Scosche Rhythm armband pulse monitor review

Todays review is the Scosche Rhythm armband pulse monitor

So what is this?

 For people who are not exactly sure what this is, or what it can do, I will give you the quick rundown.

This is a bluetooth enabled heart rate monitor that pairs with your Iphone or Android phone.  It sends real time statistics to your phone via an app you can download in your phones Appstore.

If you are serious about your workout, or if you feel like you are unsure how hard your body is working out, a heart rate monitor is a great device to have.

The apps that run this heart rate monitor are able to do many things like: track heart rate, map your GPS during your activity, monitor what heart rate zone you were in during various parts of your workout, and much more.

To my review:
The Rhythm is actually the 2nd heart rate monitor I have owned by Scosche.  I had purchased their 1st generation monitor named "MyTrek" and then realized it had been built with a very fatal flaw.  Unfortunately the heart rate monitor was not sweat proof and shorted out not long after buying it.  This happened to me after owning it for just over a month.  I loved the Mytrek, but unfortunately, having a piece of workout equipment that breaks from sweat doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

I contacted Scosche, and after talking to the customer service they sent me out the new and improved Rhythm.  This new unit is sweatproof, splash resistant, and is a great upgrade from the original.

The unit is extremely light, and does not cause me any issues while I am wearing it on my arm.  ( you wear it just below the elbow on your forearm.)  The strap is made from a neoprene type fabric, and it sticks very well, so when i am running and sweating it stays put.

the device has 3 buttons on the front, and a LED indicator light.  The buttons on each side control your music volume, which is a great addition.  The middle button is the power on/off.  The LED light lets you know various things like when the bluetooth is connected and when the unit is charging/full.

I compared the heart rate monitors accuracy with the monitors that are built into the treadmills at the gym, and it was always withing a couple beats, so it is very accurate.

This heart rate monitor is different than most chest strap monitors, in that it tracks your heart rate by using lights and a sensitive camera on your arm, instead of electrical currents.  I won't get into details of how all that works, but the main point to take away is that it works and is reliable.

Charging the unit is very easy, it comes with a charger that plugs into your computers USB, and can be fully charged within 2 hours.  The battery life is expected to be around 5 hours, but I have yet to have it discharge fully.  One side note and my only real gripe with the Rhythm, is that the charging dock can be very difficult to remove from the unit.  I am a pretty strong guy, and I have pretty strong hands, and it gives me a bit of a struggle.  I am hoping the more I use it, the easier it gets.

Overall I give this unit a 4/5.  
Compared to other monitors on the market, it performs very well, with the only downsides being the charging cradle, and the battery life is not nearly as long as some chest strap monitors.  For the average workout this is no issue, but if you would like to monitor your heart rate throughout the day, this wont last.

The software that comes with the Rhythm I have not personally been using.  There are a few different apps that will work with the Rhythm, and I chose an app called Icardio.  Reading the reviews in the appstore for the Scosche app seems to hint at the software not being as good as other options.

Price: Around $100

Pro's:
Light/comfortabale
easy to use
water resistant
accurate
Volume control
comes with 2 removable arm bands of different sizes

Con's:
Charging cradle
battery life.
price is a bit more than the chest strap monitors, but
if you are looking for a arm mounted monitor, this is
the way to go.


Comes in the box: Heart rate monitor, USB charger, large and small armband, owners manual and registration card.

You can purchase one here:
http://www.scosche.com/rhythm

Mistakes of a transitioning runner

So as my previous post about barefoot running stated, the trick of transitioning is to start very slow.
I read all that tips and tricks before I started, but my ego got larger than my head, and I didn't listen.

I did my first two runs in my minimalist shoes more or less like experts suggested.  The first run was on a treadmill, and I ran it at a slower speed than I would normally run, and I only ran about 1/5th as far as I typically would.  ( I ran about .75 miles.) I felt great after the run, but stopped like they suggested in the off chance that the next day I would be sore.  Next day came, and I felt great, no stiffness or soreness.

My next run I ran on the treadmill again, and I upped my run to about a mile and a half.  Again I stopped because I wanted to make sure I didn't overdue it, and the next day I felt great.

Then came my dumb run.  I set out on the streets, and figured I would run, and would turn around when I started to get tired or sore.  I was cruising along my normal route when I started to notice my calves getting tired.  As this point I had hit the halfway mark of my normal run and realized I had about 2 miles to get home.  I jogged at a normal comfortable pace, but the burning in my calves was growing stronger.

When I finally got home I could tell I would be pretty sore, boy was I right.  Next morning I hopped out of bed and nearly landed on my face, my calves were about a sore as I can remember them ever being.  After I walked around a bit and the day rolled along, things got better and by the end of the night I was feeling pretty good.

Today I woke up, thinking nothing of it, and these puppies are so sore that I literally cannot walk.  I live on the 2nd floor, and trying to go down the stairs to walk my dog was probably the most amusing thing my dog has seen in a long time.  the day has worn on, and I am still hobbled, I foresee the rest of my day sitting in my computer chair.

I typically don't mind when I am sore like this, but having some of the nicest weather of the year, and not being able to get out and exercise is twice as annoying.as normal.  So instead of working on my fitness goals for the next day or two, I will be here, sitting in my chair, falling behind schedule.

This was my first barefoot run

This is my first barefoot Vibram run... It has all the heart rate details, but my GPS wasn't working well that day.  Next run will have a map and time splits and all that Jazz
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Just click the link below to see the Digifit stats
1st barefoot run

Minimalist running!

I know these initial posts are short and not very descriptive, but I am just starting to cast a wide net out of the things I intend on covering on this blog.

One of the big things I want to cover, and was the initial inspiration for writing in the first place, was my journey into Minimalist running.

