16 Jun
Blog

Grand Opening: Getting Back to Making Gains

The prospect of training in the gym again has become a reality for more and more people. Or maybe you will be back in a few weeks and consider how you can train and how you can optimize it in the future.

One thing that I think is important is that you shouldn't just go back in and continue where you left off. This can lead to frustration, disappointment and injury.

It would be even worse to go back and release the pent-up energy and excitement you have with a brutal training flash. From an objective point of view, that's probably pretty obvious But most of us strive to maintain an objective approach to training.

The change in your body is often controlled by strong emotions. Many of us went to the gym to:

  • Engage with inner demons
  • Build armor to protect us from childhood bullying
  • Other very emotional incentives

If there are emotions, the logic goes out the window. Do not do it Let the emotional desire to destroy yourself with insane workouts win. Doing this will most likely require you to take more time out of the gym due to burnout or injury.

Your return to the gym

When you are no longer in the way of this bulleted list, you should see some general trends and pointers as you approach your return to the gym.

I will cover each item in detail to give you a complete overview and to help you make your exact workout plan for opening the gym doors. I will also outline a sample program to illustrate how these principles can be implemented.

Get things in perspective

In my opinion, Even a genetically talented lifter takes at least five years to build a really impressive physique. For mere mortals, it's more of a decade plus.

The benefits of exercise last a lifetime. Although progress can be slow as you approach 15, 20, 25, or more years of exercise, there is still a good reason to exercise.

Today is a clear and visible reminder of the importance that exercise and nutrition can have for resistance to viruses. Given that you should consider training as a multi-year, probably multi-year effort, these past three months are just a drop in the bucket.

With crossed fingers, scientists, doctors, nurses and powers can take control of the pandemic and produce vaccines. Chances are that this will be a one-off event. It can be helpful if you recognize and use the resulting opportunities.

First of all, let me give you some positive news from scientific research about being released from training. This research will help confirm my advice, but hopefully it will reassure you that you haven't lost all of your lock gains and that any loss of strength or size is temporary and can be recovered quickly.

As I described in my article at the beginning of the lockdown, several studies have analyzed the effect of withdrawal on muscle mass and strength level. Several studies have shown that no muscle or strength loss occurs during three weeks of training. But what about three months?

Well, Blazevich et al., 2007 found that after three months of exercise, there was no significant difference in the reduction in muscle mass. The participants lost muscle, but not much. They also suffered some loss of strength. This loss of strength corresponded approximately to the five-week training.

The good news is that this can be quickly regained as an integral part of a skill's strength. For example, a 1991 study by Staron et al. Found that participants regained strength only 30 weeks after 30 weeks of discharge.

Reduce fear

Remember that you've probably been injured or busy before and haven't lost all of your winnings.

  • The world never went under.
  • Your muscles didn't fall off.
  • Their value to humanity has not evaporated.
  • You didn't wake up and you look like your 11 year old me.

Instead, no one has likely noticed a difference in your body, and you rediscovered your best strength and muscles remarkably quickly when you got back to the gym. The same thing will happen now.

In short, both muscle mass and strength are quite resistant to decay, even if you do nothing. So I firmly believe that if you haven't done any exercises during a lockdown, You can get back to your baseline before locking relatively quickly, and very soon exceed these values.

That is when you have not done any training. If you've been able to do some weight, light weight, or resistance band workouts, the news is even better.

I summarize if you were able to do a few workouts a week and work with sets of 30 or fewer reps just before failure. Then there is a possibility that you have not lost any muscles. Any force you have lost is just the technical ability to handle and coordinate heavy loads and will return.

Panic over

Hopefully this will reduce the fear of all your difficulties before the lock is released. Once you know that you are not starting from scratch and have not lost too much ground, then; You can resist the urge to go inside with blazing weapons, hoping to get years of hard work back in a few weeks.

You just don't have to. What took years to build does not take weeks to destroy when it comes to size and strength.

With this in mind, I think it is important to meet your expectations. I'm not suggesting that you go back to the gym and hit the same numbers, do the same reps, or do the same volume as before the lockdown.

Strength is an ability

To master a skill well, you need to practice. To display this ability, you need to practice it frequently. Unfortunately, many of us haven't touched a barbell in the past few months.

As a result, squats, deadlifts and bench presses are not at their highest levels when you finally hold the bar in your hands again. These elevators are likely to feel a bit rusty. You won't feel in the groove like before. Don't worry – this is normal for any skill. I can think of many examples, but here is one from my youth.

As a child, I loved playing tennis in the summer. Growing up in the UK, summer is not long and is often interrupted by gray skies and heavy rainfall. Therefore, the time window for playing was relatively small.

Every year I improved steadily throughout the summer, only to return the following year and feel like I was back at zero. Certainly much worse than where I left off. This is because I have not trained.

However, the rate of improvement in the first few weeks was dramatic. Relearning these movement patterns and skills was much faster and easier than the first time.

At the end of summer I was noticeably better than at the end of the previous summer, but this progress had not been linear. Each year:

  • The starting point was lower than my best one so far.
  • Then there was a quick climb up to my position.
  • Then a gradual improvement beyond how good I was last year.

The same applies to you and your lifting.

This ability factor is most evident in the more complex exercises in your program. Squats take longer to get back into the groove than squats that take a little longer than leg presses. Leg extensions, however, will probably feel normal again after just a few warm-up exercises.

The higher the ability component of a lift, the greater the waste you see in session 1. The good news is that this ability will be available again quickly.

Pull-ups can mean a greater drop in performance than pulldowns on your first session, as more stabilization and coordination are required. If you did not have access to a pull-up bar, it can be expected that it has rusted somewhat.

The low hanging fruit

A chance created by blocking is the ability to do more with less. If you are not in the gym, you will be sensitized again to the attraction of lifting.

