Blog – Page 188 – Appliances catalogue

03 Dec

Get More Power from Rowing

December 3, 2020
Posted by Samson

I'm a rower – on the water and in the gym. I regularly observe rowers and coaches who exercise on their rowing machines with growing frustration. Why am i frustrated?

Because they could get much better results if they only knew one key technique.

Get more strength through rowing - fitness, crossfit, rest and recovery, rowing, indoor rowing, strength, core strength, strength output, hamstrings, hip joints, back strength, glutes, arm strength, competition rowing, rowing ergometers, rowing technique, ratio and rhythm

Master the rowing machine

If you go to the average gym, CrossFit, or rowing club, you will see a lot of great athletes using the rowing machines.

What difference does it make?

They are different by an order of magnitude. Somehow, those rowers on the water seem to be luring more and more out of a rowing machine, leaving most of the gym rowers for dead.

Two reasons why this happens:

Rowers on the water who use rowing machines understand the concept of relationship and rhythm. This way they can rest more with each stroke and are therefore stronger because they get less tired.
Rowers on the water know how to recruit extra muscle for their endeavors. The more muscles that are put into the strength phase, the faster the flywheel accelerates and the better the numbers.

The basic rudder stroke

Rowing consists of two main parts::

The strength phase – in which you press against the footboard and accelerate the handle and chain in your direction.
The recovery phase– You will rest and return to a compressed posture with your legs bent with the chain retracted in the machine.

An effective strength phase uses the legs, back, and arms to accelerate the handle and chain. So far so good, but I don't see that in the gym.

Most gym rowers don't use their back muscles to speed up the handle and chain.

This is a critical difference to the rowers on the water. I teach that to my customers.

Add back power to your rowing

First, learn which muscles to activate. Finding them and feeling those muscles and knowing how to activate them is probably the hardest part of this technique improvement.

Then I want to show you how to recruit them for your rowing stroke cycle and give you an exercise to practice that will help you build your back muscles into your rowing stroke.

Body Swing Rowing only

Rowers on the water learn technique and effective strength through exercises and exercises. And so I'll show you a drill called Body Swing Only Rowing.

Let's start by sitting on the rowing machine.
Take the handle and sit with your legs straight, arms straight, and your body leaning forward.
The key is that your shoulders are in front of your hips (use a mirror to check this) and that your neck and shoulders are relaxed.

Rowers on the water call this position the catch position. This is achieved by folding through your hips with a straight back. If you have tight glutes and hamstrings, this can be a challenge.

If you can't reach this position, don't do the exercise. You won't gain anything until you can stretch forward in this pose.

Stage one

Swing backwards until your shoulders are behind your hips.
Keep your legs and arms straight. Then swing back and forth again, using the handle and chain to move the flywheel as you swing.
Try not to lean back more than 5-10 degrees.
Now make the flywheel spin faster by grabbing your abs just before the backswing.

A strong middle section will help you connect your back swing to the handle and chain without slipping.

Stage two

Add the arms to the backswing.
As you did in Stage 1, swing your back alone, then add a pull of your arm to speed up the handle and chain as the handle approaches your body.
Then straighten your arms and swing forward from your hips.
This order is important – arms before body swing.
Keep working with a strong core to prevent chain slippage so that the chain will instantly accelerate the flywheel when you start moving. Note that you can do a little backswing before you begin pulling the arm.
This is important for activating the back muscles. When rowing, larger muscle groups (legs and back) have to work before smaller muscles (arms).

This is an important skill in developing punching power.

Level three

Half the leg drive.
Add in half a leg drive. Rowers call this a half slide, and when your legs are 50% straight.
Usually this is when your elbows are above your knees.

Stage one is the back. Add stage two, that is, the arms, and then stage three, the legs.

You are now moving the handle and chain faster because more body parts are accelerating the flywheel.

The critical component is the transition from one body part to the next.

Keeping this smooth, keeping the chain taut, and continuing to speed up will get the best results.

Focus on legs-back-arms and do the reverse as you return for another punch.

When you learn this, the big muscles will be strengthened before the small muscles rule.

String it together

Do the exercise with 10 strokes in each phase. Then move to the full sled and use a full leg drive. Try to make the second half of your power phase as if you had done the exercise.

Use the mirror to check your posture. The first half of your strength should only be used with your leg drive. Check that your upper body is sloping forward from your hips with your shoulders. This is an unnatural posture and needs to be learned – but it reinforces the rule of big muscles before small, and therefore it's effective.

The last thing you can practice is rowing while trying to get your legs, back, and arms ready. This is an exaggeration from the normal rowing technique – but it's a great way to get a seriously powerful end to the rowing stroke.

And a great way to keep practicing or do a 10-stroke power boost during your workout when you want more strength and the breakdown starts to wear off.

Next we learn the second … relationship and rhythm. But we'll leave that for another day.

02 Dec

Blog

Get More Power from Rowing

December 2, 2020
Posted by Samson

I'm a rower – on the water and in the gym. I regularly observe rowers and coaches who exercise on their rowing machines with growing frustration. Why am i frustrated?

Because they could get much better results if they only knew one key technique.

Get more strength through rowing - fitness, crossfit, rest and recovery, indoor rowing, core strength, strength output, hamstrings, hip joints, back strength, glutes, arm strength, competition rowing, rowing ergometers, rowing technique, ratio and rhythm

Master the rowing machine

If you go to the average gym, CrossFit, or rowing club, you will see a lot of great athletes using the rowing machines.

What difference does it make?

They are different by an order of magnitude. Somehow, those rowers on the water seem to be luring more and more out of a rowing machine, leaving most of the gym rowers for dead.

Two reasons why this happens:

Rowers on the water who use rowing machines understand the concept of relationship and rhythm. This way they can rest more with each stroke and are therefore stronger because they get less tired.
Rowers on the water know how to recruit extra muscle for their endeavors. The more muscles that are put into the strength phase, the faster the flywheel accelerates and the better the numbers.

