On Jillian Michaels Daily Dose segment she gave a review of the JayBird Sportsband.  Jillian is  said “As you see no cord, how cool is that?”  

She goes on to talk about how awesome it is to have a bluetooth headset because she’s used other headphones with cords on the treadmill and had her iPhone go flying when she’s hit the cord with her hand.

Then she talks about how awesome she thinks the JayBird Sportsband is saying “this is my newest favorite thing!  Especially if you’re doing pushups and your jumping around and plyometrics.”

Jillian Michaels is a world renowned trainer and she loves the JayBird Sportsband because they’re awesome!  If you want to pick up a pair for yourself just click here!

The JayBird Freedom Bluetooth headphones were designed specifically for active individuals. They ship with a variety of earpieces to ensure a comfortable fit, the manufacturer claims they’re sweat proof, and there aren’t really any cables to snag.

So are my riding needs and beats back in tune?

The most frustrating part of working out with the current crop of headphones is the dangling cables. Have you ever had an ear bud ripped out of your ear while riding? I recently broke a set of expensive headphones when the cable caught on my desk and irreversibly bent the audio plug.  Routing the cable through my jacket or out my backpack is less than ideal because it makes removing either difficult. When I’m out riding I don’t want to stop for stupid details.

The JayBirds are great as a workout headphone because they fit comfortably and stay in place. They are heavier than a traditional set of headphones, but after much experimenting, I found a combination of earpieces that worked for me. The trick JayBird “ear cushions” do a great job of keeping the unit’s solidly in place, but take some time getting used to too insert quickly, and they started to cause me some discomfort after an hour. Combining the more traditional over the ear loop with the custom ear cushions relieved that pressure and allowed me to wear them comfortably all day.

The Freedoms easily lasted for more than the claimed 6 hours. The excellent battery life is a real boon because I frequently forget to charge/bring the charger. The JayBirds use a semi-proprietary USB instead of the more common micro USB standard found on most modern cell phones.  The charging cord shipped with the headphones is rather short, which is sometimes inconvenient. The package also does not include a USB to wall adapter, but the headphones charged without issue using a spare apple adapter.

The headphones pair and repair with my iPhone, my old Palm Pre, and my windows laptop without any difficulties. It’s almost easy enough a baby boomer could do it without asking their kids for help. The headphones also double as a headset for your phone. The audio isn’t perfect, as it doesn’t have any fancy integrated noise canceling, but it performs adequately in a pinch. Callers did not complain unless I was in a loud crowded setting like a coffee shop.

I didn’t have any issues with the headphones losing their signal, but JayBird recommends using an armband when outside. Your body is largely comprised of water and the Bluetooth signal can be blocked if placed in your pocket. My signal never failed when paired with the iPhone I keep stowed in my backpack. It’s pretty neat to walk clear across the office without having to drag your cell phone or laptop along.

The right earpiece has 3 different buttons which serve multiple purposes. The volume adjust buttons can be held down to skip back to the beginning of a song or advance to the next one, but I kept dislodging the earpiece trying to use this feature when I was I was riding technical trails. This feature works best when you’re running at a jogging pace or trucking up some smooth fire road because it requires a rather long button press to advance tracks. The large side button triples as the on/off, pause/play, and pairing button.

The bottom line is these headphones work great for their intended purpose. The highs are a little muddled, the bass isn’t bumping, and the audio quality won’t blow any audiophiles away, but this is the best audio experience I’ve ever had with a wireless setup. They don’t interfere with my half lid straps, they’ve stayed in place during some really nasty descents, and they have a lifetime warranty against sweat (JayBird is a USA Triathlon Team sponsor.)  If you’re in the market for a pair of no compromise workout headphones that won’t get in your way, the JayBird Freedom headphones should be on your short list.

Click here to purchase your own set of JayBird Freedom Bluetooth Headphones.

