49.95 + Shipping
Availability: Low (Online Website Only)
Risk Reversal: 30 Days (Owner Will Pay To Have It Shipped Back)

First Impressions:

Upon receiving the ginormous box… I knew exactly what I got in the mail. Sometimes I’m a little confused or unsure about the boxes I receive. It’s like “hmm… wonder what’s in this one”. With the PushupsPlus, the sheer size gave it away (and the lettering on the side…) That’s not to say it’s a monstrosity, but it’s bigger than most “fitness gadgets”.

Inside you get the base, the two handles, two clips to hold them in place, 3 resistance bands and a wall chart that mentions all of the exercises. When you pick up this unit, you immediately realize why it’s so hefty, the thing is made of pure metal. There is no cheap plastic to be found anywhere… fantastic!

The one problem though was that during the shipping process, moisture probably got inside some how and ended up rusting the washers on top of the ball bearings which are supposed to allow the handles to move smoothly. But even if moisture DID get inside, this essential component should be made of stainless steel to prevent this kind of thing. Fortunately, a quick splash of WD40 and we were in business.

I also couldn’t help but notice that there is a circular cut-out in the Styrofoam… and it’s the exact size of a CD or DVD. So either they are working on a video to be included or this random circle just ended up there. Nevertheless, the inclusion of an instructional DVD would have been a good idea. I mean the website itself has decent videos on there showcasing all of the exercises… how hard would it be to burn that shit on a DVD and get it duplicated for penneis? Not hard. And they WOULD want to do this because the competition of similar products have been doing this for a while now.

Here’s how this thing basically works:

• You select the width you want by slotting the handles in the appropriate holes – close, medium or wide grip (you can also mix and match by putting one close and one wide etc.)
• Then you select the amount of resistance you want to add during the contraction phase of the pushup (one, two or three bands).
• Start your damn workout

Real World Results:

I’ve been using the PushupsPlus for just over a month now and I have to say that out of all the other pushup products I’ve used… nothing comes close to this in terms of sheer intensity. Set the pushup handles on the widest setting, throw on all 3 resistance bands and prepare yourself for the most brutal pectoral burns of your fucking life. The only other exercise that comes close is a heavy set of dumbbell flat bench press… awesome stuff. Also, because you are squeezing the handles “in”… the motion is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced in the past. This experience is very unique to this machine and since it’s patented, you probably won’t find it anywhere else.

And while you can cater it’s intensity to the most hardcore of the bunch, it can also be scaled down for the measly little prunes that call themselves “men”. Just set the handles to the medium width, take off all the bands and turn them till they are in a locked position facing outward. No band resistance, no stabilization work… just a standard pushup that’s comfortable to perform because you now have grips to work with. Nice to know they thought about everyone of all skill levels during the design process.

So it does what it’s supposed to – deliver a great pushup style workout. But there are a few things to be aware of.

The machine itself for example… isn’t what I’d call “portable”. It’s big and heavy since it’s made of metal so this thing belongs in the house or in a car that’s got a larger trunk. The only way it’s “portable” is if you want to transfer it from one room to another… but unlike my set of resistance bands, I certainly won’t be bringing this with me to any hotel rooms during future trips.

It can only workout a limited number of muscle groups. I mean yes, it’s a pushup machine and it does that brilliantly, but I couldn’t help to think… why couldn’t the handle/resistance band set up be implemented into a base that also doubles as a standard door pullup device? I mean, they double nicely as pushup bars and are quite stable on the floor because of their massive surface area. I really don’t see why someone can’t put the two things together for the ultimate upper-body fitness device. Shit, maybe I’ll do it.

Then there’s the price. Yes, at $49.95 it seems like it’s a bargain… and it is. The only problem is that because it’s so hefty, you will pay dearly for shipping. US customers are still ok because your exact total will come out to $62.90. But for my fellow Canadians… we’ll have to fork up $89.95! This is practically DOUBLE the price of the machine and to be honest, that’s a little much. A product of this size needs to get it’s ass into stores, an online-shipping model may work locally but internationally, there is a value/performance disconnect.

Let’s Wrap This Up…

Pros:

• Great intensity for an upper body workout & it can be scaled!
• The ball bearing set up is smooth and demands good stability work (I WD40’d my slightly rusted ones… but I’ll assume that’s an anomaly)
• Plenty of different variations to choose from. There is no reason why 2 of your workouts should ever be the same.
• Rock-Solid construction. Even after an absolute smashing, it’s still as good as new. If you manage to break this thing somehow, you were trying way too hard. Get a life.
• PushupsPlus will replace the resistance bands free of charge if they should ever break or start to crack. Nice!

Cons:

• Price. The base price is excellent, and for $50 I’d totally pick it up at a local WalMart or some shit, but the shipping charge really sucker punches you.
• Not exactly portable. If you are planning on buying it, expect it for home/garage use.
• No included DVD. Not a huge deal since the website has clear videos with description but what if your net is down? Instructional DVD’s are industry standard these days, so get with the program guys.

And there you have it. You know, I was going to give it a super-high rating but when it comes down to it, I have to factor in the REAL world cost that people will be paying (that includes shipping) with the performance that you can get out of this thing along with it’s longevity (which is high… fortunately). So I’ve decided to award the PushupsPlus 4/5 stars, because you really can’t fault it’s function… it’s fabulous.

- FitJerk

If you take this route, you will eventually have to perform some kind of pushup. They are important… but what happens when you master them? I can bang out 50 pushups while taking a morning dump. Do you switch to weights? Blasphemy! You make your pushups more challenging by investing in pushup bars or something equally similar. Fortunately, I’ve found a VERY unique solution to your problems. It’s called the BodiRocker…

Product Name: BodiRocker
Company: BodiRocker (AsSeenOnTvNetwork)
MSRP: 2 Payments $24.95
Availability: Medium-Low (Online Stores Only As Far As I Know)
Risk Reversal: 30 Day No Questions Asked Guarantee

And today, (after weeks of delays and weeks of use!) I’ll be throwing up a full out review on it. I want to give a little shout out to Anthony who hooked me up with this review unit. The guy has been anxiously awaiting this review… and rightfully so. You’ve all seen what I do when products suck. Lets dig deeper.