The basic rudder stroke

Rowing consists of two main parts::

The strength phase – in which you press against the footboard and accelerate the handle and chain in your direction.
The recovery phase– You will rest and return to a compressed posture with your legs bent with the chain retracted in the machine.

An effective strength phase uses the legs, back, and arms to accelerate the handle and chain. So far so good, but I don't see that in the gym.

Most gym rowers don't use their back muscles to speed up the handle and chain.

This is a critical difference to the rowers on the water. I teach that to my customers.

Add back power to your rowing

First, learn which muscles to activate. Finding them and feeling those muscles and knowing how to activate them is probably the hardest part of this technique improvement.

Then I want to show you how to recruit them for your rowing stroke cycle and give you an exercise to practice that will help you build your back muscles into your rowing stroke.

Body Swing Rowing only

Rowers on the water learn technique and effective strength through exercises and exercises. And so I'll show you a drill called Body Swing Only Rowing.

Let's start by sitting on the rowing machine.
Take the handle and sit with your legs straight, arms straight, and your body leaning forward.
The key is that your shoulders are in front of your hips (use a mirror to check this) and that your neck and shoulders are relaxed.

Rowers on the water call this position the catch position. This is achieved by folding through your hips with a straight back. If you have tight glutes and hamstrings, this can be a challenge.

If you can't reach this position, don't do the exercise. You won't gain anything until you can stretch forward in this pose.

Stage one

Swing backwards until your shoulders are behind your hips.
Keep your legs and arms straight. Then swing back and forth again, using the handle and chain to move the flywheel as you swing.
Try not to lean back more than 5-10 degrees.
Now make the flywheel spin faster by grabbing your abs just before the backswing.

A strong middle section will help you connect your back swing to the handle and chain without slipping.

Stage two

Add the arms to the backswing.
As you did in Stage 1, swing your back alone, then add a pull of your arm to speed up the handle and chain as the handle approaches your body.
Then straighten your arms and swing forward from your hips.
This order is important – arms before body swing.
Keep working with a strong core to prevent chain slippage so that the chain will instantly accelerate the flywheel when you start moving. Note that you can do a little backswing before you begin pulling the arm.
This is important for activating the back muscles. When rowing, larger muscle groups (legs and back) have to work before smaller muscles (arms).

This is an important skill in developing punching power.

Level three

Half the leg drive.
Add in half a leg drive. Rowers call this a half slide, and when your legs are 50% straight.
Usually this is when your elbows are above your knees.

Stage one is the back. Add stage two, that is, the arms, and then stage three, the legs.

You are now moving the handle and chain faster because more body parts are accelerating the flywheel.

The critical component is the transition from one body part to the next.

Keeping this smooth, keeping the chain taut, and continuing to speed up will get the best results.

Focus on legs-back-arms and do the reverse as you return for another punch.

When you learn this, the big muscles will be strengthened before the small muscles rule.

String it together

Do the exercise with 10 strokes in each phase. Then move to the full sled and use a full leg drive. Try to make the second half of your power phase as if you had done the exercise.

Use the mirror to check your posture. The first half of your strength should only be used with your leg drive. Check that your upper body is sloping forward from your hips with your shoulders. This is an unnatural posture and needs to be learned – but it reinforces the rule of big muscles before small, and therefore it's effective.

The last thing you can practice is rowing while trying to get your legs, back, and arms ready. This is an exaggeration from the normal rowing technique – but it's a great way to get a seriously powerful end to the rowing stroke. And a great way to keep practicing or do a 10-stroke power boost during your workout when you want more strength and the breakdown starts to wear off.

Next we learn the second … relationship and rhythm. But we'll leave that for another day.

02 Dec

Blog

How to perform a Curtsy Lunge exercise to grab quick results?

December 2, 2020
Posted by Samson

Hip problems affect most of us these days. This is more common in people living their middle adulthood. No matter what remedy you try, nothing seems to work the way it should. During such a time Knicks lunge can work like magic in treating and stabilizing your hip problems. This is a versatile workout that activates the glutes while sculpting your butt. If you practice this lunge every day, it is sure to bring many benefits to your body. Let us explain to you how to do this lunge exercise on a daily basis for instant results.

What is Curtsy Longe?

Curtsy Longe is an exercise that promises to change the game for you if all else fails. For anyone looking to improve their glutes, shape their butts, and stabilize their hips, this lunge is perfect. With the Knicks lunge exerciseThere is no stone unturned in helping your body develop strength. The Knicks lunge exercise Also improves balance in the body by exercising the ankles, calves, quads, and core. Many people assume that doing a Knicks lunge is a daunting task, but it isn't true. If you follow the directions carefully, you will be ready to receive the difference in your body. Watch for mistakes during the exercise. Remember that even the smallest mistake can bring you terrible results.

Benefits of the Curtsy Lunge Exercise

There are numerous benefits to this exercise that promise to improve your body and stabilize muscles. Let's look at them.

1. Improves the gluteal muscles

Including multiple muscles in this workout does that Knicks lunge exercisesWe improve the gluteal muscles immediately. Although the gluteus maximus is the focus of this workout, the gluteus minimus and medius are also used somehow. Because of this purpose, the round appearance and the balanced piston appear.

2. Improves balance

When you do a curt lunge, your body balance automatically improves as the quads, core, ankles, and calves are trained together. You can also see better muscle activation and proper connection of mind and body in no time. So there is a maximum improvement here.

3. Improves the strength of the legs and gluteal muscles Due to the activated power of the legs and glutes, the Knicks lunge exercise seems to benefit them most. As a result, improved leg and gluteus muscle strength will soon develop once you start exercising every day. It also helps your body practice like magic when you are in a sport.

How do I do a Knicks Lunge?