Many of us never take time off or even have a delay occasionally. If you do the same thing continuously, adaptive resistance can be used. This is a by-product of the Repeat Combat Effect. Basically, the more you do something, the less adjustment you get back.

This is why progress slows down as we become more advanced and better educated. Going from good to great is much more difficult than going from good to good, which is more difficult than going from terrible to good.

When you return to the gym, you should do just enough to make progress. If you haven't done anything, just doing something is enough. What is an overload after a three-month break is much less than when you worked at full throttle for years.

For this reason, a larger time window has opened for overloading the training.

The gap between your initial minimum effective dose (MED) and the maximum achievable volume is now significantly larger than before the block. By gradually closing this gap, you can extend the length of a valid training block.

More effective training = more profits

Because of this increased susceptibility to the training stimulus, you should pick the low-hanging fruit. The threshold for winnings is now lower than it was before the ban.

This creates the potential to make new profits in the future. It also minimizes the risk of injury. By keeping the recovery capacity in reserve, you have a longer runway for effective training. This means that if you're smart, your profits can go up and go on in the long run.

Common sense

The problem with common sense is that it is not that common.

So far I've made a lot of points about:

  • Loss of size and strength
  • Recover lost profits
  • The bar is lower.
  • Build up gradually

All of this should make it fairly obvious that a gradual introduction to training with a methodical and gradual increase in workload will best serve you.

However, many of you will not be able to resist the temptation to do too much. Remember that blocking has created an opportunity for you in many ways. Don't waste it.

Do not put yourself down

If you work too hard too early, make adjustments. Chances are that this is the longest time you have been away from a serious workout since you started your serious workout.

So this is a completely new situation for you. When something is new, it is unrealistic to expect perfection. If you get carried away and do too much, don't beat yourself up. Learn the lesson. Course correct on the trip.

It is better to start too easily and leave room for progress than to be excessive and regress.

It is pretty obvious. If you went too hard too early, don't be stubborn. It is a mistake to let your pride get in the way. Admit your mistake and withdraw.

Come back in a routine

While it's tempting to sketch a super complex routine six days a week from the comfort of your sofa, the reality of sticking to this plan may not be that easy. Before you optimize your time in the gym, you should primarily go to the gym.

It's an important first step to simply re-anchor the habit of training in the gym. If you scheduled the workout at 6 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, repeat this.

Or if early morning workouts are a thing of the past with your new home work schedule, choose another appropriate time for the workout. Make training a priority again by planning it in your diary. Identify potential barriers to training. Pick a time that removes these barriers and the ring fence at that time. For example:

  • I usually prefer to train in the afternoon when life is normal. However, while working from home, I found that my motivation was lower and the energy was exhausted by trying to help the children do homeschooling. As a result, early morning training effectively helped me get a high quality, focused session.
  • If you are still working from home after the lockout and gyms are open, You may find that pulling off the sofa for an evening workout is much more difficult than leaving the office and going to the gym. In this case, the best option may be to do the training first.
  • On the other hand, When you first have the energy of a sloth in the morningIf you have to press Snooze five times and need three double espressos to feel human, it doesn't make sense to schedule an early morning workout.

There is no right or wrong here. Just find out what works for you and how to get your ass back to the gym.

Creating bad habits is too easy. Starting healthy can be a lot more difficult. If you've started developing serious Netflix addiction at night (I know I've seen it since the last dance), planning your workouts for the evening may not be a good idea.

The reputation of the sofa, the remote control and a tub of ice cream could win. Choose the path of least resistance when it comes to planning workouts – prepare for successs.

The DOMS will be epic

Let me make one thing clear: getting sore after training is not a good indicator of effectiveness. Under no circumstances should you chase or use sore muscles to determine the benefits of one workout over another.

DOMS is a natural result of hard training. If you train hard, muscle damage and disorders occur. Lifting weights hard often leads to DOMS. The best way to get DOMS is to expose the body to a new kind of stimulus – do a new exercise.

Since the incentive is new, the body has not adapted to it and therefore homeostasis is disturbed to a greater extent. Muscle damage and the subsequent repair processes (including DOMS) are started up.

Each time you repeat the same stimulus, the level of disorder is reduced and the DOMS are less severe. This is a long preamble to this main point.

If you haven't been to the gym for three months, you get sore, really sore. Every exercise is new. If you try to do the same workouts that you did before the lockdown, you are likely to be crippled.

It is important to be aware of this. This means that you can reduce your training to minimize the DOMS while accepting that there are DOMS. To give you an example from my personal experience, let me tell you when I did a super light squat workout and was in pain for a week.

The session consisted of 3 sets of 5 squats with 70% of my 1 = repetition max. 3 x 5 with 70% is not a special challenge. Especially when you consider that at the end of my previous training block, I trained legs twice a week and did eight sets of squats per session. The devil is in the details.

This debilitating DOMS was brought back to the gym in my first session after a two and a half week vacation break. What's more, even though I had done a fair amount of footwork before the vacation, I hadn't crouched back. Instead, I had a training block built around front squats and Bulgarian squats to develop a structural balance.

I thought I was very conservative with my 3×5 plan at 70%. The session felt like a no-brainer.

When I woke up the next morning, got out of bed and wiggled like a little giraffe when I tried to go to the bathroom, I realized that I had underestimated things.

A two-week break and six weeks without this particular exercise were enough for a relatively light workout to cause outrageous DOMS.

When returning to training, note the following:

  1. What could you do in the lock?
  2. What is your goal?
  3. How can you bridge the gap between what you did and what you need to achieve your goal?

When choosing your starting point, use what you did so as not to base it on what you did. Then use common sense to close that gap. There is no point in planning your workout the way you did before locking it. It makes a lot more sense to plan your workout so that it systematically returns to what you did before the lockout.