Product Claims:

The revolutionary design of the BodiRocker delivers a 2-in-1 workout that will simultaneously train your upper body and core. As you strength train your shoulders, back, chest and arms, your core stabilizer muscles automatically engage to control the rocking motion of the BodiRocker. Plus, multiple grip positions let you zero in on the muscles you want to target, while the cushioned handles provide additional support and comfort.

10 Minute Workouts for every Fitness Level The BodiRocker System includes a free set of workout DVDs that feature beginner to advanced workouts that you can do in just 10 minutes.

• You get:
• 10 Minute Abs & Core
• 10 Minute Chest & Arms
• Plus 10 Minute Yoga & Pilates
• Plus, you’ll get a bonus set of convenient, portable 10 Minute Workout Cards.

Beginners can start out with fun, easy and effective exercises like the Rocking Plank. Athletes and advanced users will never plateau on the BodiRocker with muscle-shredding advanced exercises like the Rocking Single Arm Press. The BodiBalance Meter and PowerRoller The BodiRocker has a built-in balance meter which helps guide your balance during each rep so that you engage your core even more by maintaining proper form.

Plus, when you order through our call center you can add the adjustable PowerRoller, a pivot located underneath the BodiRocker that increases the rocking motion of the BodiRocker in all directions. With the PowerRoller engaged, exercises become more challenging because your core muscles activate at an even higher rate to stay balanced. Results may vary.

First Impressions:

I try not to presume and assume (or fantasize) about products before I lay my hands on them. But I’d be lying outta my ass if I said I wasn’t genuinely excited to try out the BodiRocker. I like multiple pushup variations and wanted to try them all on the device. Needless to say, when I opened the gynormous box that arrived, I wasn’t disappointed.

Construction – It’s all plastic, but it’s SOLID. Seems really well engineered and you can throw your weight around on this device and it will just eat up the abuse. One good thing about solid plastic is that it will never rust. Also, the contact points have polyurethane strips so it won’t scratch or leave marks on your surfaces. Nice.

It comes with a built in Balance Meter which is a really ingenious addition. It allows you to perform a really wide gripped pushup and fight to keep the entire thing balanced in one position. The only compliant is the white, colorless fluid used. It makes the bubble slightly harder to see. I think a slightly colored fluid would work better.

The next thing you’ll see is the Power Roller. You flip this little “nub” under the BodiRocker and all of a sudden, balancing becomes a real challenge. Doing pushups with this feature engaged is something you just need to try for yourself. Love it.

Presentation – As good as any other “As Seen On Tv” product, if not slightly better. You the the BodiRocker, a DVD (details in a minute) and a workout card printed in color where everything is clearly illustrated and legible. No complaints here.

Value – It’s 50 bucks and originally I believe there were a few components you had to get separately. But as of right now, you get the BodiRocker along with all the goodies such as the Balance Meter, Power Roller and DVD in one sweet ass bundle. I don’t feel anyone would be over-paying or under-paying. I think this price point is “just right”… something I rarely ever say.

Real World Results:

Let me just say right off the bat that doing the “10 minutes a day” workouts that are claimed by BodiRocker is a guaranteed way to slow progress. So let’s start with that DVD. The production values of the DVD is great. The models they used for demonstration are great and show the exercise clearly. The narrator also has a clear voice and the workouts themselves aren’t too bad at all. But 10 minutes a day? Let’s get real folks. You can use the workout in that DVD, but plan on throwing together your own routine and spend at least 40 mins a day blasting your entire body to see beneficial results.

Using the BodiRocker is a joy. You can do over 70 different pushup variations ranging from off gripped to ones where you engage the Power Roller… where you will be shaking to keep that thing balanced. Even my workout buddy who is an ex-National Gymnast had quite the challenge doing pushups on the BodiRocker with the Power Roller engaged. Good stuff.

So does it have faults? Yeah. One problem is the gripped handles. I’m PISSED that they only covered half of the handles. From the top, they used cushioned rubber but at the bottom, there are these hideous plastic endings that end up digging into your fingers after extended use. It’s nothing to go crying to your mommy about (just use workout gloves) but it’s a little nuisance I’d like to see addressed in the future.

Another cool thing is how they padded the area where the Balance Meter goes. This allows you to sit on the BodiRocker and perform leg extensions, leg raises, reverse crunches etc. You can also perform some challenging planks. It’s not the best core machine you’ll ever use and those aren’t the best core exercises that you can do, but having the option to do so is a plus.

You can perform stretches with the BodiRocker, but they weren’t anything special in my opinion. The only real valuable one was the hamstring stretch where you can use the device to pull yourself down and really get a nice stretch. Otherwise, you can perform other stretches on your own. For those who are ridiculously inflexible… there might be some value for you here.

Hmm what else… oh right. It’s fucking awesome for handstand pushups! Those that have read my shit, you guys know that I believe the handstand pushup is one of the best shoulder exercises that you can do… and because of the wide base of the BodiRocker, you can go at it. The added balancing element has improved my standard pushup to a great degree. I’m happy as hell.

Working The Back/Biceps:

One problem with doing just body-weighted movements is that you need a bar of some sort to pull yourself if you want to develop a nice back along with ripped biceps. So what to do if you own a BodiRocker? Simple, you can wedge it in between to parallel supports and now have a pullup device. You can perform wide or narrow grip pullups. It’s not the most elegant solution, but it works. I have a deck and it has these massive support beams that go across, I just hang my BodiRocker there and off I go.

I think I’d be cool if they made some kinda attachment/add-on where you can turn the BodiRocker into a pullup device for a standard door frame. How would it work? Well don’t look at me, I’m not gona bother engineering that.

Conclusion:

If you are having trouble with standard pushups, it should be common sense that adding a balancing element to your pushups is idiotic. This is NOT for absolute beginners, but for everyone else (yeah even those that like weights)… I believe you can get some great use out of the BodiRocker. I really wanted to say that it’s not for the “advanced” athlete but with that PowerRoller? Trust me, it will kick your ass. Let’s wrap it up.