It's not that difficult to do a Knicks lunge. Once you get it, this exercise is as easy as pie. If you've been waiting to know how to do a curtsy lungeLet's get into that right away.

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Let your arms fall on your sides.

2. Try drawing a semicircle with your right foot and moving clockwise until it crosses behind your left foot. Make sure your right toe is tucked away. Fold your hands together in your heart too.

3. Jump down as low as you can and float your knees a few inches off the floor.

4. Now gradually return to your original dropout position.

5. Now repeat the exercise on the other side. If you were wondering how to do a curtsy lungeQuickly refer to these steps.

What are the Knick's lunge muscles worked?

As you do the Knicks lunge, the most important question to ask yourself is which one Knicks lunge muscles that worked? If you don't know about them, here's how to find out.

1. Gluteus muscles – The gluteus muscles are made up of three different parts called the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. The glutes activate all of these muscles in turn to help the body perform better.

2. Soleus / Gastrocnemius – These muscles are located on the back of the leg. These muscles act as stabilizers in your body when you are doing this exercise. So that's it Knick's lunge muscles worked.

3. Quadriceps – The four muscles that stand in the middle of your thigh are quads. These muscles are activated when you perform movements, especially when you stand and squat. These muscles are also used when we want to straighten our legs. So that's it Knick's lunge muscles worked.

Take that away

You had to do something like that Knicks Longe exercise and bring the best benefits to the table for you. Don't miss it. We promise; They work like magic in need.

Great fitness technology comes at a price

The hydrow is the rudder's answer to peloton motorcycles, insofar as it is designed and where it fits in the industry. However, I have a lot of comments on the pricing of a Hydrow rowing machine (currently $ 1,995 with discounts) versus a Concept 2 (the Model D is $ 900 before shipping and tax) or a NordicTrack RW900 ($ 1,599 before Shipping) seen and taxes). It's true you can get cheaper indoor rowers, but Hydrow is one of the emerging hybrid technology creations that is taking the fitness world by storm, making it part of a new category of equipment. It's no surprise that the Hydrow comes with a 22-inch screen, electromagnetic resistance mechanism, and most importantly, networked software and infrastructure that supports perfectly coordinated row-along workouts with top-notch instructors on the water. It's chic design and high production values for hardware, software, and content.

It goes without saying that the software that Hydrow supports is a tech boost in its own right and shouldn't be discounted as if you were signing up for a YouTube channel. It is a fully functional SaaS (Software as a Service) application that is scalable for a large audience. If the weight of the software is insufficient, the hardware itself is approximately 30 kg and measures 86 x 25 x 47 inches.

Hydrow Review - Full Body Happiness At Home - Reviews, Rowing, Endurance, Indoor Rowing, Strength, Technique, Home Workouts, Full Body Workouts At Home, Staying Fit At Home, Hydrow

The hydrow may be shiny, but it is also surprisingly firm; The aluminum and steel frame can accommodate a person weighing 375 pounds, while NordicTrack has a maximum of 250 pounds and a Peloton bike has a maximum of 297 pounds. Would it be nice if the hydrow hit the 500 pound mark of a Model D? Sure, but kudos to the Hydrow engineers for outperforming their direct competition.

Improve rowing tips

Don't grip too tightly
Ride your legs
Go straight back
Don't let your butt go alone
Don't pull with your arms
Keep your elbows relaxed
Don't shrug
Always sit up
Don't bend your knees too soon
Focus on steady movement

The Hydrow's 22-inch screen is clear and sharp, even in direct light. It swivels so you can still see the screen once you've settled down for floor exercises, and it has a great software interface. Again, some users have noticed the similarity to the Peloton UI, but honestly that's not a problem as most of the fitness apps these days are pretty close to each other, which is moving through screens, finding workouts, selecting instructors, and that Search concerns. And a good thing too, because it works.

If you know how to lift weights properly, you will know how to row.

Ellen Tomek, Olympic rower

It's also worth noting that Hydrow, the company, has raised $ 52 million in investment and the money is up there on the screen and in the design of the product. The user experience is unique and everything from the seat design to the feeling of resistance feels like a premium product. Your instructors are on the water, your pace and pace need to be synchronized, your rowing experience is enhanced by the graphics, and the controls are never hampered or superfluous. This is a well thought out product with few weaknesses.

Hydrow Review - Full Body Happiness At Home - Reviews, Rowing, Endurance, Indoor Rowing, Strength, Technique, Home Workouts, Full Body Workouts At Home, Staying Fit At Home, Hydrow

If there was one fear I had in getting involved with the Hydrow, it was the potential liabilities of long term maintenance. This is not a product that you can disassemble and oil and repair yourself. Time will tell how this affects users, but it's not uncommon to feel that pain of fear when you've invested heavily in something like this.

Home exercise gets better with help

If you are one of those people who are disciplined or advanced enough to do things on your own, the hydrow can be frustrating for you as it is best consumed as a guided experience. You can't ignore the screen or software and walk alone. Participating in the community isn't a must, but you get immersed in what other people are doing when you see their activity in rows with you or in a nice little feed that shows who finished a row and how they're doing have behaved. It's optional to share, but it works on a visceral level, engaging you, and making you feel like you are part of a group of fellow enthusiasts. You can filter the results by age and gender and this can be quite a motivating factor.

Hydrow Review - Full Body Happiness At Home - Reviews, Rowing, Endurance, Indoor Rowing, Strength, Technique, Home Workouts, Full Body Workouts At Home, Staying Fit At Home, Hydrow

The best part, however, are the instructors. You have real rowers, you have a skull or two and oars on a body of water with bridges and boats and a real landscape. In one training session, I saw that the instructor had to adjust after getting too close to the walls of a tunnel under a bridge. You will feel like you are part of an experience on the water even if you are as cynical as I am. However, what really impressed me was the fact that the intimacy of the class forces you to maintain good technique. Your instructor is right in front of you, a skilled rower, and you can't whirl around or mess your own shape unless you turn off the sound and close your eyes.

