So this is my first post back in a long long time.
Things with school got too busy, life got too hectic, and maybe I just got a little too lazy. But I am back at my Blog, and back at trying to get fit again.
When I last was posted, I was getting ready for a 5 mile fun run, I had dropped from the mid 190's down to the upper 170's and I was feeling pretty healthy. Yeah well... That ended with a epic thump.
So today I am back at 190, and I have decided to do a 90 day challenge. With no longer having a gym membership, I am going to do the P90X system. (the entire thing this time.) I have gotten through this system about halfway twice, but this time I am going to commit to the full 90 days. So lets see what happens!
I am 3 days in, 87 to go... But who's counting!
Stay tuned for some before pictures soon...They will be things of the past in no time.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Monday, May 27, 2013
Getting to know me: Adam's Story
So my best friend Ryan texts me one day after we had been talking about our workouts and asks me if I will contribute to a blog. My first thought is of course... but I don't know a thing about blogging. I figure he will handle the "heavy lifting" of the blog since he is the soon to be doctor and I may chime in from time to time because let's face it I'm just an everyday kind of guy. A bartender that use to get drunk everyday. Do drugs on a whim and smoked cigarettes.
Then I realized after a lengthy conversation with Ryan that that's what the point was. To have the two different outlooks on the same subject. One from a health professional and one from a person who got lost in a somewhat "dark" life and was trying to fight his way back. So this is my story up till now for better or for worse.
I started out as an overweight kid. I weighed a chubby 183lbs as a freshman in high school. I would sit in class, constantly uncomfortable and hope that no one noticed my belly hanging over my pants. During that year I remember being teased a bit but one day sticks with me. I was sitting next to a girl who shall remain nameless and a boy turned around and started poking fun at me. I was extremely embarrassed and I remember going home that night and running on the treadmill for 45 minutes. My mindset was f#$k everyone. I would show them.
I ran on that treadmill at least 4x a week through the summer and most of my sophomore year. Determined to change. Come my junior year the treadmill had broken down so I was waking up at 5am and running either a 3.5 or 6 mile loop around town 4 or 5 times a week before school. Which anybody that knows Creswell knows town means country. I joined the cross country team at the end of summer. I remember logging my best time in the 5k at 18:49. My final weight that year was 155lbs.
My senior year was more of the same except my friend Ryan and I would get out of school early and go down to the gym and lift weights then go to baseball practice. I miss that energy. At the end of practice I would smoke my teammates when we ran the mile. I was in the best shape of my life. 6% body fat, 20+ inch arms, etc, etc. I was almost in perfect shape. And as you may guess, shit happened.
After high school I got into a very unhealthy relationship in which I started smoking and drinking. After the relationship ended 2 1/2 years later I wasn't drinking much but I was still smoking everyday. It took a serious toll on me and my health. I look back on that relationship and mark it as the start of the unraveling.
So I was smoking regularly and drinking occasionally but not doing terribly bad. Then came the fracturing moment of my life. I was at work and I just really remember feeling like something was wrong. My stomach was upset and I was anxious for some reason. The next thing I know my coworker came up to me and told me there was a couple outside to see me. I thought it was just a couple of my friends coming to give me sh!t so I walked outside. It was my mom and when I saw my brother Marc get out of the drivers seat of the car I got a sinking feeling. I looked at my mom and I think I said “what's wrong?" My mom said it's your dad... He had a heart attack... He's dead. I crumbled sobbing.
That one traumatic event sent me down a very dark path in my life. I had wanted to get into bartending for awhile but ironically it took my dad's death to get me there. Long story short I started bartending at the bar he used to love to sing karaoke at. In the beginning I would get off work and just go home. Then I started to make friends at the bar and discovered (without knowing it) that drinking was a great way to forget your pain. After a few years I stumbled across cocaine and fell deeper into my hole.
