How Novice Runners Should Start Training for Maximum Results

How Novice Runners Should Start Training for Maximum Results

Most running novices plot their early runs in terms of distance. "I used to be able to run X distance in high school; I’m going to run that same distance today." Then they spend the next two weeks hobbling around like a broken grandpa. There’s a better way.

Read more…

    

FitStar launches first app with NFL star Tony Gonzalez, creates customized exercise videos on the fly

FitStar launches first app with NFL star Tony Gonzalez, creates customized exercise videos on the fly

Exercise apps are a dime a dozen and the fitness training video market is even more saturated. New comer FitStar sees an opportunity to blend the two forms with an application platform that’s part video CMS, with a special twist. The first app being offered, FitStar: Tony Gonzalez, creates a customized workout routine on your iPad, pieced together from 80 different exercises that the star tight end guides you through. The end product isn’t terribly dissimilar from your average workout DVD, but the route it takes to get there is dramatically different. When you first launch the app you’ll be asked to create an account and fill out some basic information about yourself including your level of fitness. A brief assessment program helps establish a baseline, then a routine is generated dynamically just for you using special algorithms. In fact, every time you fire it up, a new routine is created to keep you from getting bored with a repetitive workout plan.

Filed under:

Comments

Facebook’s move to mobile powered by intensive internal training

Facebook’s made no bones about the fact that its focus has shifted from a desktop web- to a mobile-focused company. Today, Director of Mobile Engineering, Mike Shaver informed us exactly how the company is making the change. It turns out, the company started an intensive training program last July in order to bring people up to speed on coding native apps for iOS and Android. How intensive? The program, run by Big Nerd Ranch, is five straight days of training for eight hours each day — after which, those who make it through can “start writing code for apps the very next Monday.” While roughly 80 percent of employees who take the training are engineers, it’s important to note that any Facebook employee can take the course. Thus far, designers, product managers, engineering managers and even a recruiter are among the 450 who have completed the training.

It’s all a part of the Social Network’s plan to build “mobile empathy” among all of its employees, and getting everyone thinking mobile first. Facebook’s able to go this route because it keeps the bar high when hiring new employees, seeks generalists to fill engineering slots, and folks are expected to get up to speed as needed once they’ve joined Zuckerberg’s flock. So, if you thought building that slick new game for Android or iOS was going to give you a leg up on the coding competition when seeking work at Facebook HQ… think again.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Giant Robotic Monsters Now Train Rugby Players

No, the robot invasion hasn’t begun. This six-legged robotic simulator is being used to train rugby players as a part of the management-transition training program at Thales. It is called the Thales Scrum Simulator. It was developed to analyze accidents in order to help avoid spinal cord injuries to players and now it is also used for coaching and match preparations.
Thales Scrum Simulator
This beast uses a six-axis motion system which responds to the player’s strength input using sensors on the back side beam and shoulder pads. Each player has his own weaknesses and it adjusts the resulting pressure. The pre-programmed control then makes sure that the reaction is as real as possible which enhances the training, making it more real.

rugby robot 2

The coach can also control it with a joystick and apply pressure to any area he wants. Right now, As of now this crazy thing is a part of the French national rugby training center in Marcoussis, near Paris.

It may make Rugby players tougher for now, but what happens when it gains sentience? I don’t want to be anywhere near it when that happens.

[via Humanoides.fr via Damn Geeky]

Scottish Hospital is a Robot Shop of Horrors

There’s nothing new about robots helping doctors learn their craft, but normally they are satisfied with just a CPR robot or just a robot that simulates a heart attack. However, the Forth Valley Royal Hospital’s high-tech Scottish Clinical Simulation Centre is like a robot house of horrors.
hospital robot
It is there that trainee doctors and nurses in Scotland are perfecting their skills on robot patients. There are robots that breathe, speak and have heartbeats – and robots whose eyes dilate when a doctor shines a light in it. The robots are operated by computers and respond to the treatment in various ways.

robot hospital 2

That’s all well and good, but have a look at the video and be creeped out by how many of these freaky robots are just laying around on tables like the undead. Skip to about 40 seconds for stuff you’ll see behind your eyelids tonight in bed tonight.

And if the training robots aren’t enough, they have tons of robots working behind the scenes in the facility too. They patrol the corridors, sort the mail and take care of drug orders. These people need to evacuate that building now!