Pros:

• Solid construction even though it’s plastic
• Plenty of useful features (Balance Meter & Power Roller). DvD is useful too (for once!)
• You can do plenty of grip variations so every workout can be different (me likes)
• Padded area for the ass is surprisingly comfy
• Price point is just right. It’s not a bargain, but it doesn’t feel like a rip-off either

Cons:

• The grips aren’t padded all the way around
• At 5 lbs and approx 2.6 feet in length it’s not exactly portable
• Transforming someone in 10 Minutes a day is a little “optimistic”
• Full plastic construction of the Power Roller makes me slightly nervous

I really couldn’t fault this thing in any other way. I tried my hardest to find little cracks in it’s armour, but its really fun to use. For the past few weeks I’ve incorporated it with my chest days and the results have been as good as ever. Should you pick one up? I don’t see why  not.

I am going to give the BodiRocker a 4.5/5, and for it’s unique design and innovation it will also get my…

- FitJerk

Discuss: So what did you think of this big black banana?

Product Name: Fit Deck Exercise Cards (BodyWeight)
Company: FitDeck
MSRP: $14.95
Availability: Medium-High (Online Store & Amazon… probably retail too)

It’s called FitDeck. The product itself isn’t revolutionary per-say, but the idea behind it is quite brilliant. Take a bunch of playing cards and instead of having kings, queens, jokers and numbers… they threw on exercises that you can do instead. It’s one of those “Why the fuck didn’t I think of that” product. I love those.

FitDeck comes in many, MANY flavors, but today I’ll be reviewing their original series… Bodyweight. (More version are to come in the future once I try them out). Before getting into details, here’s the official description

Product Claims:

FitDeck is a unique deck of Exercise Playing Cards that makes exercise more simple, convenient, and fun. FitDecks are available in 56-card and 26-card Booster decks. 56-card FitDecks specialize in bodyweight-only exercises (i.e. Bodyweight, Junior, Senior, Yoga, Pilates, Stretch, Prenatal, and Postnatal). 26-card Boosters may require certain equipment (i.e. Exercise Ball, Pull Up bar, Dumbbell, Office, Travel, Kettlebell, etc.).

Boosters can be used as a standalone workout or they can be combined with other FitDecks to create an even more challenging routine. Each card has three fitness levels to accommodate different abilities (beginner, intermediate, advanced). Cards are held in a plastic cardholder making it easy to carry and draw cards while on the go. Shuffle cards before every workout to get a random sampling of upper, middle, lower, and full-body exercises. Never spend another minute trying to decide what kind of exercises to do. FitDeck does the thinking for you. Just shuffle, draw, and go.

FitDeck Bodyweight is our flagship 56-card FitDeck that contains illustrations and instructions describing 50 different upper, middle, and lower body exercises. FitDeck Bodyweight is a bodyweight-only deck that does not require any equipment. Use this FitDeck alone or combine it with related FitDecks and Booster decks (i.e. Yoga, Stretch, Dumbbell, Exercise Ball, etc.)

First Impressions:

The deck comes in adequate packaging and is well thought out. You get a hard case cover that you can use to carry around your cards along with a mini promo booklet that shows you all the other decks that they have.

The cards themselves are the size of standard playing cards… which is nice because I’d love to see this deck mixed up with a normal deck to create some REALLY fucked up drinking games. Huzzah! I mean can you imagine playing Kings Cup with FitDeck? “Alright buddy, take 5 shots then do 20 pushups”. This will be my future product, called PukeDeck™ – fun for the whole family.

So back to point. The illustrations are more than adequate and the written instructions are clear. Even a trained monkey shouldn’t have any trouble with getting some benefits out of FitDeck.

The exercise variety is adequate but not great (we’ll get to this in a moment) but what I really had a problem with, was the number of cards vs the number of bullshit. What do I mean by this?
Well if you take a look at the packaging and the marketing material, it says the deck contains 56 playing cards. This isn’t un true, but when you see this number, what do you assume? Well it must have 56 exercises… or a number close to it. Correct? I mean even the standard deck of playing cards has 2 jokers.

But that’s not the case, out of 56 cards, 6 are just random “info” cards (which could have been placed inside that mini promo brocheure) and the other 4 are the “wild” cards which really aren’t that necessary…

So that leaves us with 46 actual workout cards. Quite a different number from 56 wouldn’t you say? Even if I’m being nice and give them the 4 included wild cards, I would have liked to see 52 REAL workout cards. Info cards are mandatory, there is no reason to “count” them in. They are the fillers… and I’m not stupid. Thanks for insulting my intelligence.

Moving on. The whole deck is divided into 4 colors – Red, Orange, Green & Blue. Each color represents a different section of the body. Red is for full body workouts. Orange is for lower body. Blue is for upper body and here’s the kicker… Green is for “middle body”.

Uhh, “Middle body”? I had a good laugh when I read that. Who the hell calls it middle body? It’s called “core”. FitDeck should really have consulted some actual trainers before they printed this for the masses. And if the did, fire the trainers that they hired. There is being accurate, then there is being “In times” with the terminology. Please get with the times… though I doubt “middle body” ever had a time. Let’s keep chugging along.

Truth be told, I like this color coordinated system… you can really create some fun little games. The info cards also have some good game ideas that you can choose from in case you’re feeling uncreative. Nice to know FitDeck has (most) of the bases covered.

Real World Results:

Let’s start with the good – For $14.95 this is a pretty decent set to own for anyone who is a beginner/intermediate (which is most people). The randomization of workouts that you can get out of the cards along with the massive amount of games that you can come up with is awesome.

I’d also consider this deck portable and you can always spice up your normal cardio workout by shuffling the deck and injecting a simple routine that you’ve never done before. I believe boredom is one of the main culprits of quitters… and if you own a FitDeck, there is no way you’ll ever get bored. I tried plenty of different workouts and it was different everytime. Sometimes you even get rewarded because you’ll pull out a card, do the exercsie and the next one is a 30second water break and you’re like “ahh fuck yeah… today is my lucky day!”.

Then at other times you get NO break while pulling out the “double next card” and you feel like death. This is all in good fun, and I’m sure that by now you probably want to buy a deck…

…but not so soon.

If you’re an advanced athlete or even a body weight enthusiasts… I’d hold off and see what their other decks have in store because this will not float your boat. Here are a few places where this product has major hiccups.

