Smart Dumbbells

Of course they are... Bowflex SelectTech 560 Dumbbell (Pair), 5 lb - 60 lb:

"Integrated Bluetooth Smart technology syncs and records sets, reps, and weight
Free app with over 70 exercises, 6 week Challenge, journal, and more"

Unfortunately they aren't Alexa compatible, so you can't ask her to do your overhead presses.

Crushing It at the Gym

when u hit a new PR in the gym 💪 pic.twitter.com/EtiCR7giVK

— Joey Salads Videos (@JoeySaladsVids) February 1, 2017

Strava Emojis

My life is now complete - Strava will allow emojis in the titles of my activities.

😲 Your activity titles just got an upgrade 😍 pic.twitter.com/A3L8uZpiKm

— Strava (@Strava) February 4, 2017

The Ref Workout

If you need some variety in your workouts, try the zebra workout.

jacked ref takes NO. DAYS. OFF. #nationalchampionship #Clemson #Alabama pic.twitter.com/kQrpuCExSg

— Michael Swander (@MichaelSwander) January 10, 2017

Art of Manliness and Strength Running

Two resources I follow hooked up on a podcast.

Strava and Hams

I've mentioned many times before that I use the Garmin devices for my activity tracker and running. Not all of my friends are Garmin users, so I can't see their runs. That's where Strava comes in:

Strava | Run and Cycling Tracking on the Social Network for AthletesDesigned by athletes, for athletes, Strava's mobile app and website connect millions of runners and cyclists through the sports they love.

So no matter what device they use, we can use Strava to keep up with one another. Strava also allows you to create segments, so you can compete asynchronously with your friends. If you have the fasted time, you get "King of the Mountain" bragging rights. It will also let you compete with yourself on these segments and let you know how a recent run stacked up with your previous attempts.

That's a long way for me to get around to... hams using Strava.

DC Rainmaker's 2016 Recommendations

If you need a fitness gadget, I'd start with DC Rainmaker's 2016 recommendations.

Do You Even Lift Flow Chart

Garmin Vivosmart HR Deal

So I generally like my Garmin Vivosmart HR. I'm surprised that I don't look at the data (sleep and heart rate) as much as I thought I would. I really like the smart phone notifications.

But, if you are interested, this is a great deal. I paid $130 for mine, so this saves you $30.

The links above is for the non-GPS version. For a running/GPS solution, I must say I am extremely happy with my Garmin 235 GPS watch. It would be close to being my single device solution except I don't think it would be as comfortable to sleep in.

Happy Global Running Day

Like I need an excuse to go run.

Vivosmart HR Update

So after about a week, I can't say that I love my Garmin Vivosmart HR fitness tracker. It just doesn't seem to be that accurate.

Sleep
It says I got 10 hours of sleep last night. Ha. I went to bed at 11:30 PM and got up at 5:00 AM to run. I took it off around 8:00 PM to wash some dishes and somehow that was recorded as sleep.

Heart Rate
I thought it was reading high on both my resting and running heart rate. I did a track workout yesterday and it had my heart rate at 200 bpm for a lot of it.

I'm going to try some of the recommended troubleshooting (tighten the band, swap arms, move it up the arm, have it face the inside the wrist, etc.), but I really wanted it to just work.

Phone Notifications
The phone notifications are a nice. I didn't think I would care, but there is some value in being able to glance at my wrist and not pull the phone from my pocket.

Vivosmart HR Plus GPS

Timing...

So, I just bought the Vivosmart HR and today they announce the Vivosmart HR+ - basically the same fitness tracker, but now with a built-in GPS. I'm not sure if I would want to spend the extra $100 to get the GPS functionality. I'd have to think about it, but, shooting from the hip, I'd save that money to spend on the Forerunner 235.

If you want the Vivosmart HR+, you can pre-order it at Amazon.

