Category: Fitness

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories Fitness

FitHolster phone armband alternative targets weightlifters

Exercising and finding a convenient way to carry an iPhone might be the biggest oxymoron concepts of the 21st century. Which is why FitHolster was created. Whether its cracked screens, profuse sweating during workouts that eventually destroys a phone’s audio mechanism, or just a more convenient way to carry a phone while enjoying hiking and other great outdoor excursions, this product lets users keep their phone protected in a case and easily carried for better mobility during those extreme activities. Magnets attached to the material strap on the case help to hold the phone in place at the user’s waistband. It appears this product will be most effective for those who just like to have their phone to listen to music during workouts and don’t need to see the display. In addition, the positioning of the holder on the waist seems like it would be a little obtrusive to an intense workout.

For those who wouldn’t mind armbands if they offered better phone screen visibility and phone protection, consider the Recoil Armband. As for Sports enthusiasts who like using their GoPhone to try to improve their game, consider checking out the GoPhone iPhone Case. The FitHolster campaign seeks to raise $3,300 by November 6. For $25, early bird backers get one product with an expected delivery of December 2014.

Categories
Fitness

Battle Flex aims to be your home gym away from home

An awesome work out at home?! Okay, the concept isn’t entirely new. We see tons of at-home fitness products almost daily on Backerjack. Here to join the pack is BATTLE FLEX FITNESS. The campaign doesn’t do a great job of explaining exactly what this product features but it looks like BATTLE FLEX focuses on ropes and elastic bands to provide resistance training. To get the complete set, backers will need to shell out $159 for estimated delivery in April 2015. BATTLE hopes to raise $40,000 on Kickstarter.

This fitness system looks versatile and boasts usability *virtually* anywhere. There’s not much else to distinguish it from other at home systems like the XBAR and MostFit. Rope and cable systems are great for a well-rounded workout, however backers who don’t value this have literally hundreds of other options. BATTLE will need to figure out a more niche market to target in order to set themselves apart.

Categories
Fitness

Squat Master could provide fit glutes, another clothes rack

One of the best exercises out there is the squat. It’s a full body move that many personal trainers and gym rats reserve as their favorite for seeing results. The key to a good squat is to keep the feet and knees in line. This prevents injury or awkward movements. The Squat Master works to do just that. Looking much like any other gym tool, the Squat Master keeps the user’s feet and knees aligned with the help of its structure of foam rollers. Handlebars make it easy to squat farther down than without the help of this product. The campaign video demonstrates the limits of a free-form squat versus the range of the Squat Master squat. One of these simple fitness devices will cost backers $179, with two early bird prices of $149 and $164 for delivery in January 2015. Squat Master hopes to raise $10,000 on Kickstarter.

It’s quite true that squats are included in the repertoire of many workout regimes either in the gym or at home. Up until now, regular squats seemed to have worked just fine. Like many other machines that aid athletes in working out, the question remains: Does the help make the workout less effective? By adding handlebars and stabilizers for the legs, it seems like the Squat Master is completely taking away the balance needed to perform a squat which is most of the challenge. This product may be great for older fitness buffs who have knee or ankle trouble, but young athletes could probably do just find without.

Categories
Fitness Health and Wellness

MOBO is ready to roll with muscle relief wherever you are

As an athlete, it’s important to take care of your muscles and joints. Not everyone can afford professional massages, so other methods must be used. However, rubbing your back against a door jamb just for some relief isn’t ideal. The MOBO System is the self-proclaimed Swiss Army Knife of massage. This product transforms into many different shapes, textures and densities to deliver a custom massage to any part of your body, from your neck to your feet. It’s easily transportable and has lots of possibilities for assembly. One will cost sore backers $109 on Kickstarter, or $99 if they’re early enough with higher tiers offering more elaborate versions of MOBO. MOBO hopes to raise $50,000.

This product’s flexibility in use is pretty cool. The campaign does a good job of showing all the different ways it can be morphed and how many parts of the body benefit. However, assembly does look a little finicky to break down and rebuild. Also, MOBO should warn users that it can’t cure serious injury. Nevertheless, for the typical mostly-healthy athlete, MOBO is a great accessory to have on the field.

Categories
Connected Objects Fitness

Yoga SmartMat provides guidance to make you a perfect poser

Yoga is all about balance. Unfortunately, our bodies are alarmingly lopsided. A pose that we can do perfectly on one side of our bodies is surprisingly difficult on the other side. Yoga teachers are constantly adjusting their students to maintain balance in their poses. The SmartMat does the exact same thing. By connecting with your tablet or smartphone via Bluetooth, the SmartMat collects data about your posture, balance and alignment to assist you with becoming a yogi master. It first adjusts your alignment, telling you, for example, to move your right foot forward. Then, it tells you to shift your weight so there is equal pressure on both sides of the body, a very important aspect of yoga. The app lets you monitor your progress over time and even gives you new yoga moves to try out. Powered by battery, this mat boasts up to six hours of life. For a mat and the Android/iOS compatible app, backers will have to shell out $347, $100 less than the retail price, for estimated delivery in September 2015. SmartMat is hoping to raise $110,000 during its campaign on Indiegogo.

By all accounts, SmartMat looks like a super cool way to get your yoga on. Most fitness monitoring devices focus on higher impact sports, like the runScribe. SmartMat, while expensive, provides a ton of useful information since the entire mat is collecting data from the entire body, pretty cool. Looking like a traditional yoga mat and made out of most of the same materials, it’s a little concerning how long this mat will last. Some mats wear out over time, but with such an expensive investment, it’ll be important for SmartMat to prove its functional longevity. Also, it’s only water and sweat resistant and not proof. Big sweaters and hot yoga practitioners will have to protect the SmartMat with an extra towel. Still, this super cool product is a great tool for yoga enthusiasts looking to perfect their practice.