1. Remember how we went down from 56 to 46 real cards? Well you’d think at this point it would stop but it doesn’t… because I found a few “duplicates”. They are cleverly disguised but make no mistake about it, they are 2 of the same cards. Let’s take a look at a few…

Suddenly we are playing “can you spot the difference”? Having standard pushups is never a bad idea, but then they go on and throw in “negatives” which is the standard pushup, but they throw exercise temp on top by saying “go down for a count of 5”. Uhh… this is just a tempo change. Why don’t I apply a tempo of 5-0-1 to each one of my pushing exercises? I don’t need a whole entire card to tell me this so the card on the left is what I consider “filler”. Next…

Really? “Half situps”? Who in their right state of mind bothers doing half sit ups when the deck contains crunches (as well as the standard situp)? They don’t and that’s why adding the half situp is useless. There is no need for it… “FILLER!”

And there are a few more such as “narrow pushups” and “spade(triangle) pushups” as well as half jumping jacks (say wha?).

2. Then we have those god-awful names again. I thought “middle body” was as bad as it got, but take a look at the following…

For those that have been doing some form of a workout before, what is this called? That’s right, its a god damn PLANK. I’ve only heard it called “The Bridge” once in my life before, and I had to smack that guy. In gymnastics, there is only one bridge, in wrestling, there is only one bridge, in yoga, there is only one bridge and in martial arts there is also only one bridge, and it looks like this…

image from infobarrel.com

Now obviously there are variations of this such as on the head, on the shoulders etc but that exercise on that card is NOT a bridge, it’s widely known as the plank. Don’t believe me? Google that shit.

Conclusion:

Pros:

• Ability to come up with an almost unlimited number of workout combinations
• Workouts are well illustrated and explained
• Everything is neatly organized and color coded. The different games mentioned on the info cards are also a great way to throw in a workout
• Hard cover carry case and standard playing card size makes it really easy to carry the FitDeck around.

Cons:

• The exercise variation could be more diverse and is not that exciting. Most people already know these exercises. Where is the dive bomber pushups, capoera pushups, muscle ups, clapping pushups, russian twists, pullups!? It seems that FitDeck has left out some of the best body weight exercises. Yes, I know 99% of the population can’t do a muscle up by ITSELF (but they can do progressions) and I guess I can see that they really wanted to stick to the whole “no equipment required” thing… but then again, maybe they shouldn’t. NOT including the pullup in a “body weight” fitness product is absolutely ludicrous!
• Their terminology needs to be fixed and updated. Seriously… ask ME if you want. I’ll help you guys out for FREE but please update that shit. It will save your customers and yourself some humiliation.
• Not all 56 cards are exactly “useful”

So while it does have it’s fair share of problems, the target market it’s aimed for (average Joe Blow) should have a blast with the FitDeck. This bodyweight series probably tries to bite off more than it can chew by trying to please everyone and ends up not really doing everything well. It’s the jack of all trades and master of none, good for most people but best for none.

I give the FitDeck Bodyweight Series a 3.7 / 5 stars. Stay tuned for their specialty decks (Combat, Plyometrics & Speed/Agility).

Support The Site >> Click To Get Your Very Own FitDeck Bodyweight Card Set! <<

- FitJerk

Discuss: What did you think about the FitDeck? Don’t be so mute… sound off in the comments section below

Today I’ll be reviewing something a little different, something I have first hand experience with… a fitness book. Puts me in unique situation because I know the amount of work that goes into MAKING a fitness book… from the descriptive yet motivating language tone to taking a million pictures and finding the best angle and/or shot. It’s a shit load of work, specially when you take on such a monumental task all by yourself all the while having a ridiculously high expectations of yourself. But that’s just me.

Anyways, the nice dudes at Price Publishing sent me a copy of their latest release. It’s a soft cover book and comes in at 189 pages. Fortunately (or unfortunately) most of those pages aren’t exactly “reading material” because they focus on the workouts and so they comprise of pictures etc. More on that in a minute. Let’s hear the official pitch from Price Publishing…

Product Claims:

Hardcore Circuit Training for Men is truly the first of its kind. It is the only book in the world that focuses exclusively on circuit training for men. The book provides links to dozens of illustrative Web sites, including YouTube, for examples and elaboration of its techniques and methods to give the reader every advantage necessary to maximize his fitness potential. Its workouts are diverse, creative, and proven. In fact, one proven workout is the exact circuit used by the cast of 300 as it prepared for filming.

This book is a no-nonsense approach to high intensity fitness training. The exercises and circuits provided will give the reader the motivation needed to get super fit, and the expertise required to dramatically improve his muscular strength and aerobic fitness. In a park, a hotel room, a gym, or even the living room there is a circuit here to suit every man’s needs.

First Impressions:

Let’s start off with that cover. The whole highlighting a ripped physique that is surrounded by darkness is over-done as far as fitness books go, but it’s over-done for a reason. It fucking works. At least they made it striking to look at while being relatively elegant. This type of design work can usually come off very tacky if done wrong… but fortunately it hasn’t. For those that judge the book by it’s cover, well the cover looks pretty solid as far as I’m concerned.

After doing a quick flip-through the book, it seems that there are only 10 real reading pages… everything else is just pictures with mini explanations. I have mixed feelings about this, on one hand the pictures are big, clear and well edited. But then on the other hand, it seems that the book is lacking some “meat” if you know what I mean.

Let’s switch gears and talk about the authors for a bit, Jim McHale and Chohwora Udu. What makes them worthy of writing a book? Well as far as I can tell, their authority seems pretty solid. I’m gona use two blocks of quotes from the back of the book…

Jim McHale is an endurance athlete and ex-amateur boxer with more than ten years experience designing gym circuits. He has experience competing in Ironman Triathlon and other long-distance events including the 190 kilometer Libyan Challenge Desert Race. Jim has been associated with the fitness industry for more than 15 years.

Chohwora Udu has more than thirty years experience in boxing as both a professional fighter and as a coach. He has trained both professional and amateur boxers and he holds YMCA qualifications in gym instruction and circuit training. As a fitness instructor, Chohwora specializes in the areas of muscular endurance, strength, and flexibility.

Real World Results:

Sometimes when I do a review, I prefer to start off with positives… well today is NOT that day. This book has some major stumbles which could have EASILY been avoided… but it’s mainly the editorial team at fault, not the authors. In fact, I wish Price Publishing contacted me sooner, as I would have laid down the smackage and offered advice to steer this product in the right direction. I hate it when things don’t live up to their full potential.

