Samson – Page 168 – Appliances catalogue

23 May

The Power of Virtual Training

May 23, 2020
Posted by Samson

The power of virtual training is a guide for coaches to introduce and implement this new medium.

It's a strange time to be alive and an excellent time to be a coach. We as trainers and coaches have the knowledge to master these challenging times and to lead our customers to new effective routines and health habits. With our insight and promise of accountability, our clients have a rare opportunity to recover from this pandemic while maintaining their exercise habits.

This recovery is largely due to technological advances (virtual training) that enables us to be present without having to physically contact the customer. As a thought exercise, imagine that these shutdowns were in effect before Zoom, What’s App, Skype, and FaceTime existed.

I've been a coach for over six years, and I've only recently seen the severity of the impact we can have on a person's well-being if the chips wear off. But:

How do we do our job when there is no job?
How can we work efficiently without equipment?
And how in the world are we going to have effective one-on-one conversations without being face to face?

Fortunately, as a trainer, we are adaptable. When a client presents us with a new injury, sprained thumb, or pain, we adapt. We reprogram and get to work to find a safe and effective way to get around the limitation.

That makes us intelligent trainers. We can be flexible and give the answer when it doesn't seem so obvious, while keeping an eye on our customers' goals, limitations and habits.

In essence, COVID-19 is the violation and virtual training is the modification. Virtual training is the platform that not only supports our companies during shutdown, but also enriches our customer experience when the doors are opened again. Imagine that your customer, who travels every two weeks, can now remain consistent with their actual coach due to the virtual training.

Of course, a resistance band row in a hotel door rope is less effective than a pendlay row. However, a resistance band row in a hotel door rope is ten times more effective than fifteen repetitions when changing channels and one repetition when ordering food at the hotel bar. We can be the anchor for our customers' travel plans, but first we need to discuss how we can be efficient in this new medium.

Client conversion

We can assume that our customers naturally have reservations about switching to an online training platform. Your willingness to make the change, however, is primarily guided by our enthusiasm as a trainer.

Until they learn first-hand that the platform can offer a programmatic approach to fitness, they will be skeptics. As your trainer, we have to outline what you can expect. And always remember to promise too little and deliver too much.

If you share this fear as a coach, try to train another coach or friend on a virtual platform and challenge each other to put together effective training. Once you experience the value for yourself, it will be a more real conversation that will explain to your customers how it will impact.

It is important that you divide your customer list into the following three categories before discussing the conversion:

Excited to convert – These are customers who love your programming and brand. They are the ones who do their homework every week, show up on time with enthusiasm and communicate how they feel and what they eat outside of sports lessons. These customers also happen to see the best results.
Reluctant to convert – This group is generally reluctant to apply new practices. Perhaps they show resistance to changes in programming, despite scientific research into why you do what you do. These customers need social proof that other customers are already training and having fun online.
These customers love to work out with you, but without the gym they don't see how that can work. It is important to communicate with these customers on a weekly basis and always remind them that the door to virtual training is open and that you are eagerly awaiting your first session because you know how powerful it will be for them.
Will not convert – Once you have categorized your customers (I recommend this in an Excel spreadsheet), you can contact them and bring them to the new platform.

Regarding the fact that this is a completely new experience for you and your customer, I strongly recommend following these five guidelines for a successful online session.

1. Replicate the training environment

Make your training site similar to the environment in which you train. The fewer different things are, the more likely the customer will feel virtually at home.

For this purpose, I recommend wearing the same work clothes that you wear in one session. If you have a branded banner, place it behind you so that the customer can see it in the viewfinder. Have the same devices as tapes, iPad, and notepad ready so you can take notes that demonstrate your attention.

2. Come prepared

I would suggest programming in advance, just like you would in the regular session. Email your client the training day in advance so they know you are taking the time to think about their training beforehand.

It's also a good time to ask questions and make adjustments so that sailing goes smoothly at the start of the session.

3. Eye contact is everything

During a virtual session, your customers continuously refer to the screen for advice, pointers, and repetitions. So it is crucial that you pay attention when looking up. Fight the urge to keep your phone handy and scroll through Instagram or Twitter.

This time is your hour, treat it as such. If you use your phone, tell us why, d. H. "I'll use my timer for your rest time." In this way, the customer understands that this is for a reason.

4. Test your connection

Make sure your WiFi connection is strong. Sitting near your router makes a big difference in connectivity, as many homes have bandwidth issues due to the high concentration of people working from home.

I also recommend turning off WiFi on your phone and letting your customers do the same. If you communicate this in advance, the customer will be shown that this is not your first online training, which will further validate the medium.

5. Plan additional time

If a typical session starts and ends on the hour, I would recommend starting and ending 5-10 minutes earlier. This time enables troubleshooting and communication problems.

Your customers will also appreciate the willingness to stay with them to ensure they have a positive experience.

Integrate virtual training into regular business

We do our job best when we can be physically one on one with the individual. This method works best in an environment with the necessary equipment, and this makes me believe that virtual training will not replace one-to-one lessons for a long time.

For customers who travel frequently, however, virtual training can be the X factor in their habit management. If you bring your customers up to date now, you will strengthen your business if they cannot physically get to the gym.

This virtual training also gives us time as a trainer. Imagine going to Bali and while you are there you can virtually train customers, keep them up to date and put income in your pocket.

Trainers on vacation have not earned any income for decades. One hour of lost sales if a session is not run. Virtual training has the potential to diversify our income and attract a distant clientele that we otherwise would not have access to.

There is no better time than now to offer a customer a free virtual workout and speed up the return to the gym.

23 May

Blog

Everything You Need to Know About Botanical Ferulic Acid

May 23, 2020
Posted by Samson

Antioxidants – they sound like something you want to incorporate into your skin care routine, but there are always many questions that come with their use. Do they all work the same for the skin or are some better than others to fight signs of aging? Are antioxidants necessary in skin care?

