FX-Sport VRX Stand Alone Headphones with Built-in Personal Trainer Review

First off I want to thanks Duncan from FX-Sport in the UK for setting me up with a pair of their very unique VRX Headphones.

If you like what you see in this Review, you can purchase the FX-Sport VRX Headphones direct from FX-Sport using Promo code "MIKE20" and get $20 off for a limited time!

What are the FX-Sport VRX Headphones? First off they are based on a stand alone design so no built in Bluetooth and no iphone or smartphone is required! All of your music and selected Pre-prepared and Real Coach Training Sessions store within the 8GB internal memory. The FX-Sport VRX Headphones are built for quality, comfort and sound with notable features like top notch sound quality, customizable playlist with text to speech, and even the ability to make them fully water resistant so you can swing with them using the Silicone Skin Swim accessory.

Features:

• Come with carry bag and USB charging cable.
• Custom speaker with extra embedded amplifier of louder distortion free  sound.
• Secure and comfortable, stay in place without feeling to snug.
• 8GB Wire Free MP3 player
• Upload free pre-prepared workouts from the FX-Sport Workout Store.
• Upload “Real Coach Training Apps” to hear real world class trainers talk you through your workouts with your own choice of music playing.
• Can even design your own workouts.
• Scroll through multiple workouts stored on the FX-Sport VRX Headphones.
• Water Resistant/Sweatproof and Wire-free.
• Upgradeable to fully waterproof headphones using the FX-Sport Silicone Skin Case for swimming.
• Track Change and Volume Control.
• Fast Forward and Rewind within an Individual Track.
• Text to Speech Navigation through Playlists.
• Superior music quality. Bass and Treble Settings
• 5hrs battery life using all functionality with low battery ‘beep” indicator.
• 3x faster quick charge time.

Navigation: 

• -Power, play and pause button.
• (+) Button for volume up, track and playlist selections.
• (-) Button for volume down, track and playlist selections.
• FF/RM Button for fast forward and selecting and starting workout sessions.
• REW/SH Button for rewind and shuffle mode selection.

FX-Sport VRX App:

• Simple in design but gets the job done.
• Music Tab - for creating playlists and adding your personal music, the FX-Sport program automatically creates a text to speech audio files so your playlist is named on the VRX when selecting a playlist on the device.
• VRX/VRI Tab - for setting up training options like Race Mode, Pace Mode and the Programmable Trainer.
• Settings Tab - for adjusting the EQ for the FX-Sport VRX Headphones.

What I like!

My first impression was wow, the FX-Sport VRX Headphones look and feel awesome! The quality of the material is really good, they have their own very attractive look to them and the flexible band stays tucked nice and tight to the back of your head so these headphone are not going to interfere with your workout at all. I really like how all the controls are raised and textured so you can feel exactly which button you are pressing without having to see them. The FX-Sport VRX Headphones have to be one of the most comfortable headphone I have worn so far, they do a have bit of weight to them but this does not effect their comfort in the least.

In terms of sound quality the FX-Sport VRX Headphones again did not fail to impress me, they are able to go beyond loud but this can be good for sound tracks that may have been recorded on the low side. The overall sound quality it really smooth, lots of deep base and clean crisp highs that are not too tinny, the mids are very present but not woody sounding. I found listening to the FX-Sport VRX Headphones at even higher volumes distortion free and not tiring on the ears.

The controls did take some time to get used to since there is a lot you can control on the FX-Sport VRX Headphones, but once I got used to them I really appreciated the ability to easily control volume, skip songs, pause and start songs, find workout sessions and even fast forward through sections of music I want to bypass. 

What I would like to see improved:

There is not a lot here to say, from the ground up the FX-Sport VRX Headphones where designed to be a stand alone headphone with no dependencies on having to bring your Smartphone or be in Bluetooth range while working out. I did however miss the ability to pair the FX-Sport VRX Headphones to my iPhone or computer simply because I like to stream internet radio at times while I workout, I also like to watch videos or play games on my computer or iPhone and it would have been nice to be able to use the FX-Sport VRX Headphonesfor this use also. However I see the workout advantage of not being so connected to your smartphone and all of its distractions and interruptions.

