Best and worse fitness gadgets/ accessories of all time?
w734q672
Posts: 578 Member
I wanted to do a re-post, since I posted the wrong title earlier. I have every exercise equipment known to man. Most of the equipment that you see on the market are simply too impractical or too silly to use. Why do I know this? I've wasted close to ten grand on fitness equipment, so yeah, I know what works on a practical everyday basis. Below are my top 5 list of the best and worst fitness devices you need to destrominate the gym, and please, feel free to make suggestions or questions regarding any fitness equipment.
1. Lock Laces- You don't ever have to tie your shoes again. This is perfect for lazy people like me. Plus, they're cheap, and they have multiple colors.
2. Blender Bottle- These things rock. I typically take the whisk out, since it's unnecessary most of the time for my protein shakes, and because they are a pain to clean. Why yes, I am lazy *cough* cough *time sensitive. Tip: You can flip the lip to create a funnel for your supplements.
3. Gym Boss with strap- You don't need Cross Fit to get to your target heart rate, you simply need this little devil. The gym boss is a timer device that I constantly take to the gym. It is a timer I use to time the duration or rest time of exercises.
4. Flip Belt- I don't know why I didn't think about inventing something so simple. Think stretchy waist band with pockets for your keys or ids. Basically, you can carry your valuables around your waist without having to use a locker or leaving them on the ground for someone to use.
5. A Journal/ Excel/cellphone- It's going to be hard to see progress if you don't know how you are doing, And no, you can't properly gauge progress based on how you feel. Take the time to record what you are doing, so you can reflect on how bad-*kitten* you are becoming.
Top 5 equipments that will just waste your money
1. Elevation mask- If you want to look absolutely funny in the gym, then, by all means, invest in this product. On a more serious note, there's just no significant proof/ correlation to show that these products work. They will, however, make you look at Bane's twin cousin. I currently use my mask in combine with my weight vest for Halloween. I try to imitate bane and scare little kids by saying " Victory has defeated you" in my bane voice.
2. Sauna Suit- I almost forgot about this one. I do actually have one of these, which I bought when I was first starting out. Besides looking completely silly, this accessory just doesn't work. Sweating does not equate to burning more calories. Plus, you may actually put your health at risk using a sauna suit, as your body cannot sufficiently cool itself. This may elevate your body temperature, which may actually reach dangerous level. Cheers
3. Gloves- Again work on your grip strength. Put emphasis on building your grip strength, which is typically the weakest link in the chain. Also, calluses are not bad with consideration of proper rest time, as they will harden and allow your hands to tolerate greater stress. Did I also mention smell? Even with proper washing over time, they are going to smell. I finally just trashed mine when they started smelling like baby urine with a touch of fecal matter.
4. Weight Vest- The stupidest investment I have made by a long shot. I have a 50 pound west-vest.com vest that is bad-*kitten* looking, but I can't seem to use it enough to justify the price. There's only a few exercises that you can perform like dips, pullups, pushups, and squats. You can also run in the weight vest, but I wouldn't do it. Sure, if you're in the Military, you'll do Ruck Marches, so it will help stimulate a similar degree of stress. Even so, it puts a lot of unnecessary stress on your joints. Additionally, I typically have to remove and place my weight vest on the ground, which is an annoying process due to the fact that I don't simply do all calisthenic exercises within one workout. I'd probably stay away from this accessory, as you could probably spend your money in a much wiser way.
5. Fatgripz- These blue little rubber dealios are a great idea, but they are not too convenient on a day to day level. Basically, they are a material that slip over weights or bars to add a greater diameter to develop a greater grip strength. It sounds pretty great, but the hassle involved with putting them on and taking them off can get extremely annoying. This is especially true when the you're at a public gym. Sure, you could buy multiple fatgripz for all your weights and bars, but the price becomes pretty outrageous.
1. Lock Laces- You don't ever have to tie your shoes again. This is perfect for lazy people like me. Plus, they're cheap, and they have multiple colors.
2. Blender Bottle- These things rock. I typically take the whisk out, since it's unnecessary most of the time for my protein shakes, and because they are a pain to clean. Why yes, I am lazy *cough* cough *time sensitive. Tip: You can flip the lip to create a funnel for your supplements.
3. Gym Boss with strap- You don't need Cross Fit to get to your target heart rate, you simply need this little devil. The gym boss is a timer device that I constantly take to the gym. It is a timer I use to time the duration or rest time of exercises.