Perhaps you are not sure what the purpose of antioxidants is or whether there are different forms such as ferulic acid or niacinamide.

Antioxidants are a popular buzzword in the skin care world and are advertised as beneficial for the general health of your skin for a reason. Another word to consider is "free radicals" that essentially damage the body's cells and accelerate the rate of aging through a process known as oxidation. Pollution and exposure to ultraviolet or infrared rays are two of the most important methods that free radicals use to attack healthy cells, and – like the superheroes – antioxidants occur here.

Antioxidants act as a protection, fight free radicals and offer a number of skin care benefits that counteract the potential damage caused by free radicals over any period of time. In particular, an antioxidant – ferulic acid – can do just that. From neutralizing free radicals to reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, botanical ferulic acid is an effective ingredient that, when used consistently and in combination with other antioxidants, has a strong influence on the general appearance, health and texture of your skin.

What is botanical ferulic acid?

Why are antioxidants like ferulic acid so beneficial for the skin?

The skin is exposed to a number of age-accelerating free radicals every day. The constant exposure to everyday external factors such as ultraviolet rays or pollution worsens the breakdown of healthy skin cells and leads to frequent signs of aging such as fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation and sagging.

What exactly is botanical ferulic acid? This powerful antioxidant is naturally occurring and is typically found in a variety of plant leaves and fruits, namely apples and oranges, as well as in oats and brown rice.

When you are looking for new ways to improve your skin's health, you should keep the following in mind: Botanical ferulic acid acts as an antioxidant protective agent and protects the skin from harmful free radicals and sun damage. When it comes to using antioxidants (or really an effective ingredient), it is best to incorporate them into skin care as soon as possible for maximum benefit and protection against accelerated signs of aging. In the case of botanical ferulic acid, existing free radical damage is not necessarily repaired. Instead, it works best as protection against the formation of free radicals across the board.

It is never too late to start skin care with antioxidants!

Eminence Organics What is Botanical Ferulic Acid Infographic

What are the benefits of botanical ferulic acid for your skin?

If you are looking for a powerful antioxidant that slows down signs of aging, botanical ferulic acid is a highly recommended ingredient due to its strong protective properties. Benefits of adding ferulic acid to skin care include:

Protection of the skin from oxidative damage by free radicals

Botanical ferulic acid in particular protects against environmental pollution and ultraviolet rays and actively reduces the development of visible signs of aging such as fine lines and wrinkles. If you want to reduce signs of aging and protect the skin at the same time, botanical ferulic acid is a powerful and beneficial choice.

Keep the skin supple and firm

Free radicals are responsible for many signs of aging and oxidative damage – one of which is the loss of suppleness of the skin! Botanical ferulic acid is a powerful antioxidant protective shield that prevents free radicals from losing collagen and elastin, which ultimately leads to sagging skin.

Reduce outbreaks and inflammation

Over time, oxidative stress affects the health and vitality of the skin and leads to inflammation, which leads to clogged pores and breakouts. One way to bring the skin back into balance and reduce inflammation is to include vegetable ferulic acid in skin care.

Minimize sun damage and dark spots

Due to constant, unprotected exposure to ultraviolet rays and environmental pollution, free radicals significantly damage the health of your skin! Over time, this damage becomes visible in the form of dark spots, hyperpigmentation and melasma. Since botanical ferulic acid acts as a protection against free radicals, application to the skin helps to reduce the changes in pigment development that lead to dark spots.

Decreasing redness and uneven skin tone

When the skin is exposed to sunlight and pollution, the blood vessels under the skin are more emphasized – this leads to uneven skin tone and redness in areas such as the cheeks and nose. Botanical ferulic acid protects against perpetrators who aggravate the formation of blood vessels.

What works well with botanical ferulic acid?

Ferulic acid also works with other antioxidants to protect the skin from accelerated signs of aging caused by free radicals. Two other popular antioxidants for the skin – vitamins C and E – protect the outer and inner layers of the skin from harmful ultraviolet rays and oxidative stress, which affects collagen production and leads to dry, wrinkled and inflamed skin.

Can you use botanical ferulic acid yourself? You could, but it would only partially protect your skin against free radicals. Studies from the Journal of Investigative Dermatology showed that the skin's sun protection in combination with vitamins C and E doubled. "Ferulic acid alone (and vitamins C and E) offer partial protection, but vitamins C, E and ferulic acid (overall) offer virtually complete protection."

You would like to combine the following with botanical ferulic acid to achieve the greatest benefit for your skin:

Vitamin C + E.

Vitamins C and E offer a number of skin care benefits. In combination with ferulic acid, the protection against free radicals is improved! Botanical ferulic acid also significantly increases the effectiveness and activity of vitamin C (and vitamin E), so that antioxidants can work even better to achieve the desired results.

Eminence Organics Senior skin care trainer Natalie Pergar explains how beneficial it is to use ferulic acid together with other skin-protecting antioxidants. “Look for vitamin C products that also contain vitamin E and vegetable ferulic acid for maximum results. In combination, these ingredients offer additional protection against free radicals to further reduce damage so that the skin remains healthy, smooth and radiant. "

Niacinamide

Another strong property that improves skin health is niacinamide, also known as vitamin B-3. This vitamin binds the hydration and promotes the cell-building proteins in the skin, which help to fight oxidative damage by free radicals.

Ways niacinamide promotes skin health include minimizing redness and uneven skin tone, strengthening the lipid barrier (which helps cells retain moisture), reducing pore size, and regulating oil production – both of which contribute to the reduction of outbreaks – and finally protecting skin against sun damage and oxidative stress.