Each row is different and can be a Zen experience as well as a challenge. The emphasis on shape and consistency is a constant challenge even for the best rowers. If you've experienced rowing at a typical boxing gym without the following instructions, the Hydrow experience is a revelation that makes you feel as close to the water as possible. I'm sure this may be an exaggeration for real rowers, but I can only talk about how I felt like someone who hasn't rowed on the water but is now itchy to try it out sometime. I don't know if indoor bikes and treadmills offer the same level of immersion. I received the Hydrow experience as a reviewer on these sites and have become a believer.

Hydrow indoor rowing system
Weight	145 lbs
Dimensions	86 x 25 x 47 in
screen	22-inch display with 25-degree rotation in each direction
Connectivity	Bluetooth connection, WLAN (10 Mbit / s recommended), Ethernet (optional) WLAN: 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac; Ethernet: 100 Mbit / s / RJ45
Electric	Standard 120 volt socket; 60 Hz; Power (max.): 210 W, 2A; Power (average): 35 W (0.44 A); Power (idle): 5 W (50 mA)
Pulling mechanism	Electromagnetic resistance that is set 240 times per second and is attached to a handle made of polyester tape
Size limit	36 "stride length; 375 lbs weight
price	$ 2,495 but expect lots of vacation deals by logging into Hydrow's shop. Expect to be more than $ 30 a month for membership

02 Dec

Blog

Porsche Design Acer Book RS: Porsche Designed, Porsche Tuned

December 2, 2020
Posted by Samson

Porsche Design Acer Book RS Featured image

Porsche Design Acer Book RS

"The Porsche Design Book RS is very, very fast for a Core i5 laptop – Porsche tuning at its best!"

Unique and modern aesthetics
Impressively fast performance of the Core i5 CPU
Competent gaming performance for a Core i5
Solid build quality
Good battery life

Expensive, even with an unusually fast Core i5
Average keyboard and touchpad

Acer has teamed up with Porsche Design to develop a laptop for “trend-conscious mobile professionals”. Sure, the companies have made a great looking laptop that has its own unique aesthetic, but often such collaborations can only be up close. So I was excited to find out if that's the case with this 14-inch laptop.

I got the entry-level Book RS configuration for $ 1,399 that came with a Core i5-1135G7, 8GB of RAM, a 512GB solid-state drive (SSD), and a 14-inch Full HD -Drive (1,920 x 1,080). IPS display. Read on to find out if there's more to the Porsche Design influence than good looks.

design

Porsche Design Acer Book RS Design Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

I'm not going to say that I look at this laptop and immediately think of the Porsche sports cars. The Acer Book RS is quite angular in many ways, while I usually think of Porsche cars as more curvy. It doesn't matter because it's a beautiful laptop that absolutely stands out from the rest.

Let's start with the carbon fiber lid, which is manufactured using the NIL (Nanoimprint Lithography) process and covered by silver aircraft aluminum with the Porsche Design logo. It's noticeable and the carbon fiber stands out more than, for example, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3, where it's much more subdued. Here, the texture gives a futuristic look, drawing attention to the sides of the laptop, which – as mentioned – are chiseled into an angular aesthetic exemplified by the hinge on the back. The chassis doesn't have much, if any, angle – oddly enough, the blocky look stands out instead of being overly simplistic. When you open the lid you will find a standard island keyboard with black keys and white letters. The Porsche Design logo above the keyboard is the only outstanding design feature. The frames aren't as small as on many newer computers like the Dell XPS 13, but they aren't too big either.

Build quality is solid, with no bending, bending, or twisting unless you put way too much pressure. It's as good as any other premium notebook, and you'll have a hard time finding unsightly seams or misaligned parts. The Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA is another 14-inch laptop with a solid build, and the Acer Book RS matches it – as do the Dell XPS 13 and Apple MacBook Pro 13. That shouldn't come as a surprise – Porsche clearly doesn't. I don't want his name to be tainted by a sloppy build. Acer has also used the Micro-Arc Oxidation (MAO) lacquer that has been used on some of its recent laptops to harden the case surface and resist scratches and corrosion.

The Book RS is a very thin and light 14-inch laptop that measures 0.63 inches and 2.65 pounds. That's slightly thicker than the 0.54-inch ZenBook 14 UX425EA and a bit heavier than the ZenBook's 2.58 pounds. It's also not as thin as the 0.58-inch XPS 13, but it's lighter compared to the Dell's 2.8 pounds (to the touch). Of course, you don't mind carrying the basic case around with you.

Connectivity is another strong point: a USB-C port with Thunderbolt 4 support (a second port would have been handy), two USB-A 3.2 ports, a full-size HDMI 2.0 port with HDCP support, and a 3rd port , 5mm audio jack. A major complaint is that there is no SD card reader. Hence, photo and video editors need to buy an adapter. The wireless connectivity is state of the art with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.

performance

Porsche Design Acer Book RS performance Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

If you've looked at the $ 1,399 price tag and were disappointed that the Book RS only has an 11th Gen Core i5-1135G7 CPU rather than the Core i7 you can usually find for that kind of money , you have the feeling. I felt the same way when I first saw the specs and pricing, but found that Acer had paid the Porsche Design group a fair amount of money that was passed on to the buyer. The thing is, this is a Porsche Design laptop, and if there's one thing usually associated with that name, it's performance.

I'll give it to you right away: the Porsche Design Acer Book RS with its Core i5 is just as fast – if not faster – than any Tiger Lake Core i7 laptop we tested, with the exception of the reference device that Intel sent us to look at Has . This laptop featured the fastest Tiger Lake CPU, the Core i7-1186G7, compared to the Core i7-1165G7 machines we tested.