4. Flip Belt- I don't know why I didn't think about inventing something so simple. Think stretchy waist band with pockets for your keys or ids. Basically, you can carry your valuables around your waist without having to use a locker or leaving them on the ground for someone to use.
5. A Journal/ Excel/cellphone- It's going to be hard to see progress if you don't know how you are doing, And no, you can't properly gauge progress based on how you feel. Take the time to record what you are doing, so you can reflect on how bad-*kitten* you are becoming.
Top 5 equipments that will just waste your money
1. Elevation mask- If you want to look absolutely funny in the gym, then, by all means, invest in this product. On a more serious note, there's just no significant proof/ correlation to show that these products work. They will, however, make you look at Bane's twin cousin. I currently use my mask in combine with my weight vest for Halloween. I try to imitate bane and scare little kids by saying " Victory has defeated you" in my bane voice.
2. Sauna Suit- I almost forgot about this one. I do actually have one of these, which I bought when I was first starting out. Besides looking completely silly, this accessory just doesn't work. Sweating does not equate to burning more calories. Plus, you may actually put your health at risk using a sauna suit, as your body cannot sufficiently cool itself. This may elevate your body temperature, which may actually reach dangerous level. Cheers
3. Gloves- Again work on your grip strength. Put emphasis on building your grip strength, which is typically the weakest link in the chain. Also, calluses are not bad with consideration of proper rest time, as they will harden and allow your hands to tolerate greater stress. Did I also mention smell? Even with proper washing over time, they are going to smell. I finally just trashed mine when they started smelling like baby urine with a touch of fecal matter.
4. Weight Vest- The stupidest investment I have made by a long shot. I have a 50 pound west-vest.com vest that is bad-*kitten* looking, but I can't seem to use it enough to justify the price. There's only a few exercises that you can perform like dips, pullups, pushups, and squats. You can also run in the weight vest, but I wouldn't do it. Sure, if you're in the Military, you'll do Ruck Marches, so it will help stimulate a similar degree of stress. Even so, it puts a lot of unnecessary stress on your joints. Additionally, I typically have to remove and place my weight vest on the ground, which is an annoying process due to the fact that I don't simply do all calisthenic exercises within one workout. I'd probably stay away from this accessory, as you could probably spend your money in a much wiser way.
5. Fatgripz- These blue little rubber dealios are a great idea, but they are not too convenient on a day to day level. Basically, they are a material that slip over weights or bars to add a greater diameter to develop a greater grip strength. It sounds pretty great, but the hassle involved with putting them on and taking them off can get extremely annoying. This is especially true when the you're at a public gym. Sure, you could buy multiple fatgripz for all your weights and bars, but the price becomes pretty outrageous.
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Replies
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i disagree with the laces, i tied my shoes once when i bought them and they are easy enough to slip on without re-trying and they fit my feet snug still
blender bottles are key for shakes no arguments here
also disagree with the HR monitor, ive just never seen a point in using these. i get that it helps calorie burn estimates but they are still just that, estimates
flip belt could be useful but i find it easy enough to find gym shorts with a pocket or 2
agree on the notepad/phone for recording
elevation masks are completely stupid for the average person, though i suppose they could be used for someone who is training to climb mountains to get used to the low oxygen supply
sauna suit also pretty useless, for a competition they could come in handy but there are definitely better ways to shed water weight
agreed on gloves
weight vest useful in some scenarios like bodyweight exercises or doing hill sprints
the fatgripz i could take or leave. they do work grip strength pretty well and i dont agree that they are a pain to use, i just think there are better ways to work grip strength, and everytime ive used them it feels like the bars is going to roll off my hands and crush my chest
but this is all personal opinion0 -
just bought a flip belt last week, love it. no more annoying arm strap for phone, keys in pocket etc.0
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Enjoyed reading that.
Journal/phone is definitely the top thing for me to have. I use one all the time.
Flip belt - I have something similar. Tis a useful item to have.
Thanks for the weight vest warning. Had been tempted to buy one!
Elevation mask - my mountain medicine doctor friend thinks they're pointless even for altitude training as your lungs have to work harder in the wrong way. It's reduced oxygen levels rather than air being hard to suck in that's the problem IYSWIM.