I was doing at least $150 worth of coke every week on top of all the drinking. The two things I cared about were being the best bartender that I could be and partying like tomorrow would never come. Eventually the two world's would collide. I remember distinctly a night where a very dear friend pulled me out of the bar and told me “I've lost friends to cocaine and I've lost friends to depression. Now you are going through both." She was crying and I started to realize what I was doing and began coming out of the haze that I had begun to feel comfortable in.
It's a horrible thing to realize that you're hurting most everyone around you. I stopped doing coke but the drinking got worse. It had become a big part of my life. Professionally and personally my life revolved around the bar and I struggled to have anything else in my life especially working out.
It became an exercise in just getting by and not living. I lived that life for a couple more years until one night at 3am I decided to go for a run. I had been fired a couple months back and had finally started to think that I had to come to grips with the loss of my dad and the fact that the profession that I was good at had been tearing me apart. I spent a lot of time thinking of what I wanted from life. I also put a lot of thought into how I could make my dad proud.
That run that night and the talks I had with my friend Ryan the next few days would help me finally turn the corner. I wanted to get my strength back. I wanted to get my drive back. And most of all I just wanted to get myself back. I talked with Ryan about a lot of things. Some being about the weight lifting or the runs I was doing but most of it had to do with the pain I had been feeling for a long time. I'm not ashamed to admit I cried several times during our conversations but I would always have a brighter outlook when they were done.
I had been working out somewhat regularly for a few weeks when I found myself a challenge. Ryan had told me he wanted to weigh 175 by June and I thought to myself I would set a goal too. I didn't know what my true weight was because I didn't have a scale but the last time I weighed myself I was 245. So I set a goal of 220 by June(this was mid March). I knew it would be hard but I had finally lit that fire again.
I ordered a HR monitor and a scale. Then I downloaded icardio and myfitnesspal to track my calories burned and calories ingested. The best thing you can do is have or find a friend that can go on the journey with you. There is strength in numbers.
I think I can speak for my friend Ryan when I say our journeys have just begun. When will yours? I was brutally honest in this biography because I want people to know that just because you go through tough times, make mistakes, and put yourself in a corner in life doesn't mean you can't find yourself again and thrive.
This is where my new story begins. A story of strength. A story of progress, quitting smoking and being in control of my drinking. But most of all a story of finding myself again in fitness and in life.
Here is a picture from high school
Here is a picture from this past month
Adam and Ryan - May 2013
Then I realized after a lengthy conversation with Ryan that that's what the point was. To have the two different outlooks on the same subject. One from a health professional and one from a person who got lost in a somewhat "dark" life and was trying to fight his way back. So this is my story up till now for better or for worse.
I started out as an overweight kid. I weighed a chubby 183lbs as a freshman in high school. I would sit in class, constantly uncomfortable and hope that no one noticed my belly hanging over my pants. During that year I remember being teased a bit but one day sticks with me. I was sitting next to a girl who shall remain nameless and a boy turned around and started poking fun at me. I was extremely embarrassed and I remember going home that night and running on the treadmill for 45 minutes. My mindset was f#$k everyone. I would show them.
I ran on that treadmill at least 4x a week through the summer and most of my sophomore year. Determined to change. Come my junior year the treadmill had broken down so I was waking up at 5am and running either a 3.5 or 6 mile loop around town 4 or 5 times a week before school. Which anybody that knows Creswell knows town means country. I joined the cross country team at the end of summer. I remember logging my best time in the 5k at 18:49. My final weight that year was 155lbs.
My senior year was more of the same except my friend Ryan and I would get out of school early and go down to the gym and lift weights then go to baseball practice. I miss that energy. At the end of practice I would smoke my teammates when we ran the mile. I was in the best shape of my life. 6% body fat, 20+ inch arms, etc, etc. I was almost in perfect shape. And as you may guess, shit happened.
After high school I got into a very unhealthy relationship in which I started smoking and drinking. After the relationship ended 2 1/2 years later I wasn't drinking much but I was still smoking everyday. It took a serious toll on me and my health. I look back on that relationship and mark it as the start of the unraveling.
