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Fitness

Xpodz hemispheres help your grip on mat exercises

Many athletes have suffered one injury or another during their active lives. As such, they can still be active, but must take care of their weak spots to avoid pain or further injury. Xpodz is designed for those with weak wrists. Push ups, yoga, Pilates and other activities are difficult for those who have wrist pain. Xpodz features round surfaces for athletes to rest their hands on with a flat base so that they remain stable on the ground. The ergonomic shape makes any wrist activity much easier for those with aching joints. Xpodz’s design originally started out by cutting a softball in half. For foot comfort, this product also comes with foot grips so that your feet don’t slip around.

This fitness tool comes in many different colors and will cost backers a donation of $36 for delivery in December 2014. On Kickstarter, this product hopes to raise $25,000. Many fitness classes feature wrist-free options for those with pain. Clearly, this is a problem among athletes, so Xpodz is a great way to avoid further injury. It’s also versatile in that it can be used in a solo workout or brought to a class to keep up with the rest of the folks.

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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.

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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.

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Luggage and Bags

Duffel-pack hybrid claims to be light as Aer

AerFor anyone with a busy lifestyle, multipurpose items are the way to go. However, most office workers carry two bags to work, one for laptops and files and the other for gym accessories for an after work gym visit. The Aer duffel bag makes it possible to carry everything in one neat package. This bag features a ventilated shoe pocket for sneakers, a secure case for carry around a laptop and a quick-access section for pens, phones, and other smaller items. While the creators have done a nice job of combining a backpack and duffel bag, the Aer still seems a little bulky to carry around. One Aer will cost backers $129 on Kickstarter. Aer has a campaign goal of $45,000.

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Food and Beverage Health and Wellness

Podlife Shaker serves up pods to help your bod

The Premise. Many believe that one key to optimal workouts is nourishing your body with the correct supplements. With proper nutrition, your muscles are better able to bulk up the way you want them to. You also avoid the dangers of becoming undernourished or dehydrated.

The Product. Taking a cue from popular single-cup coggee brewers, Podlife offers several different supplemental powders featuring different flavors such as Whey Protein in Chocolate & Vanilla, Thermogenic Fat Burning Whey Protein, Pre-Workout in Tropical Pine, Nootropics Pod, and SuperGreens: 100% Vegan Superfood. With the 300ml Podlife Shaker, health nuts can keep a pod safe in the bottom of their bottles and then simply push down to release the powder into the water and shake to mix it up. The Podlife Shaker looks like a simple, clear water bottle with black trim. It comes apart and is dishwasher safe for easy cleaning.

The Pitch. This Australian-made product’s video shows Podlife being used by beefy Aussies in the gym. The rest of the campaign talks about the products, shows the different pods being sold as well as pods that are slated for manufacturing in the future. Podlife is also donating 30 grams of rice to Rice for Cambodia for each pod sold. The podophiles hopes to raise $55,000 USD in a  45-day Indiegogo campaign.

The Perks. For $38, backers can enjoy the Podlife Shaker and a box set of 12 assorted pods. Higher reward tiers offer lots of bulk packages of pods and shakers alike. All tiers include free shipping to the US and Australia.

The Potential. People seem to love anything that combines health with convenience. Other bottles like the PROMiXX offer safe supplement storage, but don’t come in conveniently portioned out pods. PROMiXX, however, doesn’t rely on shaking, but has its own agitating device to make mixing easier. Based on the success of Keurig machines that offer coffee, tea and iced tea beverages, Podlife could have strong appeal to gym rats to keep themselves supplemented up before and after exercising, but of course one key will be making it easy and affordable to get the pods.

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Fitness

Resistance is not futile, helps your free-weight workout

ResistanceMany gym rats use resistance bands to make their workout even more beneficial. The only problem is that some exercises are out the question with resistance bands because they’re too difficult to hold and can create a dangerous situation. Resistance solves this problem. This fitness accessory acts as a wrist or ankle cuff that fastens using Velcro. The pièce de résistance is a swiveling hook in the shape of a stylized “R” that attaches the band, making it possible to lift free weights with some extra resistance. This product costs backers $30 with an estimated delivery date of May 2014. Resistance hopes to raise $15,000 in a 40-day Kickstarter campaign.