The combination of niacinamide and ferulic acid offers a number of strong advantages, e.g. B. lightening the skin and balancing the texture.

Use of botanical ferulic acid

Since the purpose of using strong antioxidants such as vegetable ferulic acid is to combat the visible signs of aging, it is recommended to include a serum in the morning routine so that the moment you step outside, the skin is protected from daily environmental pollutants can.

Would you like to integrate vegetable ferulic acid into your nightly skin care routine? You can certainly do that too! Gently press a serum containing this ingredient into your skin after cleansing and before applying a thicker moisturizer to maintain its nourishing properties. Nighttime use also improves the benefits of botanical ferulic acid skin as it can penetrate the skin, making your morning use even more effective.

Eminence Organics Citrus & Kale C + E Serum

Infusing the skin with protective, antioxidant-rich products is important to minimize the signs of aging. The quickly absorbed Citrus & Kale Potent C + E serum combines botanical ferulic acid with other powerful antioxidants such as vitamins C and E to increase hydration and the appearance of elasticity. Our Citrus & Kale Potent C + E mask also contains a powerful combination of botanical ferulic acid with vitamins and natural extracts if you want to minimize visible signs of sun exposure through additional hydration.

Find out more from an Eminence Organics spa partner and find out about the availability of advice, product recommendations and in-spa treatments.

22 May

Blog

Apple MacBook Pro 13-Inch Review: For The Hobbyist

May 22, 2020
Posted by Samson

Apple MacBook Pro 13 review 2020 03

Macbook Pro 13-inch touch bar

"The new keyboard of the MacBook Pro makes it a worthy choice for aspiring creatives."

Industry leading display
Thin and light design
Excellent new keyboard
Hard-as-rock processing quality

Confusing processor selection
Average battery life

The MacBook Pro 13 plays a crucial role in the Apple product range. It's not a real "pro" laptop – that's the MacBook Pro 16. It's for the hobbyist. The amateur. The aspiring professional.

Let's be honest. The number of people who actually need professional services is relatively small, while hobby graphic designers, YouTubers, music producers and photographers are a dozen. It's a demographic group that includes some of Apple's biggest fans, and the MacBook Pro 13 shows why.

Price and configurations

The way Apple rates the MacBook Pro reflects the emerging hobby nature of this laptop. It is expensive. Even more expensive than before. The base model starts at $ 1,299, which sounds like a fair price.

Until you find that Apple sells old hardware in a new laptop. Except for the keyboard, this “new” MacBook Pro is identical to the one it sold a year ago.

This is not what other laptop manufacturers do. You can purchase the latest 10th generation processors in the Dell XPS 13, Surface Laptop 3, or HP Specter x360 in configurations starting at $ 1,200 or less. This is also not Apple's standard practice. The company tends to update its Macs more slowly than other companies. However, when a new model comes out, it often has the latest silicon.

And I can't imagine Apple launching a new flagship for iPhone or iPad that uses last year's processor. Instead, old designs are released with new processors like the iPhone SE.

This makes configuring a MacBook Pro a complete mess. Good luck choosing between the 8th generation Core i7 and the 10th generation Core i5. Oddly enough, it's the 8th generation that costs $ 100 more with a similar configuration. Apple charges you $ 200 for the modest leap from 8th generation Intel processors to 10th generation Intel processors. It also costs more for faster memory, perhaps when trying to sweeten the business with high-end models.

There is a glimmer of light in the new configurations. Warehouse. The base model now comes with a 256 GB SSD instead of 128 GB, and the $ 1,799 model has 512 GB. This is already the standard for many laptops, and I'm happy that Apple is following this example.

performance

One thing could change my bad impression of the MacBook Pro 13 hardware options. Performance. Maybe Apple has invented something special. This is possible because the 10th generation Intel Core chips in more expensive configurations are specific to the MacBook Pro.

My test device had the Intel Core i5-1038NG7, a 25-watt processor with four cores and eight threads. It is similar to the Intel Core i5-1035G7, a 15-watt processor that is used in many 13-inch laptops such as the Dell XPS 13, the HP Specter x360 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3.

Those 10 extra watts do bring some power, but as I've learned, it's a modest increase. The MacBook Pro 13 beats most other 13-inch laptops in Cinebench R20 and Geekbench 5 – especially laptops that don't put a heavy load on the CPU, like the Specter x360 or the Razer Blade Stealth. The Dell XPS 13 is a notable exception. It uses thermal tricks to push the processor more than others, and although it has a lower-performing chip, it outperforms the MacBook Pro 13 in most benchmarks.

The performance of the MacBook Pro 13-inch is a must for a hobbyist.

However, the MacBook Pro 13 strikes back in real applications. I encoded 4K video in Handbrake to H.265 in just over 3 minutes, which is 10 seconds faster than the Dell XPS 13. This is the best video encoding rating I've seen from a 13 inch laptop so far but not by much. This also applies to the $ 1,799 model with the 10th generation Core i5, 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage.

This does not mean that the MacBook Pro is a content creation machine. Exporting a 4K 2-minute clip to ProRes 422 took a painfully long 16 minutes. The 16-inch MacBook Pro does this in about half the time thanks to more processor cores and a discrete graphics card. The problem is that starting at $ 2,499, the laptop is more than twice as expensive as the entry-level MacBook Pro. The $ 1,799 is priced in between, but not in terms of performance.

However, the MacBook Pro 13-inch will come over for a hobbyist. If you're producing music in logic, photography in Lightroom, or YouTube videos in Final Cut, the 13-inch MacBook Pro won't stand in your way too much unless you use the device with high resolutions or codecs. If you don't make a living from these applications, it's not possible to pay at least $ 2,499 for a laptop. In this case, you only have problems with hiccups or longer render times.