[via BBC]

Sony NWZ-W273 Waterproof Walkman Lets You Swim with Your Tunes

If I didn’t have my music when I was running, I probably would have trouble with boredom and motivation, especially because I usually run by myself. So I can imagine the same holds true for any sort of distance swimming. Swimmers rejoice and check out Sony’s new sports MP3 player, that’s completely waterproof.

sony waterproof nwz z27 music player

The Sony NWZ-W273 Walkman is an integrated headphone/MP3 player with 4GB of internal memory. Even if you swim more than a few laps, that should be plenty to load up your favorite tunes for a lengthy workout. Its IPX8 rating means it’s waterproof to up to 2-meters (~6.56 feet) in depth. The device delivers up to 8 hours of music playback, and has a quick-charge option which will juice it up in 3 minutes for an extra hour of playback.

sony waterproof nwz z27 music player device

I can already see hardcore triathletes using this in the water, because they will be easily able to use this on their bikes, and then in the water directly. Assuming, that is, that their particular triathlon allows the use of music players.

sony waterproof nwz z27 music player chilling

The NWZ-W273 Walkman is available in black, white, pink or blue. It’s coming soon to the Sony Store, and sells for $99.99(USD).

Leikr GPS Sports Watch: Is Bigger Better?

If you’re active, it’s good to have a GPS watch. They have plenty of uses, especially if you run or cycle. Keeping track of your workout is one of the best features. The ones that also feature active navigation will make sure that you won’t get lost. However, most GPS watches can be bulky, counterintuitive to use, and the screen usually isn’t that great.

leikr sports watch gps

The Leikr sports watch is supposed to link to GPS satellites faster than others on the market. It’s also is supposed to be less bulky and easier to operate than other GPS watches, though it still looks pretty big to me. That’s probably because of it’s 2-inch widescreen, 320×240 color display. The low-glare Gorilla Glass covered face is bigger than average watches, but it’s only 1.065 cm thick. Having such a large display allows for more legible maps than other GPS watches, as well as the ability to display all of your pertinent stats – time, distance, speed, pace, calories burned and heart rate – on a single screen.

leikr sports watch gps wrist

It’s got 8GB of onboard storage and has a 500 Mhz processor, and can communicate with other devices using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and is also ANT+ compatible. Its rechargeable battery is supposed to last 6 hours of active use. Its maps are powered by OpenStreetMap, so I’m not exactly sure how accurate the map data will be. You might want to swing by their website to verify that the maps for your regular haunts are complete and up to date.

The project is currently raising funds for production over on Kickstarter, and you’ll have to pledge at least $279(USD) to reserve one.

[via TechCrunch]

Nike+ Kinect Training Hands On: Some Serious Home Exercise [Video]

With some exceptions, when you think “gamers” you don’t generally think “paragons of health and fitness.” But maybe you should. There are already a lot of fitness games on the market, and they range from good to horrible, but this collaboration between Nike and Microsoft is something else. More »

Scosche’s Rhythm pulse monitor for iOS tracks your run, lets you change the beat (video)

Scosche's Rhythm pulse monitor for iOS tracks your run, lets you change the beat video

“Appcessories” is probably one of the more abrasive, yet devilishly descriptive, portmanteaus we’ve heard in recent years. But, if you’re still not sure what it means, consider the Rhythm pulse monitor from Scosche a perfect example. The forearm-mounted device is a pulse / heart rate monitor with an iOS companion app. Working with some of your phone’s inner smarts (like GPS), along with a dedicated accelerometer, the hardware / software combo logs vital data from your work out, which you can then share with the world, or enjoy broken down into detailed statistical analysis. If you’ve ever gone jogging with your iPhone, you’ll know how fiddly it can be to change music tracks on the hop, so you’ll be pleased to know the Rhythm covers that too. If this sounds like what your workout is missing, you can strap-up right away from any Apple or AT&T store (real or online) for $99, with other outlets, including Best-Buy stocking in time for Christmas.

Continue reading Scosche’s Rhythm pulse monitor for iOS tracks your run, lets you change the beat (video)

Filed under: ,

Scosche’s Rhythm pulse monitor for iOS tracks your run, lets you change the beat (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Sep 2012 01:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceiTunes  | Email this | Comments

This Is One of the Worst Deaths I Can Imagine [Imagecache]

I hate, hate, HATE, the idea of being trapped in the water upside down. Or down upside. Or whatever side. It’s one of the worst deaths I can imagine. Thankfully, if you are a USAF helicopter pilot, there’s a way out: More »