Courtesy of bikerumor.com

BEACH BOOT CAMP

No, it’s not a race. It’s an all-new way of challenging your body—and have a great time doing it. But unlike other events, you won’t just walk away sweaty, tired, and sore. You’ll leave smarter. We’ll introduce you to exercises you’ve never done, equipment you’ve never tried, and workouts that you’ve dreamed of! We’ve literally brought the pages of our magazines to life in the most fun venue on the planet: the beach. That’s right: Fit men and women in swimsuits—abs rippling, butts glistening—getting fitter by the second.

Day 1 starts with a grueling and exhilarating 12-station, 90-minute workout on the beach: We call it The Gauntlet. It combines the latest metabolic-training methods along with the coolest equipment. You’ll learn how to use battling ropes, kettlebells, medicine balls, TRX, and even sandbags to get an unbelievable workout.

What’s more, The Gauntlet is strategically designed so you’ll be able to finish, no matter your fitness level. You just have to have the will to power through it. If you’re a hardcore fitness fanatic, don’t get cocky—your exercises will be amped up to match your training level. If you’re a beginner, don’t worry—our onsite experts will make sure your exercises sync with your abilities. As with everything in life, you get out of it what you put into it. So our experts will push yourself to your PERSONAL limits.

After you’ve conquered The Gauntlet, it’s time to cool down with live music, cold beer, and a beach-body contest you won’t want to miss. You can enter to win—or just hang out and enjoy the scenery. Plus, there’ll be Men’s Health fitness experts on hand demonstrating the most cutting-edge fitness products.

Day 2 features The Beach Battle, a unique fitness competition that will crown the King and Queen of the Beach! You’ll tackle a 5-station course that’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Think of it as part Survivor, part World’s Strongest Man competition. The top male and female will each win $2,500. Bragging rights will be awarded to the winners in various age-group categories. Are you tough enough? Prove it.

You can sign up for either day or both. Our guarantee: You’ll get the best workout of your life, while having the time of your life! Don’t miss this first-of-its-kind event. It’ll change the way you look at fitness.

Courtesy of menshealth.com

The company has reportedly ordered 4-inch screens from its suppliers, a bump from the currently standard 3.5-inch screen size that Apple has been using since the original iPhone appeared in 2007.

Rumors of a larger-screened iPhone have been floating around for some time now — especially since comparable Android phones gotten bigger and bigger, like the Galaxy Note and it’s monster 5.3-inch screen.

But many observers –including those of us at Ars’ Infinite Loop –have not bought into those rumors. You can count me as a critic of this rumor, but there may be more to the large-screened iPhone rumors than we originally thought.

We’re not likely to find out the truth anytime soon, though—the report says production is slated to begin next month, and Apple isn’t expected to roll out new iPhones until the fall.

Courtesy of cnn.com

Here’s our offer: You give 4 days a week to training for 6 weeks, and we’ll make sure you don’t embarrass yourself in front of the other thousand bibbed runners. Deal? Janet Hamilton, an exercise physiologist and professional running coach with 25 years of experience, has the plan to get you there.

Before starting this routine, you should be able to run continuously for 20 minutes. If you can’t run through for 20 minutes, consider a walking program for a month, gradually transitioning to running through intervals, says Hamilton.

The Basics

We’ve chosen Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday for running days, but the days can be shuffled to suit your schedule. Just remember, after the majority of your runs you should feel like you could have easily gone longer. If you’re toast at the end, you’re training too hard, says Hamilton. “Its really important to listen to your body and not push through pain,” she says. “If something hurts, you’re likely pushing pace or distance faster than your body can adapt.”

Hills: Try to run at the same perceived effort level (not pace—effort level) going up the hill as running on level ground and downhill, says Hamilton. That means easing your pace on the uphill sections, then quickening your pace on the downhills and flat stretches. (Don’t ride the breaks on the downhill or you’ll hurt your hamstrings.)

Fartlek: An unstructured form of speed work. On these days, warm up with a light jog, and then settle into a rhythm alternating between 60 seconds at target race effort (meaning: how fast you’d like to run on race day) and then 3 minutes back at an easy effort. Struggling? It’s okay to forget the fartlek and substitute an easy running day instead, says Hamilton.