For people who don't know what this is, it is a form of running that takes out of the aspect of new age shoes, and focuses on running either barefoot, or with a "barefoot like" shoe.

The concept behind this is that with the new age athletic shoes, they have put a ton of focus on making them soft and forgiving.  One of the ways they have done this is by making a giant heel, that is full of cushion (Like the giant air pockets in Nike air's.)  I have loved these types of shoes since I was able to afford to buy them.  But the problem lies with running.

When we run with these shoes with the giant heels, it forces us to run on our heels.  when you stride forward the first thing to make contact with the ground is the very back of your heel, then your foot comes down, you roll up to your toes and push off.  it seems pretty natural, but it isn't.

when you take a large step forward at a fast speed, and your heel strikes the ground, it creates a shock wave throughout your lower leg, thigh, hips and low back.  as soon as your  heel hits the ground your foot dorsiflexors (think muscles that bring your toes up off the ground) have to activate to keep your foot from slamming into the ground.  This constant stress causes what many know as shin splints.  This is what I suffer from, and the reason I looked into minimalist running.

When you start to wear minimalist shoes, it forces you to shorten your stride, it forces you to land softly onto your feet, and it forces you to land on your mid or forefoot.

Think about standing in place and jumping off the ground over and over.  When you land, what do you try and land on?  Your heels or your toes?  The same concept applies when it comes to running.  It turns out all those cushions in our shoes has made us lazy and has ruined our running stride.

I have just started my journey into minimalist running.  I have done two treadmill runs, and then did something stupid and set out on a long run in the neighborhood.  Without listening to the expert advice I had read, I went for a full 5 mile run, and I am paying for it today.

If you are thinking about making the move into minimalist running, I strongly suggest you do some research.  There are small steps you must take to retrain your muscles, and not going too far too fast is key.

The shoes I have chosen to use this transition are a pair of Vibram 5 fingers Bikram model for my runs, and I also bought a pair of Merrells from my everyday shoes.

The Vibram shoes, although weird to look at, are amazingly comfortable, and were amazing so far on my runs. (I did get blisters, but that is expected while my feet are still adjusting to the new stride.)

I will update with a new blog about this topic very soon!

This explains the basics of how barefoot running is different

Running Concrete Hero on July 14th to raise money for AIDS famlies

So one of the events I am doing, to stay healthy, and to help people out is competing in a Los Angeles event called Concrete Hero.  Its a 5 mile run with a lot of obstacle courses built in.  It should be a lot of fun.  I have pledged to raise at least $600, and I am currently at $495... Any help would be great!  I will keep people posted on the progress and updates as the dates get closer!

Scosche rhythm heart rate monitor

I use a scosche rhythm heart rate monitor to keep track of how hard my heart is working.  This allows me to get better calorie numbers then a treadmill or elliptical machine will read out.

This works for both android and iphone and connects to your phone via bluetooth.  While I am in a run it gives me real time data and shows what heart burning zone I am currently in.

This is about as simple as it gets...you put it on your arm, turn it on and sync it to your phone and your off.  It stays charged for about 5 hours, and when its time you plug and charge it in your usb port.

I don't however use the Scosche phone app, but instead use a great app called icardio.  I will follow up a post giving all the great details on that soon!

MyFitnessPal for Calorie tracking

MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

this is the App I use for logging my calories, you can get it for Iphone or Android and it's free.  This is one of the greatest ways to monitor calories and I highly recommend it.

Day one of blogging!!

So today is my first day of blogging, Ever!

I really have no idea the proper way to do this, so like most things I do, I will just dive in and see what happens.

I have a lot of idea's of what I would like to accomplish with my blog, Hopefully I can find a way to get all the thoughts in my head, formatted and typed out into this thing.

Some of the big goals I would like to accomplish are
1. To detail my shift from being a person who tells people that they should be doing certain things for their health, into actually be the guy who does those things for himself.
2. To give health advice and tips to people who may need some guidance.
3. To tell you what I have found that works for me and what doesn't.  Including what equipment I use, and things of that nature.
4. To share this space with my best friend Adam, who has a health journey all his own.  We are working together, a thousand miles apart to keep each other motivated, and I would love for him to contribute his stories too.
5.  I would like to learn things from people who read my blog, please feel free to ask questions, comment, give me advise, or call me a idiot.  I would love for this to be a space for me to help other people.

I have years and years of experience, in a short year I will have a doctorate, and I have truly all the main knowledge one would ever need to live a extremely healthy and active lifestyle.  After a few disappointed looks from my wife from her seeing my body go into decline in the past 5 years, to seeing some of my clients who are 20 years older than me and in 3X the shape, I decided it was time for a change.

I started my new journey at the beginning of February   I finally had the fire lit up under my ass and decided to make the change.  I weighed myself on my scale and top in at 198 pounds.  After 2 1/2 months and about 50 hours of time in the gym or running outside, and with strict calorie counting, I am down to 180 pounds.  My goal originally was to hit 175 by June first, but I think I have decided to make it 170, hey why not?

The idea of the blog started when I started researching why I was getting terrible shin splints.  After a lot of researching and looking at different things that might be causing it, I realized it had to do with my running style and the types of shoes I was wearing.  I have decided to transition into "minimalist" or "barefoot" shoes.  Transitioning into a barefoot runner takes a lot of time, and patience.  I thought it would be a great way to show normal everyday people how it goes, since I am a normal everyday person!  The idea to involve more of what I am doing started taking place, so now I am going to blog about everything... Gym, Running (especially the transition) Diet, alcohol and life.

So this is my quick intro of what I have planned, you will probably see a lot of post in the next few days as I start to set up, and talk about the past 2 months.

Thank you and please let me know if there is anything you want me to talk about, have questions, or just leave me a comment!!