Workouts

After my last post, many* of you asked about my workouts. Here are a couple of examples:

Finish off the morning workout with high knee incline runs at 19.5mph . @robert_paulele

A video posted by Jalen Hurd (@jayhurd1) on May 2, 2016 at 9:36am PDT

* Many = none

Fitness Friday

Lots of things in the fitness arena converging today...

Running
Bad news for us older folks... the data shows a strong correlation between age and decline in speed:

By age 35, the rates of decline are so predictably linear that this calculator by a Yale economics professor maps out just how slowly you can expect to run the same distance as the years run by.

https://fairmodel.econ.yale.edu/aging/runoth.htm

The good news is that I don't think I've hit my peak yet, so I hope to keep seeing improvements for some years yet.

Cross Training
I've built a fairly large collection of dumbbells that my wife and I use to workout at home. I think something like these Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbbells would be a good supplement to our home gym. It would keep us from replicating all the weights and definitely would save space. (Our family room is also our gym.)

Fitness Tracker
I bit the bullet and after a small USPS delay, I have a Garmin Vivosmart HR fitness tracker. It monitors the usual steps and stairs, but I bought it for the heart rate monitor and sleep tracker. In addition to tracking my heart rate throughout the day, it will link to my Garmin GPS watch and share the heart rate information. I've only done that once - it's a little more awkward wearing the two devices than I expected.

The sleep monitoring is cool. I feel like I don't get a lot of quality sleep and I know I get up a lot. I'll have the data to back that up now.

One minute is all you need

1 Minute of All-Out Exercise May Have Benefits of 45 Minutes of Moderate Exertion:

" In this new experiment, in fact, 60 seconds of strenuous exertion proved to be as successful at improving health and fitness as three-quarters of an hour of moderate exercise."

Diet

I've been working out a lot, so I've had to consume a lot of calories. A typical day:

6:50 Morning workout! Cardio + CORE for 30min Bcca, Glutamine + handful of almonds
7:30 8 eggs + 200gr Oats + blueberries & strawberries + avocado
9:30 400gr Beef, 400gr Sweet potatoes, handful of spinach & greens
11:50 Bcca, glutamine,
12:00 400gr Chicken + 400gr potatoes, greens + some fruits
14:00 Blender = 150gr oats or sweet potatoes, 2 bananas 150gr kelloggs rice krispies, frozen berries, handful almonds, peanut butter and glutamine
14:30 Training strongman, Bcca, glutamine, Vitargo
17:30 60gr protein + 2 banans
18:00 500gr beef + potatoes, greens
20:30 500gr salmon + 500gr sweet potatoes
22:30 50gr casein protein or 6 eggs + avacado + 30gr almonds + 50gr peanut butter

Or maybe that not me, it's this guy.

Fitness Tracker Security

Fitness trackers aren't the most secure devices around (PDF).

And this one can be jailbroken...

Jailbreaking the Microsoft fitness band https://t.co/Q5GYFsKSqw #IoT #exploitdev #reversing #hacking #infosec @b0n0n pic.twitter.com/jiGC8yZxaS

— Ptrace Security GmbH (@ptracesecurity) April 20, 2016

I'm in the market for one - didn't realize I was going to need to do a security audit as part of my evaluation.

As always, DC Rainmaker is the place to go for the feature and performance evaluations. I can't decide if I want the Vivosmart HR or if I should just upgrade my running watch to the Forerunner 235. I have the Forerunner 610 and would like to stay in the Garmin ecosystem.

Cardio Fitness vs Strength Training

Missing cardio workouts result in faster losses than missing strength workouts. So, if you must, skip the weights, but not your run!

Bodybuilder Math

OMG. This really made me laugh. Bodybuilder Math. Have a quick read http://t.co/r93pI1N9z1 h/t @biggiesu
— Mark Suster (@msuster) January 8, 2015

1,000 Miles

As of today, I've run 1,005.61 miles for the year. It's the first time I've run more than 1,000 in a year. Along the way, I ran marathon, half marathon, 15k, 10k, 8k, 5k, and 1 mile races. I even did half marathons on back to back days.