Hopefully you can take things to the next level and analyze what you did before locking to find bugs, uncover the unnecessary or sub-optimal, and remove or replace them to refine your approach. This way you can achieve your goals more efficiently.

Do not use previous maxes

Use the early stages of your return to the gym to learn the perfect technique. Your weights don't matter much at this point. Having only weights in hand is an incentive enough at first. You shouldn't be bound to hit certain numbers so you can focus on:

Think of this as a priming phase. Use the quality of your technique and the execution of elevators as a method to overload and gradually build up the volume tolerance.

Treat each rep as an opportunity to grow and try to maximize muscle tension. You then created the platform to make progress with the volume.

It's a bad idea to try to base your training weights on the percentages of previous maximums. As I said, your technique is probably wrong. What was 70% of your 1 RM might feel more like 85% at your first session.

This, of course, limits the repetitions that you can get, or requires that you train very close not to hit the repetitions you have planned. The fatigue generated will go through the roof.

While your intensity thresholds are now lower and your strength is slightly lower, You are not a beginner again. You can probably handle much heavier loads than a beginner, so you can do a lot of muscle damage as a beginner. Leave enough reps in the tank at the beginning. It is a luxury to be able to make progress so far from failure. Enjoy it as long as you can.

Use relative intensity instead of measuring intensity as a percentage of 1 rpm. Relative intensity is a measure of how difficult a sentence is due to its proximity to failure. It is tracked by recording (RIR) at the end of a sentence. With 4 RIR you can gain strength and muscle mass. This is especially true as a beginner.

For a short time you are closer to the beginner phases than for a long time. Take advantage of this. Use RIR as an important metric and progress tool to control your training. Start in the first week by ending the sentences at 4 RIR. Especially with higher quality compound lifts. Over a number of weeks, you can increase your intensity by leaving fewer repetitions in reserve.

With RIR, you can gradually increase the intensity of your training and adapt your training efforts exactly to your body's ability to tolerate training. When you get used to the training again, you need to push the training harder to get an effective workout. With RIR you can do this. For example:

  • Week 1 – 4 RIR
  • Week 2 – 3 RIR
  • Week 3 – 2 RIR
  • Week 4 – 1 RIR
  • Week 5 – 0 RIR

In reality, once you regain the ability to lift, you can increase the load without increasing your relative intensity.

In the first week, a set of 8 with 200 pounds on squats could be 4 RIR. The following week you find your groove again could mean that 205 lbs is still a 4 RIR. It's possible that you can add 5 pounds a week for several weeks without changing the RIR. This is most likely the case with lifts with higher capabilities. With stupid exercises such as machine-based isolation work, this effect is unlikely to occur.

I would suggest that you start with 4 RIR loads for compound lifts and gradually add the load every week until you are 1 RIR. For insulation elevators, I would start at 3 RIR and add the load until you reach 0 RIR.

Don't think it over – I did that for you. This article is proof of that 🙂

I find a practical example useful to give you a frame of reference for your return to training. Below I sketched a plan based on an avatar. Let's call him Bobby. Bobby is in his early thirties and has been lifting steadily for a decade.

He started strength training to improve athletic performance, but has worked throughout his career as a bodybuilder and CrossFit. For about a year now he has been training four days a week with an upper and lower split and hits each muscle group twice a week.

During the lockdown, he stayed active 3 times a week and trained body weight. He has managed to keep his body weight fairly stable – only gaining 2-3 pounds. He usually does:

  • 5-8 sets per workout (10-16 sets per week) for main muscle groups (chest, back, quads, hamstrings)
  • 3-6 sets per workout (6-12 sets per week) for smaller muscles (biceps, triceps, calves, delts).

To optimize Bobby's return to the gym, I would suggest the following:

week 1

In three training units, you train each muscle group once with your legs, push, pull, split. This allows for a long recovery time for the DOMS, which follows even relatively simple workouts (the legs are exercised first because they are likely to take the longest recovery time).

  • volume – 50% of normal value per workout (2-4 sets per workout muscle group)
  • frequency – 3 sessions per week, but 1 x week per muscle group
  • intensity – 4 RIR for compound elevators, 3 RIR for insulation elevators

E.g .:

  • Monday – Legs
  • Wednesday – To press
  • Friday – Pull

Week 2

In three training sessions, train each muscle group twice with a whole body, a whole push and a whole train.

  • volume – 50% of normal value per workout, 2-4 sets per workout per muscle group
  • frequency – 3 sessions per week, but twice per muscle group
  • intensity – 4 RIR for compound elevators, 2-3 RIR for insulation elevators

E.g .:

  • Monday – Hole body
  • Wednesday – Press your upper and lower body
  • Friday – Pull upper and lower body

*Include quads in Wednesday push and hamstrings in Friday pull session

Weeks 3-6

Exercise each muscle twice with an upper / lower split in four workouts.

  • volume – 75% of normal per workout, 3-6 sets per workout per muscle group
  • frequency – 4 sessions per week, but 2 x week per muscle group
  • intensity – 2-3 RIR for compound lifts, 1-2 RIR for insulation lifts

E.g .:

  • Monday – Upper, higher
  • Tuesday – Lower
  • Thursday – Upper, higher
  • Friday – Lower

Weeks 6-10

In four training sessions, you train each muscle twice with an upper / lower split.

  • volume – 90% of normal per workout, 4-7 sets per session for large muscle groups and 2-5 sets per session for small muscles
  • frequency – 4 sessions per week, but 2 x week per muscle group
  • intensity – 1-2 RIR for compound lifts, 0-1 RIR for insulation lifts

E.g .:

  • Monday – Upper, higher
  • Tuesday – Lower
  • Thursday – Upper, higher
  • Friday – Lower
16 Jun
Blog

Fujifilm X-T200 Review: All the Camera You Need

Fujifilm x T200 review product DM 1500px6

Fujifilm X-T200 review: all the cameras you need

"With substance and style, Fuji's second attempt at an X-T entry-level camera is successful."