So I was smoking regularly and drinking occasionally but not doing terribly bad. Then came the fracturing moment of my life. I was at work and I just really remember feeling like something was wrong. My stomach was upset and I was anxious for some reason. The next thing I know my coworker came up to me and told me there was a couple outside to see me. I thought it was just a couple of my friends coming to give me sh!t so I walked outside. It was my mom and when I saw my brother Marc get out of the drivers seat of the car I got a sinking feeling. I looked at my mom and I think I said “what's wrong?" My mom said it's your dad... He had a heart attack... He's dead. I crumbled sobbing.
That one traumatic event sent me down a very dark path in my life. I had wanted to get into bartending for awhile but ironically it took my dad's death to get me there. Long story short I started bartending at the bar he used to love to sing karaoke at. In the beginning I would get off work and just go home. Then I started to make friends at the bar and discovered (without knowing it) that drinking was a great way to forget your pain. After a few years I stumbled across cocaine and fell deeper into my hole.
I was doing at least $150 worth of coke every week on top of all the drinking. The two things I cared about were being the best bartender that I could be and partying like tomorrow would never come. Eventually the two world's would collide. I remember distinctly a night where a very dear friend pulled me out of the bar and told me “I've lost friends to cocaine and I've lost friends to depression. Now you are going through both." She was crying and I started to realize what I was doing and began coming out of the haze that I had begun to feel comfortable in.
It's a horrible thing to realize that you're hurting most everyone around you. I stopped doing coke but the drinking got worse. It had become a big part of my life. Professionally and personally my life revolved around the bar and I struggled to have anything else in my life especially working out.
It became an exercise in just getting by and not living. I lived that life for a couple more years until one night at 3am I decided to go for a run. I had been fired a couple months back and had finally started to think that I had to come to grips with the loss of my dad and the fact that the profession that I was good at had been tearing me apart. I spent a lot of time thinking of what I wanted from life. I also put a lot of thought into how I could make my dad proud.
That run that night and the talks I had with my friend Ryan the next few days would help me finally turn the corner. I wanted to get my strength back. I wanted to get my drive back. And most of all I just wanted to get myself back. I talked with Ryan about a lot of things. Some being about the weight lifting or the runs I was doing but most of it had to do with the pain I had been feeling for a long time. I'm not ashamed to admit I cried several times during our conversations but I would always have a brighter outlook when they were done.
I had been working out somewhat regularly for a few weeks when I found myself a challenge. Ryan had told me he wanted to weigh 175 by June and I thought to myself I would set a goal too. I didn't know what my true weight was because I didn't have a scale but the last time I weighed myself I was 245. So I set a goal of 220 by June(this was mid March). I knew it would be hard but I had finally lit that fire again.
I ordered a HR monitor and a scale. Then I downloaded icardio and myfitnesspal to track my calories burned and calories ingested. The best thing you can do is have or find a friend that can go on the journey with you. There is strength in numbers.
I think I can speak for my friend Ryan when I say our journeys have just begun. When will yours? I was brutally honest in this biography because I want people to know that just because you go through tough times, make mistakes, and put yourself in a corner in life doesn't mean you can't find yourself again and thrive.
This is where my new story begins. A story of strength. A story of progress, quitting smoking and being in control of my drinking. But most of all a story of finding myself again in fitness and in life.
Here is a picture from high school
Adam and Ryan - May 2013
Friday, May 17, 2013
Why not use technology to help you get to your fitness goals??
Are you the type of person who wants to get into shape, but doesn't really know what to do?
Well, what you do is get a bluetooth heart rate monitor! That's right, you can now buy heart rate monitors that will send your heart rate via bluetooth straight to your smartphone! Why is this cool? because with certain downloadable apps, it will show you what your current heart rate is (with all the stats of the workout) it can show you the route of your run, and it can be customized to your stats ( like your fitness level, height, weight, ect.) Then when your workout is done, you upload your workout to the server and a website logs everything for future reference.
Scosche Rhythm heart rate monitor
Digifit, Inc.
