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What I Am Up To Now, January 2023

This post and the entire series highlight what I am doing/using/thinking as of right now in the areas of fitness & technology. If you care to compare or read the other posts in this series, refer to the category What I’m Up To Now. Introductory Comments Last update was in January 2021. I skipped January 2022 because nothing meaningful had changed honestly. Same job, same routine, same location…

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What I Am Up To Now, January 2021

This post and the entire series highlight what I am doing/using/thinking as of right now in the areas of fitness & technology. If you care to compare or read the other posts in this series, refer to the category What I’m Up To Now. Introductory Comments I will start off by saying COVID did not affect my physical fitness at all this year, so f*ck COVID. I have had a full garage gym for almost a…

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Altra HIIT XT 2 Review: Great Alternative to Reebok Nanos and Nike Metcons

Bottom Line Up Front: Altra HIIT XT 2 is a great alternative to the Reebok Nano or Nike Metcon.

As you may know if you are a loyal reader, I am very into shoes. If not, the short back story is I rethought how I did shoes in 2018 and haven’t bought any shoes since then. I shunned my favorite Reebok Nanos in favor of other brands which were healthier for your feet. After a year, I realized I had…

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#Gear #Reviews #Shoes

What I Am Up To Now, January 2020

This post and the entire series highlight what I am doing/using/thinking as of right now in the areas of fitness & technology. If you care to compare or read the other posts in this series, refer to the category What I’m Up To Now.

Nutrition

If you refer to last year’s update, you can see I had been following a 16:8 daily restricted eating window. That means a 16-hour period of no…

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Jumping Rope Without a Jump Rope is Hard (and Good For You)

So there I was…doing double unders in my garage. I was trying to get in some long sets of over 100, but my rhythm and training effect was being hampered by an occasional missed rep that would derail my nice string. Then the more fatigued I got, the harder it was just to time the rope and my feet. My cardiovascular system was ready for more punishment, but the mechanics of the movement were…

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Training Tip: Using Heart Rate Zones for Maximum Cardiovascular Benefits

Bottom Line Up Front: Training in specific heart rate zones is key to maximum cardiovascular training benefits. Here’s how to apply it and why.

The Most Important Variable

You may be performing standard “cardio” training by doing long slow bouts or repeated short high intensity bursts (those are better!) using time or distance as your guides. For example, performing a three-mile run…

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#Strength and Conditioning #Training Tips

How to Train for the ACFT: Initial Thoughts After Taking It For the First Time

Bottom Line Up Front: I just took the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) for the first time. After having the experience of seeing it in person and how I performed on my current training program, here are my initial thoughts on individual and unit training.

Pre-ACFT Prep/Thoughts

I knew a few months prior that I had to take a diagnostic ACFT as part of a military course. I was excited for…

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Build Your Own Garage (Home) Gym, Phase One

Bottom Line Up Front: I have had a garage gym for more than five years. I have spent more than $5,000 on equipment. This is the first post in a series that explains how I would create an ideal garage (home) gym taking into consideration all my lessons learned over the years.

MISSION: Capable Garage Gym July 2019 Planning Assumptions

The assumptions I am making with the type, order, and…

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#Garage Gym #Gear

Mission Capable Approved Footwear

Bottom Line Up Front: This post will cover what makes good footwear, which shoes I current own, and which brands I recommend. It is an enduring post which will be kept updated to reflect my current thinking on footwear and what I am actually wearing.

Photo by Oziel Gómez on Unsplash

This post is broken into four sections: the characteristics of footwear I consider important, which shoes I…

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#Gear #Shoes

L-Theanine: A Legit Cheap Pre-workout & Nootropic Supplement

Bottom Line Up Front: I heard about L-Theanine a few months ago for the first time. I read up on it and decided to give it a try since it is safe and very inexpensive. I was so impressed with the results I decided to recommend it.

As this is a straight shot (quick read) I will be brief: L-Theanineis an amino acid commonly found in green tea that promotes relaxation. I found about it as part of…

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#Supplements

Increase Your Kettlebell Swing Effectiveness With a Hop

Bottom Line Up Front: Adding a side hop to a kettlebell swing increases the heart rate response almost 20%. Here is the evidence and how you can use this.

You can use kettlebells to get after any element of physical fitness (read thisfor a definition). In this case, I am using kettlebells to do cardiovascular endurance work. I swing them in intervals of no more than 50 swings at a time to get…

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#Strength and Conditioning

Fitbit Charge 3 Review

Bottom Line Up Front: The Fitbit Charge 3 is the best fitness tracking device on the market today. I highly recommend it for a certain demographic.

Background

I just wrote a review of the Garmin Instinct, which I bought at the same time as the Charge 3. It has a brief history of my fitness tracking devices as well, so please check it out if you are interested.

I got the Charge 3…

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#Activity #Gear

Garmin Instinct Review

Bottom Line Up Front: Garmin has hit a home run with its newest offering. It is a thoughtful combination of many watches/devices I own. I highly recommend it for a specific demographic. Here is my Garmin Instinct review.

My (abbreviated) Watch History

I have been wearing fitness bands or smart watches for many years. I have owned multiple Garmin, Polar, Fitbit, and Casios. The most…

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#Gear #Tech

What I'm Up To Now, January 2019

What I’m Up To Now, January 2019

This post and the entire series highlight what I am doing/using/thinking as of right now in the areas of fitness & technology. If you care to compare or read the other posts in this series, refer to the category What I’m Up To Now.

Nutrition

For the four months, I have been following a very strict 16/8 intermittent fasting protocol, which means 16 hours of fasting (no food but coffee, tea,…

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Initial Thoughts on Training for the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT)

Bottom Line Up Front: As the US Army has published more information on the new PT test, I have been thinking of how to train for it. Here are my initial thoughts on training for the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT).

Soldier from 2/75 Ranger performs T push-ups during ACFT trials at JBLM (Army Times)

I have already explain my initial thoughts on the ACFTand compared it to the APFT here.…

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#Military

WeightVest.com Box Weight Vest Review

Bottom Line Up Front: The WeightVest.com Box Weight Vest is a great option for those seeking to add additional resistance to their bodyweight for a variety of purposes. I recommend it.

The Research and Options

I already had a good weight vest that I got for free had lost the effectiveness of its belt and it was unable to stay affixed to my body under most movements. I had been dealing with not…

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Fix Your Footwear, Soldier! The Great Shoe Awakening of 2018.

Bottom Line Up Front:I have been a big believer in putting effort to pick shoes that were healthy for the body, not just looked or felt good since 2010. For the past 7 years, I focused exclusively on finding flat shoes (zero/close to zero) drop with as little between my body and the ground as possible. Recently, however, I realized I was neglecting a major factor that was impacting my foot…

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MISSION: Capable.