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#free version of zwift...
iwan1979 · 2 years
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free version of zwift... With group rides, races, multiple worlds, training plans and workouts, this ad-supported start-up has most bases covered
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switchblog81 · 3 years
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Bkool Download Mac
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Bkool Download Mac Free
Bkool Download Mac App
Bkool Download Mac Download
Zwift is virtual training for running and cycling. Smash your goals and compete with others around the world. With structured workouts and social group rides. IOS and Android compatible. Trusted by the pros. Try free for 7 days. Download Rouvy for free today to join our community of passionate cyclists and triathletes! Download the Rouvy app to your Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android or PC.
Health & FitnessLatest version: 1.4.1Updated: 2018-02-28
Verified safe to install
download apk 6.7 MB
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Google Play statistics for Bkool Control RemoteDeveloperSizeTagsDaily ratingsTotal ratingsRelease DateUpdatedTotal installsScoreVersionContent ratingBKOOL6.7 MB 0382017-08-27 2018-03-01 10,000+3.11.4.1Everyone
How to install apk fileDescriptionScreenshotsTo see the full description of Bkool Control Remote, please visit on Google Play
Bkool Download Mac Free
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Download Bkool Control Remote apk for PC/Mac/Windows 7,8,10
Choilieng.com helps you to install any apps/games available on Google Play Store. You can download apps/games to PC desktop with Windows 7,8,10 OS, Mac OS, Chrome OS or even Ubuntu OS. You can download apk files for your phones and tablets (Samsung, Sony, HTC, LG, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Phone and other brands such as Oppo, Xiaomi, HKphone, Skye, Huawei…) right on choilieng.com. Type name of your desired app (or Google Play store URL of the app) in search box and follow instruction steps to download apk files.
Steps to download Android apps/games for phone
To download and install applications or games from our website to your smartphone: 1. Accept softwares installed from external sources (Settings -> Apps -> Unknown sources selected area) 2. Download the apk file of the application you need (for example: Bkool Control Remote) and save to your phone 3. Open the downloaded apk file and install
Control the Bkool Simulator from the Bkool Remote Control application. No need to get off your bicycle or touch the computer, everything can be done from your mobile phone. Start session, choose a route, change view or change the data visible on screen directly from the application. Remember: - Check to see that you've started a session inside the Bkool Simulator - Check that your mobile phone and computer are using the same Wi-Fi connection.
App NameDeveloperSizeTagsDaily ratingsTotal ratingsRelease DateUpdatedTotal installsScoreVersionSuuntoAmer Sports Digital41.6 MB3813,6712018-04-23 2020-10-05 500,000+3.64.28.1Cycling - Bike TrackerZeopoxa5.4 MB5224,5732016-07-22 2020-06-18 1,000,000+4.61.2.32Polar Flow – Sync & AnalyzePolar Electro62.0 MB8084,7212014-04-16 2020-10-27 1,000,000+4.24.8.0Jabra Sport LifeJabra by GN Netcom55.6 MB11,9232014-09-19 2019-09-24 100,000+2.63.6.0Running & JoggingZeopoxa5.6 MB3216,7822016-06-14 2020-09-14 1,000,000+4.61.2.35GPS Sports Tracker App: running, walking, cyclingCaynax13.5 MB2911,0222016-01-22 2020-10-09 1,000,000+4.42.9.3Sports Tracker Running CyclingAmer Sports Digital33.2 MB194210,0652011-06-30 2020-10-05 10,000,000+4.44.28.1Sportractive GPS Running Cycling Distance Trackersportractive.com9.8 MB6870,4702014-09-13 2020-10-22 5,000,000+4.74.2.8Polar Beat: Running & FitnessPolar Electro75.6 MB2829,9562013-12-16 2020-09-11 1,000,000+4.33.4.7Runtastic Road Bike Cycling GPS TrackerRuntastic38.2 MB2492,7332013-04-19 2018-07-27 5,000,000+4.43.6.2Optimal Remote for LollipopOPTiM corporation11.5 MB0162014-12-24 2018-08-28 100,000+3.71.8.0.126Bike Computer - GPS Cycling Trackerfitzeee.com5.4 MB5225,7382016-11-05 2020-04-25 1,000,000+4.43.3Pedometer & Walking for Weight Lossfitzeee.com4.5 MB159,6072018-01-03 2020-04-24 1,000,000+4.23.1adidas Running App by Runtastic - Run TrackerRuntastic42.3 MB6,145906,1262010-05-12 2020-09-23 50,000,000+4.611.11TomTom SportsTomTom International BV49.4 MB2849,8972017-02-09 2019-12-10 1,000,000+4.110.0.16Running Distance Tracker Fitness2243.1 MB58106,1112016-06-20 2020-05-18 5,000,000+4.53.713Suunto MovescountSuunto Oy63.3 MB817,9802015-05-04 2018-10-26 500,000+2.81.5.11My Challenge TrackerBeachbody, LLC26.5 MB312,4152015-08-06 2019-10-08 500,000+4.53.2.2Running Fitness & Calorie Sport trackerfitzeee.com5.1 MB51,5802017-11-29 2020-04-24 500,000+4.44.3Decathlon Coach – Sport, Running & FitnessDecathlon58.2 MB1720,6492014-12-24 2020-10-19 1,000,000+4.42.2.4Livebox RemoteNiamor5.9 MB65,3832015-11-20 2020-10-27 500,000+3.43.2.6TeamViewer for Remote ControlTeamViewer58.4 MB8,173544,8792011-06-14 2020-10-20 50,000,000+3.815.11.149GOM Remote - Remote ControllerGOM & Company13.8 MB13,3492016-06-08 2020-02-16 500,000+3.82.2.1Endomondo - Running & WalkingEndomondo.com17.4 MB10,140664,6712019-03-05 10,000,000+4.520.8.19Great Run: Running EventsMYLAPS Experience Lab30.3 MB05112016-07-07 2018-10-10 100,000+3.81.0LogMeInLogMeIn, Inc.15.6 MB111,6792010-07-14 2020-10-13 1,000,000+3.23.3.1807TrainerRoadTrainerRoad92.3 MB72,4502016-09-22 2020-01-14 100,000+4.42020.3.0.92026GPS Altimeter - Get AltitudeEXA Tools6.2 MB127,0262016-05-04 2020-06-15 1,000,000+4.54.4.11AnyDesk Remote ControlAnyDesk Software GmbH14.8 MB14515,3642017-02-07 2020-09-09 10,000,000+46.1.0Relive: Run, Ride, Hike & moreRelive B.V.71.8 MB6162,6032017-03-21 2020-10-30 5,000,000+4.73.24.0112 SuomiDigia16.7 MB13,6072015-06-25 2020-03-31 1,000,000+4.42.0.0Imaging Edge MobileSony Corporation20.5 MB2971,4712012-01-09 2020-09-14 10,000,000+2.57.4.1myWorkouts Heart Rate Monitor Sport GPS Trackerwellcrafted6.0 MB15212016-12-13 2020-03-09 50,000+4.62.4.44DIRECTVDIRECTV, LLC77.0 MB-314272,3432020-06-22 10,000,000+3.35.22.002AV CONTROLLERYamaha Corporation29.2 MB413,5222011-09-02 2019-03-26 1,000,000+4.15.30Yatse: Kodi remote control and castTolriq8.7 MB870,9022012-03-28 2020-11-01 1,000,000+4.610.5.0bPeel Smart Remote (Galaxy Tab)Peel Technologies32.9 MB16118,7602011-07-20 2019-04-10 50,000,000+4.110.7.5.2Cast Videos: Web/IPTV/Phone to Roku/Chromecast/TVCastify12.2 MB634,0002018-03-30 2020-10-30 1,000,000+4.37.557Tracks - walk, run and cyclingL Jiang9.0 MB17182016-11-03 2016-11-03 100,000+3.70.1Ghostracer - GPS Run & CycleBrave the Skies8.7 MB09472014-04-02 2020-06-23 50,000+3.91.0.3.2
© choilieng.com - 2018
Download Bkool Control Remote PC for free at BrowserCam. BKOOL published the Bkool Control Remote App for Android operating system mobile devices, but it is possible to download and install Bkool Control Remote for PC or Computer with operating systems such as Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 and Mac.