Of course, the MacBook Pro 13 can easily handle dozens of Chrome tabs, Slack, Spotify, and video streaming. If that's all you need to do, the cheaper MacBook Air is probably the better choice.

design

The four-year-old design of the MacBook Pro 13 is now being repeated for the fourth time. This is not unusual for Apple and is not necessarily a bad thing. There are areas where the MacBook Pro is still a leader. You can open it with one finger, but the screen isn't shaky. The speakers are unprecedented, blowing every other 13-inch laptop out of the water. They have more bass and a rich stereo spread that highlights details in songs like you've never heard in a laptop.

However, there are some wrinkles, including the screen bezels. With the MacBook Pro 16, Apple has reduced the frame in favor of a larger screen. This is less wasted space and more screen space. However, the MacBook Pro 13 is stuck with chubby bezels. Rumor has it that a 14-inch MacBook Pro is in the works that follows a similar approach, but is unlikely to be launched in 2020.

It has a super slim profile that dozens of laptops have tried but failed to replicate.

But you can't blame Apple for its unibody aluminum case. Many have tried to duplicate Apple's machined aluminum case. The space gray color scheme still looks fresh and sophisticated, especially when it sits next to light gray surface devices or one of the countless nondescript black laptops. I wish the MacBook Air's gorgeous gold finish was an option.

I also can't complain about the size. The MacBook Pro isn't the thinnest or smallest 13-inch notebook in the world, but it still feels slim. Without the setting next to the 0.58-inch XPS 13, it wouldn't be crazy to assume that the 0.61-inch MacBook Pro is thinner. The unibody structure gives it a super slim profile that dozens of laptops couldn't replicate.

The MacBook Pro 13's Thunderbolt 3 ports were a trendsetter when first released, but they're pretty standard today. The $ 1,799 model has four Thunderbolt 3 ports, while the $ 1,299 model only has two. In the cheaper model, Apple places both ports on the left side, which is somewhat impractical for charging purposes.

Display quality

The MacBook Pro series is a leader in display quality, although this image has slowly changed in recent years. The MacBook Pro 13's 2,560 x 1,600 screen is particularly sharp for a 13.3-inch screen. If you are used to a 1080p screen, you will immediately notice the difference in sharpness.

Laptops like the XPS 13 or Specter x360 now offer 4K screen options that are even richer in pixels and yet are just as bright, vivid and color accurate. The 4K Specter x360 is $ 500 cheaper while the XPS 13 is $ 140 cheaper. HP even offers an OLED option that offers incredible black levels that traditional LEDs can't match. These days, these screens are even better equipped than MacBook Pro for precise photo editing.

Rumor has it that Apple is investing in the next development of its display technology, the mini LED, but it looks like we have to wait further.

The magic keyboard and touch bar

In addition to the internal updates, the Magic Keyboard is the most important feature of the MacBook Pro. Is it a sad state? Perhaps, but on the one hand you can count how often Apple has reversed the course so sharply. It's big business.

I am not convinced that this will be Apple's last attempt to reinvent the keyboard, but at the moment it has withdrawn to a traditional design. Each key has a scissor switch, a rubber dome and a full millimeter of travel.

However, it's not a return to the MacBook Pro 2015. The keycaps are more stable and less shaky, and the keystrokes have a sharper click. It's fantastic – a quiet, comfortable keyboard that made me feel right at home. The reverse T-shape of the arrow keys is available again, as is the Esc key. All of this came first for the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 16-inch, but I'm still happy.

The Magic keyboard is a quiet, comfortable keyboard that made me feel right at home.

The trackpad hasn't changed and it shouldn't. A lot of technical magic happened on the first design in 2016, and it's still the best trackpad on a laptop.

The touch bar is instead of the function line and has not grown as I hoped in recent years. It still freezes occasionally and I can't decrease my music or screen brightness. It is rarely useful and I often forget that it is there. I was thrilled when Apple introduced it in 2016. What an exciting innovation! Since then, however, Apple has done very little to develop a function that is considered necessary.

The Touch ID is still located in the top right of the touch bar and offers quick registrations and purchases for applying payments. I miss facial authentication in terms of Face ID or Windows Hello. The Mac is still the only major operating system that doesn't implement facial recognition.

Battery life

The current MacBook Pro has never had excellent battery life. You can expect a single charge to last around 6 to 7 hours, depending on how hard you push it. In my typical workflow for web apps, the average was 6.5 hours.

Compared to 1080p laptops like the XPS 13 or the Specter x360, the MacBook Pro breaks down. The XPS 13 should give you an extra 4 hours of battery life, which makes the MacBook Pro look rather weak in comparison.

However, once you jump on the 4K screen, the score is a bit more even. I haven't tested the latest 4K model of the XPS 13 yet, but in previous generations it lasted 45 minutes less than the MacBook Pro when surfing the Internet in the same battery test.

Our opinion

The MacBook Pro 13-inch is a mixed update. It fixes the problematic keyboard, but Apple's decision to stick with legacy hardware for entry-level configurations is a big issue. The design ages in some ways, but remains slim and can be compared well with most alternatives. The MacBook Pro gives you the feeling that you can do anything, but you only have the right tools if you choose the most expensive configurations – which are indeed very expensive.

Are there alternatives?

The best 13-inch laptop is the Dell XPS 13. It beats the MacBook Pro in most areas and looks just as good. Even the 4K model undercuts the price of the MacBook Pro.

If you're set up on a Mac, your other two options are the MacBook Air and the 16-inch MacBook Pro. Both offer better value for money than the MacBook Pro 13. The MacBook Air configured with the quad-core Core i5 is ideal for students and anyone who runs simpler applications. The MacBook Pro 16 is the best choice for serious creatives.

How long it will take?