On the Fence Stuff:

I pretty much only do weight training and literally never do any interval training, at least these days. Perhaps in the future when I’m not training for fitness contests I’ll do more interval based workouts. I realize you can make your weight training session interval based but that is not my style presently as I feel I am experienced enough at this point to known when I am ready to do my next set and how intense my workouts need to be. I do not want to discredit the importance of having pre-prepared and Real Coach Training workouts on the FX-Sport VRX Headphones since it is kind of cool how it all works and I can see how useful it can be for making your workouts more productive, fun and interesting. I can see the pre-repaired and Real Coach Training workouts not only being a great tool for the trained athlete but also the newbie learning how to get the most out of a workout.

Another thing I’m not is a swimmer :) So having the ability to upgradeable the FX-Sport VRX Headphones to a fully waterproof system using the FX-Sport Silicone Skin Case for swimming is another really notable feature but again one I would not personally use. If I was a swimmer I would probably jump all over this feature, Duncan from FX-Sport says that at time up to 50% of their sales come from swimmers so being fully water proof is in demand and worth making note of.

Summary:

The FX-Sport VRX Stand Alone Headphones with Built-in Personal Trainer are a headphone like no other and I really like that FX-Sport has seperated themselves from the trend. There are so many Bluetooth headphones out there all competing for a piece of this huge market. FX-Sport has done something radically different than all the rest by making their headphones stand alone in a world where everyone else feels they need to be connected at all times. The FX-Sport VRX Headphones free an athlete while still enabling them to have playback of all their favorite music and at the same time get a personal coach style workout in a super stylish and high quality package.

If you like what you see in this Review, you can purchase the FX-Sport VRX Headphones direct from FX-Sport using Promo code "MIKE20" and get $20 off for a limited time!

My 2016 Personal New Years Resolutions

It's another new year and so begin the New Years Resolutions. For the most part I am pretty happy with how last year went but there are a few areas I feel I could work on :) In this YouTube Video I talk about some of my 2016 Personal New Years Resolutions:

• Shave my head, no need to worry about the thinning hair. So far the family is not so happy about this one...
• Spend more quality time with my kids. I work from home which has it's challenges trying to differentiate work time from family time and focusing on one or the other.
• Get into the best shape of my life for upcoming Men’s Physique July 9th BCABBA BC Championships, and hopefully the Nationals shortly there after.
• Keep growing my YouTube channels and Blogs.
• Keep working with motivated and hard working clients. If you are interested in more information about my New Years Promotions contact me here.

2016 Fitness Resolution Do’s and Don’ts

1. It Never Ends.

Before you even start, If you think getting in shape is something you are going to do for a couple of Months to get back in shape, then you may as well not even start because I can guarantee once you stop your fitness program, you will go right back to the way you where and maybe even worse!

2. Have a Plan and Be Realistic.

You can not simply just say… “ I am going to eat better, get into shape and lose weight” Or what ever it is you plan on doing for your New Years Fitness Resolutions. You have to make a plan, and the more detailed your plan is, the more likely you are going to see it through and succeed in your goals. Write it down on paper and read that paper every day.

Make sure your plan is a realistic one, I suggest you plan in stages starting out with simpler smaller steps and then progressing along the way with more challenging steps.

3. Set Realistic Goals.

In your plan, have some milestones or goals, I want to lose X amount of weight. I want to have an X size waist or fit into X size clothing. I want to put on x pounds of muscle or achieve X amount of body fat. I want to be able to play with my kids or I want to see my Abs again!

Depending on what type of person you are you may want to set time lines for these goals, but this can also be discouraging for some people who may feel defeated if they do not succeed on schedule. What is most important is that you get to your goal, not how long it takes.