Scosche Rhythm Strapless Pulse Monitor - Yellow
Are you the type of person who loves gadgets and wants to workout as optimal as you can?
Are you someone who is tired of going around the gym with a clipboard and a pencil writing everything down?
Guess what? There is a solution for all that now!
I am a long term fitness guy. I have spent a few years in school for personal training, a few years in school learning human biology, have been a massage therapist for 10 years, and now I am finishing up my Doctors of Chiropractic degree. I know a thing or two about how the body works.
I am someone who is always looking for things to help give me an edge, so I can work out smarter and more efficiently. Most of the things I try, I get sick of pretty quick, but I think I have finally found a solution that takes both technology and convenience and smashes them into one unit. This is what I have done...
How many times have you heard "work out in your target zones to get the best results." and you have thought, well what is my target zone, and how do I know when I get there? In case you don't know what I am talking about, the target zone is how fast your heart is beating, and what type of fuel your body is using. So you will commonly see things like "fat burning zone" or "Cardio zone." Basically what this is referring to is what your body is using for energy (carbs, fats, or proteins) and it also relates to if you are in an aerobic (oxygen) or anaerobic (non-oxygen) mode. If you have questions about this, let me know and I can explain it in more detail later.
So short of being on a treadmill and trying to hold the heart rate monitors that are usually broken, or stopping your workout and checking your pulse manually, what can you do?
Well, what you do is get a bluetooth heart rate monitor! That's right, you can now buy heart rate monitors that will send your heart rate via bluetooth straight to your smartphone! Why is this cool? because with certain downloadable apps, it will show you what your current heart rate is (with all the stats of the workout) it can show you the route of your run, and it can be customized to your stats ( like your fitness level, height, weight, ect.) Then when your workout is done, you upload your workout to the server and a website logs everything for future reference.
The best products I have found so far are:
Scosche Rhythm heart rate monitor
I have written a blogpost about this in the past. This is a great heart rate monitor that you wear on your forearm. It is sweat resistant, has a good battery life, and is very accurate. This particular model also controls the volume of your phone, so if you are listening to music you can have more control without having to get your hands on your phone.
Fitness tracking apps
The next thing recommend is an app available for Iphone and Android (free) with optional upgrades ($3) that record all of your information. The App is called Icardio by the company Digifit. The app works wonderfully, showing you all your past workouts and stats showing calories burned, calories per minute average, average mile time, route of run, and much more. I have been using this app for the last 3 months, and it has been a huge motivator for me. It is awesome to be able to go look at my log and see how my heart has gotten stronger and how my runs have gotten easier.
You can use most of the features for Digifit for free, but I recommend paying the $3 for the upgrades. Another great thing about Digifit is that they work with other health apps, so your workout information from digifit can be shared seamlessly. (Some companies they work with are Myfitnesspal, Fitbit, Withings, ect) and they add more apps all the time.
Here are a couple pictures of what the online dashboard looks like:
This is just my first blog in a series about the ways you can use technology to help get you in shape. Part 2 will be the addition of calorie counting apps to help you lose or gain weight. Together these apps have helped me drop from 200 pounds to 180 in about 90 days...
Part two should be up soon! if you want to take a look at Digifit and the Icardio App or the Scosche Rhythm HR monitor click the links below!
Digifit, Inc.
Scosche Rhythm Strapless Pulse Monitor - Yellow
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Vibram 5 fingers on sale! $30
Just found that REI has Vibram 5 fingers on sale for $30 right now on clearance, better pick them up fast!!
http://bit.ly/10LXwba
That link will take you there!
5/14/13
http://bit.ly/10LXwba
That link will take you there!
5/14/13
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Personal update on transitions into minimalist running
So I have been out of town, and then back at school the past few weeks, and figured it would be a good idea to update on my transition into minimalist shoes.
First, in case you haven't been following any of my past blog posts, I am in the process of moving from Nike running shoes, into a more minimalist shoe. I am doing this because I have started running about 3-5 miles per day, 4 to 5 times per week. I had been again suffering from really bad shin splints, and I finally decided I needed to make some changes.