Bkool Download Mac App
Let's find out the prerequisites to install Bkool Control Remote on Windows PC or MAC computer without much delay.
Select an Android emulator: There are many free and paid Android emulators available for PC and MAC, few of the popular ones are Bluestacks, Andy OS, Nox, MeMu and there are more you can find from Google.
Compatibility: Before downloading them take a look at the minimum system requirements to install the emulator on your PC.
For example, BlueStacks requires OS: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista SP2, Windows XP SP3 (32-bit only), Mac OS Sierra(10.12), High Sierra (10.13) and Mojave(10.14), 2-4GB of RAM, 4GB of disk space for storing Android apps/games, updated graphics drivers.
Finally, download and install the emulator which will work well with your PC's hardware/software.
How to Download and Install Bkool Control Remote for PC or MAC:
Open the emulator software from the start menu or desktop shortcut in your PC.
Associate or set up your Google account with the emulator.
You can either install the App from Google PlayStore inside the emulator or download Bkool Control Remote APK file from the below link from our site and open the APK file with the emulator or drag the file into the emulator window to install Bkool Control Remote App for pc.
Bkool Download Mac Download
You can follow above instructions to install Bkool Control Remote for pc with any of the Android emulators out there.
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your-dietician · 3 years
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5 Virtual Fitness Challenges to Improve Your Cardio Workouts Indoors and Outdoors
New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/fitness/5-virtual-fitness-challenges-to-improve-your-cardio-workouts-indoors-and-outdoors/
5 Virtual Fitness Challenges to Improve Your Cardio Workouts Indoors and Outdoors
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Make treadmill runs and indoor bike training more fun with these virtual fitness challenges that add medals, competition, and camaraderie to your workouts.
Cardio exercises like running, cycling, swimming, walking, and rowing are critical in your fitness journey. However, they can get boring, especially when you do them indoors on treadmills, bikes, elliptical or cross-country trainers, and rowing machines. These virtual fitness challenges spice up your exercises by giving you goals to work towards, friends to compete against, and even immersive full-screen videos to run with.
1. Myles (Android, iOS): Virtual Fitness Challenges for Walks, Runs, and Cycling
Myles is an exercise app for virtual walks, runs, or bike rides. Choose from 14 pre-selected trails of varying distances, the type of exercise you want, and set out trying to achieve it on the app. Myles will add your completed miles to your route.
The trails are from across the world, like an Inca Trail, Wembley to Buckingham Palace, Bolivia’s Death Road, and so on. At any point, you can check your current progress on the map of the trail and immediately switch to Street View to check out what you’d see in real life if you were doing the trail.
As you do the trails, you’ll earn trophies along the way. Myles can be used for group activity too, joining friends to achieve targets together. Several people have noted that using social fitness apps with friends is a great motivator to exercise regularly.
The Myles app currently syncs with Garmin, Strava, and Under Armour Connected Fitness devices and data to track your workout automatically. But if you don’t use those, you can manually add the data too.
Download: Myles for Android | iOS (Free)
2. The Conqueror and My Virtual Mission (Web, Android, iOS): Virtual Fitness Challenges With Medals
Myles is great for casual exercise, especially for users who want a free option. But one of the best motivators to stick to a fitness routine and push yourself is if you are ready to put your money on the line. The Conqueror is one of the most popular virtual fitness challenge apps on the web for this.
These are all distance challenges, which you have to complete on your own by running, cycling, rowing, walking, skiing, swimming, in a wheelchair, or on an elliptical machine. The app syncs with several fitness services and smartwatches, and you can manually input data too.
Challenges include climbing Mount Everest or Kilimanjaro, swimming the English channel, walking the Great Wall of China, and many more. Each challenge is paid (usually about $30). With that fee, you get the Conqueror quest, street view images, virtual postcards (which you unlock as you progress), and a cool medal at the end. These medals are actually the best reason to do The Conqueror’s challenges and are shipped worldwide.
You can also take a challenge as a group so that all your distances add up together. It’s a nice way to exercise with friends and have shared medals at the end of it, with a story to tell.
If you want to use The Conqueror as a free version, try their sister app My Virtual Mission. You’ll be creating everything on your own here, like with Myles. And of course, no medals.
3. BitGym (Android, iOS): Full-Screen, First Person View Virtual Runs and Rides
If you’re using an indoor trainer like a treadmill, cycle, elliptical, or rowing machine, you definitely need to try BitGym. Prop up your tablet or phone on the machine and start this full-screen app to be transported to a distant land. It’s a first-person view of what it would be like to run or cycle in that location.
Select one of the free virtual walks or runs after selecting your machine. Some of the tours also offer a coach who will guide you to speed up or slow down (and even talk about interesting places as you pass by them). It’s like a free version of indoor bike trainers like Peloton, NordicTrack, and Echolon. You can change ambient environmental sounds in the on-screen menu, as well as turn subtitles on and off.
The app also uses your front camera to track your movements and automatically adjusts the speed of the virtual tour accordingly. In our test, this didn’t work well, but your mileage may vary. Nonetheless, it’s easy to adjust speed settings in the menu.
Download: BitGym for Android | iOS (Free)
4. Ambalco (Web, Android, iOS): Free Zwift Alternative for Virtual Rides on Indoor Cycling
If you can’t ride outdoors, alone or with friends, then the next best thing is indoor cycling training apps like Zwift. However, most of them are paid. Ambalco is a completely free indoor cycling trainer with the ability to race against others online.
When you’re on your indoor bike, visit the Ambalco website and play any video (it even works on TVs). You can choose videos or rides by most popular, latest, duration (15 minutes, 45 minutes, 60 minutes), and location (Paris, California, Moscow, and more). You can then play the video for an immersive full-screen experience that auto-plays how it was recorded.
There’s a second “interactive mode” that’s interesting. Download the Ambalco app on your smartphone, then put your phone in your sock or strap it to your leg. It’ll use the phone’s sensors to determine your current speed and play the video per your speed. It’s quite neat and works well.