If they should make a second edition, here’s a few things they should change… and this is not just MY opinion, this is advice that I’m reverse-engineering from the boat loads of emails I’ve received from customers for my own book. Price should be paying me for this shit… it’s almost like consulting. Still, I’m a giver, so here we go:

• The Font: I’m not sure what font they used, but its thin and long, like a starving Ethiopian kid. Last time I checked, this was NOT the optimal format that helps you read smoothly. IMO there are only 4 fonts that should be used for a product because of their ease of readability: Arial, Verdana, Times & Calibri. Some overly-geeky and number crunching marketers will debate me on that last one but they can’t argue about the first three.
• The Content: Wait, I should have said the lack of. It doesn’t matter if this book is labelled as “hardcore”… there is nothing in here that describes the benefits of circuit training over, say a muscle-split routine, or a bodybuilding routine or a purely cardio routine. I can also go as far as to say that if a circuit training newbie picks up this book… they still won’t know what circuit training actually means. A little history lesson, a list of benefits, maybe some intriguing facts about this type of training would have been a smart idea.
• Resource Links: Most of the complex exercises have a YouTube link printed near them so you can go see what it looks like in motion and have a better understanding. It’s a good, but WEAK attempt. Not only are YouTube links complicated to type in, most of the videos mentioned in the book don’t even belong to the publishing company. What happens when the original content owner takes the video down? BAM… that resource is instantly obsolete. Not to mention that hand-typing in “www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T3FH3VNILo” isn’t exactly a pleasant experience. Pretty fucking annoying actually. What they SHOULD have done is set up their own website for the book (just like Tim Ferris did for his 4 Hour Work Week book) and then made their own videos and self hosted them with a PROPER link-structure. Not only does this give them more control over their content and reliability, the whole presentation doesn’t seem so half-assed.
• Un-useable Training Log: I don’t care what workout you do, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you’re not tracking that shit, you’re aiming blind. Results will be non existent after a short while. So I was glad to see a training log sheet mentioned in the table of contents. When I turned to the page however… I almost threw up. This has to be one of the most critical marketing mistakes ever made. They provided a training log, then slapped a stupid watermark over it telling you to go to a website where you can download an “unlimited” number of logs… thus rendering the actual log sheet in the book you paid for, completely useless. I don’t know if I should laugh or cry.

  

  But it gets better, the link where  you can get your “unlimited” copies does-not-work as of right now [Update: I was notified by Price Publishing that the links have now been fixed and the logs are now available for download. That was a quick response on their part, good stuff]. So if you want to track your stuff, you’re on your own, the book you paid $$ for won’t help in this area.

• When my customers shoot an email asking me for just the log sheet pages in .pdf format so they can print the shit outa it, do you know what I do? I give them what they want. I even send them extra pre-made workouts they can print out as a bonus should they need it.A log sheet in a fitness book is crucial, why they would cripple such an important feature is beyond my ever-intelligent comprehension.

So Does It Get Anything Right?

Fortunately, yes. The circuit workouts themselves are actually pretty decent and would be quite challenging for most people to perform. I also like the massive variety that has been presented. It doesn’t matter if you have equipment or not, you WILL find something to suit your needs. Every “workout” has been presented in a simple NO-BS manner with big ass pictures that clearly illustrate the technique.

List of Circuits:

• WarmUps
• Cool Downs
• Body Weight
• The Bench Workout
• Kettlebell Workout
• Plate Workout
• Barbell Workout
• Swiss Ball Workout
• Hill Workout
• Multi-Machine
• The 4 Miler
• Swim Circuit
• The “300″ Workout

That’s not to say that this book is revolutionary, because it’s not. It’s more of a tried and true approach, and the “hardcore” audience that are already pretty adept in or out of the gym don’t have anything to get super excited about. Still, there are people who will benefit greatly from this book, and that is the average Joe.

I know a TONNE of people that haven’t seen half the exercises in this book, and they would be well off with this information… unfortunately they aren’t part of the “hardcore” crowd.

Conclusion:

I like circuit training because it offers some kick ass benefits. I also like the routines in the book… the authors seem to know how to design a proper circuit, but it’s just sad that the lackluster presentation over-shadows it. If I zoom out a little bit, it seems to me that the content in this product is being presented under the wrong type of medium. It would be MUCH easier if this was an eBook, because the amount of web links provided inside is crazy, but it wouldn’t be such a hassle if it was all hyper-linked for your convenience.

Or how about a DVD product? Just as how turning the ever-popular P90X product into a book seems absurd, Hardcore Circuit Training would fair much, much better as a video product, seeing the amount of times they linked to 3rd party authors from YouTube.

Still, Price Publishing is in the business of pumping out books and they seem fairly new so they’ll learn. If they want this to be a kick ass circuit training book, it needs to be polished. Don’t get me wrong, there is true and valuable content in there, but as of right now it feels like a diamond in the rough, not quite ready for store shelves… unless buying raw materials is your thing.

You can check it out on Amazon here: Hardcore Circuit Training for Men

- FitJerk

Show Me You’re Alive: How often do you throw circuit training into  your routine?

Let’s pretend for a second that you’re a Western cowboy about to face off in a duel. But the problem is that you’re in deep shit because I just handed you a six-shot Magnum and said “you have to duel with a blind fold on while the other guy doesn’t”. How likely are you to succeed and come out of this situation ALIVE?

There is no point pondering, you’re a guaranteed dead man (or woman). The point is that you can’t shoot for something without having a goal in mind. You can have the biggest, most bad ass weapon ever, but it’s utterly useless if you can’t aim it in the direction you want. Well guess what cowboy? The same concept applies when it comes to fitness. If you want to have a body that commands respect, you need a clearly laid out GOAL… otherwise you might as well workout blind. I’m serious.

So how do we “aim” in terms of fitness? Well the first step is have a goal, but the second step is to TRACK your shit. And I mean track everything you can, from the reps, sets, rest time etc. The more info you have the better because then you can visually SEE whether you’re on the course to greatness or about to fall off into a ditch. In fact if you track properly, corrections can be made well ahead of time and save you grief, unlike others that end up in situations that are extremely difficult to get out of. This is when they come to me.

