What better time than after the Holidays’ debauchery to talk about a cool new application that just might help get you back into a gym? Gym-Pact works like this: 1) You commit to go to the gym a certain number of times per week. 2) You also agree to put a certain amount of money at stake for each day you miss. 3) You get paid if you keep your goals with the money from those who didn’t! The amount of money you get isn’t set and depends on how much was collected from people who defaulted on their commitments on any given week. Your share gets bigger with a higher number of days at the gym, but not with the amounts you put at stake (these are for your personal motivation). Gym-Pact skims 3% off the top. You shouldn’t expect to get rich off this as 90% of users in an initial trial kept their goals, but even small amounts from 10% of users can add up over time.
There is an iPhone app with a check-in feature and 40,000 gyms in the database. If yours isn’t there, you can add it, though it has to be an actual fitness center and not a home or office gym. You also can’t just drop by the gym, check in and walk away; the app checks your location at regular intervals to make sure you stick around. And it appears to be a US only service at the moment, though we’ve contacted them to see if they have plans for expansion. No word yet. The app is free and available now.
Apparently just lifting dumbbells isn’t good enough any more. Like those crazy exercise belt-driven fitness contraptions of yesteryear, these BodyVib weights actually vibrate at 36Hz (or 2,160 vibrations/min) with an amplitude of 1.2mm, which is apparently more than enough to ‘intensify’ your training by up to 50%. The idea behind the vibrations is that it causes the muscles in your hands and arms to quickly contract and relax in response, burning more energy in a shorter period of time, and resulting in a longer afterburn time.
After a 30 to 50 minute charge (yep, it’s one more thing vying for power bar access) the dumbbells will vibrate for up to 2 1/2 hours. And to prolong the battery life they use a sensor to only start the vibration motor once you grab the handle. If it works as they claim I don’t see why everyone shouldn’t upgrade to vibrating weights… except for the price. Available in 3.3, 6 and 10 pound pairs, the BodyVib dumbbells sell for a whopping ~$1,060 (£649) to ~$1,190 (£729) on Pro-Idee.
It might look pretty run-of-the-mill as far as stationary bikes go. But there’s a reason ProForm’s ‘Tour De France’ has been named the official training bike of the actual race. And it’s not just because of the yellow highlights that match the famed yellow jersey. Thanks to its Google Maps-powered iFit Live Technology, you can virtually ride on any road on the planet. Including the official Tour De France route, which is one of the 24 pre-mapped and pre-programmed courses it comes with. (You can create your own too.)
But watching yourself following a virtual route on a tiny scrolling map isn’t that interesting. Or challenging. So the ‘Tour De France’ will automatically incline and decline to match the contours of the route you’re taking, making it feel like you’re riding up and down on the actual mapped terrain. Still not enough for you? The friction on the rear wheel is also automatically controlled to recreate your body’s wind resistance. When you climb on the bike and adjust it for your body, its onboard computers will calculate your height and weight, and apply the same amount of resistance you’d experience from the wind out on the open road.
It’s also got built-in wifi for syncing your performance results to iFit.com, is compatible with Polar’s chest-based pulse monitoring systems and even includes the necessary hookups for connecting and listening to your iPod. All for just $1,299. And let’s just hope you can avoid looking like this after a particularly gruelling ride.
There’s one reason I don’t have a hypothetical swimming pool in my apartment, and it’s this: it would take up all the room I need for my hypothetical badminton court. Hydro Floors has solved my hypothetical problem IRL with a swimming pool that completely disappears, giving you a solid floor to work with when you want one. The swimming pool (water and all) is still there, there’s just a floor (which is sometimes the floor of the swimming pool) on top of it. In addition to providing space for your badminton court, this also cuts down on heating costs by keeping the water insulated when you’re not in it.
Only problem is, I can’t buy one of these with all of the hypothetical money I have saved up. The website doesn’t say how much a Hydro Floor costs, but figure on absurdly expensive. So realistically, the only people who will likely buying these are evil geniuses looking for an absurdly slow death machine.
The Wii has always secretly been a game console that likes for you to get off your lazy ass and exercise. Sure, you can get away with just sitting on your couch wagging the Wiimote, but it takes away half the fun. Well now there’s a new accessory that aims to keep you sitting down and exercising at the same time. Yes, I’m talking about a bike.
The Cyberbike is a full-size stationary bike for your Wii. It comes bundled with some cheesy game that lets you save the world by mopping up pollution with your bike. Apparently it works with Mario Kart Wii though, so that would make it a little more interesting. Though I doubt the pedals come into play much in that game. Look for this to be out in Europe starting January of next year. No word on pricing or a US launch.
Designed by Clifford Couvillon, the Playnetix Tumbler 1.0 is a modern take on playground equipment, with some pretty lofty goals. You see, getting the younger set (like kids 6 and under) to go outside and play usually doesn’t take much more than a swingset and a slide. But those pesky tweens are a different story. Tearing them away from their video games and cellular phones for a little physical activity isn’t so easy. But Clifford is hoping the Tumbler 1.0 will do just that.
It’s a 3D triangular structure that constantly moves and pivots thanks to a special ball joint that’s anchored to the ground with a strong coil spring. As someone climbs on the Tumbler their added weight causes it to tip and sway which in theory encourages them to keep moving around and exploring the structure. At the least, it does look like a lot more fun than a set of monkey bars.
Stationary exercise bikes have definitely improved over the years, but a company called RealRyder is hoping to take things one step further with the ABF8. In addition to pedaling, which is where most exercise bikes draw the line, the ABF8 allows the rider to steer, lean and most importantly, balance, thanks to its unique articulating frame. So if you use a stationary bike for training purposes, not only will your legs, upper body and core muscle groups get a workout, but you’ll actually be improving your balance all from the comfort of your exercise room. The downside? The ABF8′s $1,995 price tag.
The Nintendo Wii makes for a much more involved video game experience than competing consoles. Some games like boxing are as much of a workout as Wii Fit. The popularity of the console for people looking for a fun exercise platform is undeniable with the Wii fit game being at the top of many sales charts.
For Wii Fit fanatics looking to get more from their workouts a new product will be shipping soon called the Riiflex dumbbells. The dumbbells are cut out to hold the Wii remote and nunchuck while you play games.
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