The MacBook Pro 13 should last for at least five years. Apple is known for making extremely reliable products. However, if you buy the entry-level model for $ 1,299, this processor lags a year behind other new laptops you buy in 2020.

Should you buy it

Yes. It offers just enough extra power to be a solid option for aspiring creative professionals.

Editor's recommendations

22 May

Blog

The Power of Virtual Training

May 22, 2020
Posted by Samson

The power of virtual training is a guide for coaches to introduce and implement this new medium.

It's a strange time to be alive and an excellent time to be a coach. We as trainers and coaches have the knowledge to master these challenging times and to lead our customers to new effective routines and health habits. With our insight and promise of accountability, our clients have a rare opportunity to recover from this pandemic while maintaining their exercise habits.

This recovery is largely due to technological advances (virtual training) that enables us to be present without having to physically contact the customer. As a thought exercise, imagine that these shutdowns were in effect before Zoom, What’s App, Skype, and FaceTime existed.

I've been a coach for over six years, and I've only recently seen the severity of the impact we can have on a person's well-being if the chips wear off. But:

How do we do our job when there is no job?
How can we work efficiently without equipment?
And how in the world are we going to have effective one-on-one conversations without being face to face?

Fortunately, as a trainer, we are adaptable. When a client presents us with a new injury, sprained thumb, or pain, we adapt. We reprogram and get to work to find a safe and effective way to get around the limitation. That makes us intelligent trainers. We can be flexible and give the answer when it doesn't seem so obvious, while keeping an eye on our customers' goals, limitations and habits.

In essence, COVID-19 is the violation and virtual training is the modification. Virtual training is the platform that not only supports our companies during shutdown, but also enriches our customer experience when the doors are opened again. Imagine that your customer, who travels every two weeks, can now remain consistent with their actual coach due to the virtual training.

Of course, a resistance band row in a hotel door rope is less effective than a pendlay row. However, a resistance band row in a hotel door rope is ten times more effective than fifteen repetitions when changing channels and one repetition when ordering food at the hotel bar. We can be the anchor for our customers' travel plans, but first we need to discuss how we can be efficient in this new medium.

Client conversion

We can assume that our customers naturally have reservations about switching to an online training platform. Your willingness to make the change, however, is primarily guided by our enthusiasm as a trainer. Until they learn first-hand that the platform can offer a programmatic approach to fitness, they will be skeptics. As your trainer, we have to outline what you can expect. And always remember to promise too little and deliver too much.

If you share this fear as a coach, try to train another coach or friend on a virtual platform and challenge each other to put together effective training. Once you experience the value for yourself, it will be a more real conversation that will explain to your customers how it will impact.

It is important that you divide your customer list into the following three categories before discussing the conversion:

1. Excited to convert

These are customers who love your programming and brand. They are the ones who do their homework every week, show up on time with enthusiasm and communicate how they feel and what they eat outside of sports lessons. These customers also happen to see the best results.

2. Reluctant to convert

This group is generally reluctant to apply new practices. Perhaps they show resistance to changes in programming, despite scientific research into why you do what you do. These customers need social proof that other customers are already training and having fun online.

These customers love to work out with you, but without the gym they don't see how that can work. It is important to communicate with these customers on a weekly basis and always remind them that the door to virtual training is open and that you are eagerly awaiting your first session because you know how powerful it will be for them.

3. Will not convert

Once you've categorized your customers (I recommend doing this in an Excel spreadsheet), you can contact them and bring them to the new platform.

Regarding the fact that this is a completely new experience for you and your customer, I strongly recommend following these five guidelines for a successful online session.

1. Replicate the training environment

Make your training site similar to the environment in which you train. The fewer different things are, the more likely the customer will feel virtually at home. For this purpose, I recommend wearing the same work clothes that you wear in one session. If you have a branded banner, place it behind you so that the customer can see it in the viewfinder. Have the same devices as tapes, iPad, and notepad ready so you can take notes that demonstrate your attention.

2. Come prepared

I would suggest programming in advance, just like you would in the regular session. Email your client the training day in advance so they know you are taking the time to think about their training beforehand. It's also a good time to ask questions and make adjustments so that sailing goes smoothly at the start of the session.

3. Eye contact is everything

During a virtual session, your customers continuously refer to the screen for advice, pointers, and repetitions. So it is crucial that you pay attention when looking up. Fight the urge to keep your phone handy and scroll through Instagram or Twitter.

This time is your hour, treat it as such. If you use your phone, tell us why, d. H. "I'll use my timer for your rest time." In this way, the customer understands that this is for a reason.

4. Test your connection

Make sure your WiFi connection is strong. Sitting near your router makes a big difference in connectivity, as many homes have bandwidth issues due to the high concentration of people working from home.

I also recommend turning off WiFi on your phone and letting your customers do the same. If you communicate this in advance, the customer will be shown that this is not your first online training, which will further validate the medium.

5. Plan additional time

If a typical session starts and ends on the hour, I would recommend starting and ending 5-10 minutes earlier. This time enables troubleshooting and communication problems. Your customers will also appreciate the willingness to stay with them to ensure they have a positive experience.

Integrate virtual training into regular business

We do our job best when we can be physically one on one with the individual. This method works best in an environment with the necessary equipment, and this makes me believe that virtual training will not replace one-to-one lessons for a long time.

For customers who travel frequently, however, virtual training can be the X factor in their habit management. If you bring your customers up to date now, you will strengthen your business if they cannot physically get to the gym. This virtual training also gives us time as a trainer. Imagine going to Bali and while you are there you can virtually train customers, keep them up to date and put income in your pocket.

Trainers on vacation have not earned any income for decades. One hour of lost sales if a session is not run. Virtual training has the potential to diversify our income and attract a distant clientele that we otherwise would not have access to.