Gloves - correct placement of the hands will mean the bar doesn't move/grind flesh between bar and bone. Noob climbers experience this problem more because they place their hands on a hold and shift them about the hold grinding the flesh away. So place your hands in a way that the bar won't move so much. Sure, at really heavy weights, it will move but if it rolls over the skin rather than grinds/rubs then you won't have so many problems. IYSWIM!0 -
i disagree with the laces, i tied my shoes once when i bought them and they are easy enough to slip on without re-trying and they fit my feet snug still
blender bottles are key for shakes no arguments here
also disagree with the HR monitor, ive just never seen a point in using these. i get that it helps calorie burn estimates but they are still just that, estimates
flip belt could be useful but i find it easy enough to find gym shorts with a pocket or 2
agree on the notepad/phone for recording
elevation masks are completely stupid for the average person, though i suppose they could be used for someone who is training to climb mountains to get used to the low oxygen supply
sauna suit also pretty useless, for a competition they could come in handy but there are definitely better ways to shed water weight
agreed on gloves
weight vest useful in some scenarios like bodyweight exercises or doing hill sprints
the fatgripz i could take or leave. they do work grip strength pretty well and i dont agree that they are a pain to use, i just think there are better ways to work grip strength, and everytime ive used them it feels like the bars is going to roll off my hands and crush my chest
but this is all personal opinion
The gymboss is a timer my friend. It works like set intervals that you may set in a single or concurrent frame
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ahh i see, that could come in handy, i lose track of time between sets often
The gymboss is a timer my friend. It works like set intervals that you may set in a single or concurrent frame0 -
shake wieght0
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i disagree. get one for your wife and you wont regret itshake wieght0 -
- best
Inzer's 10mm lever belt
Knee sleeves
Bands
medicine balls
jumping platforms / boxes
- worst
all Beach Body exercise videos
Dr. Oz
anything sold on infomercials
HRM's (for the purpose of exercise calorie tracking - stupid & largely inaccurate)
Jillian Michaels0 -
Although some of those are equipments, interesting list. What do you think about that lever belt?- best
Inzer's 10mm lever belt
Knee sleeves
Bands
medicine balls
jumping platforms / boxes
- worst
all Beach Body exercise videos
Dr. Oz
anything sold on infomercials
HRM's (for the purpose of exercise calorie tracking - stupid & largely inaccurate)
Jillian Michaels0 -
Although some of those are equipments, interesting list. What do you think about that lever belt?- best
Inzer's 10mm lever belt
Knee sleeves
Bands
medicine balls
jumping platforms / boxes
- worst
all Beach Body exercise videos
Dr. Oz
anything sold on infomercials
HRM's (for the purpose of exercise calorie tracking - stupid & largely inaccurate)
Jillian Michaels
Two of those ones I think are the worst are actually "tools", can you guess which two?
Um, the Inzer belt is the best damn belt I've ever had; going on 5 years now.0 -
Worst:
In the early 1980s my dad wore this while running:
http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/unknown_bone_fone.html
You wore the Bone Fone FM radio like a rolled towel behind your neck and over your front shoulders. It sat on your chest with stereo speakers. I still tease my dad that he ran with it while wearing cut off jeans, a belly shirt and knee high socks.
I don’t remember it lasting very long before it stopped working.0 -
Fanny Packs...0
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isn't a flip belt the same thing as a fanny pak? sort of?Fanny Packs...0 -
I have the Brookstone ring hrm, that's annoying. Who wants to wear it on your finger? It only fit my thumb...0
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Although some of those are equipments, interesting list. What do you think about that lever belt?- best
Inzer's 10mm lever belt
Knee sleeves
Bands
medicine balls
jumping platforms / boxes
- worst
all Beach Body exercise videos
Dr. Oz
anything sold on infomercials
HRM's (for the purpose of exercise calorie tracking - stupid & largely inaccurate)
Jillian Michaels
I have an inzer 13mm lever. Great belt, very high quality.
Pros: don't have to fight with getting the prong in a hole. It is instantly tight. Also don't have to have a fight to get it off after a heavy lift
Con: is a pain if you like different tightness depending on what lift you are doing.0 -
isn't a flip belt the same thing as a fanny pak? sort of?Fanny Packs...
I would say it's a little different from a fanny pack. The belt is elastic and it hugs to your body frame, where the fanny pack is just a huge pocket that sticks out like a sore thumb lol A great thing about the belt is that Keys or whatever you decide to store in the belt's slits don't jingle when you place them in the slits. This is convenient if you run, as carrying things like keys become less of annoyance. Additionally, the way the belt is designed to store items does not interfere with your running style. I can run in an ideal way without having to compensate for a funky storage bulk hanging in front of me like a fanny pack 0 -
What does it do? lolI have the Brookstone ring hrm, that's annoying. Who wants to wear it on your finger? It only fit my thumb...0 -
Hmm interesting, I was looking for a new belt, so I might take your recommendation. What's with the knee sleeves?