4. Make Rewards for Yourself.

Set in place small and larger rewards for achieving certain milestones. Stick to your diet all week and you get a nice cheat meal or even a cheat day on the weekend. Once you lose a certain amount of weight you get to buy some new clothing. Once you hit your ultimate goal, you may plan a vacation for yourself.

5. Yes You Will Have to Diet.

Do not think that working out alone is going to make you lose weight! Weather you plan on losing weight, gaining weight or even maintaining weight, diet is key. Diet is almost more important than the workout part of it all but both worth much better had in hand.

6. Just Going to The Gym is Not Enough.

So you made a plan to go to the gym and workout, and you even started going to the gym and are working out regularly. That should be good enough right? Nope! You have to also train hard in the gym, being there and simply moving your body around and lifting some weight is not enough. You need to push yourself outside your comfort zone to get real results. Of course you need to start out slow and build on the intensity but intensity is the most important factor in working out, what you actually do is secondary.

7. Keep the Drive Alive!

At some point you may lose focus or interest in your health and fitness plan. Some things that may help you are to watch other people that inspire you on YouTube, listen to upbeat music while you are at the gym, wear clothing in the gym that you feel good in, hang out around other people that share the same health and fitness interests a you do.

8. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others.

You are who you are, you are not anyone else. You have your strengths and weakness that you will not share with anyone else. If your goal is to be exactly like someone else than you will fail because this is impossible. Your goal should be to be the best version of yourself so figure out where you are strong and build confidence in those areas. Also figure where you are week and turn your weakest areas into your strongest areas.

9. New Years is Not the Only Time to Make a Commitment!

Everyone is in a panic to get back into shape after the Hollidays when the reality is this is probably the worst time of the year to do so… Gyms are packed and everyone is in the crazy zone. You may have even started a New Years Health and Fitness resolutions and failed already, that’s OK. Set some new goals and plan using these methods I am showing you now and give it another shot, there is no wrong time to start a health and fitness plan.

10. Be Accountable.

Going it alone means that nobody will notice if you stop or quit. Tell your good friends about your new health and fitness goals, find a workout buddy with a similar plan, if you can afford it, find a suitable trainer to help you get started and make sure you are maximizing your efforts, they will be a positive influence and help you stay the course.

I am offering an Online Personal Training New Years promotion at this time for a limited number of Clients. My 6 week program has been reduced to $129 US. Contact me here if you are interested in taking advantage of this special promotion!

Shoutout to McSwoly Wear

I wanted to mention a Shoutout to McSwoly Wear, one of my YouTube Channel viewers. Greg from McSwoly Wear sent me a couple of their T-shirts. I really like the concept these shirts represent and wanted to share them with everyone.

My favorite one, the one I am wearing in this video is the "Squat Like Your Ass Depends on it". There are all kinds of different shirts with different sayings and you can get them in different colors over in their Amazon Store.

You will also find some cancer survivor shirts since Grey, the fellow I have been in touch with is a cancer survivor himself. He went from being a 240 pounds weight lifter down to 140 pounds from the cancer. He is now cancer free and back up to over 200 pounds so a happy storey in the end!

Thanks again Greg from McSwoly Wear for the shirts, I wish you all the best with your shirt sales!

Oceanside California Family Vacation

This YouTube video is not fitness related at all, just some video and still photos of the family and I on Vacation in Oceanside California :)

This Vacations was for 10 days, my Wife Nicole and two children, Jordan and Gabriel left our home in Langley BC Canada on the 11th of December and returned on the 21st. We primarily stayed in our WorldMark Timeshare located in Oceanside California but also travelled to San Diego for several days visiting The San Diego Zoo, Sea World San Diego and spending some time at the Belmont Theme Park on the Beach in San Diego. We also spent a day at Universal Studios Hollywood which was a bit of a drive but lots of fun.

The weather was a bit cold this time of year but warm enough in the sun most days to get away with shorts and a T-shirt, well at least for us Canadians :)

The extra family time and break from the regular day to day routine was a nice change but returning home was also nice!