So to help you track your stuff, enter GYMBOSS Interval Timer. It’s a massive leap beyond an ordinary stopwatch and has got some nifty features under it’s belt. Before we get all naughty with the product, let’s hear the official description…

Product Claims:

This quality interval timer will make any workout easier to plan and execute with more accuracy and consistency. It can be used for:

• Boxing / MMA / Martial Arts
• Crossfit
• Weightlifting
• Body For Life Workout
• Running / Sprinting
• Learn to Run
• HIIT
• Cardio
• Interval Training
• Sports Speed
• Tabata
• Women’s Fitness
• A Million Other Uses

First Impressions:

The first thing you’ll notice is that the product is actually a LOT smaller than it’s made out to be on the pictures you see around the net’ (and you guys thought it was only the people on Myspace that had deceiving pics). In any case, it was a pleasant surprise. The timer itself is built like a rock and has sturdy buttons that provide a satisfying “CLICK” feel when depressed.

It comes in adequate packaging and has clear instructions in the manual. There are also basic instructions on the back of the unit, and this was a good call by Gymboss because it takes a few usages for you to get completely used to it’s UI and navigation. As for the product itself, I got the silver one but they also have a pink one and a black (“slate”) color available.

As you can see it’s got a host of features. I specially like the water and shock resistant aspect because when you’re in the gym… shit can hit the fan (or your timer). So let’s put it to the test.

Real World Results:

Now as I mentioned earlier, it’s not the most intuitive thing in the world to use. But that doesn’t mean it’s difficult either… it’s in the middle of the pack. In my first few workout sessions I found myself having to turn the unit over for the basic instructions and after fooling around it for a few minutes I was back on track. It features 3 buttons: “Next” “Change” and “Start”. You program the functions using a combination of the three.

Here’s how the GYMBOSS differs from a normal run-of-the-mill stopwatch: Let’s say you want to do 4 sets of squats for 8 reps and you know that with a tempo of 5 seconds per rep you will spend a total of 40 seconds per set. Plus a few extra seconds (around 5) will be used here and there when you need to get adjusted.

Now since you’re lifting some heavy shit (you should be if you’re able) you might want to rest for a minute and a half between each of your 4 sets. So you set the # of intervals to 4, set the initial time to 30, and set the secondary time to 1:20. Then all you do is press “start” and go. As soon as you finish your set, it will go “beep” and your rest period will start, you don’t have to look at a clock to guess. Then after your rest period is complete, it will “beep” again so you can start your second set. It’s like having a trainer telling you when to go. 

The cool thing is that you can have it “alert” you in three different ways. You can either have it beep low (BL), beep high (BH), vibrate (V) or beep AND vibrate (BLV). I think this is fucking fantastic because it has allowed me to use the GYMBOSS in the quieter areas of the gym where a loud “beep” would come across as a little disturbing. Personally I found the best option during busy times is the beep+vibrate option. Ladies, this thing is better than a phone in your crotch pocket. Oh yes, I went there.

Another way that you can use the GYMBOSS is by using the manual mode (Man). Let’s take the same squat example above, but this time we’ll assume that you aren’t sure of how many sets you want to perform because you’re tired or [enter another lame excuse here]. What you do is set up the intervals in the same way but instead of setting the auto function to a certain number, you leave it on “Man” mode. In this mode, the GYMBOSS will take care of your rest period and time under tension individually. When you’re ready to start the next set, YOU have to press start instead of the GYMBOSS going continuously. Prime!

Shock Test

I ended up performing two types of shock tests for the GYMBOSS. The first was an accidental one because I was trying to set it up while wearing the GRIPADS and it just dropped outta my hand. Oopse.

But the second one was more, uh… scientific. The stair drop. It was as simple as it sounds… turn on the GYMBOSS, toss it down the stairs and check to see if it still works. Well it did. Check the video below for stair tumbling goodness.

Water Test

I was actually nervous about this one… not because I wasn’t confident about it’s build quality, but because the way it’s assembled. It’s physically solid but on the sides there are minor gaps between the casing. It doesn’t seem super air tight, but fuck it… testing is testing and I gota do what needs to be done. So I turned it on, and poured a cup full of water all over it. Thank god it survived and is still working. More wet proof in the video below.

Grip Test

The unit comes with a clip that has two “teeth” which act as anchors and attach to your belt, pants etc. and it never once fell off. I used it while weight lifting, kick boxing, mild jogging and advanced plyometrics. In each of these situations the GYMBOSS held on tight. Nice.

Conclusion:

So the interface takes a few tries to get used to but after using it a few times I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it. It’s really not rocket science and trust me, programming those old ass VCRs was much more difficult. It’s also built like a damn brick (albeit a tiny brick) and will survive almost anything you throw at it.

There are also no faults in it’s functionality because it does what it’s supposed to and if you’re someone who practices any form of intensity training (and you SHOULD) then this thing will keep you on the right track. It’s also fascinating to note that since I’ve been using the GYMBOSS, I’ve been leaving the gym faster than usual because all my workout and rest periods were accurate to the second. Before I used to just look at clock and this ended up wasting a minute or two of my time. It may not seem like much but when a few minutes are wasted every set… it tends to add up and I don’t know about you, but I want to get the hell OUT of the gym ASAP.

So the only remaining factor is the price. Well fortunately it’s nothing out of this world and for twenty bucks, I think it’s a pretty good deal. I mean, there are “sport watches” out there that cost $40+ and can’t do what the GYMBOSS can. The only people who I can see NOT benefiting from this device are the ones that goto the gym aimless… lifting the same shit day in and day out. But those people need much more than a solid interval timer to help their situation. Overall, it comes highly recommended and therefore it gets my…

To support the site and to get your hands on your very GYMBOSS interval timer, check out the link below.

CLICK For Videos And More Info On The GYMBOSS Interval Timer

- FitJerk

[Click Here For 15% Off Retail Price!]

What does a bodybuilder, a powerlifter and FJ have in common? We all have a fear.

No, not a fear of the iron, or the insane ab workout were about to do… but a fear of CHUNKS in our beloved protein shakes!

