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Knock Out Game

The infamous “knock out game” that kids may be playing on the streets is no joke, but the truth is boxing can be a good way to burn some calories and relieve some stress. Virtual KnockOut looks to go from mobile boxing game to a realistic, full impact boxing training. The developer have launched a Kickstarter project to bring the game to market.

“The days of boring workouts are over,” says Pete Gustin, founder and CEO. “With mobile technology, manufacturers can deliver arcade quality experiences at incredibly affordable price.”

By combining mitt trainers with a mobile app users can punch away and make a real game of it! Video after the jump

Weekend Reading List (03.01.2014): Stay at Home Workout, Squirrel Hole, Looper

Stay at Home Workout

From GearPatrol: Great Home Workout Programs
Despite Mother Nature’s best laid plans to keep winter in full swing, spring and summer are on their way. Dropping some extra winter weight (we’re looking at you, Christmas and Thanksgiving) now can help jumpstart your fitness goals for summer, especially if you’re staring down something crazy like your first Ironman 70.3 or GORUCK Challenge. Sure, you could shell out some cash for a personal Jillian Michaels or Tony Horton lookalike at your local Globo Gym, but unless you want to feel like a boot camp recruit or Biggest Loser contestant, there are better options. We’ve been testing a few home workout programs this winter to help keep our edge. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (03.01.2014): Stay at Home Workout, Squirrel Hole, Looper

Table to Die For

While it is easy to think of ping pong as a game played on a rickety old table in a damp basement or garage, this one is truly steps up the game and then some. The Killerspin SVR Black Ping Pong table offers playing surface that is specially designed with the maker’s Repeat Roller Coating (RRC) process that provides a superior glare reducing finish, while the 22mm medium density fiberboard (MDF) provides consistent bounce. It also has a design that looks stylish, so much so you won’t want to relegate it to the basement.

Killerspin Official Website

Run This Way

Winter appears like it could be here for a little longer, and if you’re itching for a run you might have to do so on a treadmill. One to consider is the Smooth Fitness & Health’s 9.65LC Treadmill that is designed to let the serious runner to go the distance. It features tablet-based controls, a SmoothDrive 4.0HP Continuous Duty motor, and Im-pression Shock Absorption to provide a steady and smooth run. There are also QuickChange Handrail speed and incline controls so you can make quick adjustments without breaking your stride. Continue reading Run This Way

Unbundled Trainer Accessories

Indoor trainer maker Kinetic announced a new pricing structure for its inRide Watt Meter and Bluetooth Smart Heart Rate Strap. While previously sold together each is now available as two separately packaged products. While bundled together for $229, consumers can now purchases the inRide Watt Meter for $159, while the Kinetic Bluetooth Smart Heart Rate Strap has a suggested retail of $70.

“We’re listening to cyclists,” explained David Simpson, Kinetic’s marekting manager. “Quite a few already have heart rate straps, offering the inRide pod separately saves them money and eliminates the redundancy of purchasing a second one. As for customers who only want a heart rate strap, ours is a great option that is compatible with inRide and over 50 different fitness Apps.”

Introduced in 2012 the Kinetic inRide is compatible with all Kinetic fluid trainers, while the inRide app offers five different data screens, allowing riders to focus on wattage or heart rate with features such as time-in-zone measurement, programmable rider data, calorie burn, and ride history. The Kinetic Bluetooth 4.0 Heart Rate Strap wirelessly pairs with the free Kinetic inRide App, as well as any of over 50 popular fitness Apps, including Strava and MapMyRide, to measure heart rate.

Kinetic Trainers Official Website

Ground Pounder

Those looking to add significant distance to their tee shots now have a major force to aid those efforts. The Ground Force Trainer from Golf Gapper is a four-week program that the company claims will increase a drive by five to 15 yards.

The $119 package includes the patent-pending square rotational disk, power pole, DVD, lead leg support foam pad, instruction manual and mesh carry bag. This Ground Force Trainer is used to train golfers in their backswing, where power is developed when the golfer creates ground force with their trailside leg and gluteal muscles.