  • Great design

  • Function control layout

  • Large high resolution screen

  • 4K / 30 video

  • Improved auto focus

  • No image stabilization in the body

  • Continuous AF could be better

When I complained about the slow autofocus of the Fujifilm X-T100 in my video review in 2018, I did a lot of flack on YouTube.

"Dude, what do you expect from this camera? This is an entry-level camera (sic). Lol, ”said an angry observer.

"OMG is realistic," said another.

What people seemed to be missing is that autofocus performance is at least as important in entry-level cameras as it is in professional models.

Yes, there are high-end cameras that have been specially developed for shooting sports and offer autofocus performance beyond the rest. For the most part, however, a professional or enthusiastic photographer is the one who spends more time on exposure – they can afford to be patient. Because of this, the Hasselblad X1D II 50C can have a notoriously slow auto focus, and still costs $ 5,750.

You can find Leica rangefinders worth over $ 8,000 that have no auto focus at all.

However, a casual photographer who tries to take a photo of his child or dog does not have the luxury of patience. The camera has to work. Now.

The X-T100 looked even worse after Sony brought its real-time autofocus to the entry-level A6100. There is no longer an excuse for an entry-level camera with poor autofocus.

When the X-T100 has fiddled, the X-T200 has picked up the ball and started running. It brings back everything I loved about the X-T100 while fixing its biggest problems. This is Fujifilm's biggest effort so far to produce a premium camera for an entry-level customer.

At $ 600 for the camera body or $ 700 with a 15-45mm kit lens (tested), this is also an exceptional value.

design

It may be an entry-level camera, but the X-T200 is the photographic equivalent of getting dressed for the job you want, not the job you have. Style is still Fujifilm's main advantage over rival Sony, and I don't think that's a point that needs to be emphasized lightly. The appearance of a camera can inspire you to use it. If all other factors are the same, you can choose the camera that looks best around your neck.

Nor is it all form about function. The multiple dials that give the camera its retro look offer a lot of direct access control, but are easily ignored by anyone who finds their presence complicated. Compared to single-digit X-T cameras, the X-T200 may have run down, but you still have special dials for shutter speed and aperture, so many entry-level cameras, especially DSLRs, don't require a modifier button.

There is also a function wheel on the left shoulder that can be programmed for numerous settings. By default, film simulations (color profiles, with any other name) are run, but I found that reprogramming for ISO control was much more useful – and brought it in line with my personal X-T2, which has a dedicated ISO dial-up position .

Compared to the X-T100, it usually runs as usual, but there are some notable design changes. The first is the built-in handle. Because it's so small, it's not the most ergonomic grip in the world, but it helps your hand find a solid buy for the camera. On the other hand, this somewhat ruins the clean lines that have given the X-T100 such a classic, minimalist look. This camera was supplied with a screw-on accessory handle.

The electronic viewfinder with 2.36 million points is unchanged, but that's pretty solid for this camera class. However, the LCD touchscreen is new. It measures 3.5 inches with a resolution of 2.78 million pixels in a 16: 9 ratio, making it larger and sharper than the X-T100. This screen is shared with the X-T200's sister camera, the Fujifilm X-A7, and is one of the best I've used for an entry-level camera.

On the back of the camera is the four-way button cluster of the X-T100, which has been replaced by a joystick to select the auto focus point. Although I appreciate the recording, I would prefer to have both the joystick and the buttons, but such a setup seems to be reserved for single-digit X-T cameras. It wouldn't have matched the new, wider touchscreen, which also offers a new user interface – also borrowed from the X-A7 – to replace some of the functions of lost keys.

However, the X-A7 does not have a viewfinder. With this camera you always stare at the LCD screen. Touch controls are therefore more useful. You can see what you need to touch. However, if you keep an eye on the viewfinder of the X-T200, you cannot use the touch controls. Physical buttons that let you navigate by feel would have worked better.

This is an admittedly minor complaint. The X-T200 offers more control than most customers want or need.

Image quality and functions

I appreciate the level of control for manual mode, but the truth is that most people who buy the X-T200 are likely to rely on automatic exposure at least initially. Fortunately, that works well too.

Fujifilm's Advanced Scene Recognition Auto mode (identified by the SR position on the mode dial) adapts to the scene and subject. I found that it did a good job of both focusing and exposure, balancing highlights and shadows in a high-contrast scene. Portraits (in this case selfies – hooray for social distancing) were exposed perfectly.

JPEGs, both in detail and in color, look fantastic directly from the camera, which is not surprising to Fujifilm. You can get more out of the files by shooting RAW, but casual photographers won't want to stick to JPEG.

When you put the screen in the selfie position, the auto focus for face and eye detection is automatically activated in every exposure mode (you can also activate it for non-selfies in the menu system). It worked very well, with the focus box sticking to my eye or face even when I moved the camera quickly.

While it performs admirably for single shots, it is a little less reliable for continuous shooting or video if the subject moves towards or away from the camera. Still, I think performance would be fine in most real-world situations. The camera records around 16 RAWs or 25 JPEGs at 8 frames per second, which is not bad for the class.

There are also numerous sub-modes for the self-timer to fire the camera based on what it sees. You can choose to have an image taken when a face, smile, "buddy" or group is displayed. I couldn't test the last two closely, but the triggers for face and smile work pretty well, though they didn't always recognize my smile (maybe it could see that I was faking it). I'm also not sure how useful it is to release the shutter when a face appears in the frame, but you might find a use for it.