That’s right. After a hard ass workout the first thing I crave is a smooth, chocolaty protein shake to feed my muscles, and the last thing I want to be doing is forcing down chunks that haven’t mixed in properly. In fact, chunks down right aggravate me. Now you COULD say “Hey, just use a blender, that’s what I do” and I agree, that’s an option if you have time or if you plan well ahead… but how many people do that? Not many.

So what to do? Are we doomed? Do we have to gag down half assed, chunked up protein shakes for the rest of our lives?

Not if the product I’m testing today has anything to say about it. Introducing Blender Bottle… it’s a bottle, that is supposed to blend your shit to perfection. What’s great is that it doesn’t just stop at protein shakes, there are other things that you can do such as make omlets and crepes etc. Before we get to that though, let’s hear the official word from their website…

Product Claims:

The Best Mixer since the Wire Whisk.

Gourmet cooks rely on the wire whisk to blend their ingredients into a smooth and light consistency. Now you can do the same with the BlenderBottle®. The patented BlenderBall® wire whisk moves freely throughout the bottle as you shake it, mixing the thickest ingredients with ease. Now you can mix it smooth—anytime, anywhere!

Blender Bottle Uses:

Nutrition Drinks

Salad Dressings

Pancake Batter

Yogurt Smoothies

Lump-Free Gravy

French Toast Batter

Scrambled Eggs

Tempura Batter

Sauces and Marinades

Pudding Omelets & Egg Dishes

Water Bottle

Dry Ingredients (cinnamon or colored sugar, etc.)

Food Storage (nuts, syrup, etc.)

First Impressions:

You know what, I’m going to be honest with you all… when I looked at this thing, I was like “it’s just an average shaker cup with a wire ball inside… whooptie! This won’t even come CLOSE to a blender in terms of performance”. And can you blame me? I mean look at it… it’s so simple in terms of design. If you’ve ever seen the shaker cups at GNC, they have these crazy ass tornado contraptions inside them… it’s crazy. This didn’t have any of that.

But because I’m such a professionally dedicated review person dude… I wasn’t going to let my pre judgement stop me! The overall build quality was exceptional, everything had a great finish and the wire whisk was made of surgical quality steel. Another thing I found interesting was that it’s very malleable. Just give it a slight amount of pressure and it squeezes…

Either that or my fingers have become insanely strong from using the GRIPMASTER. RAWR! It’s probably both. But this definitely changes things a bit because if it was solid, it wouldn’t be able to move about as much.

The next thing I noticed was the white lid flap. This thing is STIFF. It’s a little tough to open and it stays where you leave it… now if you’re used to normal shaker bottles you might think this is a design flaw.

But it isn’t! They call it the StayOpen Flip Cap™ and the idea behind it is that when you goto drink from the cup and tilt it towards your face, the lid won’t come slapping down on your nose. Good news for Pinocchio! Personally I think this is great and it shows a great attention to detail which they have put themselves through. Awesome.

And the good news keeps on coming. The entire bottle is made from BPA free plastics so you won’t have to worry about your balls shrinking, growing and extra eye or your kids turning retarded. I like it when companies care about their customers like that, great stuff.

Real World Results:

Instead of me WRITING it out, I thought it would be better if I showed you since I was feeling rather creative with my video camera. So ladies and gentlemen, for the first time ever in an FJ review history I’ll be showing you a video for the real world test. Check it out by scrolling down…

So as you can see, it did a pretty kick ass job. I was surprisingly impressed with how it just broke down the ice and smoothly melted it into the shake. I believe the massive amount of friction inside the bottle had something to do with it too, but still.

Also, it never leaked once, the seal is that good. The reason for this is because you can really tighten the lid. I like this because I was able to throw the bottle in my bag without worrying about it or wrapping it up in a plastic bag.

Now after you use the Blender Bottle, it’s only common sense that you need to clean it up… well fear not because everything is dishwasher safe so that saves you from doing it, which is great in my books. If however there are times where you need to squeeze multiple uses outta it, such as making a shake, then throwing together an omlet and then mixing up a fruit drink then you’re covered as well because it takes about 10 seconds to wash and rinse. You really couldn’t ask for anything more.

Conclusion:

So it’s built well and performs even better and while imposing an easy clean up. Then there is the price, a measly $8.99. Right now I have to say that I’m completely stumped because as far as I can tell, the Blender Bottle is almost completely without fault. I mean it’s even available with a boat load of colors to match your gym shorts, or gym bag or tank top or your eyes or whatever else you might want to match.

If you’ve read my previous reviews, then you know that I’ve only ever given a perfect score to ONE product, and that was Purple K. Since then there have been great (and not so great) products that have come before me but none that were absolutely perfect. None that I could put my name to and say “that shit right there is perfection!”

Well brace for it, because today I am giving the Blender Bottle a 5/5!

See, when I give products a 3 or a 4, it usually means they are pretty good but only worth purchasing if you need them or if they happen to improve the quality of your life in some way shape or form.

But when I give something 5stars, you should know that it’s a MUST BUY. There is no question about it, if you drink protein shakes (and most of you do) then go invest a measly 9 bucks and grab yourself a Blender Bottle… I HIGHLY recommend it. Because of this feat, it also deserves my:

R.I.P Hideous protein chunks. Silky smooth protein shakes for life!

Support the site, Click To Get Your Very Own Blender Bottle For 15% OFF Retail!

- Fitjerk

Discuss – What did you think of the BlenderBottle? And what other things do you think you could mix using it?

Tying laces, do you remember when you first learnt how to do this? I do. Make two rabbit ears, criss cross them, loop them and then pull that shit tight. Viola! Oh no, too loose… ok untie, pull, tighten, and now let’s bring the bunny back.

Bah! What a pain in the ass that was. This is why I demanded my mom to do it for me (yes… my demands started at a young age). But now, things have gotten a lot better. I only have to ask my mom to tie my laces like, once a month, all the other times I do it by myself. I’m-a-big-kid-now!

So you can probably guess the excitement I felt after I discovered Yankz! The shoe lace system that doesn’t require any type of bunnies and shit. Just slip in your feet, tighten and go! Awesome sauce! Seemed like a dream come true, and so it was time to put it to the test, FJ style.