Intervals: On interval days run 3 laps (or about .75 miles) at an easy effort. Then begin alternating 1 lap (or a quarter-mile) at your target race effort, then a half lap (an eighth of a mile, or about 220 yards) easy effort.  Repeat this 5 times. Finish the last half-mile at an easy recovery pace.

THE PLAN

Week 1
Monday
Run 1.5 miles at an easy pace

Tuesday
Run 2 miles with hills

Thursday
Run 2 miles with fartlek

Saturday
Run 2.5 miles at an easy pace

Total Mileage: 8 Miles

Week 2
Monday
Run 1.5 miles at an easy pace

Tuesday
Run 2 miles with hills

Thursday
Run 2 miles with fartlek

Saturday
Run 3 miles at an easy pace

Total Mileage: 8.5 Miles

Week 3
Monday
Run 1.5 miles at an easy pace

Tuesday
Run 2 miles with hills

Thursday
Run 2.5 miles with fartlek

Saturday
Run 3.5 miles at an easy pace

Total Mileage: 9.5 Miles

Week 4
Monday
Run 1.5 miles at an easy pace

Tuesday
Run 2.5 miles with hills

Thursday
Run 3 miles with intervals on track

Saturday
Run 4 miles at an easy pace

Total Mileage: 11 Miles

Week 5
Monday
Run 1.5 miles at an easy pace

Tuesday
Run 3 miles with hills

Thursday
Run 3 miles with intervals on track

Saturday
Run 4.5 miles at an easy pace

Total Mileage: 12 Miles

Week 6
Monday
Run 1.5 miles at an easy pace

Tuesday
Run 2 miles at an easy pace (no hills this week)

Thursday
Run 1.5 miles with pick ups (Three to four 30-seconds surges at your target race pace to keep your legs fresh)

Saturday
Race Day

Courtesy of menshealth.com

I’m Want To Pull My Hair Out!… But Only After 20 Minutes Of Touching My Toes

The importance of stretching was drilled in my head as a kid all the way up to college baseball. I remember times when pre practice stretching would last upwards of twenty minutes or more. I seriously couldn’t stand it. Not only did I feel like we were wasting our time, but I never felt as explosive and strong as I did with just a quick warm up. It seemed like I ran my fastest and threw my hardest when my muscles were “slightly stiff.” If stretching prior to competition was so important, why did it seem to work against me all the time? Before we take a look at what the experts say, I’ll give you the goods right away for you internet skimmers.

For Those Who Just Want The Summary

I figured I would simply give you the summary of my findings for those who could care less about the research. I understand people value their time so they simply want to know “is it good or bad?”  So here it is:

• Properly warming up the muscles in a dynamic approach is highly beneficial. This is achieved by allowing a full range of motion but done in a lighter manner.
• You don’t need to stretch before exercising because it reduces strength and power, thus making you weaker.
• If increasing flexibility is of importance to you, 1 stretch per body part for under 30 seconds/day is plenty. There is no need to hold stretches for minutes on end.

Note: Be smart and realize that there are exceptions for things. Especially requiring a different approach like specialy sports(gymnastics) or with the use of injury rehab.

Dynamic And Static Stretching/Flexibility

I will try and make this as short as possible so that it isn’t a “snooze” to read.

1. Dynamic(Active) Flexibility: You are using a full range of motion to help with flexibility. Think of a movement that slowly stretches the muscles while you are moving. (Ex: High knees, butt kicks, throwing motions, etc)

2. Static(Passive) Flexibility: Holding and extended position with tension for a longer period of time. This can be done with your own weight or assisted weight. (Ex: touching your toes, arm holds, doing the splits)

Does Stretching Before Working Out Prevent Injuries?

For nerds like us who like to see the research side: “Static (Passive) Stretching”

• An Australian army physiotherapist named Rod Pope conducted a study over a year with upwards of 1,600 recruits to determine the relationship between injury prevention and static stretching. He found that those who performed static stretches and those who didn’t, had no difference in preventing injury.  So what about dynamic flexibility.
• In the book “Sports Medicine” by Gleim & McHugh, challenged the idea of stretching and increasing flexibility as a way to prevent injury.