Take a look at the synthetic benchmark GeekBench 5, in which the Book RS achieved 1,415 points in single-core mode and 5,364 points in multi-core mode. That's a lot faster than the other Core i5 laptop I tested, the Lenovo Yoga 7i, and it challenges the Core i7 machines. For example, the Dell XPS 13 9310 scored 1,540 and 5,432 points, which means that it was significantly faster than the Book RS in single-core mode, but less in multi-core mode. The same goes for the faster Acer Swift 5 with 1580 and 5836 points – again faster than the Book RS, but not as much as you might expect.

But check out the handbrake results, a more realistic test that converts a 420MB video to H.265. The Book RS finished the test in three minutes, faster than the Swift 5, the XPS 13 9310 and the Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA (all Core i7 machines). And the Book RS was only eight seconds away from the faster Intel reference laptop. That's a remarkable feat of a Core i5 laptop, and I was tempted to pry open the case and look for a turbo-charger hidden inside.

Cinebench 20 was similar: The Book RS was faster than the XPS 13 9310 in multi-core mode and in close proximity to the Swift 5 and the Intel reference device. The Book RS was a bit slower in single core mode, but not by much. As I said in the headline, Porsche not only designed this laptop, it must have optimized it too.

You lose next to nothing when you buy the Book RS and its Core i5, and you can spend an extra $ 600 and get a Core i7 that I can imagine will do even more spectacularly. That leaves the question of GPU performance unanswered, however – the Yoga 7i's Core i5 Intel Iris Xe graphics underperformed significantly, and I feared I'd see the same on the Book RS as well.

Play

Porsche Design Acer Book RS Gaming Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Fortunately, that wasn't the case. While the Book RS couldn't quite keep up with its Core i7 competitors, it was close enough that you won't be too disappointed here if you opt for the supposedly slower chipset.

We start with the synthetic 3DMark Time Spy test, in which the Book RS scored 1,504. Compare that to the Yoga 7i with the same Core i5, which only hit 913. The Dell XPS 13 was faster at 1,647, as was the Acer Swift 5 at 1,686, but the difference is nowhere near as big as the Yoga 7i. In short, in this benchmark at least, the Core i5 of the Book RS was competitive with our Core i7 comparison machines.

In Civilization VI with 1080p and medium graphics, the Book RS achieved 46 frames per second (fps) compared to the Swift 5 with 53 fps and the Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA with 36 fps. The Yoga 7i could only reach 28 fps, which shows that it was slow in real games, and not just benchmarks – and that the Core i5 itself isn't that much slower. When switching to epic graphics, the Book RS achieved 25 fps compared to the Swift 5 with 27 fps and the ZenBook 14 with 24 fps.

I also ran Fortnite, and the Book RS was competitive again at 27 fps on 1080p and high graphics and 20 fps on epic graphics. There aren't any good results either, but they're not far behind the Swift 5 at 31 fps and 22 fps and are identical to the Dell XPS 13 at 27 fps and 20 fps. The Yoga 7i only managed 20 FPS and 12 FPS in this title.

The bottom line is that the Book RS is almost as light a gaming notebook as the Tiger Lake Core i7 systems I tested. Even the Intel reference laptop with its faster chip wasn't much faster.

display

Porsche Design Acer Book Case Display Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Lately – and by that I mean the last few years – premium Full HD IPS displays are pretty similar in performance. They're great for productivity work and Netflix, but they don't offer the huge gamut of color and accuracy that photo and video editors require. I was excited to see how the Book RS display behaved, and that's how my colorimeter came out.

Basically, the laptop's display is at least average – which is very good – or a little better in some cases. First, it reached 318 nits of brightness and exceeded our preferred threshold of 300 nits. So this is a good thing. The contrast was 970: 1, just below our 1,000: 1 standard for great displays. That too is good enough. The colors were typical of 73% of AdobeRGB and 97% of sRGB – the vast majority of premium laptops fall in the same range, maybe a few percentage points higher or lower on either color gamut, but not enough to be noticed. Finally, the color accuracy was very good with a DeltaE of 1.15, with 1.0 or less indistinguishable to the human eye and considered excellent.

In short, this is a fine display that makes productivity a pleasure and makes watching videos a pleasure. I have no complaints about this display and have enjoyed using it as much as the rest of this excellent laptop. You will find that it is on par with other similar laptops like the Acer Swift 5 (which may have used the same display, the results are so similar). Note that the Yoga 7i had a very low contrast ratio of 690: 1, so the Book RS gives this laptop a superior experience.

The audio, on the other hand, suffers from low volume – turn it all the way up and there is no distortion but not much sound either. The mids and highs are okay and the bass is missing as usual. You should therefore use headphones or an external speaker with the Book RS.

Keyboard and touchpad

The Book RS has a typical island keyboard with smaller function keys on top. The keycaps are a little small for my tastes, and the key spacing is such that I occasionally find my fingers looking for keys. The switches are also softer than I like – not muddy, but with no crunchy floor effect. Acer uses the same keyboard on multiple laptops and I would have preferred to see something special on this one. In terms of precision, the keyboard is certainly not in the same class as the Dell XPS 13, HP Specter x360 13, and the latest MacBooks.

The touchpad is fine, responsive to swipes and taps, and supports Microsoft Precision touchpad drivers. The key clicks are a bit loud, which I don't like. Finally, the fingerprint reader for Windows Hello login assistance without a password is embedded in the top left of the touchpad. This is something companies have moved away from, and something I think Acer should have avoided here. It worked well enough that I rarely had to enter my PIN to sign in.

There is a Gorilla Glass touch display which is good to have and which responds as usual. You will benefit from an antimicrobial coating if you use it. This doesn't protect you from the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, but rather reduces the bacteria that build up.

Ultimately, I was a little overwhelmed by the input options given that the laptop is excellent in so many other areas. It just feels like Acer cut a corner here where it could have done something special.