Categories
Connected Objects Fitness

Glyder is a smartphone-connected exercise product for the deskbound

The Premise. Sitting is as harmful to our health as smoking is. Or so they say. Either way, it’s difficult for office workers to get the exercise they need in order to stay healthy. Some have the chance to take a walk at lunchtime, but busier bees are chained to their desks all day.

The Product. Glyder is a fitness device that lives underneath your office desk. Resembling a digital scale, it has two pedals on either side where your feet go and comes in red, gray or black. The motion is similar to that of an elliptical machine. A large digital screen on top shows the calories you’ve burned, the strides you’ve taken and how close you are to your daily exercise goal. This data can be stored and set with an accompanying smartphone app. The app stores your workout history and also allows you to adjust the resistance of Glyder and compete with other Glyder users.

The Pitch. Glyder’s campaign video shows an office worker trying and failing to workout at the office. There’s also a funny part where the Glyder user makes less noise while exercising than her coworker sitting in a rocking chair. The rest of the campaign goes through Glyder’s various features along with helpful gifs of the pedal width being adjusted as well as the product in use. This under-the-table fitness device hopes to raise $75,000 on Kickstarter.

The Perks. Early gliders can enjoy the Glyder for $99 at a regular price of $139. The top tier of $10,000 offers backers a trip to China to tour Glyder’s factories. Estimated delivery is currently set for January 2015.

The Potential. As with any office workout tool, there’s always the risk of looking unprofessional as your legs mysteriously gyrate under your desk. We’ve seen several of these types of products at Backerjack like Tao and Cubii, both of which stress at-desk workouts. Like Cubii, Glyder emphasizes that elliptical motion, but does so in a sleeker manner at a fraction of the cost. While it’s unclear how beneficial a Glyder workout really is, the price and lure of activity at the office may be irresistible for antsy executives.

Categories
Fitness Safety Tech Accessories

Jolt Sensor sits on your head, makes sure it stays there

The Premise. Head injuries and concussions are always serious and must be treated accordingly. Short of going to the hospital, however, it’s difficult to detect when a concussion has occurred. Athletes are especially susceptible to such dangers and need to be constantly monitored for safety.

The Product. The Jolt Sensor is a small device that lives on an athlete’s helmet, headband, or goggles. It’s white, discrete and hooks up via Bluetooth to smartphones. The Jolt Sensor is sensitive enough that it can detect when a concussion may have occurred based on the wearer’s head’s acceleration rate. When such an injury has been sustained, it sends a signal to a parent or coach altering them to the player’s condition. Jolt runs on a multi-week battery and can be recharged using a USB cord.

The Pitch. The campaign video goes through the dangers of head injury as well as the common occurrence of athlete’s getting back into the game too quickly after being hurt. One of the creators had one such injury wrestling and sustained brain damage due to improper care of his concussion. The rest of the campaign goes into specs of the Sensor as well as the manufacturing schedule for the product. Jolt Sensor is looking to raise $60,000 in a month on Kickstarter.

The Perks. Early birds can enjoy the Jolt Sensor for $80. At a regular rate, the Sensor will cost backers a $100 donation. Bigger tiers offer multi-packs of the product. Sensors are expected to be delivered in May 2015.

The Potential. Any way that athletes can be safer is always welcome. Many are pressured to push through their injuries in the name of the game, so it’s great that Jolt Sensor has found a way to support an athlete’s claim that they may be seriously hurt. The only apparent drawback of the Jolt Sensor is that, if fallen directly upon, it may break or push a dent into the wearer’s head. Still, the idea that concussions can be detected early and treated is a welcome concept for members of any sports team. 

Categories
Connected Objects Fitness Smartwatches/Bands

$29 Jaha fitness band counts steps, saved dollars

jaha2With the likes of the Fitbit Flex, Jawbone Up, and Nike Fuelband hogging up the spotlight alongside other, lesser known fitness bands, Jaha is hoping their version will stand out. With the options to locate and challenge others nearby or take up the virtual challenges Jaha will throw at you with the accompanying iOS app, the product isn’t content with only keeping you informed, but motivated as well. Of course, the challenge is that we’re starting to see a lot of this step-counting functionality built into the smartphones themselves. Jaha’s campaign is trying to shore up $25,000 to have their band around your wrist by November 2014.

Categories
Connected Objects Fitness Health and Wellness

PrO2 helps you breathe easy when it comes to personal fitness

pro2Anyone who has stepped on a treadmill for the first time in months knows how quickly breath leaves unfit lungs. Fitness and how hard one can push themselves has so much to do with how easy it is to breathe. PrO2 is a device that can monitor a baseline breath and with that create a training program to help build endurance and ease of breath. Sending its readouts to any smartphone or tablet, PrO2 is quick and easy to use. The wait-and-see approach of PrO2 feels outdated, however, considering the real-time input/output cycle of wearable fitness trackers and even breathing trackers like Spire. PrO2 will hit the ground running in September for $199.

Categories
Fitness

Spyder 360 spins a web of portable exercise options

Spyder360Perhaps one of the biggest challenges in connection to exercise is changing up the routine enough to keep from getting bored and drifting away from a regular workout schedule. That’s why multiple types are good, or in the case of Spyder 360, multiple options. The gadget’s creator boasts of a product that offers endless range of motion and that easily fits into many popular exercise programs on the market, while still doing wonderful things for the user’s core and more. At $84, this seems like a reasonable price, and a nice alternative on those busy days when getting to the gym just isn’t possible, or when one wants to avoid going out into inclement weather. Anticipated delivery is December 2014.