“The Ground Force training disks create this instability, causing a specific muscular reaction that exactly mimics the sensation and strength necessary to motor learn the proper load in the back swing and feel the connection with the ground,” said Dr. Jenni Martin, MS DC LPGA Class A teacher and club professional who created the product. “The gluteus medius muscle is responsible for hip rotation and hip stability. These muscles also help the golfer maintain balance. The rotational square disks act similarly to a ‘lazy Susan’ found in the kitchen. They’re used in pilates to teach exercises that require movement of the lower and upper body in opposite directions, and to exercise the balance muscles.”

May the Ground Force be with you. Video after the jump

Play Time

There have been a lot of efforts to make a game out of working out. The problem is that unless the game is engaging most people will still focus on the work part of working out, but Goji Play looks to change this and it claims it can make 30 minutes of working out feel like five minutes.

It utilizes a special controller, an iPad app and wireless sensors that can help truly make a workout seem a whole lot more fun. The system, which is portable enough to bring to the gym, includes a diverse and growing library of games as well. While working out may still require some dedication and even determination, Goji Play could help make it a little more fun.

Goji Play Official Website

Kinetic Gets Training Partner for Winter THAW

This month Kinetic announced that it has teamed up with training experts at Carmichael Training Systems (CTS), and this will provide cyclists who use the innovative Kinetic by Kurt trainers access to indoor training advice and coaching that can help them go the distance this winter.

The new partnership, which runs through all of next year, kicks off with a special Winter T.H.A.W. (Train Hard And Win), which includes a new Kinetic Road Machine Trainer, three months of CTS full-service coaching and a Train Right Climbing series DVD set. This also includes a 100 percent personalized training schedule, power file analysis and schedule adjustments.

Winter T.H.A.W. Official Website

Holiday Gift Guide: Serious Table Tennis

When we think of table tennis – aka Ping Pong – we think of that basic looking green table that people fold up and store in the basement or garage. The Eleven Ravens Stealth Ping Pong Table is a work of art – and it carries a price tag that you might find on such! At $70,000 it is probably out of most players’ price range, but this table is made of aircraft grade aluminum and features carbon fiber accents.

Moreover, the company is just making five tables, and each is numbered and signed by the artist.

Eleven Ravens Stealth Ping Pong Table Official Website

Holiday Gift Guide: Cycle of Training

The CycleTEK Momentum1 trainer will help riders get through the winter months. The fluid resistance unit uses neutral silicone that is not affected by temperature, and this helps produce a resistance curve that is measurable and repeatable.

It also features 29er compatibility, a large flywheel for realistic coasting and acceleration resistance and a fluid resistance unit that offers a smooth and repeatable resistance curve.

CycleTEK Official Website

The World is Ready to Party With Zumba

Can nearly 10 million people be wrong? When it comes to fitness video games we don’t think so. The Zumba Fitness franchise is still going strong, and that is something to celebrate. This month saw the arrival of Zumba Fitness World Party for Microsoft’s Kinect for Xbox 360, the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo Wii U. The game will also debut later this month as a launch day title for the Xbox One. Continue reading The World is Ready to Party With Zumba

Wii U Sports – It’s in the Game

Nintendo is offering gamers a chance to download Wii Sports Club and get a free trial pass that will let them play any available sports for a 24-hour period. Once the trial period ends, players can purchase two types of passes exclusively available in the Nintendo eShop: a Day Pass for $1.99 to play all available sports for a 24-hour period, or a Club Pass to gain permanent access to individual sports for $9.99 each.

This includes the five beloved sports from the original Wii Sports game including bowling, tennis, baseball, boxing and golf. These make the jump from the original Wii to the Wii U.

The sports are being released individually as downloads in the Nintendo eShop, and feature HD graphics, enhanced controls via Wii MotionPlus technology, as well as a much-requested online multiplayer versus mode, so users with broadband Internet access can face off against friends and family members online. Players can choose to associate themselves with various state or regional clubs and can send messages to one another via Miiverse. People can play casually against members of their own club, or take on members of rival clubs to increase their club rankings.

Wii Sports Club Official Website

Nintendo Gives Wii Fit U to You

Owners of the Nintendo Wii U who own a Wii Balance Board accessory and have access to a broadband connection can now download a trail version of Wii Fit U from the Nintendo eShop. This promotion will run from now until the end of January, and will work for 31 days from when it is first played. That should be enough for users to decide if the Wii Fit U is right for you.

Wii Fit U Official Website