Battery life

Porsche Design Acer Book RS battery life Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The Book RS only contains a 56-watt-hour battery, which isn't much for a machine with a 14-inch display. In comparison, the Lenovo Yoga 7i has a battery capacity of 71 watt hours, which would theoretically result in better battery life – and an even better comparison since both laptops use the same Core i5-1135G7.

The thing is, the RS book lasts longer than the Yoga 7i, which is all the more remarkable given that it works so much faster. For example, in our web browsing test, which provides the best estimate of productivity longevity, the Book RS lasted nine hours while the Yoga 7i lasted just under an hour less. The Book RS also beat the Acer Swift 5 (almost eight hours) and the XPS 13 9310 (by 27 minutes). According to Intel's Evo certification, a laptop's battery should last nine hours of normal use, and the Book RS is the first that I'm sure will meet that requirement.

When switching over to our video test, in which a local Full HD Avengers trailer is repeated until the laptop is shut down, the Book RS took a little over 13.5 hours. This is a decent score that once again surpasses the Yoga 7i, Acer Swift 5, and XPS 13.

While I usually use the Basemark web benchmark test to see how long a laptop will last when the CPU and GPU are under heavy strain, every Tiger Lake laptop I have tried failed this test. So I used the PCMark 10 gaming benchmark for this purpose, and the Book RS took just under two hours. Here the Yoga 7i lasted 50 minutes longer, while the XPS 13 9310 lasted more than twice as long. The Acer Swift 5 was away from the Book RS within four seconds. It is likely that the same tuning that led to the Book RS's exceptional performance resulted in the battery burn out faster in this test.

Overall, the Book RS impressed me with its battery life, especially considering the relatively small battery and excellent performance. Would I rather have seen a bigger battery? Sure, but I wouldn't be disappointed with the longevity of the laptop at all.

Our opinion

The Porsche Design Acer Book RS is an impressive laptop in both looks and performance – as befits the Porsche nickname, I suppose. Thanks to its solid construction, it feels good in the hand and lasts long enough on one charge that you can probably last a whole working day – a real achievement for such a runabout.

The keyboard and touchpad were a bit underutilized, and let's face it – the Core i5 is fast in this computer, but it's still a Core i5. So $ 1,399 for this configuration is steep and you are definitely paying for Porsche Design's dedication. But if you're looking for a beautiful, uniquely designed laptop that performs well, then you might not mind the price, just like Porsche sports cars.

Are there alternatives?

The Acer Swift 5 is an obvious competitor to the Book RS. It offers the best performance you can find in any of the Tiger Lake laptops tested so far by Digital Trends, and it's a well-built laptop in itself. You also pay less for a Core i7 (that's no faster than the Book RS's Core i5, remember), more RAM, and more storage.

If you are craving a 2-in-1 device, the HP Specter x360 13 is an excellent choice. We haven't tested it yet, but it is also available with Tiger Lake and has its own attractive gem-cut look. You can also get it with a stunning OLED display that puts the Book RS display to shame.

Finally, the Dell XPS 13 always remains a solid alternative as it is one of the best laptops out there. It also runs on Tiger Lake, and while it can also be expensive and have a slightly smaller screen, these may be trade-offs that are worthwhile if you're not impressed by the Porsche Design look.

How long it will take?

The Porsche Design Acer Book RS is a well-made laptop that will work reliably for years and perform well in this way. We don't like the one-year guarantee. What can you do? It's the industry standard.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The Porsche Design Acer Book RS is beautiful, thin and light, well built and fast. Just be ready to pay a little extra for this logo.

Editor's recommendations

02 Dec

Blog

Hydrow Review – Total Body Home Happiness

December 2, 2020
Posted by Samson

Hydrow Review - Full Body Happiness At Home - Reviews, Rowing, Endurance, Indoor Rowing, Strength, Technique, Home Workouts, Full Body Workouts At Home, Staying Fit At Home, Hydrow

Full Disclosure: This won't compare the Hydrow home rowing system to a Concept 2 rowing machine, which most readers of Breaking Muscle are probably most familiar with. They are two completely different systems, and we'll be putting them both in a comparative summary before Christmas. This is a review of a standalone home exercise system, and not a complement to anything else. This means that I assessed how the Hydrow shapes up as a total package, assuming it would be the center of a home exercise program. I've been open about this, although I have to make a few confessions: I don't like bikes or treadmills because, as a cyclist and occasional runner, I prefer to do these things in the real world and not be restricted by the country or weather around me.

Rowing uses 84% of your body's muscles, far more than most other aerobic exercise.

Eric Stevens, broken muscle

And I think the best bang for your buck is always going to get as close as possible to a full body solution. Rowing is just the thing in every way. In all fairness, most of us will never have a boat or skull, or access to an appropriate waterway, let alone the necessary skill or ability to maneuver one on our own. While you don't need a lot of skill or instruction to ride a bike or walk, rowing is an acquired skill that also adds to its appeal.

At a glance
product	Hydrow rowing machine
benefits	Sleek design, a strong user experience, and an impressive group of teachers make it fun, challenging, and engaging. The quiet electromagnetic resistance mechanism ensures even tension for a unique rowing experience indoors.
disadvantage	It doesn't appeal to every budget and requires a membership card.

Great fitness technology comes at a price

The hydrow is the rudder's answer to peloton motorcycles, insofar as it is designed and where it fits in the industry. However, I have a lot of comments on the pricing of a Hydrow rowing machine (currently $ 1,995 with discounts) versus a Concept 2 (the Model D is $ 900 before shipping and tax) or a NordicTrack RW900 ($ 1,599 before Shipping) seen and taxes). It's true you can get cheaper indoor rowers, but Hydrow is one of the emerging hybrid technology creations that is taking the fitness world by storm, making it part of a new category of equipment. It's no surprise that the Hydrow comes with a 22-inch screen, electromagnetic resistance mechanism, and most importantly, networked software and infrastructure that supports perfectly coordinated row-along workouts with top-notch instructors on the water. It's chic design and high production values for hardware, software, and content.

