Project Exercise

I had a great workout today.  Shoulders and arms having always been my favorite P90X workout.  Today, I did something a little bit different.  Instead of pushing play, I created my list of exercises and did the workout “sans” dvd.  It was great because I could move at a faster pace than Tony Horton sets for the workout.  After all, the P90X strength workouts are basically circuit training.  You are supposed to moving through the stations quickly.

I set up my man-cave with my Bowflex dumbbells and the Tower 200.  It is very convenient to have all the resistances basically set up to do all three body parts (shoulders, biceps, and triceps).  It allows me to move quickly from one exercise to the next.

After shoulders and arms I cleaned up with P90X+ Abs Core Plus.  I was a nice change from ARX.  It has more twisting core movements than ARX (well except, of course, Mason Twists).

Ok, I have promised to do a review of the Tower 200. So here we go…

Tower 200

The Tower 200 comes with the device, 4 handles, a huge heavy duty poster of a few sample exercises, a guide, and a DVD.  You even get an extra set of the heavy bands and pulleys.

Unlike other exercise gadgets, the Tower 200 needs no assembly.  Heck, event he P90X pull up bar needs to put together with, like, ten thousand nuts and bolts!  When you take the Tower 200 out of the box, you hook one part of the machine to the top of the door, then slide the bottom portion onto the bottom of the door.  You can also make adjustments for taller doors and to create more tension on the bands.  Within 5 minutes of opening the box, you can literally be working out and getting owned by the Tower 200!

Here is a picture where the machine hooks up to the top of the door.  The bunch of junk you see towards the bottom of the photo are my T.O. Bands that I hang on the door for convenience.

The “cables” are actually resistance bands that are routed through pulleys.  There are 3 bands on each side, as you can see in the photos.  Each color coded band is a different resistance… 25 lbs, 35 lbs and 40 lbs.  You can hook multiple bands together for more resistance.  You can even connect all 3 bands from one side to the other 3 bands on the other side for a total of 200 lbs of resistance.  You better have a solid wood door if you intend hook all of them together.

Here is a photo of my Tower 200 in my “Man-Cave”.

The DVD shows an 11 minute total body workout that you can do on the Tower 200.  The workout actually looks pretty intense.  I will have to try it out.  I imagine that doing the workout for a total of 3 rounds (33 minutes) would be drop dead awesome.  Maybe I will do it next week.

The hand grips that come with the Tower 200 are probably the best resistance band grips that I have used.  Btw, I like P90X, but the grips that come with their bands suck.  The thing I like best about the Tower 200 grips is the width of the handle.  They allow for free and easier movement of the hand.  I have the T.O. Bands and while the grips are heavy duty, the handles are narrow.  So when I do repetitive movements with it the straps on the handle rub against my hands and gives me blisters.  Your hands are safe with the Tower 200 handles.

When I ordered the Tower 200, I also ordered a bar that can span the entire width of the machine.  You can see the bar on the photo below.  With the bar you can simulate barbell curls, cable pulldowns, skull crushers and other exercises normally done with a bar.

This is a picture of the machine where is hooks up to the bottom of the door.  Notice the bar attachement.

I’ve used the machine to do P90X, i30x5 and other workouts.  In the past I would not go near resistance bands, however, since I have given up heavy lifting for more fitness oriented training, I have learned to love the bands.  The Tower 200 is extremely versatile.  You can do every body part including abs and core.  The great thing is that you can do all these body blasting exercises in a very small space.  The machine takes practically no room at all.

The machine cost about $180.  Don’t fall for the $14 “bait” thing you see on the site.  You can find it cheaper on ebay and other outlets so shop around.  Is it worth the money?  Absolutely!  Consider what other fitness gear costs and $180 doesn’t seem so bad.  I have had the device for a couple months and I haven’t noticed any wear.  I am not saying it won’t wear, however, I believe it will last quite a while.  As I mentioned at the beginning, they give you an extra set of heavy bands and pulleys.  You can order replacements on their site if required.

By the way, there is also another machine called the Wieder X Factor.  It is very simular to the Tower 200.  So if you are considering buying something like this, you may want to check it out too.  There are tons of Tower 200 vs Wieder X Factor reviews out there with no clear winner.

So it is a recovery day and I don't have any real training to report.  So I thought I would take some time to tell you about an audio book I just finished.  Ever since I started training for a marathon, I have become a big fan of audio books.  Listening to audio books is a great way to catch up on my "reading" while running.  I also listen to them on my commutes.

Ok, so I just finished "Pursuit of Honor" by Vince Flynn.  I am a big fan of Flynn's books.  "Pursuit of Honor" was just released about a week ago.  I like mysteries, especially cloack and dagger type.  The main character in the Vince Flynn books is Mitch Rapp, a covert operative for the CIA's Clandestine Service.   

Now, I have read every Vince Flynn book ever published.  "Pursuit of Honor" was the first time I "listened" to a Flynn book.  First of all, I wasn't crazy about the narrator.  He made Mitch Rapp, a hard as nails CIA operator, sound like Barney Franks without the Boston accent.  In fact, he had a tendency to make all the tough CIA guys sound like a variation of Barney Franks.  That kind of ruins the image of Mitch Rapp.  As it turns out, this was probably my least favorite Vince Flynn book.  I sitll liked it because I am a Mitch Rapp fan, however, when stacked up against Flynn's other books, this one did not have as much action.  