But first, let’s hear the official word from Yankz about their system. For those of you who don’t know, this is where I let the company toot it’s own horn

Product Claims:

Tying your shoes is a thing of the past with our unique loop system and high-impact lightweight plastic cordlock. No more tying, retying, double knots or frazzled dirty laces to mess with. Just slip on your shoe and yankz. You’re ready for action. Using the Yankz! Sure Lace System is easy, anyone can do it.

First Impressions:

I got two samples in the mail, a pair of white laces and a pair of red along with a letter from Pierce that was personally addressed to me. This is a nice little touch… and made this package stand out a little bit more than others.

Now I was excited to start this process but I was freaking out. Where the hell were the instructions?! The package said “instructions inside” and I was frantically looking for a piece of paper in there but found nothing. Seriously, I looked like a kid searching for his toy prize inside the cereal box. Then after a bit of patience… viola!

The damn thing opens up like a book, revealing the secret methods of lacing a shoe. Clever, very clever Yankz… but would it kill you to say “Open flap for instructions” instead of “Easy to follow instructions inside”. I mean, this packaging could be used as a mean ass April fools joke where some poor chump just sits there trying to figure out how to put this thing together.

As it turns out, the instructions weren’t “easy” to follow, but they weren’t exactly “hard” either. Now when it comes to instructions, I much prefer videos just like how Dynaflex did with their PowerBall where they threw in a mini cd. If there is one product that needs that kind of implementation, it would be Yankz! They should look into this.

So in my hunt for video, I went over to their site and was relieved to see that they did have a video, but that relief soon turned into mass frustration. Their flash video is so damn TINY and so low quality that it’s not worth watching, and if you want to view the high quality version, you’ll need StupidPlayer err, I mean RealPlayer. Hmm… fuck that! I’m not downloading bloat-ware. What I don’t understand is why Yankz! couldn’t upload a high quality video to YouTube and just embed that shit on their site. It’s not that hard guys… 14 year olds have figured this out.

With that aside, I was ready to really test this system out. I was going to use it with my newer shoes but then I was like, “what if it sucked?” So I decided to take my old ass pair of Adidas and make them the guinea pig. Here’s the before shot…

(Before you clowns email me, I’ll just say it: NO, my feet don’t stink!)

Also, the color combinations were in my favor… Yankz decided to send red and white laces, and while I don’t have any shoe that will wear the red, these white reflective ones were perfect!

Real World Results:

Installation took longer than I thought, 45 minutes for both shoes. Granted, the Adidas I had didn’t have traditional holes, they had hoops which were quite the bitch because each hoop was tucked under a flap, so getting the lace through them was… annoying. I’m assuming that for you guys, it shouldn’t take longer than 5 minutes per shoe.

Here’s the semi-finished product…

I realized that I had installed it a bit wrong, the loop that you see has wayy to much slack on it and didn’t look as “tight” and “secure” as it did in the picture. Surely, when I wore the shoe it felt loose, so I decided to re-arrange the lace and redistribute the un-needed slack towards the front… and herein lied the MAJOR problem with Yankz.

The laces themselves aren’t like traditional ones, they are SUPER stretchy, like an elastic band. This is annoying because to loosen up a normal shoe, what do you normally have to do? Just grab it, and pull it apart and the laces automatically spread, right? Well NOT so with Yankz. If you pull apart the shoe, the laces just stretch and whole thing just gets tighter or stays the same. This was frustrating since I had to distribute the slack by feeding the lace individually through each hoop. Retarded.

But after half an hour I had both the shoes ready to go… then it was just a matter of snipping off the excess laces and then re-feeding them through a few hoops so that they are neatly tucked away…

So how does it hold?

Fantabulously! The T-bar clip at the top has this little pin… you pull the pin and you can loosen up the loop, which relieves the ankles and allows you to slide your foot out. If you want to tighten it, you do the opposite: Slip your foot in, yank the loop till it’s tight enough then push the clip down for it to hold securely.

The T-Bar Clip

Then there is the triangular clip in the toe area. This is where the excess laces come out of. This is also adjustable, all you do is yank the lace vertically, then when you’re happy with the tension, pull it horizontally and it will be locked into place. See pics below:

Pull the lace till it’s tight enough

…then yank it horizontally so it locks into place

As for sheer performance, they rock. Plain and simple. The thing is, I don’t think that the Yankz system is THAT much faster than tying your own laces, experienced runners can tie their shit just as quickly, but what sets Yankz apart is that they will never come undone. That’s right, you know how they say “never say never”? WELL I’M SAYIN’ NEVER!

How can I be so sure? Well I put them through some serious punishment and they stayed on. I (finally) did some running on the treadmill, and they stayed put. I did some parkour and tumbling on concrete and they stayed put. And here’s my favorite one ok… I did some heavy bag kicking and they STILL stayed put.

For anyone that knows what a round-house kick looks like, you know that you usually use your instep (shoe lace) area to strike a target. Well after repeated kicks, the Yankz held on for dear life. This was the most punishing test that I could probably to put it through and it came out with flying colors. Good shit!

Conclusion:

I liked the Yankz system, but there are a few glitches that need to be addressed. The laces themselves seriously need to have less of a “stretch” factor because loosening up the shoe can be a hassle. Once everything is up and running though, it should be less of an annoyance but still… I like zero annoyance.

Then there is the packaging and presentation. Put up a DAMN YOUTUBE video and make the instructions easier to find. I hate goose chasing.

But the REAL conclusive question that I have to tackle is: Should YOU buy Yankz? Well if you’re a runner, then $7.50 is a fucking no-brainer as far as I’m concerned. I know that normal shoe laces will, at some point, come un-done and this can waste valuable seconds so why would you risk that?

But how about the non-runners? Well that’s where it gets a little mucky. If you just walk or hike then there is no real NEED to switch to Yankz. It will make your life easier but it’s more of a commodity. However, if you have kids that are learning to tie their laces or if you want an easy solution… then $7.50 is a pretty valuable investment in my opinion.

I mean seriously… I coach kids on a part time basis and I can just see the looks on the parent’s faces when the kid is taking 10 minutes to tie up their shoe. It’s pure frustration. So please, save yourself the frustration and get he hell out of the gym so the coaches can lock up and go home. Ok? Good.

Yankz Comes Highly Recommended, And For Being An Innovative Product, It Gets My…

Cheers.

- FitJerk

P.S – What do you guys think… will you be Yankin’ it?