There is no better time than now to offer a customer a free virtual workout and speed up the return to the gym.

22 May

Blog

Swing to Win – Kettlebell Swings Better Than Olympic Lifts?

May 22, 2020
Posted by Samson

Olympic weightlifting derivatives have long been celebrated as top exercises for strength training in strength and condition. There is evidence now that is probably wrong. For most people, a simple kettlebell swing is usually a better power move than any Olympic lift derivative.

Sport happens with full hip extension

The sprinting, hitting, throwing and swinging of a racket or racket is driven by your hips with full, powerful hip extension. The full hip extension is the part of the movements of the lower body in which you stand up fully and approach and reach fully stretched.

You have to catch the bar in Olympic lifts. Beginners and advanced users almost never achieve a full hip extension because they are already preparing to dive back in to catch the pole. With a kettlebell swing, it's easy for even beginners to get a full, snappy, and powerful expansion.

If you look at the end position of each repetition in the video, you will see that the body position also mimics the drive phase of a clean wood or stone load in Strongman, in which you vigorously drive your pelvis forward under the device.

In the swing you "catch" the weight with your hamstrings

One of the biggest risk of injury in sports is tearing an Achilles tendon. Recent research has shown that developing stronger and longer hamstrings is one way to minimize this risk of injury. 1

In the swing video above you can see the kettlebell coming back and I brake it, which ends the catching phase in a position where the hamstrings are on a stretch.

This strains the Achilles tendon when it is stretched, while strengthening and lengthening the muscle, just what has been shown to reduce the risk of hamstring rupture. It is also a movement that strengthens the inner Achilles tendon more than the outer hamstring2, which could also reduce the risk of hamstring. 3

No Olympic lift derivative has this weighted advantage of hamstring stretching. Therefore, no Olympic lifting variant helps to reduce the risk of hamstring injuries and at the same time train strength like the kettlebell swing.

Horizontal work

Swings have an obvious horizontal drive aspect that Olympic lifts don't. In a swing you drive the kettlebell forward powerfully, away from you, as you cannot with the pole in Oly lifts. If you did, you would not be able to catch the bar and exit the elevator.

This horizontal aspect is important for sports because the hips work the same way when sprinting, hitting, swinging, throwing, etc. There is evidence that training horizontal strength movements rather than vertical strength movements is more effective to improve sprinting. 4

This study compared barbell engines to barbell squats and the engines were more effective. It was suspected that the horizontal nature and the larger hip extension area of the engines could be the reasons why the engine was more effective.

The effect of the kettlebell swing, unlike the Olympic lifts, is that kettlebell swings have these horizontal and larger hip extension features in an explosive lift, suggesting that they are more applicable to sprint and horizontal sport movements than a vertical power lift like the Olympic lifts.

Kettlebells are easier to learn

Anyone who has ever tried to teach beginners the Olympic lifts can tell you how difficult it is. Those of us who have tried Olympic lifting can all testify to how technically demanding it is.

This can be very fun and rewarding as a separate sport, but unfortunately it massively reduces the value of the Olympic lifts for strength and fitness. A kettlebell swing is fairly simple and easy to learn until you unlock the benefits.

When compared directly in a study with participants with more than a year of lifting experience, kettlebell swings performed well compared to power cleaning and high pulling forces. 5

Although the kettlebell group used much lighter loads, their vertical jump and power clean improved at the end of the study, as did the group that trained the power clean!

Not only that, the barbell group squatted and the chalice of the kettlebell group squatted, so that the barbell group became stronger through a stronger force movement.

This raises the question of whether the barbell group squatted heavier and became stronger, but the kettlebell group still improved in vertical jumping and power clean, although it was weaker and did not practice power clean. How much more effective was the kettlebell for power development? Swing as the Power Clean and the High Pull ?! The Kettlebell group has more power from less power, so that's relatively more power!

I think the relatively greater performance advantages of the kettlebell group were due to how much easier it is to learn and train the kettlebell swing to achieve physiological benefits while the barbell group was still trying the technical aspects of the Oly-Lift – Master derivatives.

The overall conclusion from the study is that a heavy barbell movement in combination with a kettlebell movement could be the optimal combination for strength and conditioning purposes.

The reduced risk of injury

When you prepare yourself or a team to perform better in a sport, it is your focus and not the tools you use for strength and conditioning. Nobody cares how well you clean and jerk off when you're a boxer who gets knocked out in every fight.

A major disadvantage of Olympic lifts is the risk of injury that they themselves have. Even the simpler fluctuations in performance disturb the wrists of many athletes, if nothing else.

Sometimes the risk of injury that we have from working in the gym is intentionally risked to protect the athlete from injury in sports. Unfortunately, some of the risks of Olympic lifting don't go over to much else, so they only affect their value as a strength and conditioning tool.

Kettlebell swings have no such problems. As mentioned earlier, the stretched strain they create from the hamstrings is beneficial for most sports and they don't put a lot of strain on your wrists.

A lower risk of injury from the lifts themselves, a higher injury potential and a higher return through less time invested make it child's play to choose kettlebell turns as strength and fitness training.

Program kettlebells

When it comes to integrating the kettlebell swing into your workout, I have a few preferred options. Explosive exercises can have a PAP effect 6, which means that they “wake up” your nervous system and facilitate the recruitment of muscle fibers.

This makes kettlebell swings a good choice to switch between general warm-up exercises and your first main lift. If you do, go to low volume. Work through the weights with sets of 5 or 6 reps as quickly and snappily as possible. When you get to a weight that slows you down and no longer feels snappy, stop there and ride your primary lift for the day.

The other way I particularly like is to take a kettlebell with you wherever you take your primary lower body lift. Whether it's squats, deadlifts, engines, or trap bar lifts, once your set is ready, hit a series of kettlebell swings without a break.