What About Explosive Movements And Strength?

There are so many studies that point to muscle strength decreasing in static stretches that it is mind boggling. Strength can reduce close to 30% right after stretching. Although they can’t figure out why explosive movements and strength decrease with static holds, I think it has a lot to do with the muscles losing its ability to contract hard and quickly. Here are some studies:

• Research shows that static stretching decreases muscle strength close to 10% for one hour after the stretch. It is also important to note that eccentric strength decreases by 7% when the hamstring is specifically stretched.(Mick Critchell, Warm Ups For Soccer: A Dynamic approach,  page 5)
• A very good study for athletes: They found that the muscles used for explosive movements like the hamstrings, quads, and calf muscles, reduced quite a bit with only three 15-second stretches. A decrease in specific coordination also decreased. (Knudson, D., K. Bennet, R. Corn, D. Leick, and C. Smith. 2000. Acute Effects of Stretching Are Not Evident in the Kinematics of the Vertical Jump.Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport vol. 71, no. 1 (Supplement), p. A-30.   Tomas Kurz, www.scienceofsports.com)
• Wayne State College: Study shows a 5% decrease in bicep strength after static stretches.
• McMaster University: Study shows a 30% decrease in calf strength after the muscle was stretched. This study also displayed a decrease in strength in the calf muscle almost an hour after the initial stretch.

What About Reducing Muscle Soreness?

A study that researched several types of stretching was done at the University of Sydney by Rod D. Herbert. He concluded that stretching does not seem to present a reduction or prevention of muscle soreness. Although he admits that that generality of his findings on injury prevention still needs further research, he says a lot of evidence is against it.

Flexibility And Stretching: Dynamic And Static Don’t Equate

Whether you are warming up to lift weights or for sprinting, dynamic and static stretching can create a deficit in flexibility. What I mean is this: Stretching a muscle to “improve” flexibility in a static manner, will not improve flexibility in the same way as if you were to do it in a dynamic fashion. This is why a lot of stretches out there can create this imbalance (deficit), thus increasing the likelihood of injury.

A Full R.O.M Increases Flexibility And Performance

If you want to increase your dynamic flexibility, then optimizing a full range of motion is key. This is the kind of mindset that you want in regards to flexibility and stretching. Optimizing a full range of motion will increase that range of motion in whatever exercise that you are performing. The only problem is that it can be tough to do when your muscles aren’t warmed up. We have a solution for that!

Warming Up The Right Way: From A Lifting Perspective

We have learned that stretching before working out reduces strength and performance, so that is the last thing that we want when lifting weights. So to properly warm up you will want to lift lighter weights using a full range of motion. While lifting you are going to “pretend” that the weight is really heavy. Grab the weight as hard as you can and flex the surrounding muscles really hard while lifting. Stick to a slow and controlled movement like you would with heavy weights. Not only will this warm up the muscles, but it is a great way for you to learn how to increase strength and muscle tone. For more on how to increase muscle tone without adding size check out: “Understanding True Muscle Tone And How To Get It” and Enhance Your Upper Body Strength With Thick Bar Training.

Courtesy of thefitnesschronicle.com

If you’re currently running five days a week for at least 40 minutes a day, you’re ready for doubles. Here’s how to pack the most into your summer so that come fall, you’ll have an edge on the competition.

FOLLOW A FORMULA
Instead of going out for one run, divide your normal run by two. This gives you the distance of your first run. Your second run will be three-quarters of the distance of your normal run. So on a day in which you’d normally do eight miles, you’d run four miles in the a.m. and six miles in the p.m. (8 x .5 = 4 and 8 x .75 = 6).

TAKE IT EASY-EASY
Start weaving doubles into your routine by performing them twice a week on your easy days. A double dose of laid-back runs is great for building cardiovascular conditioning and increasing your mileage base. This is the duo you’ll run the most.

