Sports Product Review

So what is it you carry to the gym? A gym bag? Excuse me if I chuckle. You may max out at more than I do, but unless you carry that tight, sleeveless compression shirt in the Cross Sport Duffle by High Sierra, (www.highsierrasport.com), you’ll always be jealous.

This is the gadget-lovers bag. One zipper up top? Try about thirty. Everywhere. This thing’s got more hidden compartments than a haunted mansion on Scooby Doo. There's a large, main compartment with U-shaped zippered opening for easy access and, below, a removable roll-out mat, which is great for working out, changing shoes or sitting in wet grass. PVC coating makes it easy to keep clean. The mesh sport flap holds a helmet, basketball or soccer ball and hides away in another zippered compartment when not in use. The easy-clean, PVC-lined, wet end section rolls up and the ventilation panel keeps contents dry.

Want more? The front pocket has a hanging mesh toiletry pocket, key fob and ventilation grommets which also keep contents dry. There is a CD/MP3 player pocket with headphone port, and zippered water bottle pocket which, again, hides away when not in use. Adjustable straps on the back panel hold a yoga mat, baseball bat or a jacket, and an elastic shock cord on the main compartment opening holds additional gear. Finally the Cross Sport offers a detachable/adjustable shoulder strap with non-slip pad, while the neoprene handle wrap wicks hand moisture.

Yes, Bruno, you look good in front of the mirror. But don’t pretend that when you see me pack up my gear and stow it away in my Cross Sport that you’re not a little envious of what I’m lifting.

Source: High Sierra

If you find a slew of typos in this review, it’s because my arms are shaking. That’s because I just tried out the Wrist and Forearm Developer from Altus Athletic, (www.altusathletic.com). As with most great training aids, it is simple, yet as my jumpy fingers can attest—effective.

After connecting basic plate weights, the rope hangs down about four feet. Extending your arms outward and using your wrists, roll the cord up. Then slowly roll it back down. Repeat. It only takes a few pounds, and a few rolls, and you’ll feel it.

I’m not going for the Popeye look but I will tell you that this is going to be a regular part of my baseball-playing sons’ regimens from now on. Ten reps a day on the Developer between now and baseball season might be the difference between a base hit and a weak pop-out to short on a tough inside pitch. I don’t suppose super-strong forearms would be bad to have in any other sports they play either. 

I think they’re going to like the Altus Wrist and Forearm Developer. It’s just too bad it doesn’t come with a few cans of spinach.

Source: Altus Athletic

In the age of specialization, my son is one of those vanishing breed of high school athletes who plays more than one sport. So when football weight training started up, he developed a blister right under his middle finger that made it impossible to swing the bat in his summer baseball league. Fortunately, the blister eventually healed, and now there will be no more problems with sore hands thanks to his new fitness gloves from Bionic, (www.bionicgloves.com).

Bionic Gloves focus on the anatomy of the palm, fingers and thumb. These areas of the hand have bony prominences, or, high points of the bone next to the skin. The friction of a barbell, baseball bat or golf club against the bony prominences cause blisters, calluses and hand fatigue. Bionic Gloves feature strategically placed pads to reduce the pressure and friction caused by gripping a weight-bar, vastly improving both comfort and grip-strength. I’m sure my boy doesn’t understand or care about the science behind his Bionics. He says they feel great and make him stronger. They must look great too, because everyone has been asking him where he got them.

Working out in the weight room is not supposed to be easy. The team’s slogan is “No Pain—No Gain.” But pain that keeps you from doing your job doesn’t gain you anything. And tools like Bionic gloves, which not only allow you to continue doing your job, but do it better, help everyone get on the winning team.

Source: Bionic Gloves

If you’ve ever used a medicine ball for core strength training you know how effective it can be. Now, the folks at Valeo, (www.valeo.com), have taken that training tool to new levels of diversity and utility. The Tanker All in One Core Body Trainer is easier to use than a medicine ball, and gives you many more options.

Because you can fill the ball with water or sand and adjust the weight to meet your specifications, you can tailor the intensity of your workout. The side handles increase the variety and effectiveness of exercises you’ll perform. The ball is flat on one side, enabling you turn it into a great push-up device as well.

So go ahead and throw away the medicine ball along with the liniment oil and tube socks. Your new core trainer has arrived.

Source: Valeo

How are you holding up on those New Year’s resolutions? Specifically, how are you doing on that one about getting to the gym more often? I know, you didn’t think you’d be this busy this year and the only thing you have time to lift is that extra-heavy stack of work your boss put on your desk. What if there was a way to get a solid upper-body workout at home, simply, and in just minutes? No, this isn’t a segue into an infomercial hosted by Chuck Norris and Christie Brinkley, its an endorsement for that workout you hated in gym class, but will love now, the chin-up.

Want fast? In the time it would take you to throw your shorts and shoes in your gym bag, you can be on and off the bar and feeling the effects on your entire upper-body. And while you can spend infomercial prices on a fancy model, you’ll be just as happy with the basic chin-up bar by Ironman, (www.ironmanfitness.com), pictured, for about $15. It installs with a few screws in any doorway and, according to world-renowned strength trainer Charles Poliquin, directly affects the sternal portion of the pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, teres major, posterior deltoid, the rhomboids, the middle and lower portions of the trapezius, and the elbow flexors.

Now, chances are, if you know what all of those muscles are, you’re at the gym right now. But even so, Poliquin still endorses the chin-up. “I already can hear the people say, ‘I will just substitute pulldowns instead of chins’,” Poliquin writes. “Sure go ahead but you will not get the same results, and you will still have the lat spread of a cigarette.”

Lat spread of a cigarette? That hurts. And that’s probably what everyone is saying about you behind your skinny back at work. So throw off those excuses this morning and get up on the bar. You and your latissumus dorsi will be glad you did.

Source: Ironman