You’ll also have to enter your nickname in both the web browser and phone at the same time. Then, ask your friends to join the same video with their nickname, and you can “race” against them virtually.
Download: Ambalco for Android | iOS (Free)
5. Ironman Virtual Club (Web): Virtual Challenges With Rewards for Winners
You must have heard of the legendary Ironman competition, one of the most grueling triathlon races held across the world several times a year. During the 2020 pandemic, the official Ironman website launched a virtual club for athletes to test their limits virtually.
The Ironman Virtual Club (IVC) is a free web app that can sync data with the most popular health apps and the best fitness trackers. Your dashboard will show your latest data in cycling, swimming, or running, as it converts your distance into points. Points can be turned into credits to buy stuff from the Ironman store.
The IVC’s events section has virtual races and standalone virtual fitness challenges like bike rides and runs. Join any to compete in a worldwide leaderboard. Several of these have sponsors who offer prizes like store credit. So along with getting fit, you also get a nice bonus.
Ironman is a global community of motivated athletes, and you need to be in good shape to try these challenges. You can find and join local chapters and groups through the app, gaining new friends to compete with.
Don’t Overreach in Fitness Challenges
No matter which of these fitness challenges you choose, make sure you don’t overreach. It’s tempting to think you should “climb Everest,” but don’t just jump in; take baby steps. For example, even if you’ve done an Ironman triathlon before, doing it alone with equipment is a different experience altogether that takes a different toll on your mind and body. These virtual fitness challenges are meant to push you to achieve more, not to burn out.
The 10 Best Free Live Workout Classes You Can Take at Home
Can’t get to the gym or your favorite fitness class? Take these free live workout classes at home and stick to a fitness routine.
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Mihir Patkar (1260 Articles Published)
Mihir Patkar has been writing on technology and productivity for over 14 years at some of the top media publications across the world. He has an academic background in journalism.
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markstark072 · 3 years
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The Best Cycling & Biking Apps for Android
Cycling or biking is one of the best cardiac exercises that every person should do on a daily basis. It helps you reduce your fat, gain muscles, make your heart stronger, increase lung capacity, and improve your overall fitness. In this article, we will share the best cycling & biking applications that will help you in a variety of ways to improve your fitness and make yourself healthy. Let’s take a look.
CardioCast
CardioCast is relatively a unique cycling app that automatically prepares a database of various cycling workouts and helps you do them at home. Besides that, This app offers you 800 indoor cycling workouts along with music and several motivational quotes. You just need to select a workout plan and length of the workout session, and it will get you an instructional workout video for you to follow. It is an excellent cycling app to do cycling workouts without going anywhere. The app is not available for free to use so you will have to get a subscription to the app’s premium version that will cost you $9.99 per month or $89.99 for a year. Well, there’s a free trial version of the app also available that you can try before buying its subscription.
Komoot
Komoot is an outstanding app for any mountain biker, hiker, or road cyclist. It includes an excellent navigation feature that you can use to download various regions to go for cycling or biking. There are plenty of other features loaded on the app, including maps of a variety of regions, offline support, and many other things. You can use this app for free, but the free version offers you limited features, but you can get a subscription to its premium version that will cost you $59.99 for a year.
Kudo Coach
Kudo Coach is a fantastic trainer app that has the ability to create personalized training sessions for various kinds of cyclists; beginners, intermediates, or advanced. Besides that, Kudo Coach also monitors your heart rate and manages your training. It even includes a stats tracking tool to check your progress. It works very nicely and is available for free to use with some limited features. But you can purchase its subscription if you want to access all its features. The premium version will cost you up to $5.99 for a month or $54.99 for a year.
Map My Ride
Map My Ride is another excellent cycling app that allows you to schedule your rides as well as map out your cycling routes. It even helps you keep track of your previous rides. The app also has stats to check your progress and many other useful features. It works very decently and is suitable for hikers, walkers, as well as runners. It is available for free to use, but the free version of the app has limitations. However, you can purchase its premium version that will cost you up to $5.99 for a month or $29.99 per year.
Peloton
Peloton is a fantastic cycling app that requires a Peloton bike to make this app work as a cycling app. So if you can invest your money to buy a Peloton cycle, this app is going to be a perfect pick for you. It features cycling, routines for strength training, HIIT, yoga, meditation, some indoor and outdoor activities, and even stretching. You can take a free trial, the subscription charges for the app are $12.99 for a month.
Strava
Strava is an outstanding cycling app for runners, cyclists, and bikes, it allows you to set as well as track your routes. You can even set challenges for yourself, see stats, and do a lot of other interesting stuff. The app also helps you track your distance, calorie-burnt, cycle speed, and more. You can use this app for free, but there is a premium version of the app also available that costs $5.99 for a month and $59.99 for a year.
TrainerRoad
TrainerRoad is another great cycling app that provides you with a variety of useful features, such as a library of more than one thousand structured workouts, support for outdoor cycling, 100 triathlon and cycling plans, and many other things. The app is available for free to use with some limitations, but you can get a subscription to its premium version in order to get access to the app’s advanced features. The premium version of TrainerRoad will cost you up to $19.95 for a month or $189 for a year.
Trailforks
Trailforks is another excellent cycling app for mountain bikers, it provides you with a variety of useful features, including elevation profiles, a catalog of more than 150,000 biking trails, offline trail maps, GPS location, plenty of social elements, and information about various routes. Trailforks works flawlessly and is available entirely for free to use.