It goes without saying that the software that Hydrow supports is a tech boost in its own right and shouldn't be discounted as if you were signing up for a YouTube channel. It is a fully functional SaaS (Software as a Service) application that is scalable for a large audience. If the weight of the software is insufficient, the hardware itself is approximately 30 kg and measures 86 x 25 x 47 inches.

Hydrow Review - Full Body Happiness At Home - Reviews, Rowing, Endurance, Indoor Rowing, Strength, Technique, Home Workouts, Full Body Workouts At Home, Staying Fit At Home, Hydrow

The hydrow may be shiny, but it is also surprisingly firm; The aluminum and steel frame can accommodate a person weighing 375 pounds, while NordicTrack has a maximum of 250 pounds and a Peloton bike has a maximum of 297 pounds. Would it be nice if the hydrow hit the 500 pound mark of a Model D? Sure, but kudos to the Hydrow engineers for outperforming their direct competition.

Improve rowing tips

Don't grip too tightly
Ride your legs
Go straight back
Don't let your butt go alone
Don't pull with your arms
Keep your elbows relaxed
Don't shrug
Always sit up
Don't bend your knees too soon
Focus on steady movement

The Hydrow's 22-inch screen is clear and sharp, even in direct light. It swivels so you can still see the screen once you've settled down for floor exercises, and it has a great software interface. Again, some users have noticed the similarity to the Peloton UI, but honestly that's not a problem as most of the fitness apps these days are pretty close to each other, which is moving through screens, finding workouts, selecting instructors, and that Search concerns. And a good thing too, because it works.

If you know how to lift weights properly, you will know how to row.

Ellen Tomek, Olympic rower

It's also worth noting that Hydrow, the company, has raised $ 52 million in investment and the money is up there on the screen and in the design of the product. The user experience is unique and everything from the seat design to the feeling of resistance feels like a premium product. Your instructors are on the water, your pace and pace need to be synchronized, your rowing experience is enhanced by the graphics, and the controls are never hampered or superfluous. This is a well thought out product with few weaknesses.

Hydrow Review - Full Body Happiness At Home - Reviews, Rowing, Endurance, Indoor Rowing, Strength, Technique, Home Workouts, Full Body Workouts At Home, Staying Fit At Home, Hydrow

If there was one fear I had in getting involved with the Hydrow, it was the potential liabilities of long term maintenance. This is not a product that you can disassemble and oil and repair yourself. Time will tell how this affects users, but it's not uncommon to feel that pain of fear when you've invested heavily in something like this.

Home exercise gets better with help

If you are one of those people who are disciplined or advanced enough to do things on your own, the hydrow can be frustrating for you as it is best consumed as a guided experience. You can't ignore the screen or software and walk alone. Participating in the community isn't a must, but you get immersed in what other people are doing when you see their activity in rows with you or in a nice little feed that shows who finished a row and how they're doing have behaved. It's optional to share, but it works on a visceral level, engaging you, and making you feel like you are part of a group of fellow enthusiasts. You can filter the results by age and gender and this can be quite a motivating factor.

Hydrow Review - Full Body Happiness At Home - Reviews, Rowing, Endurance, Indoor Rowing, Strength, Technique, Home Workouts, Full Body Workouts At Home, Staying Fit At Home, Hydrow

The best part, however, are the instructors. You have real rowers, you have a skull or two and oars on a body of water with bridges and boats and a real landscape. In one training session, I saw that the instructor had to adjust after getting too close to the walls of a tunnel under a bridge. You will feel like you are part of an experience on the water even if you are as cynical as I am. However, what really impressed me was the fact that the intimacy of the class forces you to maintain good technique. Your instructor is right in front of you, a skilled rower, and you can't whirl around or mess your own shape unless you turn off the sound and close your eyes.

Each row is different and can be a Zen experience as well as a challenge. The emphasis on shape and consistency is a constant challenge even for the best rowers. If you've experienced rowing at a typical boxing gym without the following instructions, the Hydrow experience is a revelation that makes you feel as close to the water as possible. I'm sure this may be an exaggeration for real rowers, but I can only talk about how I felt like someone who hasn't rowed on the water but is now itchy to try it out sometime. I don't know if indoor bikes and treadmills offer the same level of immersion. I received the Hydrow experience as a reviewer on these sites and have become a believer.

Hydrow indoor rowing system
Weight	145 lbs
Dimensions	86 x 25 x 47 in
screen	22-inch display with 25-degree rotation in each direction
Connectivity	Bluetooth connection, WLAN (10 Mbit / s recommended), Ethernet (optional) WLAN: 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac; Ethernet: 100 Mbit / s / RJ45
Electric	Standard 120 volt socket; 60 Hz; Power (max.): 210 W, 2A; Power (average): 35 W (0.44 A); Power (idle): 5 W (50 mA)
Pulling mechanism	Electromagnetic resistance that is set 240 times per second and is attached to a handle made of polyester tape
Size limit	36 "stride length; 375 lbs weight
price	$ 2,495 but expect lots of vacation deals by logging into Hydrow's shop. Expect to be more than $ 30 a month for membership

01 Dec

Blog

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands Review: MMO Identity Crisis

December 1, 2020
Posted by Samson

World of Warcraft Shadowlands review presented wow

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands Review: Even in death, WoW cannot find itself

"World of Warcraft: Shadowlands gets lost in trying to give players more choice than ever before and ultimately forgets to replenish the rewards machine needed to keep customers invested."