What is more impressive is that it includes a number of advanced features that I would not expect from a camera of this level, such as interval shooting and time-lapse movies in the camera. There is also an advanced bracketing mode that allows you to set up to seven exposures in steps of 1/3 to 3 stops. There is even a built-in flash commander mode that enables remote flash control.

These are not features that the novice photographer is likely to deal with, but it's nice that Fujifilm includes them. It means that you should use the X-T200 sufficiently for some time.

Video

The X-T200 now offers true 4K images at 24 or 30 frames per second and is suitable for videos. The X-T100 offered 4K, but only at 15 fps, which basically makes it unusable.

And that's not all. The X-T200 can also record Full HD at 120 fps for slow motion playback. The clean HDMI output – but without 10-bit color or the flat F-Log profile from high-end Fujis – is suitable for use as a webcam. An HDR (High Dynamic Range) film mode helps maintain color and detail in high-contrast scenes, although it's limited to 1080p.

There is no sensor shift stabilization yet, but the optical stabilization in the kit lens works well for videos. There are also two forms of digital stabilization: Digital Image Stabilizer and Digital Gimbal. The latter is more extreme, but leads to a strong cropping of the video. In practice, I didn't find that useful either – but maybe a non-stabilized lens would help with standard digital stabilization. If you were not filming while running, I would avoid the digital gimbal as it sacrifices too much resolution.

For reasons I don't understand, the lowest ISO available in film mode is 400 – compared to 200 for still images – which can be problematic when shooting outdoors in direct sunlight. However, you can at least record videos in full manual exposure by turning the mode dial to M and then pressing the appropriate start / stop button for recording. If you instead turn the mode dial to the red film mode icon, you are limited to automatic exposure.

Our opinion

The X-T200 is exactly the camera it needs to be. While performance may not be perfect, it is far above the frustrating X-T100. It is a capable and elegant machine for the casual photographer.

Enthusiasts might want to save for the X-T30, which is between the X-T200 and the flagship X-T3 and X-T4, but I was still pleasantly surprised by the wealth of advanced features of the X-T200. Not only is this a great first camera for beginners, it also offers plenty of room to grow for anyone who wants to turn their photographic hobby into a passion.

Is there a better alternative?

The Sony A6100 is the obvious comparison. It's the winner when it comes to autofocus, but otherwise the X-T200 is the nicer camera. Sony's screen is much less detailed at 3 inches and less than a million pixels. The situation is similar with the EVF, which has only 1.44 million pixels. The X-T200 simply feels like a premium product, even if it doesn't outperform the A6100.

How long it will take?

In contrast to the X-T100, the X-T200 is designed for several years. From the point of view of specifications, I don't see much room for significant improvement, other than minor improvements and continued auto focus optimizations.

Should you buy it

Yes. For most people, the X-T200 is the camera you need – but I would recommend investing in some better lenses.

Editor's recommendations




15 Jun
Blog

Like to Lift? Consume More Protein

Would you like to lift? Consume more protein - fitness, fitness, rest and relaxation, immune system, protein, carbohydrates, inflammation, strength endurance, performance, aging, bone health, functional strength, appetite, plant nutrition, muscle-strengthening exercise

What is protein?

First, let's talk about the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for protein. The current recommended daily allowance is a modest 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.

The recommended daily allowance is the amount of a nutrient you need to meet your basic nutritional needs. In essence, this is the minimum amount you need to avoid illness – not the specific amount you should consume each day.

For example:

  • For a 140 pound person, this means about 50 grams of protein a day.
  • For a 200 pound person, that's about 70 grams of protein a day.

Reasons to eat more high quality protein every day

Let's talk about why you need more protein. As you can see, the enumeration list explains the reasons why protein is essential. As a registered nutritionist and fitness professional, I find the RDA quite confusing for the general public, athletes and coaches.

To be honest, even nutritionists can't agree on what protein to recommend to their customers, patients, and athletes.

So if there is a misunderstanding among food and nutrition experts, there is likely to be a misunderstanding between multiple population groups. Young children, athletes and the elderly in particular have a greater need for more protein.

Is more protein better?

The Protein Summit reported in a special supplement to the June issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) that Americans may eat too little protein, not too much. Eating more protein can help deliver the entire package.

That means a by-product of consuming more protein is getting other great nutrients like B vitamins, carbohydrates, minerals, and healthy fats that provide the whole package.

Of course, when you consume more protein, you normally consume less inferior foods like simple or refined carbohydrates that people usually turn to when they're hungry. Sweets, cookies, white bread and pastries do not provide the healthy nutrition you get from a high quality protein source.

These are just a few of the high quality protein sources. Most animal protein sources like:

These examples of high quality protein sources provide all the essential amino acids in the ratio that the human body needs.

While vegetable proteins such as vegetables, nuts, beans and grains often lack one or more of the essential amino acids.

That doesn't mean that you should only consume animal products to get your essential amino acids, as you can use soybeans and quinoa, which contain all nine essential amino acids needed. Click here for a full list if you are interested in vegetable proteins.

Athletes and protein needs

Athletes also have higher needs. Provided that muscle proteins are converted, the turnover rate is much higher due to the higher training volume.

  • Especially with athletes, it would be advisable to consume about 1.6 grams per kilogram of body mass daily if the goal is to strengthen the muscles and prevent muscle breakdown.
  • Adequate target protein intake should be between 1.6 and 2.4 grams per kilogram of body mass per day, as stated in recent results of a consensus statement on sports nutrition for athletes. A summary of the review can be found here.

The International Society of Sports Nutrition's booth on protein and exercise provides an objective and critical review of protein intake for health and fitness minded individuals. To build muscle mass and maintain muscle mass:

  • The total protein intake of 1.4 to 2.0 g / kg body weight / day (g / kg / day) is sufficient.
  • There are indications that (3.0 g / kg / day) positive effects on the body composition in strength athletes are supported in order to promote the increase in muscle mass.
  • It is optimal to spread the protein intake between 20 and 40 g / meal throughout the day.
  • As a registered nutritionist, I try to consume (2.0 g / kg / day) to support my health and performance goals.