All the above-mentioned cycling and biking apps are great and do their work fantastically, but a few other cycling apps also available on the Google Play Store that you can consider as well. They are Zwift, TrainingPeaks, and Zeopoxa Cycling. We strongly recommend you try a few of the above-mentioned apps. Thank you for reading the article. Source:https://softwaresspot.com/the-best-cycling-biking-apps-for-android/
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orbemnews · 4 years
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How to Get a Peloton-Style Workout Without Splurging Lisa Whitney, a dietitian in Reno, Nev., came across the deal of a lifetime about two years ago. A fitness studio was going out of business and selling its equipment. She scored an indoor exercise bike for $100. Ms. Whitney soon made some additions to the bike. She propped her iPad on the handlebars. Then she experimented with online cycling classes streamed on YouTube and on the app for Peloton, a maker of internet-connected exercise devices that offers interactive fitness classes. Ms. Whitney had no desire to upgrade to one of Peloton’s $1,900-plus luxury exercise bikes, which include a tablet to stream classes and sensors that track your speed and heart rate. So she further modified her bike to become a do-it-yourself Peloton, buying sensors and indoor cycling shoes. The grand total: about $300, plus a $13 monthly subscription to Peloton’s app. Not cheap, but a significant discount to what she might have paid. “I’m happy with my setup,” Ms. Whitney, 42, said. “I really don’t think upgrading would do much.” The pandemic, which has forced many gyms to shut down, has driven hordes of people to splurge on luxury items like Peloton’s bikes and treadmills so they can work out at home. Capitalizing on this trend, Apple last year released Apple Fitness Plus, an instructional fitness app that is exclusively offered to people who own an Apple Watch, which requires an iPhone to work. But all of that can be expensive. The minimum prices of an Apple Watch and iPhone add up to $600, and Apple Fitness Plus costs $10 a month. Then to stream classes on a big-screen TV instead of a phone while you exercise, you need a streaming device such as an Apple TV, which costs about $150. The full Peloton experience is even pricier. With the economy in a funk, many of us are trying to tighten our spending while maintaining good health. So I experimented with how to minimize the costs of doing video-instructed workouts at home, talked to tinkerers and assessed the pros and cons. Here’s what I learned. The Pros and Cons of Free To start my experiment for working out at home on the cheap, the first question I tackled was whether to subscribe to a fitness app or stream classes from YouTube for free. Both largely provide videos of instructors guiding you through workouts. So I bought an $8 yoga mat and a $70 pair of adjustable dumbbells and turned on my TV, which includes the YouTube app. I then subscribed to three of the most popular YouTube channels that have free content for exercising at home: Yoga With Adriene, Fitness Blender and Holly Dolke. One immediate downside was almost too much content — often hundreds of videos per YouTuber — making it difficult to pick a workout. Even when I finally chose a video, I learned I had to brace myself for some quality issues. In the Yoga With Adriene channel, for instance, I selected the video “Yoga for When You Feel Dead Inside,” which felt appropriate for the time we are living in. The video looked good, but at times the instructor’s voice sounded muffled. Production problems were more visible in the Holly Dolke channel, which has a collection of intense workouts that you can do without any equipment. When I tried the video “Muffin Top Melter,” an instructor in the background demonstrated how to do a more challenging version of each exercise, but the other instructor, in the foreground, constantly blocked her. Then there were the ads. As I lifted weights while following a 10-minute fat-burning workout from Fitness Blender, YouTube interrupted the video to play an ad for Dawn soap. That left me holding a dumbbell above the back of my neck while I waited for the ad to end. Those issues aside, I was able to do all of the exercises demonstrated by these YouTubers, and they left me winded and sweaty. For the cost of free, I can’t complain much. Most important, Yoga With Adriene succeeded in making me feel less dead inside. What You Get When You Pay To compare the free YouTube exercise videos with the paid experience, I subscribed to Peloton and Apple Fitness Plus on my Apple TV set-top box. I did workouts using both products for the last two months. Peloton and Apple Fitness Plus addressed many of the problems plaguing the free exercise content. For one, workouts were organized into categories by the type of workout, including yoga, strength training and core, and then by the difficulty or duration of the workout. It took little time to choose a workout. In both Peloton and Apple Fitness Plus, video and audio quality were very clear, and the workouts were shot at various angles to get a good look at what the instructors were doing. The bonus of Fitness Plus was that my heart rate and calories burned were displayed on both my Apple Watch and the TV screen. In short, paying those subscriptions provided convenience and polish, which led to a more pleasant workout. I concluded that Peloton’s videos were worth paying $13 a month. And $10 a month is reasonable for Apple Fitness Plus, but only if you already have an Apple Watch and iPhone. Making a D.I.Y. Peloton So what about exercise equipment like spin bikes? If you want the tech frills of a Peloton but don’t want to spend on the equipment, there were two main approaches. To go the cheapest route, you can make use of a bicycle you already have. Here’s where home tinkerers can be especially crafty and resourceful. Take Omar Sultan, a manager at the networking company Cisco. He modified his road bike with a few add-ons: a bike trainer, which secured the rear wheel and bike frame and costs roughly $100; a $40 Wahoo cadence sensor that tracked his energy output and speed and transmitted the data to a smartphone; and a heart rate monitor that strapped around his chest, such as the $90 Polar H10. Then he used a streaming device to follow Peloton classes on his TV. “The D.I.Y. setup is 80 percent of the way there” to a Peloton, Mr. Sultan said. The more expensive option was to buy an indoor exercise bike and use a tablet or phone to stream cycling classes via YouTube or the Peloton app, as Ms. Whitney did. The $700 IC7.9, for example, includes a cadence sensor and a holder for your tablet. You could then buy a heart rate monitor and a pair of $100 indoor cycling shoes that clip into the pedals. But if you use your own bicycle or a modified spin bike and try Peloton’s app, you won’t be able to participate in the app’s so-called leader board, which shows a graphic of your progress compared with other Peloton users online. With a D.I.Y. bike, it can also be difficult to figure out how to shift gears to simulate when the instructor is telling you to turn up the resistance — like when you are pretending to ride up a hill. Nicole Odya, a nurse practitioner in Chicago who modified a high-end indoor bike, the Keiser M3i, said there were major upsides to the D.I.Y. route. Using her own iPad, she has the flexibility to choose whatever fitness apps she wants to use, such as Zwift and mPaceLine. It also gave her the freedom to customize her bike, so she swapped out the stock pedals for better ones. “I didn’t want to be locked into their platform,” she said of Peloton. Source link Orbem News #PelotonStyle #Splurging #workout
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un-enfant-immature · 4 years
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Strap in — a virtual Tour de France kicks off this weekend on the online racing platform Zwift
The pandemic has wreaked havoc on all manner of professional sports this year, and cycling has not been immune. For example, the best-known race on the planet, the Tour de France, normally staged in July, has had to be pushed back to August 29 through September 20.
That doesn’t mean that the world — and professional cyclists — can’t enjoy world-class racing this summer. In fact, beginning this coming weekend, 23 top men’s teams and 17 women’s teams will participate in a virtual version of the event that’s being hosted by six-year-old Zwift, after it was chosen by the official race organizer of the real tour, Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), as its partner on the event.
It’s a coup for the Long Beach, Calif., company whose multiplayer video game technology is used by both amateur and pro cyclists and that, according to Outside magazine, is now the biggest player in the growing online racing world.
Investors have noticed, funding the company to the tune of $170 million so far, says cofounder and CEO Eric Min.
This Tour has the potential to drive many more users its way, too.
For one thing, the virtual version of the event, which will feature six stages that last roughly hour over the next three weekends beginning this Saturday — it gets underway with the first women’s stage, followed immediately by the men — will be broadcast in more than 130 countries. (In the U.S., it will be broadcast on NBC Sports.) It’s hard to imagine another way for a company like Zwift to get so much exposure as quickly.
The race is also open to any cyclists on its platform who want to race on the same roads as the professionals, meaning anyone who wants to “compete” in this virtual tour needs to sign up for an account, though it’s worth noting a few things.
First, mere mortals won’t be racing at the same time as the cyclists in the Tour but during mass participation events during the week that will ostensibly provide them the chance to experience exactly what the pros went through and to compare their power, heart rate, cadence and other data to their pro rider heroes.
Also, Zwift is a subscription service. Users can check out the platform for a free, seven-day trial, but after that, Zwift charges $15 per month. Riders also need a smart trainer, which costs around $300. Zwift doesn’t make its own trainers — yet — but its software works with the hardware of a dozen or so companies.
Unsurprisingly, Min sounded both excited and terrified when we caught up with him last week to talk about the race, whose first two stages will be held in Zwift’s existing game world, Watopia, with the other stages orchestrated in virtual versions of real courses from the race.