I had bought two pairs of minimalist shoes. I have posted pictures of them on previous blogs. One pair was for running (the Vibram 5 fingers) the other pair was it what I now wear everyday as my normal shoe.
I have so far loved having the light, flexible shoes on my feet. I notice my feet feel lighter (duh, cause they are) and I feel my feet are much more mobile. I have noticed that they move and bend much more than before, which is obviously due to the design of these types of shoes.
I originally had gotten a little too much confidence and started running a bit further and a bit more often that I should when I started the transition. That resulted in a few days of extreme calf soreness, and a few blisters on the front pads of my feet. (due to the forward weight placement when I run.)
I have since slowed down the amount and length of runs with my Vibrams, and for the run themselves I have felt very good.
One area of concern I am having is I am starting to wake up in the mornings with a small amount of plantar foot pain. It usually goes away within the first few minutes of walking around, but it is enough to have me a bit nervous. My guess for the pain is that I am using minimal shoes as my everyday shoes, so on days where I am doing a lot of walking and standing, my feet have little support or cushion. I am monitoring the pain closely, so if it gets any worse I can re-evaluate how I transition further.
On the plus side, I have not had any shin pains at all when I run since I have started using the Vibrams. I have even gone out for a few long runs in my old shoes ( I wanted to go distance, and was afraid of going too far too fast with the Vibrams) and I didn't have any real discomfort. One reason could be that I am not running quiet as far the last few weeks, but I think it mainly has to do with my adjustments during running. Shortening your stride and trying to forefoot run, really does make a difference.
So, as of now, I am still extremely happy with my progression Lets just hope the morning foot pain dies down, and we shall see how the rest goes!
Thanks for reading my blog!
I promise to write more interesting material soon!
Vibram Fivefingers KSO Water Shoes (Black-Black-Black, 43 M) - M148
First, in case you haven't been following any of my past blog posts, I am in the process of moving from Nike running shoes, into a more minimalist shoe. I am doing this because I have started running about 3-5 miles per day, 4 to 5 times per week. I had been again suffering from really bad shin splints, and I finally decided I needed to make some changes.
I had bought two pairs of minimalist shoes. I have posted pictures of them on previous blogs. One pair was for running (the Vibram 5 fingers) the other pair was it what I now wear everyday as my normal shoe.
I have so far loved having the light, flexible shoes on my feet. I notice my feet feel lighter (duh, cause they are) and I feel my feet are much more mobile. I have noticed that they move and bend much more than before, which is obviously due to the design of these types of shoes.
I originally had gotten a little too much confidence and started running a bit further and a bit more often that I should when I started the transition. That resulted in a few days of extreme calf soreness, and a few blisters on the front pads of my feet. (due to the forward weight placement when I run.)
I have since slowed down the amount and length of runs with my Vibrams, and for the run themselves I have felt very good.
One area of concern I am having is I am starting to wake up in the mornings with a small amount of plantar foot pain. It usually goes away within the first few minutes of walking around, but it is enough to have me a bit nervous. My guess for the pain is that I am using minimal shoes as my everyday shoes, so on days where I am doing a lot of walking and standing, my feet have little support or cushion. I am monitoring the pain closely, so if it gets any worse I can re-evaluate how I transition further.
On the plus side, I have not had any shin pains at all when I run since I have started using the Vibrams. I have even gone out for a few long runs in my old shoes ( I wanted to go distance, and was afraid of going too far too fast with the Vibrams) and I didn't have any real discomfort. One reason could be that I am not running quiet as far the last few weeks, but I think it mainly has to do with my adjustments during running. Shortening your stride and trying to forefoot run, really does make a difference.
So, as of now, I am still extremely happy with my progression Lets just hope the morning foot pain dies down, and we shall see how the rest goes!
Thanks for reading my blog!
I promise to write more interesting material soon!
Vibram Fivefingers KSO Water Shoes (Black-Black-Black, 43 M) - M148
Sunday, April 21, 2013
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
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
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.
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.
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