Although some of those are equipments, interesting list. What do you think about that lever belt?- best
Inzer's 10mm lever belt
Knee sleeves
Bands
medicine balls
jumping platforms / boxes
- worst
all Beach Body exercise videos
Dr. Oz
anything sold on infomercials
HRM's (for the purpose of exercise calorie tracking - stupid & largely inaccurate)
Jillian Michaels
I have an inzer 13mm lever. Great belt, very high quality.
Pros: don't have to fight with getting the prong in a hole. It is instantly tight. Also don't have to have a fight to get it off after a heavy lift
Con: is a pain if you like different tightness depending on what lift you are doing.0 -
Not as tight as wrapping your knees but they provide some support. I prefer them to wraps, probably because I don't wrap them very well but it is what it is...0
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isn't a flip belt the same thing as a fanny pak? sort of?Fanny Packs...
I would say it's a little different from a fanny pack. The belt is elastic and it hugs to your body frame, where the fanny pack is just a huge pocket that sticks out like a sore thumb lol A great thing about the belt is that Keys or whatever you decide to store in the belt's slits don't jingle when you place them in the slits. This is convenient if you run, as carrying things like keys become less of annoyance. Additionally, the way the belt is designed to store items does not interfere with your running style. I can run in an ideal way without having to compensate for a funky storage bulk hanging in front of me like a fanny pack
"huge pockets...sore thumb" yep that would be my *kitten*. and fat rolls... I'm too big for things to 'hug' my body.. they dig into the rolls. I use the old fashioned pack when I ride a bike, but carry it to the gym to stick under the elliptical. AND it was not easy finding one any more... I had to go to some knock-off korean importer in our strip district.0 -
i disagree. get one for your wife and you wont regret itshake wieght
LMAO0 -
isn't a flip belt the same thing as a fanny pak? sort of?Fanny Packs...
I would say it's a little different from a fanny pack. The belt is elastic and it hugs to your body frame, where the fanny pack is just a huge pocket that sticks out like a sore thumb lol A great thing about the belt is that Keys or whatever you decide to store in the belt's slits don't jingle when you place them in the slits. This is convenient if you run, as carrying things like keys become less of annoyance. Additionally, the way the belt is designed to store items does not interfere with your running style. I can run in an ideal way without having to compensate for a funky storage bulk hanging in front of me like a fanny pack
"huge pockets...sore thumb" yep that would be my *kitten*. and fat rolls... I'm too big for things to 'hug' my body.. they dig into the rolls. I use the old fashioned pack when I ride a bike, but carry it to the gym to stick under the elliptical. AND it was not easy finding one any more... I had to go to some knock-off korean importer in our strip district.
lol0 -
Hmm interesting, I was looking for a new belt, so I might take your recommendation. What's with the knee sleeves?
Keeps the joint warm and pain free while training. I recommend them. Hyperforce sells a pair cheaper than the bikg names sell one.0 -
Hmm interesting, I was looking for a new belt, so I might take your recommendation. What's with the knee sleeves?
Keeps the joint warm and pain free while training.
Yeah, that too. There's some new ones, "Copper" something... that I'm interested in trying.0 -
One thing missing from the best- A good old fashioned stopwatch. They are cheap (nice ones will set you back $10), durable, and very useful. Good ones will allow you track splits while running. You can time sprints easy. They are also good for tracking workout times and watching time between sets. Lots of fancier things have stopwatch features and can do the same thing, but a stopwatch is designed to be as convenient as possible while doing those things.0
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flip belt could be useful but i find it easy enough to find gym shorts with a pocket or 2
Women's shorts are a lot more difficult to find with pockets, so it may be more useful for women?0 -
Definitely missing that gadget. Which brand do you recommend?One thing missing from the best- A good old fashioned stopwatch. They are cheap (nice ones will set you back $10), durable, and very useful. Good ones will allow you track splits while running. You can time sprints easy. They are also good for tracking workout times and watching time between sets. Lots of fancier things have stopwatch features and can do the same thing, but a stopwatch is designed to be as convenient as possible while doing those things.0 -
I totally missed a crucial accessory, compression socks. You can eliminate future blisters on the bottom of your feet by just upgrading the socks you're wearing.0
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timex stopwatch are great you don't have to reset the time every week like others cheaper watch I've tried0
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Which model do you have?timex stopwatch are great you don't have to reset the time every week like others cheaper watch I've tried0
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