Though Zwift has staged virtual races before —  including the Giro d’Italia, which is basically the Tour de France for Italy, and the Vuelta a Espana, an annual multi-stage race in Spain — it “doesn’t get any bigger than this,” said Min, who told us the idea was hatched six weeks ago with ASO and that Zwift has been working furiously to prepare for the race ever since.
It could prove a turning point for the outfit. It already has nearly two million accounts, and while subscribers ebb and flow, depending on the time of year, the virtual Tour is an opportunity for some of those riders to “reengage,” Min says, adding that Zwift has been growing 50 percent year over year, and has unsurprisingly seen pick-up accelerate throughout the pandemic.
Zwift doesn’t just cater to competitive athletes, Min stresses, saying that more than half the company’s customers are overweight and that, unlike Peleton, its customers are drawn less to particular instructors and more to the idea of being part of a club where they can train, take part in events, and compete with one another another, either in a public way or by via private rides wherein users share maps with friends, for example.
Either way, both amateur rider and professional racers will undoubtedly have high expectations of the Tour itself, even while it comes with more inherent challenges, including less time to break away from fellow riders than in the real-world tour, where each stage can take five or six hours.
Min thinks Zwift is ready. On our call, he discussed how Zwift convincingly creates drag, for example, walking through the software’s calculations, including a rider’s weight and body mass and the terrain they’re on and whether a rider is receiving draft from riders in front. Apply resistance to the machine  or easing it is what gives riders a sense of motion and inertia. “It’s not exactly like outdoor riding,” said Min, but combined with the software’s visual tools, meant to fool the mind, “it gets pretty darn close.
And that software, including the Tour maps, is now largely done, Min said. Now, Zwift just needs to ensure that its broadcast tools work as well as possible, among other last-minute priorities.
“We’ll do some dry runs [this] week. Then it’s showtime,” he said, before adding: “The stakes are pretty high. It has to be rock solid.”
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karenparnell-blog · 6 years
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Get on Zwift for under £99
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I get asked a lot about the cheapest way to get on Zwift (or other cycling apps) so I have gathered some very cheap kit together to see If it works. The minimum you will need is a Bluetooth/ANT+ cadence and speed bike sensor, ANT+ USB dongle, USB Cable and a laptop (or phone or tablet).
The cheapest set up I could buy was:
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Bluetooth and ANT+ Bike Monitor                           
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Turbo Trainer with wheel riser and skewer
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ANT+ USB Dongle for PC                                                               
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Male to Female USB Extension Cable
You will probably need a training skewer to replace the one that came with your bike to ensure a good fit into the turbo and prevent your quick release skewer on your bike being damaged by the turbo fittings. The skewer fits in to your rear wheel hub. You will also need a riser which puts your front wheel at the same height as the back wheel because the turbo will lift your rear wheel. I got one free with my turbo, but you can buy them quite cheaply or use an old phone book if you can find one these days.
This set up will work happily with Zwift but without any power feedback so you will need to select gears appropriate to the profile (the % of the climb is shown on the top right of your screen). For example, if you are going up hill on say a 5% gradient then select a bigger gear to make the gradient harder. I also capture my heart rate but just use the heart rate monitor that came with my Garmin Fenix 3 watch. You can use any ANT+ heart rate monitor. CooSpo do a Bluetooth and ANT+ combined heart rate monitor for just £23.99 and this is the one I use to take my HRV score in the morning.
An alternative is to use a PowerTap PowerCal heart rate monitor (costs around £65 for the ANT+ and Bluetooth version) which will provide estimated power and heart rate so you can use it to move your bike in Zwift. This means the minimum set up is a phone running Zwift, PowerCal and any static bike like a spin bike or exercise bike in a gym. This is ideal if you are travelling and want a Zwift fix. Currently you need an iPhone for this, but the Android App is coming soon and is in Beta on certain phones right now. The power output is not very accurate so as a power meter not great but to get Zwifting very useful. As another bonus you can use it when you are rowing to row on Zwift and make this a bit more fun!
There is a companion App for Zwift which has been release for Android which works with Zwift on your PC which can control your ride, enable you to give ride-ons, activate power-ups and act as a Bluetooth bridge for Bluetooth sensors.
The Zwift Companion app turns your mobile device into a remote control for Zwift and makes Zwifting more fun and social. When used alongside Zwift, the Companion app gives you a map view and the ability to chat, make U-turns, and interact with others. It’s also an event calendar for what’s on deck, making it a useful on-the-go tool to plan your next race, ride, or run.
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PowerTap PowerCal Heartrate Monitor with Power                          
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Zwift Running on a Phone
You also need to remember you will sweat so need water, a towel and fan!
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You may also want to protect your floor so you can use some old carpet, a basic yoga mat, some floor foam tiles from Decathlon or buy a specific indoor trainer mat but they can be quite expensive.
If you are on a really tight budget, you can get training online using a new App called VirtuGo. It’s free at the moment in Beta form and very similar to Zwift as it is a virtual cycling world. I have used my budget set up with VirtuGo but note that it needs power as well, so I had to used the PowerCal HRM as well to give it this data.
After you have this basic set up then if you like riding on Zwift or another bike app you can start to upgrade parts – I would put money in to a smart trainer which adjust the pressure on your tyre on up hills automatically and makes for a more realistic and provide a harder ride.
My Experience with the Budget setup
I’ve ridden on my new basic set up for under £99 with Zwift and I must say I am impressed. Different type of workout than on my Elite Smart Trainer but I got out of breath, my cadence was higher and met my training goals. Indoor training has really improved with the emergence of riding and running apps and if you take advantage of the group rides, training plans and online “tours” I am sure you will meet your race goals.
Karen Parnell is a Level 3 British Triathlon Federation (BTF) Coach and Tutor, ASA Open water Coach and owner of Chili Tri in Spain. ChiliTri runs swimming, cycling, Running and Triathlon Camps in Southern Spain. Karen also coaches athletes across the globe remotely and face to face. www.chilitri.com
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stevestonbike · 4 years
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April 4th outside.
I did 69.13 km.  It was bright overcast and still chilly.  I considered going around the block to break 70 but shit man it IS only a number.
It was an unimpressive effort.  I had too much wine Friday night and felt really blah.  Not sick, but enough hangover to hold me back a bit. I am just wracking up the distance for now.
The Club was to have its kick off party in two weeks.  All but cancelled with the plague.  They are talking about doing a “Zoom” conference.  Hmmm 100 odd people on one screen all talking at once.  If there is a VR version maybe, but that requires all that geek stuff that doesn’t really work very well, and few people have.  A zoom conference with the Leaders could be done as that is only ten people.
They are also considering Zwift virtual rides.  My trainer will work kinda with that system, but I only have a tablet to run the app on.  Well I do have a laptop, but then I need a desk or stand to put it on close to the bike.  I do not like the idea of sweating on the laptop either. 
It is not like we get REALLY close out on rides.  Four or five could meet for a loop. 
