Saturday, August 16, 2014 at 5:24PM In this mid August Update Video I talk about the following topics:
I also talk about some upcoming videos I have planned:
Thursday, August 14, 2014 at 11:47PM 
Just a quick Deadlift PR Post. I don't go for too many 1 rep PR's these days, just too hard on the old muscles and joints ;) But every once in a while when I am feeling good, I try to rep out a Personal Record.
Last week I actually did this exact same PR when we where doing a 5x5 deadlift day. Today we where doing 5 sets by 3 reps but I wasn't really sure if I wanted to go much over 433 pounds so I decided to throw 433 pounds on the bar and go for another 5 reps to make sure it wasn't just a fluke the first time! Well I got it again and I almost felt like I had another one left in me but there was still a fair amount of back workout left to go so I called it quits...
If you are wondering how heavy Deadlifts effect your heart rate, checkout my Polar Loop and Garmin VivoFit Heart Rate Monitor reports for this workout. You may be surprised, the peak in the middle of the workout is my heavy set of 433 pounds hitting 5 reps!
Deadlift in Crossfit, Strength, Update, Workout Journal Thursday, August 14, 2014 at 11:29AM This video may be a bit tuff for some people to watch and may give some people feelings of guilt or responsibility. This is not meant to make anyone feel bad about the choices they have made in the past but rather to try and make better choices in the future for themselves and their family.
Friday, August 8, 2014 at 1:57PM 
The Kinivo products keep coming so I will keep reviewing them, and I really don't mind one bit! I have been struggling with how to pronounce the name Kinivo and I finally got the word on exactly how it should be spoken (Kee-Nee-Voh). Now that we're all clear on that one I can move on with the rest of this review featuring the $49 Kinivo BTX450 Premium Bluetooth Boom-box. Not really sure if it's a Boom-box per-say? Maybe a bit small for that but it for sure has more "umpf" than the Kinivo BTX270's I reviewed early. Now if you really want power and deep base, you are going to have to go for something larger and more dedicated like the Kinivo M2 Bluetooth Stereo Speaker System, again reviewed by yours truly earlier.
Getting back to the Kinivo BTX450 Premium Bluetooth Speakers. Where exactly do they fit in, where are they best used? Since they have a built in fairly high capacity 3600 mAh rechargeable battery with 6 hours of battery life, you don't need any wall power so you can take them just about anywhere and the Kinivo BTX450's do have a fair amount of volume to them so you can use them even when there is some background noise or in a larger sized room. The Kinivo BTX450's are still small enough to easily put inside a backpack or gym bag, and you can either pair your Bluetooth enable device to them or plug in using the supplied 3.5mm mini jack audio cable. They may be a bit large if you plan on adding them to your carry on so if this is your intended use then check out the Kinivo BTX270's since they are ideal for that purpose. But if you want a decent amount of quality sound in a still rather small package the Kinivo BTX450's would be the way to go.
I would describe the sound quality of the Kinivo BTX450's to be smooth, not an excessive amount of high or lows but enough to hear everything clearly and as it was intended to sound. Distortion is only present at very high volumes and when the bass is a dominant factor in the music being played. Most songs can be played at full volume with little to no audible distortion.
The Kinivo BTX450's are a very stylish looking speaker setup that would look good just about anywhere with its piano gloss black finish, simplistic top facing satin controls, clean round lines and sturdy rubber pads that keep it in place when the music starts a rock'n!
Here are all the stats for all you techno geeks:
The Kinivo BTX450 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker with rechargeable battery is designed to deliver 10W of full bodied rich sound and dynamic bass. Seamlessly stream music via Bluetooth from your computer, smartphone or other Bluetooth capable device.
Key Features:
Device compatibility:
What's in the Box:
Warranty:
Kinivo, Kinivo BTX450 in Product Review, YouTube Video Thursday, July 31, 2014 at 7:03PM ;)
I have had a lot of people ask me about the VivoFit Activity Tracker and to be honest on it's own its really just another fitness activity tracking band. OK, so it does have a built in 1 full year of life battery which means no having to recharge it every few days, I kind of have to admit that is nice! Add a Heart Rate Monitor Chest Strap to it and now we're talking!
As many of you know I really like my Polar Loop combined with the Polar H7 Heart Rate Monitor Chest Strap, it gives me pretty close to my true caloric burn for the day really giving me detailed tracking of just about any type of workout I throw at it step based or not. The VivoFit Activity Tracker with Heart Rate Monitor Bundle is Garmin's offering of a very similar solution but with their own unique twist and that primarily being low power consumption and long battery life, a year to be exact!
That's all fine and dandy but what I really want to find out is how does it get the job done? Will it work as well as my Polar Loop / H7 combo or will it have some short comings, they all do, so what exactly are they?
I will be testing my VivoFit Activity Tracker with Heart Rate Monitor Bundle over the next couple of weeks and when I find out what's good and what's not so good, I will get back to you with my full review where I plan to not only do a complete review of the VivoFit Activity Tracker with Heart Rate Monitor Bundle, but also compare it heavily to my Polar Loop and H7 Heart Rate Monitor so stay posted on this one...
Garmin, Polar Loop, VivoFit in Product Review