The weight does not have to be massively heavy as long as it is heavy enough that you feel like you have to work to move it quickly. Then rest as usual before the next sentence. This is contrast training.

However, if you incorporate kettlebell swings, this combination of research should clearly show that they are not a fad. A simple and effective movement that can help your hard-earned strength to transform into powerful sports movements cannot be ignored. Swing to win!

References

1. Short bicep femoral fascicles and weakness in the eccentric knee flexor increase the risk of thigh injury in elite football: a prospective cohort study

2. Kettlebell Swing Targets Semitendinosus and Supine Leg Curl Targets Biceps Femoris: An EMG study with effects on rehabilitation

3. Biceps femoris and semitendinosus – teammates or competitors? New insights into mechanisms of thigh injury in male soccer players: a muscle-functional MRI study

4. Effects of a 7-week hip push compared to squat resistance training on youth football performance

5. Effects of weight lifting vs. Kettlebell training on vertical jump, strength and body composition

6. Ballistic exercise as a stimulus before activation: An overview of the literature and practical applications

21 May

Blog

Microsoft Surface Book 3 15 Review: Graphics, Unleashed

May 21, 2020
Posted by Samson

Microsoft Surface Book 3 review 01

"The Surface Book 3 is not for everyone, but it is a unique laptop that is a pleasure to use."

Unique 2-in-1 design
Large, sharp display
Powerful graphics
Great video editing performance
Excellent keyboard

Limited processor performance
Very overpriced
Reduced battery life

The Surface line has never been known for its performance. They are devices to be held, played and drawn. The performance is not a weakness, but for most Surface devices it is in second place behind the design.

That was a problem for the Surface Book. It is the only Surface product that Microsoft often calls "powerful" – especially for the large 15-inch model.

The latest version, the Surface Book 3, doubles this performance promise with better graphics via the Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti and updated Intel processors. But don't be fooled – the Surface Book 3 still doesn't have the heart of a real workstation laptop. Does that hold you back?

performance

Performance is the only major change in the new surface book. So let's start there. The Surface Book 3 extends its processor and GPU to the latest Intel or Nvidia silicon. In this case, it is the 10th generation Intel Core Ice Lake processors and the Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti. My test device came with a Core i7, 16 GB RAM and a 1 TB SSD.

The CPU performance alone is not impressive for such a large device. There is one main reason for this: The same 15-watt chip is used that is also used in small laptops such as Dell XPS 13, Surface Laptop 3 and HP Specter x360 13. This is important. Not only is this less power than the CPUs in most 15-inch laptops, but there are only four processor cores available. The Dell XPS 15, ThinkPad X1 Extreme and 16-inch MacBook Pro all have up to eight cores.

The difference in the number of cores makes a massive difference in performance. If you add four cores with a laptop like the Dell XPS 15, the Cinebench R20 multi-core test scores 53% better than the Surface Book 3.

The 15-inch Surface Book 3 has an ace up its sleeve. Graphic.

It's not that Microsoft is deliberately limiting performance. The Surface Book 3 must contain most of its components – CPU, memory and more – in its tablet section. Everything sits behind the screen, like an iPad or a Surface Pro. As much as I want Microsoft to do technical magic and use a 45-watt processor, there are limitations that are inherent in this design.

But the 15-inch Surface Book 3 has an ace up its sleeve: graphics. It now uses the Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti and is available in all configurations. And as we'll see, the Surface Book 3 can use these graphics in a way that other laptops can't.

I loaded a 2 minute 4K video project into Adobe Premiere and started rendering the clip in ProRes 422. To my surprise, the Surface Book 3 completed the task in just 5 minutes and 25 seconds. This is really fast. Despite four additional cores, the XPS 15 only beat 30 seconds in the same rendering test. Options like the MacBook Pro or the Razer Blade aren't even that fast.

The Surface Book 3 can maximize the load on its CPU and GPU in many places during the entire rendering time. The system can transfer the additional load on the processor to the graphics card. This is not possible with a standard laptop, in which these hot components are all housed in the same housing. The Surface Book 3 has the graphics card in the base, while the CPU and other components are behind the screen.

Ironic, isn't it? The same reason why the Surface Book 3 is processor-controlled also gives the graphics card so much room to breathe. The only catch (and it's a big one) is the fact that this only applies to software that the GPU can use. Demanding software that the GPU cannot use does not benefit from the boost it can offer.

Of course, a powerful graphics card has other uses. Although the Surface Book 3 is anything but a gaming laptop, it surprised me with its gaming chops.

3DMark's time spy test increased 33% over the Surface Book 2, which used the GTX 1060. While a laptop like the XPS 15 has a much more powerful processor, the GTX 1660 Ti helps make the Surface Book 3 a better laptop. With a resolution of 1080p and graphics at Ultra, Battlefield V played at a speed of 60 frames per second. It doesn't make much sense to go beyond that because the Surface Book 3's display is updated at 60 Hz.

The Surface Book 3 was particularly impressive in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, a tough game that challenges even high-performance gaming PCs. While the game was almost not playable on the XPS 15, the Surface Book 3 can process it at an average of 48 frames per second even at extremely high settings. Microsoft even fixed the battery issue that prevented the Surface Book 2 from charging while playing.

Not all applications are ready to use the GPU in this way. You're not as lucky in Lightroom, and even video encoding software like Handbrake is limited to the CPU. The surface book 3 is painfully slow in these situations. Even smaller laptops such as the Dell XPS 13 and the MacBook Pro 13-inch are making their mark in video coding thanks to better thermals or processors with higher performance.

Yes, the Surface Book 3 can be a powerful laptop depending on the task. It's a surprisingly powerful video editing device and even a decent gaming laptop when you need it.