This week will make 4 weeks of distancing and isolating.  If anyone was sick it would have shown.  I am not sick, and even if I was symptom free and infected this is enough time to have it run it’s course.  It will have to end soon.  I see easing things before May.  Washing hands and keeping distance for a few months, but stores and restaurants reopening if they can.  I will miss the lack of traffic on the roads.
I will see if I can arrange a ride with some people.  One guy says he is waiting for the weather.  I told him to buy a jacket.
This week should be better.  I may get in after work real rides.
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onlinefitnessgym · 6 years
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The Workout Gear Our Fitness Editor Is Currently Obsessed With
New Post has been published on https://onlinefitnessgym.com/the-workout-gear-our-fitness-editor-is-currently-obsessed-with/
The Workout Gear Our Fitness Editor Is Currently Obsessed With
Not to go all Marie Kondo here, but I have zero time for “stuff.” Between teaching cycling classes, a 9-5 hustle, and squeezing in a workout for myself, I live my life on the go, and my gear has to hold up—not to mention help me look remotely put together. So when I’m staring down a product, I make myself stop to think about whether it would elevate my life in some way: Does it make me faster? Less sore? Just plain happy? That last one is super valid, trust me.
There are plenty of reasons to make purchases, and finding a “why” typically helps me be a smarter consumer and lands me with products I truly love. After all, life’s too short to waste time on “stuff.” Here’s the gear that keeps me going on the daily, no matter how tough the going gets.
My Favorite Kicks for Kicking Around
Go ahead and call me crazy for wearing white kicks in the middle of a New York City winter—I’m not going to stop living in these APL Ascends. They’re supportive enough to cross-train in but cool enough to wear while grabbing drinks with friends. Plus, with their Propelium® technology, I feel like I’m walking on floofy clouds.
($200; athleticpropulsionlabs.com)
The Perfect Air Pods Silicone Case
If you’re like me, you drop your beloved AirPods on a regular basis. That’s why I rely on this gold-flecked silicone case from Elago to soften the blow. The carabiner hook helps to keep the case from falling into the depths of your bag (and this particular style is glow in the dark for when they inevitably do).
($13; elago.com)
A Tracker that Fits My Goals (and My Wrists)
I’m currently using the Garmin Forerunner 645 Music to train for a few races, and I’m officially an Apple Watch convert. This baby does it all—activity and sleep tracking, Vo2Max and recovery coaching, a shockingly long battery life (seven days in smartwatch mode), and space to hold 500 songs so you can run phone-free. Its big brother, the Forerunner 935, is slightly more rich in data but has a considerably larger face. So with my puny wrists, the 645 is just right.
($450; garmin.com)
These Floaty-Light Running Shoes
New Balance shoes haven’t ever been my go-to for running, but these lightweight sneaks have changed all that. The Fresh Foam LAZR V2 have a fairly supportive sole, an elevated pocket for your achilles to rest in, and great bounce. The knit material on the upper portion of the shoe almost makes it seem like I’m running in some cushy socks, which is awesome for someone like me who broke a toe that will apparently never ever heal. Not to be a total tease, but these actually haven’t been released yet—you can get your hands (feet?) on them March 1.
A Trainer for Indoor Cruisin’
I’m a cyclist, but there’s no chance you’ll catch me on the road when it’s 13 degrees outside. The M2 Smart Trainer from CycleOps helps me bring my workouts indoors—if you’re a bike nerd like me, you’ll appreciate that it seamlessly connects to your favorite training software (like Zwift or Rouvy), and all of your performance data is recorded within the trainer itself (meaning no external sensors required).
Also, if you’re someone who actually enjoys climbing hills (shout-out to our video producer, Jenna!), the Wahoo Kickr and Kickr Climb are a powerful duo that simulate grade changes during your indoor training. #noflatearth
($600; cycleops.com)
The Leggings You’ll Have to Rip Off My Dead Body
Sorry for the alarming description, but I need you to understand my feelings for the Salutation Stash Pocket ⅞ Tight from Athleta. They’re super soft yet high-rise and compressive, and they’ll make you feel incredible in any yoga or barre class (they’re also my go-to for maximum comfort during travel). I wasn’t a huge Athleta fan until recently, but I truly feel like they’ve stepped up their game in terms of design and aesthetic. Also, they’re a B Corp now, which is pure awesomeness.
($89; athleta.com)
Shoes for Walking All Day That Aren’t Heinous to Look At
These slip-on Rothy’s sneakers are my go-to hack for looking somewhat put together when I’m rocking day-old gym hair and leggings. They’re ridiculously comfortable—priority No. 1 when I’m standing at a desk or zipping around NYC all day—and are made from recycled water bottles using a 3D knitting process to reduce waste. Bonus: They’re machine washable. Boom.
($125; rothys.com)
The Pre-Workout Dream Team
I know, I know—CBD is everywhere right now. And sure, coffee and CBD might sound like a contradictory combo, but hear me out for a sec: Lately, this CBD infused coffee from Jane West has been my version of a pre-workout, and I’m really into it. Obviously, caffeine helps when my alarm so delightfully sounds at 5:30am, but I’m also convinced that CBD has helped me feel more focused during my workouts. With 240mg of full-spectrum CBD per 12-ounce bag, a cup of coffee (I err on the strong side) contains about 13 mg of CBD—that’s enough to help me shake the stress of the day to come and stay present when the workout gets tough.
($48; jwcbd.shop)
The GOAT of Athleisure
We’ve sung these pants’ praises before, but let me say again for the people in the back: These are the best pants ever. Whether you’re a commuter, a lunchtime exerciser, or just thrive in comfy clothes, the On The Fly pant from Lululemon is going to change your life. They look like trousers but have the elasticity of leggings, so you can chameleon your way from the conference room to yoga with no problem.
($98; lululemon.com)
Every editorial product is independently selected by our editors. If you buy something through one of our links, we may earn a commission. But don’t worry, it doesn’t cost you anything extra, and we wouldn’t recommend a product if we didn’t love it as much as we love puppies.
Jamey Powell is Greatist’s associate fitness editor as well as a NASM certified personal trainer, cycling instructor, yoga teacher, and triathlete. When she isn’t sweating, she’s usually eating or trying to pet someone’s dog. You can follow her antics on Instagram.
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bigtim-stuff-blog · 8 years
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Choosing the Right Indoor Cycling App
MARCH 18, 2016  BY BEN PRYHODA
For any triathlete or cyclist, if you are serious about your goals you will eventually find yourself riding indoors on your bike trainer. Thankfully, there are now many apps that make your time on the trainer more productive and entertaining. Additionally, these apps record your workout so you can analyze your effort. Here is a list of apps and a description of how they function to help you decide which is best for you. Plus, each one also uploads your training automatically to your TrainingPeaks account for immediate feedback.
Zwift From friendly competition to casual group rides and structured training programs, Zwift is building a community of like-minded athletes united in the pursuit of a better experience.  Athletes from around the globe can ride with each other in rich, 3D-generated worlds simply by connecting their existing devices (e.g. trainers, power meters, heart rate monitors, etc) wirelessly via open industry standard ANT+.
Zwift is best if you are looking to compete against your friends in real-time on virtual group rides.