Gorgeous graphics
Fast leveling
Rich storyline for fans old and new

Progress is difficult to identify
The fight has no effect
Little motivation to play beyond level 60

In 2008, World of Warcraft was at its peak. Over 11 million people were ready to face the recurring threat posed by the Lich King – the corrupt paladin Arthas Menethil who became the standout character of the franchise's RTS (real-time strategy) days. But once the dust settled, attendance numbers dropped to a point where Blizzard wouldn't say how many were left. After Classic's boom and record orders for an expansion that promises to further explore the history of the Lich King, nostalgia clearly reigns supreme over Blizzard's greatest title. Now that we can explore the veil between life and death in Shadowlands, how long will we stay?

For many, World of Warcraft: Shadowlands actually kicked off a month before its release when the long-running level grind was reworked into a far less demanding sprint. The changes provided a refreshingly quick way for returning veterans to catch up in time for the expansion. The 6- to 10-hour experience leveling Shadowlands ultimately highlighted an important change in direction that Blizzard may have gone a little too far. It's not that there's too much or too little to get into – it's just difficult to find a reason to do anything at all.

For years, players have dealt with World of Warcraft in a variety of ways. PvE, PvP, Pokemon-like mount and creature collecting, competitive hunting and the reputation of a grinding faction for cosmetic rewards were a given. Virtually none of that has changed in Shadowlands. Not that it really was necessary. Aside from the introduction of Torghast, a Rougelit dungeon experience introduced after the first level grind, there is surprisingly little else to separate the last week from World of Warcraft and the last eight years.

There is a heaven and a hell for everyone

At the top of every new MMO expansion is a multitude of new zones to level up in. After playing the protagonist card to break out of Warcraft's version of eternal damnation, the capital city of Oribos is transformed directly from a PS1 into a glorified level-select-hub-era platformer, which successively opens storylines of the alliances about Bastion, Maldraxxus, Ardenweald and Revendreth . The style and tone of each zone differ drastically to suit the tastes of nearly everyone, but stray too far from the boundaries of a zone's questline, and it's easy to lose motivation, the actual mandatory action leading up to theirs to hold out the current degree.

The presence of side quests in the first playthrough suggests that an element of freedom is burned into the level experience, just like it is on the way to level 50. It is designed so that players can focus on a zone that they enjoy. But the truth is that it's as linear as possible. The Shadowlands campaign closes all major endgame content behind the intertwined lore of its zones. Regardless of what it looks like at first, the leveling experience isn't fluid here, which is strange considering how much blind freedom is imposed on the player after reaching the cap.

WoW Shadowlands The Maw

The real lack of direction begins at the end of the campaign quest line. Once players have gone through the history of each zone, they will need to choose which alliances to stick with. Aside from the unique new skills or two each thrown on the hotbar, there is virtually no crucial context in which to set out why players need to pick just one or what real difference it makes in daily life for the next year or two will mean Shadowlands is there for.

After making an uninformed decision, players follow the story of their chosen covenant until they are introduced into a litany of new content. There's Torhgast's roguelite tower, world quests, various currencies, the commanding desk's returning (but mechanically optimized) idle missions, and about five different reputation shops. There's a little bit of work to do at once.

Every feature is quickly thrown at the players. It's not that there is a lack of content, but why you want to indulge in something is never really clear. Without the rewards clearly on the table, it is difficult to get the motivation to run one piece of content on top of another – or none at all. Instead of searching through menus and vendors for motivation, I was often forced to turn the game off completely and start one that clearly shows its rewards.

WoW Shadowlands Bastion

Torghast, which is home to dozens of floors that can be explored with random modifiers and buffs, was a major focus of pre-release marketing for the expansion. I still see ads for it now. But after going through a small part of it I'm still not sure why I'm doing it exactly. As with many recent content catalogs, the reasons for its existence are painfully unclear.

An unnecessary fork in the road

After finally clearing my log of campaign quests for my first character, I was completely lost as to what to do next. I'm used to MMOs going all-in on the PvE aspect. The idea that the real fun begins at the maximum level is still a staple of the genre for most. There was always a lot to do in World of Warcarft other than hunting equipment for dungeons and raids. Given the need to fight your way to the max to experience it, one would think the path to continue this adventure would be obvious. Virtually everything in Shadowlands seems to be categorized as optional content, and it's never really clear what to focus on, why, or even how.

With no focus, the entire trip feels like an afterthought.

Had it not been for the updated items I received for later completing the campaign quests, I would not have had the equipment needed to immerse myself in the plethora of dungeons that were unceremoniously unlocked after reaching the cap. At no point did the game acknowledge that she existed, let alone that I have a compelling reason to queue for her. It's equipment. Players want to run them for equipment. The story is apparently irrelevant.

WoW Shadowlands Torghast

Almost all content currently available feels like it was on an assumed list of "optional content" that betrays a lack of orientation that Shadowlands has tried to disguise as freedom. If Blizzard really wanted the game to feel more open-minded, it could have been an important consideration to hide the distraction of side quests on a first pass and focus the campaign on properly introducing the expansion's activities in the late game. After all, they are already behind the plot. With no focus, the entire trip feels like an afterthought.

Our opinion

As it stands, Shadowlands feels a little lost in translation. Blizzard spent most of last year saying how it wanted its juggernaut MMO to feel more like an RPG again – where decisions are important and rewarding and plentiful. Oddly enough, Shadowlands feels more deprived of this than ever and becomes a kind of jumbled experience that sits awkwardly between an open-world "sandbox" MMO and a more linear "theme park".

It's not that there's too much to do, but there's a worrying lack of reason to really get into it. Players who fail to figure out what to do or how to do it run the risk of being left behind very quickly. Without the motivation to push the fans forward, in retrospect it won't be easy to get back on the track that they find. Torghast feels like the only piece of innovation this time around, but those who don't care will feel incomplete.

Is there a better alternative out there?

Breaking out is difficult for fans who have already invested in World of Warcraft. But for those who aren't, I strongly believe Final Fantasy XIV is the better overall MMO experience.