THEN GO EASY-HARD
After a month of easy doubles, start adding an easy morning run to one quality day. These early sessions will loosen you up and keep you from feeling sluggish during evening intervals or tempo runs. Once your body has adapted to the mileage boost, turn another hard day into a double.

TOP OFF MILEAGE
It’s not necessary to do doubles on your long days, but on occasion it’s fine—especially if you’re trying to boost overall mileage for the week and are planning to follow the extra-long effort with a rest or easy day.

RUN AROUND RACES
Prior to an afternoon race, a 15-minute morning jog can iron out travel kinks and flush muscles with blood, which enhances flexibility. After a morning race, an easy 15-to 30-minute p.m. run can increase blood flow, which will reduce inflammation.

BACK OFF
Keep one run in the 60-to 70-percent effort range to progress safely. And remember, the goal is not to run doubles every day, but to run as many as you can without getting wiped out.

KEEP IT CONSISTENT
Don’t expect results from sporadic doubles. One of my athletes was an average high school runner who became an All-American in college after consistently performing duos. In his words, “It wasn’t until I was doing doubles three or four times a week, every week, that things really took off.”Run

More
Build up to a week that includes three two-a-days

Monday
A.M.: 6 miles easy
P.M.: Off

Tuesday
A.M.: 3 miles easy
P.M.: Intervals

Wednesday
A.M.: 5 miles easy
P.M.: 7 miles easy

Thursday
A.M.: Tempo run
P.M.: Off

Friday
A.M.: 4 miles easy
P.M.: 6 miles easy

Saturday
A.M.: 15-mile long
P.M.: Off

Sunday
A.M.: Rest or 4 miles easy
P.M.: Off

Courtesy of runnersworld.com

Participating in an Olympic event for the majority of athletes requires a great deal of determination and perseverance in order to make it to the Olympics.  The Olympics is a culmination of a lifetime of hard work striving to be the World’s best.  This year’s Olympic Summer Games in London will be no different in that every competitor will have overcome the odds to end up on an international stage, but for some those obstacles are more readily apparent.

The London 2012 Paralympic Games will be the biggest Paralympics yet, with 20 sports involving participants from 163 competing nations. The UK is considered to be the birthplace of the Paralympic Games and has a strong history in Paralympic sport. In 1948, Dr. Ludwig Guttmann organised a wheelchair archery competition at Stoke Mandeville hospital for World War II soldiers with spinal cord injuries. Four years later, competitors from the Netherlands joined and the International Paralympic Movement was born. In preparing for the 2012 Paralympics, London has been praised for venue readiness and accessibility.

Paralympic sport venues will be spread across London in many different locations, including the Olympic Stadium and the ExCel Center, as well as the impressive Aquatics Centre and The Royal Artillery Barracks.

The London Games will be broadcast in Europe, with UK’s Channel 4 planning to broadcast over 150 hours of television coverage. Live web streaming and social media will play a big part in broadcasting news and updates for the Games.

The video was produced by the Canadian Paralympic Committee.

Information courtesy of www.paralympic.ca/london2012

Here are a few reviews that have been left by satisfied customers at bestbuy.com

JoshW41 from Wadsworth, OH

After going round and round with several different headphone options, including the Motorola Bluetooth version, I stumbled upon the JayBird Freedom JF3′s on the shelf. The staff in the mobile department said they had just come in, and they hadn’t tried them, but they liked the other JayBird products, so these had to be up-to-par. I’d absolutely recommend these to anyone who is looking for new headphones.

Adean from Washington, DC

I got these headphones strictly for working out and they are exactly what I was looking for.  They stay in my ears during 40+ minute runs (even at high speeds with heavy sweating) and weight lifting.  Comfortable fit and great sound.  This is the first Bluetooth set (this is my third try) to completely please me!

There are lots of different ear piece sizes and it took a few tries to figure out which works best.  With the around the ear holder and the ear grabber (I don’t know what you call them) both on, they are snug as a bug in my ear!  The volume controls and song fast forward and rewind are nice extras too…I love these things & my workout is no longer hindered by my hands poking my ears every 20 steps.

engineman04 from Rockford, IL