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Aerobics Fitness

Virtual Knockout gamifies boxing mitt training fitness with tablet

The Premise. Video games have traditionally been controlled through small hand and finger movements, but lately, video game developers have created systems (such as the Wii, the Xbox Kinect, and Rockband) that allow players to use their whole body to immerse themselves in the game. Wii Sports doesn’t exactly offer the most technical training with its boxing game, and thus a quality interactive boxing videogame has yet to be developed—until now.

The Product. Virtual Knockout is the result of a combination between rhythmic gaming and focused mitt training. It’s a game that can be played on an iOS or Android device where a virtual trainer throws a variety of punches that require quick reflexes and timing to succeed. But if the user wants to turn the game into a workout, he or she can mount their device on to a unit that comes complete with spring loaded targets equipped with accelerometers. The result is an intensely fun workout that cuts out the need for a trip to the gym or payment for a trainer.

The Pitch. It’s much easier to see how the Virtual Knockout could be useful when it’s in action. The studio device that they use for the video seems sturdy enough, but it remains to be seen how a wall mount can withstand a bevy of punches. The app, however, looks like a game made for the 1990s. The gameplay seems too repetitive to retain any interest from a casual player, and the graphics are mediocre at best.

The Perks. The app isn’t quite ready yet, but it’s expected to be available in June for $5. But if you’re looking for the full-body experience, the price will be a lot higher. The Early Bird Wall Banger that mounts to a wooden or masonry wall costs $299 (app included), and it is expected to be delivered in October 2014. The Floor Model has an even steeper price of $649 for the Early Bird deal, but it does come with a floor stand. The two models are expected to be delivered in December if you aren’t able to claim the Early Bird deal.

The Potential. A manufacturer still hasn’t been chosen, so that’s not a good sign, but the preliminary designs themselves don’t look too sturdy either. Even the limited market of customers who are interested in boxing are unlikely to use Virtual Knockout as a substitute for traditional training techniques, but it does appear as if Virtual Knockout can deliver an invigorating, fun aerobic workout.

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Fitness

Trojan 3-D Gym offers free-weight flexibility, workout machine safety

The Premise. Lifting weights at the gym is a fundamental part of a well-rounded workout. Sometimes, however, fatigue hits at the worst time and heavy weights can be dangerous. Falling over or dropping a barbell can cause serious injury to yourself or others around you and no one wants to look like a clutzy dope at the gym.

The Product. The Trojan 3-D Gym is a simple frame that barbells attach to. The exerciser stands in the middle of the frame and lifts the barbell. This fitness guide is designed to follow the movements of the lifter, expanding and contracting automatically. The British creator, David Bean, had three things in mind when inventing this product: replicating a free weight workout experience, increased safety, and quality craftsmanship.

The Pitch. The Trojan’s Kickstarter campaign is rather long and includes some unnecessary information, such as scanned questionnaires from gyms interested in the Trojan. The one thing the campaign does leave out is a detailed description of the Trojan itself and, instead, shows too many letters and documents surrounding its legitimacy in the patent world. The video provides the only real insight into the product’s purpose. It would definitely be helpful to see some sort of diagram or photo of the finished product, instead of blurry photos of the prototyping phases. Trojan hopes to raise £20,000 in its 30-day campaign run.

The Perks. Only backers willing to fork over £2,000 will receive a Trojan with an estimated delivery date of February 2015. Other lower tiers offer a variety of mini-perks with the added option of purchasing the apparatus at cost.

The Potential. The Trojan’s major goal is to replicate using free weights, but in a safer manner. There are several other workout devices out there that use a frame to help guide barbells, such as the PowerLine Power Rack, but not all have the same flexibility and freedom as the Trojan. One major argument against using weightlifting devices in lieu of free weights is that they don’t provide as good of a workout, because stabilizer muscles aren’t used. The Trojan 3-D Gym still requires those stabilizer muscles, but will help fitness buffs workout in a safe and efficient way. Trojan’s pricing is competitive for gym equipment. However, it’s a bit of a burden to lift for the home market at present.