CycleOps Virtual Training (CVT) is compatible with virtually every smart and non-smart trainer. CVT is available for iOS, Android, and PC so you can run it on your favorite ANT+ or Bluetooth Smart enabled device. Using CVT, you can ride real routes from all over the world as the app tracks your training data. You can also pre-program your interval workouts and CVT will automatically control the resistance on your smart trainer. CVT offers new users a 2-week free trial.
CycleOps VirtualTraining is best for you if you are looking for an app that can run on multiple devices, and you want the flexibility to ride virtual routes or perform structured interval training.
TrainerRoad is available for iOS, Mac, and PC and connects to your ANT+ or Bluetooth Smart devices to measure your power, speed, and other metrics. It then uses that data to customize workouts to your personal fitness level. You can train with a power meter, smart trainer, or use TrainerRoad’s own VirtualPower® feature- all you need is a speed sensor and supported trainer. TrainerRoad features a 30 day money back guarantee if you are not satisfied with their product.
TrainerRoad is best for you if you are looking perform structured interval workouts.
The Sufferfest videos have become one of the most popular indoor training tools. Their new iOS app combines unlimited access to their library of 27 videos, which you can stream or download to follow along with during your workout. You can also connect to heart rate, power, cadence, and speed sensors and train within specific goal targets. There is a 7 day free trial and after your trial period, the app is $10/month.
The Sufferest app is best for those who want structured workouts and want extra motivation to push hard.
Kinomap Trainer features hundreds of GPS videos generated by Kinomap members and lets you ride routes from all over the world. Kinomap Trainer is compatible with most smart trainers, and with any basic trainer with the addition of a speed/cadence or power sensor. A multiplayer mode is also available for up to 10 players, so you can challenge your friends or anyone else online. Kinomap Trainer is available for iPhones and iPads.
Kinomap is the best choice for virtual rides up the cols and cotes of Europe. The Alpe d’Huez video is one of our favorites.
PerfPRO Studio© is a PC based training application that supports up to three riders with the Home version and unlimited riders with the Studio version. PerfPRO Studio is compatible with nearly every smart and non-smart trainer. The software can connect to your power meter, heart rate monitor, and other ANT+ devices using a USB ANT+ Stick. When using an ANT+ speed sensor with a fluid/mag trainer, PerfPRO Studio can estimate your power output. PerfPRO  Studio supports ERG mode, course mode, and its own proprietary “MixMode”, where segments can be ridden in both ERG and course mode during the same workout. Using a GPS bike computer and a video camera users can also create their own virtual ride videos for year round playback.
PerfPRO is the best choice when you need to connect multiple bikes, power meters, and smart trainers to the same PC.
Use these apps to get in a great workout when the weather isn’t cooperating, or you just need to get it done. View the complete list of indoor training apps that are compatible with TrainingPeaks.
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orbemnews · 4 years
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How to Get a Peloton-Style Workout Without Splurging Lisa Whitney, a dietitian in Reno, Nev., came across the deal of a lifetime about two years ago. A fitness studio was going out of business and selling its equipment. She scored an indoor exercise bike for $100. Ms. Whitney soon made some additions to the bike. She propped her iPad on the handlebars. Then she experimented with online cycling classes streamed on YouTube and on the app for Peloton, a maker of internet-connected exercise devices that offers interactive fitness classes. Ms. Whitney had no desire to upgrade to one of Peloton’s $1,900-plus luxury exercise bikes, which include a tablet to stream classes and sensors that track your speed and heart rate. So she further modified her bike to become a do-it-yourself Peloton, buying sensors and indoor cycling shoes. The grand total: about $300, plus a $13 monthly subscription to Peloton’s app. Not cheap, but a significant discount to what she might have paid. “I’m happy with my setup,” Ms. Whitney, 42, said. “I really don’t think upgrading would do much.” The pandemic, which has forced many gyms to shut down, has driven hordes of people to splurge on luxury items like Peloton’s bikes and treadmills so they can work out at home. Capitalizing on this trend, Apple last year released Apple Fitness Plus, an instructional fitness app that is exclusively offered to people who own an Apple Watch, which requires an iPhone to work. But all of that can be expensive. The minimum prices of an Apple Watch and iPhone add up to $600, and Apple Fitness Plus costs $10 a month. Then to stream classes on a big-screen TV instead of a phone while you exercise, you need a streaming device such as an Apple TV, which costs about $150. The full Peloton experience is even pricier. With the economy in a funk, many of us are trying to tighten our spending while maintaining good health. So I experimented with how to minimize the costs of doing video-instructed workouts at home, talked to tinkerers and assessed the pros and cons. Here’s what I learned. The Pros and Cons of Free To start my experiment for working out at home on the cheap, the first question I tackled was whether to subscribe to a fitness app or stream classes from YouTube for free. Both largely provide videos of instructors guiding you through workouts. So I bought an $8 yoga mat and a $70 pair of adjustable dumbbells and turned on my TV, which includes the YouTube app. I then subscribed to three of the most popular YouTube channels that have free content for exercising at home: Yoga With Adriene, Fitness Blender and Holly Dolke. One immediate downside was almost too much content — often hundreds of videos per YouTuber — making it difficult to pick a workout. Even when I finally chose a video, I learned I had to brace myself for some quality issues. In the Yoga With Adriene channel, for instance, I selected the video “Yoga for When You Feel Dead Inside,” which felt appropriate for the time we are living in. The video looked good, but at times the instructor’s voice sounded muffled. Production problems were more visible in the Holly Dolke channel, which has a collection of intense workouts that you can do without any equipment. When I tried the video “Muffin Top Melter,” an instructor in the background demonstrated how to do a more challenging version of each exercise, but the other instructor, in the foreground, constantly blocked her. Then there were the ads. As I lifted weights while following a 10-minute fat-burning workout from Fitness Blender, YouTube interrupted the video to play an ad for Dawn soap. That left me holding a dumbbell above the back of my neck while I waited for the ad to end. Those issues aside, I was able to do all of the exercises demonstrated by these YouTubers, and they left me winded and sweaty. For the cost of free, I can’t complain much. Most important, Yoga With Adriene succeeded in making me feel less dead inside. What You Get When You Pay To compare the free YouTube exercise videos with the paid experience, I subscribed to Peloton and Apple Fitness Plus on my Apple TV set-top box. I did workouts using both products for the last two months. Peloton and Apple Fitness Plus addressed many of the problems plaguing the free exercise content. For one, workouts were organized into categories by the type of workout, including yoga, strength training and core, and then by the difficulty or duration of the workout. It took little time to choose a workout. In both Peloton and Apple Fitness Plus, video and audio quality were very clear, and the workouts were shot at various angles to get a good look at what the instructors were doing. The bonus of Fitness Plus was that my heart rate and calories burned were displayed on both my Apple Watch and the TV screen. In short, paying those subscriptions provided convenience and polish, which led to a more pleasant workout. I concluded that Peloton’s videos were worth paying $13 a month. And $10 a month is reasonable for Apple Fitness Plus, but only if you already have an Apple Watch and iPhone. Making a D.I.Y. Peloton So what about exercise equipment like spin bikes? If you want the tech frills of a Peloton but don’t want to spend on the equipment, there were two main approaches. To go the cheapest route, you can make use of a bicycle you already have. Here’s where home tinkerers can be especially crafty and resourceful. Take Omar Sultan, a manager at the networking company Cisco. He modified his road bike with a few add-ons: a bike trainer, which secured the rear wheel and bike frame and costs roughly $100; a $40 Wahoo cadence sensor that tracked his energy output and speed and transmitted the data to a smartphone; and a heart rate monitor that strapped around his chest, such as the $90 Polar H10. Then he used a streaming device to follow Peloton classes on his TV. “The D.I.Y. setup is 80 percent of the way there” to a Peloton, Mr. Sultan said. The more expensive option was to buy an indoor exercise bike and use a tablet or phone to stream cycling classes via YouTube or the Peloton app, as Ms. Whitney did. The $700 IC7.9, for example, includes a cadence sensor and a holder for your tablet. You could then buy a heart rate monitor and a pair of $100 indoor cycling shoes that clip into the pedals. But if you use your own bicycle or a modified spin bike and try Peloton’s app, you won’t be able to participate in the app’s so-called leader board, which shows a graphic of your progress compared with other Peloton users online. With a D.I.Y. bike, it can also be difficult to figure out how to shift gears to simulate when the instructor is telling you to turn up the resistance — like when you are pretending to ride up a hill. Nicole Odya, a nurse practitioner in Chicago who modified a high-end indoor bike, the Keiser M3i, said there were major upsides to the D.I.Y. route. Using her own iPad, she has the flexibility to choose whatever fitness apps she wants to use, such as Zwift and mPaceLine. It also gave her the freedom to customize her bike, so she swapped out the stock pedals for better ones. “I didn’t want to be locked into their platform,” she said of Peloton. Source link Orbem News #PelotonStyle #Splurging #workout
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johnsellph · 4 years
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What’s Next?