I encourage all of my customers and athletes to consume more protein. Especially if you try to increase muscle mass and strength gain, the higher protein will not make you fat. It will help support a healthy body and make you happier.

Older adults and protein

Older adults fight the accelerated loss of muscle mass and function associated with aging, known as sarcopenia. For every decade after the age of 40, you lose 8% of muscle mass and after 70 years it increases to 15%.

Older adults should strive to consume 1.5 to 2.0 grams of high quality protein per kg of body weight per day, according to an article by the Center of Aging. Up to a third of older adults do not eat enough due to loss of appetite, taste disorders, difficulty swallowing and dental problems.

During the aging process, the body is less efficient and tries to maintain muscle mass and strength as well as bone health and optimal physiological function, which justifies a higher protein requirement.

Protein summary

Eat more high quality protein. It will not make you fat, damage your kidneys or bones. It supports the growth of lean tissue and helps you to recover overall while fighting age-related muscle loss, especially if you are an athlete, an aging adult, a man, or generally a person with a beating pulse.

It's a joke, but really. If you have any questions about eating more protein or implementing higher quality sources in your diet, send me an email and let's have a conversation.

15 Jun
Blog

JLab Go Air Earbuds Review: Small, But Mighty Affordable

JLab Go Air earphones

"The Go Air are a valuable pair of real wireless commuter buds"

  • IP44 waterproof

  • Comfortable design

  • Affordable

  • Short charging cable

  • Mediocre sound quality

Granted, it's a little unusual to rate an audio product that is as conservative as the new JLab earphones. The circumstances have to be just right to justify this. This means that the product must come from a reputable brand that is filled with interesting functions and is in demand.

Allow JLab to tick off all three boxes with the real Go Air wireless earbuds for $ 30. The incredibly affordable buds offer a total lifespan of 20 hours with the included charging case, waterproof IP44 protection and excellent customer reviews on Amazon. Sure these buds are too good to be true, right?

Out of the box

The packaging of the Go Air is as compact as the buds itself and in JLabs standard light blue. The box opens like a book and shows a quick guide to the controls on the inside of the cover and the earphones, which are located on the right under a plastic housing.

JLab Go Air earphonesNick Woodard / Digital Trends

In addition to the buds and casing, JLab throws in two additional pairs of gel pad tips. There is no separate charging cable here, since the housing has its own funny short cable. It's one that doesn't do much else than turn the case into an uncomfortable dongle for the USB port to which it is connected.

There is a pull tab on the charging case, which I have not seen since activating the remote control for my old car stereo. In addition, however, it is easy to connect to Go Air. JLab even provides a five-minute video that will take you through the entire process.

The connection of these buds was a delightful surprise. It is common not to expect much from cheap buds, but I have had no significant dropouts. The weather was a little too bad for extensive testing, but when I used my phone to move around my garden in the house, there was also a solid Bluetooth range.

design

The structure of the Go Air seems to be one of their biggest selling points. In a few words, they are light, small and comfortable.

Nick Woodard / Digital Trends

To give a bit more context, each bud weighs about 5 grams, which is equivalent to the Samsung Galaxy Buds + and is only one gram heavier than the Apple AirPods. At 50 grams, JLab's charging case is significantly bulkier than Apple's 38-gram featherweight, but that's hardly a problem worth holding against the Go Air.

They are available in four different colors: black, white, green and navy blue. My test device was the green, which was not remarkable in terms of aesthetics, but was helpful in preventing dust and dirt from becoming visible.

The included case has an open-air design, meaning there is no lid to protect the buds when you travel with them. The buds themselves are secure inside the case, but the open structure of the case makes me careful if they get worn or damaged in transit.

The Go Air have a design that reminds me of a Google Pixel Buds 2 bargain basket – that is, even though they're a bit bulky, these buds still fit snugly in your ear. I don't think they're completely impermeable to the classic hoodie test, but I appreciate their relative slenderness.

There are no buttons on the Go Air, just touchpads on the JLab logo of each bud – more on that below.

properties

Most of the features built into Go Air aren't stand-alone in themselves, but when you put it all together, the overall picture becomes a bit more impressive, especially for such inexpensive buds.

JLab Go Air earphonesNick Woodard / Digital Trends

Let's start with the battery life, which according to JLab is five hours of playback per charge, with three additional charges included in the Go Air case. According to JLab, you get an hour of playback after 15 minutes of charging. During my tests, I found that JLab's battery statistics are correct.

While these numbers are by no means incredible, they can still lead to much more expensive products like the AirPods (five hours) or Amazon Echo Buds (five hours). Apple offers you a bit more listening time at 24 hours overall, but the Echo Buds, like JLab, type at 20 for around $ 100 more.

The Go Air is waterproof to IP44 and protects the buds from splashing water at every angle. This is important for buds at this price because the Echo Buds have an IPX4 rating and the AirPods have no waterproof rating at all.

The Go Air touch controls are not as intuitive as I would have liked. There were a handful of cases where I touched the buds just to be greeted by them in return. For the most part, however, you can skip or pause tracks, adjust volume, call up a voice assistant, or switch between one of JLab's three EQ modes. They work, but the experience has been inconsistent.

Audio quality

The Achilles' heel of most headphones and earphones in this price range is sound. For some reason, audio companies seemed to have cracked the code for affordable features, but left a lot of room for improvements in audio quality.

JLab-go-air-5Nick Woodard / Digital Trends

Unfortunately, I have to report that the Go Air fits into this mediocre shape. On a positive note, these buds are well suited for easy listening to content such as podcasts or occasional TikTok videos. In addition, they have a usable call quality that made it possible to hear and be heard well enough while braving the windy conditions to take my dogs for a walk. They just lack the clarity and range that can often be found with higher-priced counterparts to be suitable for high-quality music listening sessions. On the other hand, that comes with the area of ​​$ 30 buds.