Surface book 3 as a tablet

The Surface Book 3 remains an adventurous design for Microsoft too.

It is a 2-in-1 device like the Surface Pro, except that the screen is attached directly to the "dynamic pivot hinge" at the base. With a surprisingly close connection, the tablet part is plugged into the base to create a laptop experience with very few compromises.

The tablet can be removed relatively easily by pressing a function key. You can even reattach the tablet backwards so that it can be used for presentations or watching videos. It's an intuitive alternative to using stands or magnets to hold up the screen.

The new Surface Book 3 works just like the original launched four years ago.

However, I miss the tablet stand. I often use tablets in the kitchen when cooking or cleaning, for which both the Surface Pro and the iPad are good. There is no way to support the Surface Book 3 without reattaching it to the large base. The lack of an adjustable stand also makes writing on the tablet a bit awkward. It is most convenient to turn the keyboard backwards.

In the era of the iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard, the Surface Book 3 solution isn't the only game in town. Despite the emphasis Microsoft places on the experimental design of its products, the new Surface Book 3 works just like the original launched four years ago.

The software also feels frozen in time. Windows 10 is still lacking a robust, touchable app ecosystem and meaningful gesture support so that tablet mode feels anything but complementary. This is more forgivable here than on the Surface Pro, but it rains on the parade of the impressive tablet hardware.

The tablet itself only weighs 1.8 pounds, which is slightly heavier than the 1.4-pound iPad Pro (12.9-inch). The Surface Book 3's total weight is a hefty 4.2 pounds, but for its size, the tablet feels remarkably light.

It's easy enough to hold a clipboard in one hand and use it with your Surface Pen, or to scroll the web while lounging on the couch. Unfortunately, the pen is not included and was not included in my test device.

Battery life is the main problem in tablet mode. Only part of the battery is available in tablet mode because the battery is split between the tablet and the keyboard dock. You can only expect a few hours of battery life from the tablet alone – long enough to watch a movie in bed, but not much more.

The Surface Book 3 as a laptop

The Surface Book 3 is more than the Surface Pro and should be a laptop experience.

The blunt hinge is not noticeable when the laptop is open, but it makes the device thicker. At the thickest point it is 0.90 inches. That's a lot of pressure in many backpacks. Otherwise, it's a robust, exceptionally well-built laptop. Just think about the size before buying.

Like all Surface products, the Surface Book 3 also has a first-class keyboard and a touchpad. Because the keycaps are located above the keyboard deck, it is an extremely tactile keyboard that mimics an external keyboard more than most laptop keyboards. If you miss that click feeling on modern laptops, you'll love typing in Surface Book 3.

If you are not a professional photo editor, you will enjoy this large, crisp display to the fullest.

The same applies to the glass touchpad, which has a quiet click mechanism and precise tracking. The touchpad is big enough, although I would like to see it expanded. The MacBook Pro 16 has a larger trackpad, and even the new Dell XPS 15 has expanded in size to take advantage of every millimeter of available space. There's no reason the Surface Book 3 couldn't be bigger.

The speakers are not in the base of the laptop, but in the tablet itself. This ensures good positioning as they point directly at your ears. However, they are not the loudest or booming speakers in the world to watch movies.

You will definitely not complain about the ultra-sharp 3240 x 2160 display. It is a beautiful, high-contrast screen. As long as you stick to the sRGB color mode, it is even color accurate. It's not bright enough to compete with the MacBook Pro, and the color gamut isn't wide enough either. However, for anything other than professional photo editing, you'll enjoy this large, crisp display.

Since the case hasn't changed in four years, the Surface Book 3 gets stuck on an older set of ports: two USB-A ports, a full-size SD card slot, the Surface Connect dock for power, and a USB -C connector. The lack of Thunderbolt 3 is a blatant omission. Microsoft continues to avoid the powerful, super-fast port technology that almost all competitors use. Since Dell switches to four Thunderbolt 3 ports on its XPS 15 and XPS 17, the options of the Surface Book 3 are a bit outdated.

Battery life is an integral part of the laptop experience, and the Surface Book 2 was a record holder. Thanks to its two batteries – one behind the screen and one in the base – it took 20 hours of local video playback. The Surface Book 3 still has a whopping 82 watt hours of juice, and yet in some tests the battery life has been reduced by more than 50%.

Local video playback takes 13 hours and 42 minutes, while moderate internet surfing is closer to 8.5 hours. It takes me through the working day, but the huge reduction is pretty disappointing. I suspect a firmware update might fix the problem, but Microsoft has not yet responded with an explanation.

After all, the price of the Surface Book 3 cannot be overlooked. The 15-inch model costs a whopping $ 2,400, but only has 256 GB of SSD storage. Even the expensive 16-inch MacBook Pro offers twice as much storage space for the same price. If you're more expensive than a brand that most already criticize as overpriced, you're in trouble.

The only way to add more space to the Surface Book 3 is to spend an additional $ 400, which also gives you up to 32 GB of RAM. Due to the limited configuration, it is difficult to customize the Surface Book 3 exactly as you want it.

Our opinion

The Microsoft Surface Book 3 remains a niche laptop, especially in its 15-inch form. The price is insane and the mediocre processor limits the type of work it excels at. However, the impressive graphics performance makes the Surface Book 3 a solid video editing and gaming machine. However, the unique design remains its main attraction

Are there alternatives?

The closest alternative to the Surface Book 3 are the other Surface products like Surface Pro 7, Surface Pro X or Surface Laptop 3. The Surface Laptop 3 is the only one that is also available in this size, although it does not offer any discrete products graphics option.

If you can give up the tablet experience, the Dell XPS 15- and 16-inch MacBook Pro offer better processor performance. The XPS is also a lot cheaper.