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Races are being cancelled, riders are under lockdown. There are bigger things to worry about than bicycle races but they’re both a welcome distraction and a precursor of economic woes ahead.
Riders have no idea when they will resume racing and the general tone seems to be treating this as a surprise off-season, those who have done Paris-Nice can rest for a few days while the others try to keep things ticking over and adjusting their training plans as if it’s, say, December, rather than March. That’s for those who can ride today because Spain, Italy and France are now in lockdown meaning a lot of pros in Girona, Tuscany and Monaco find there are restrictions on leaving home, more of which in a moment.
Postponing races, with no end date in sight for this crisis, looks fanciful. Moving a race is far more than moving a meeting in your diary but all the same a few races are sufficiently important that staging them later this year could be something for people to hope for.
There’s no precedent for the riders. In France in 1968 a wave of social and industrial protests led to races being cancelled in May and June, and this in an era when French riders typically raced in France so plenty of pros were left to themselves explained Cyrille Guimard on RMC radio the other day during Paris-Nice. On the micro level, another comparison might be an injury: imagine a rider who crashed out in a race this year sustaining a broken bone, they’re not sure when they’ll resume racing but have to keep working towards a goal: riding the indoor trainer, thinking of diet, core strength, stretching and other activities knowing that while they might feel like they’re losing their condition things can come back.
France, Italy and Spain are among the countries under lockdown and people must stay at home unless strictly necessary. The detail varies, in Spain even pro cyclists are confined indoors. In Italy pros can go out if they have documents in their back pockets and amateurs may go out but there’s social pressure to stay indoors to the point where one police force has started impounding the bikes of anyone spotted on the road; popular Strava segments are deserted. Meanwhile in France people can go out alone if it’s for “health reasons” with paperwork but the advice is to stay near your place of residence, so a jog around the quartier rather than a long ride. Other countries have similar measures, surely more will follow.
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  Many cyclists will want to go out against advice, it’s spring in the northern hemisphere and the roads are quiet. Cries to “get on Zwift” assume people have an indoor trainer, a computer with enough processing power plus a decent internet connection and it’s still not the same… but it is something. People yearning to ride outdoors against advice will argue it’s safe, even healthy to ride but think of two things. First, if someone crashes they they hog an ambulance, a hospital bed, medical staff and supplies at a time when they’re under pressure and you really don’t want to be that person; and you might be waiting in the emergency arrivals room for a long time with a broken collarbone before you get to see a nurse, let alone a medic. Second, you might argue you haven’t crashed in ages and you’ll take care but this isn’t about you, it’s about everyone. A percentage of people will have mishaps and there’s no way to certify safe, sensible cyclists; let some ride gently and others will think it’s ok to try a downhill MTB run and so on. It’s easier to keep the messaging simpler
At first glance the loss of a bike race isn’t a big deal, we’re spared “200 idiots trying to cross a line first” in the words of Marzio Bruseghin. Still a race is a nice distraction in grim times, perhaps everyone needs their diet of “bread and circuses” that bit more? Yet cancelling a race is only a first order effect, what will be the consequences to organisers, teams and others who work in the sport, from mechanics to the media? If the Tour de France is off and travel restrictions apply you fear for the bike rental shops, the bars, hotels, campsites and more. It’s not just a bike race being zapped from the calendar, it’s jobs, even rural communities taking a hit. And this is happening to other fields all over the place from football to festivals… and factories. What seemed unimaginable a short time ago is now unfolding and more awaits.
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  If you are bored indoors and want to watch and read there’s plenty. Eurosport looks to be turning itself into a version of the old Chickasmith youtube channel. France Télévision’s 1989 Tour de France highlights are on Dailymotion, complete with synth soundtrack. There are plenty of books to catch up on and Rouleur magazine has made all its issues available free to read via its app, chapeau. We’ll see what happens with this blog in the coming weeks. No race previews and write-ups but there are still subjects to explore, both contemporary and historic. There’s a mountain of material from the 1989 Tour de France ready to be explored. In the wake of Raymond Poulidor’s death last year it came to light that during the 1989 Tour people knew they were enjoying an excellent edition and their point of reference was the 1964 Tour so it’ll be interesting to see what made that year’s race so good.
Things will be missed, from the big races on a big screen right down to tiny personal habits like the pleasure of a Philippe Brunel column in L’Equipe during the Giro with his rich sentences, each as satisfying as long draw on a cappuccino. There will be wistful Sundays with moments when thoughts turn to weather in odd places, is there a headwind on the Poggio? Is it dry again in Roubaix? Will it snow tonight in the Dolomites? But these thoughts just help mask others, it’s easy to imagine a season without the Ronde, Roubaix or Giro if you have to, just as you can imagine giving up chocolate for Lent or having a “dry January”. Whether by decree or self-imposed, there’s an element of agency. It’s the things you can’t control that haunt, the family member losing their job, the lonely elderly relative, the friend left immunodeficient after chemo.
Listen out for official advice, do follow the hygiene measures as much as you can and, if it helps, imagine you have the virus and are taking steps to avoid spreading it to others.
What’s Next? published first on https://motocrossnationweb.weebly.com/
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