There are three different EQ settings available that allow you to set the 8mm drivers in the Go Air. With three fingertips on both buds you can switch between the sound modes JLab Signature, Balanced and Bass Boost. I found the JLab Signature mode to be the tastiest, but even this mode lacked the low end and it sounded generally distant. Bass Boost has helped this low end, but the deficit has not been fully addressed. The symmetrical mode has attenuated the entire frequency range, which is not always a bad thing. Unfortunately, if you don't start with great sound at the beginning, flattening the EQ won't magically improve things.

If you can accept that $ 30 earphones with great sound aren't realistic, this can mitigate the sting with the Go Air. You just can't compete with the sound of buds with better components, but the only way that should stop you from considering them is if you somehow expected it.

Our opinion

The JLab Go Air has the features and price tag to be a valuable pair of real wireless commuter buds. Unfortunately, they only lack the sound quality to be your main hearing aid for music.

Are there any better alternatives?

There aren't many buds in the Go Air weight class with such features, but there are options that are worth spending a little more on. The $ 120 Edifier TWS NB are our most affordable true wireless earbuds due to their active noise cancellation and solid battery life. If you can handle a cable, the $ 100 1More Triple Drivers are our favorite affordable earbuds.

How long will they last?

At this price, longevity is not a problem for most customers. However, JLab offers a two-year warranty on Go Air.

Should you buy them

Yes. They may not sound like a winner, but the JLab Go Air costs $ 30 and has a similar battery life and better water resistance than the Apple AirPods. Essentially, it's the low-risk, high-reward bud pair that you should take a risk.

Editor's recommendations




15 Jun
Blog

Like to Lift? Consume More Protein

Would you like to lift? Consume more protein - fitness, fitness, rest and relaxation, immune system, protein, carbohydrates, inflammation, strength endurance, performance, aging, bone health, functional strength, appetite, plant nutrition, muscle-strengthening exercise

What is protein?

First, let's talk about the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for protein. The current recommended daily allowance is a modest 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.

The recommended daily allowance is the amount of a nutrient you need to meet your basic nutritional needs. In essence, this is the minimum amount you need to avoid illness – not the specific amount you should consume each day.

For example:

  • For a 140 pound person, this means about 50 grams of protein a day.
  • For a 200 pound person, that's about 70 grams of protein a day.

Reasons to eat more high quality protein every day

Let's talk about why you need more protein. As you can see, the enumeration list explains the reasons why protein is essential. As a registered nutritionist and fitness professional, I find the RDA quite confusing for the general public, athletes and coaches.

To be honest, even nutritionists can't agree on what protein to recommend to their customers, patients, and athletes.

So if there is a misunderstanding among food and nutrition experts, there is likely to be a misunderstanding between multiple population groups. Young children, athletes and the elderly in particular have a greater need for more protein.

Is more protein better?

The Protein Summit reported in a special supplement to the June issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) that Americans may eat too little protein, not too much. Eating more protein can help deliver the entire package.

That means a by-product of consuming more protein is getting other great nutrients like B vitamins, carbohydrates, minerals, and healthy fats that provide the whole package.

Of course, when you consume more protein, you normally consume less inferior foods like simple or refined carbohydrates that people usually turn to when they're hungry. Sweets, cookies, white bread and pastries do not provide the healthy nutrition you get from a high quality protein source.

These are just a few of the high quality protein sources. Most animal protein sources like:

These examples of high quality protein sources provide all the essential amino acids in the ratio that the human body needs.

While vegetable proteins such as vegetables, nuts, beans and grains often lack one or more of the essential amino acids.

That doesn't mean that you should only consume animal products to get your essential amino acids, as you can use soybeans and quinoa, which contain all nine essential amino acids needed. Click here for a full list if you are interested in vegetable proteins.

Athletes and protein needs

Athletes also have higher needs. Provided that muscle proteins are converted, the turnover rate is much higher due to the higher training volume.

  • Especially with athletes, it would be advisable to consume about 1.6 grams per kilogram of body mass daily if the goal is to strengthen the muscles and prevent muscle breakdown.
  • Adequate target protein intake should be between 1.6 and 2.4 grams per kilogram of body mass per day, as stated in recent results of a consensus statement on sports nutrition for athletes. A summary of the review can be found here.

The International Society of Sports Nutrition's booth on protein and exercise provides an objective and critical review of protein intake for health and fitness minded individuals. To build muscle mass and maintain muscle mass:

  • The total protein intake of 1.4 to 2.0 g / kg body weight / day (g / kg / day) is sufficient.
  • There are indications that (3.0 g / kg / day) positive effects on the body composition in strength athletes are supported in order to promote the increase in muscle mass.
  • It is optimal to spread the protein intake between 20 and 40 g / meal throughout the day.
  • As a registered nutritionist, I try to consume (2.0 g / kg / day) to support my health and performance goals.

I encourage all of my customers and athletes to consume more protein. Especially if you try to increase muscle mass and strength gain, the higher protein will not make you fat. It will help support a healthy body and make you happier.

Older adults and protein

Older adults fight the accelerated loss of muscle mass and function associated with aging, known as sarcopenia. For every decade after the age of 40, you lose 8% of muscle mass and after 70 years it increases to 15%.

Older adults should strive to consume 1.5 to 2.0 grams of high quality protein per kg of body weight per day, according to an article by the Center of Aging. Up to a third of older adults do not eat enough due to loss of appetite, taste disorders, difficulty swallowing and dental problems.

During the aging process, the body is less efficient and tries to maintain muscle mass and strength as well as bone health and optimal physiological function, which justifies a higher protein requirement.