This book doesn't have the edge of your seat type of action that Flynn's other books have.  Books like "Memorial Day", "Transfer of Power", "Term Limits" to name a few.  

Would I recommend this book?  Well, yes.  It is still a Vince Flynn book and if you are a fan of Flynn, then it is a must read.  If you not a Flynn fan or not familiar with his work, I would recommend that you read one of his other books first… perhaps one of those I mentioned above.  You will get a better idea of who Mitch Rapp really is.  If you find that you like those books, then I would recommend "Pursuit of Honor".

Ok, so right now I am listening to "The Last Oracle" by James Rollins.

Garmin 310XT

A couple weeks ago I purchased a Garmin 310XT.  There were a couple of things that I found interesting about the device.  First, it is water resistant to a depth of 50 meters.  Second, it has a smaller profile than my Garmin 305.

The most asked question that I see on almost every forum concerning this device is, “Will this device track distance during your swim?”   The short answer is no.  Although the 310XT is waterproof and Garmin says that it can be used on the swim, it does not track distance in the water.  The GPS signal is attenuated in the water.  While many people assume that the device can track distance during the swim, however, Garmin does not claim that the 310XT will give you accurate distance information.  This is what Garmin says on their website…

“The swim-proof Forerunner 310XT is waterproof to a depth of 50 meters, so you can wear it in the pool or the lake to time your swim. And its slim design and flexible wristband mean Forerunner is easy to wear in any conditions.”

As Garmin says, you can time your swim.  It does that very well.  However, you can also do that on your simple Timex watch.  So if you are looking for something that give you distance information via GPS, you need to look elsewhere.  By the way, the Garmin Forerunner 305 is only waterproof to 3 meters.

Ok, so what does it do?  Actually, it does everything that the Garmin Forerunner 305 does and only a little more.  Instead, of hooking up the 310XT to your computer via a USB cable to download information, the 310XT transfers the information wirelessly via ANT+.  You connect wireless receiver to your USB port.   The receiver looks like a thumbdrive.  When your 310XT comes within 5 meters of the receiver, it automatically transfers the data to either the Garmin Training Center (if you have loaded it on your computer) and/or it sends the data to Garmin Connect, an online tracking website.  The Garmin Training Center software is not included with the device.  Instead, the default log is Garmin Connect.  I happened to have the Garmin Training Center loaded because it came with my Garmin Forerunner 305.  I was pleasantly surprised that the 310XT automatically loaded data into the Training Center.

Here is what Garmin says about syncing and data uploading…

“Once you’ve logged the miles, innovative ANT+™ wireless technology automatically transfers data to your computer when Forerunner is in range. No cables, no hookups. The data’s just there, ready for you to analyze, categorize and share through our online community, Garmin Connect or our optional Garmin Training Center™software. You can even plan workouts on your computer and then send them to your Forerunner.”

The 310XT locates satellites much quicker than the 305.  If you have used the 305, you know that is can be a minor pain waiting for it to get a fix.  Another feature that I like over the 305 is that it does much better where there are tall buildings, as in a typical downtown setting.  I sometimes run during my lunch break from my downtown office and the 310XT has been flawless in the same area where the 305 has lost signals.

I have used the 310XT on runs, swimming and biking.  If you know your way around the 305, then the 310XT will be functionally familiar.  Again, the swim distance will be way off.  For instance, I did a 1000 meter open water swim with the 310XT and the device said I swam 1.5 miles.  Again, in the water the only real useful function is time.  Some folks that use the 305 said that they place it in their swim cap and get good GPS distance data.  I suppose you could do the same with the 310XT.  Btw, I haven’t tried it, but you could probably keep hitting the lap button to count laps in a pool.  Using the 310XT during a run or on the bike is really a no brainer.  You can configure the display for the information that you want.  For instance, for my runs, I set it to give me distance, time and average pace.  You can set it up to also display heart rate (if you have the optional chest band), current distance, etc.  For cycling I set it up to give me average speed instead of pace.

Speaking of the chest band.  The 310XT also uses ANT+ to communicate with the chest band.  I tried using the band that came with my 305, but it would not communicate with it.  While I have the 310XT chest band, I like to use RPE for my runs.  I only use the band every couple weeks just to see if my RPE is coincides with my actual HR.  Here is another excerpt from the Garmin site concerning heart rate information…

“When paired with the optional wireless heart rate monitor, Forerunner 310XT continuously tracks beats per minute and uses heart rate data in advanced calorie computation. Train in a certain heart rate zone to improve fitness and monitor your level of exertion.”

I like the smaller form factor of the 310XT over the 305.  Below are photos comparing the 310XT and the 305.  Please excuse the quality of the photos.  I took them with my iPhone.

If you like to wear your 305 during you triathlons, you might like the 310XT because you can set it up for “Multisport” and it will automatically go from swimming , T1, Bike, T2 and run.  You won’t have to put it on during T1 since you will have it on during the swim.  If that is not real important to you, then the 305 should be good enough.

So what is the big deal about the 310XT.  To be honest, if you have the Forerunner 305 and you are happy with it, you may want to continue using it instead of buying the 310XT.  I am not sure that the cost of the 310XT over the 305 is really worth it.  Don’t get me wrong, I like my 310XT, but, functionally, it doesn’t do much more than the 305.  I hope you find this review helpful.