Protein summary

Eat more high quality protein. It will not make you fat, damage your kidneys or bones. It supports the growth of lean tissue and helps you to recover overall while fighting age-related muscle loss, especially if you are an athlete, an aging adult, a man, or generally a person with a beating pulse.

It's a joke, but really. If you have any questions about eating more protein or implementing higher quality sources in your diet, send me an email and let's have a conversation.

15 Jun
Blog

The Bleeding Hearts of CrossFit Affiliates

Let's call Bullsh * t the newly discovered belief in social justice that is being spread through CrossFit partners. CrossFit's high school musical of dysfunction was no longer interesting years ago.

Many of the original enthusiasts moved on or became indifferent or indifferent. And what's left are people who either got into the affiliate business because of the myth of the brand. You know, our warm-up exercises are like your workouts. Yadda yadda yadda and we are the strongest on earth, community, blah, blah, blah.

And some are just wounded warriors who have managed to survive all the members standing in front of them, who have shot up and crashed, and they are basically the last to stand, just happy to be alive and that to do what they undoubtedly really do love.

You can believe in the sincerity of these partners when they say they are disgusted by Glassman's comments, but you can't pass them off when they try to CrossFit from the comments of its great size and the culture for which it is ultimately responsible to separate has repeatedly defended.

The affiliate diet: have and eat your cake

De-affiliation is something that is not over yet. How can it be if ultimately money from affiliated companies still flows into the pockets of the man who started the movement away from CrossFit?

When I read things about how CrossFit is a great community and was built despite what CFHQ has done, it sounds great to people trying to understand all of this in CrossFit, but for those of us it absolutely does no sense the exterior in the real world.

Again, I don't blame affiliates and CrossFit fan boys for justifying everything and putting them in the context of a reactionary political movement or a high point in the spirit of the times, but that often forgets that what has happened recently is just one point in one is arch that bends towards thickness.

To be fair, the following video by Andy Stumpf must be seen as a counterpoint to what I'm saying, but if you only hear minute 16, you go somehow, dude, why end it with a meaningless Kumbaya session with the Powers who are now at CFHQ when it's nothing more than polishing the jerk moment? I was about to take a pitchfork and join a crowd after 16 minutes driving to the CFHQ.

(16:18)
The biggest, not the biggest, and best answer I can give you is that I'm actually surprised that it took so long. And I asked myself a few years ago when it was in the middle of my movement.

And I've seen some of these reports and wondered how the hell does that happen? How does such behavior occur and how can it continue to occur? And then I had the crashing realization that I know exactly how it happens because I was complicit in allowing it to happen.

At least in the interactions that I observed or heard during my time at CrossFit, I cannot count how often derogatory and specifically sexual comments were made directly to female employees in my presence. Sometimes the employees were not there and often in mixed company.

(17:20)
And very often the overtures were much more open. It was an open secret who might have been in Greg's sexual crosshairs. And whether this is manifested in uncomfortable travel arrangements such as for female employees, traveling with Greg and a trip is imminent, but only booked a hotel room or female employees are sitting alone in a vehicle, with the CEO being what Greg prefers from his women.

Or even directly from Greg that he suffers from what Tiger Woods does and the list goes on and on and owns. And the closer you got to Greg, the more you saw and the closer you got to Greg, and the more you saw and the less you did or what essentially, it seems like we all did what was nothing .

The more we have activated this behavior, the more things I have spoken about, examples from abroad, and I am deliberately diversified because I do not want to involve anyone other than those who need to be, but there are many of them tell these stories.

Not enough for you How about:

(18:35)
And the bottom line, they're not mine, but these people deserve a platform. And the reason they're not talking now is out of fear.

(18:45)
I'll give another example, hoping it brings clarity, color, and context to the environment that some of these women had to tolerate. Imagine an employee who had already spent a lot of time in Greg's crosshairs. And I say this based on what I saw, what I heard, and comments that Greg directed directly to me. This employee is in a vehicle, mixed company.

(19:20)
She happens to be in a relationship with an assigned service member and Greg inquires about this service member and realizes that he currently has four abroad. His response to this information directly to this employee was that we hope to be able to name a hero WOD soon after him.

And for people who don't know what a HERO WOD is, it's training that's named after someone killed overseas or as a law enforcement first-aid worker in his country here in the United States.

And there is no more precise window into the area that some of these people had to work with. Then this statement from the CEO and that person owns 100% of CrossFit inc.

It's not enough for CrossFit partners to behave like stags caught in the headlines if they know exactly who they're dealing with and know exactly what's going on. You can't have your cake and eat it – that's why there are clichés.

Go villain

I know someone from Breaking Muscle on Facebook or anywhere said we were done with CrossFit and we just call them box gyms. I'm not sure if that will work, but I know one thing: you can call them all Rogue gyms, and you would probably do it as well.

Everything in this partner is from Rogue, they hang the banners, the company has a good brand and even if they have skeletons in their closets, they don't film them and put them on social media.

In the early 1970s, Nautilus devices made a big change in the world of bodybuilding devices, and the brand did indeed drive a segment of the fitness business. Rogue can do pretty much the same thing, and if you want to get involved, they have done more than CFHQ by venturing into Maces, Strongman, Powerlifting, and all sorts of different product lines that, interestingly, match training methods.

Drop CrossFit, become a Rogue gym, and let Rogue market the crap of bars, bells, assault bikes, oarsmen, and all the other things Reformed CrossFitters need to do what used to be called training .

14 Jun
Blog

Panasonic RZ-S800W Earbuds Review: Worth the Wait

panasonic rz s800w review rzs500w with iphone 11 pro

Panasonic RZ-S500W earbuds review: better late than never

"The Panasonic RZ-S500W offers excellent sound, which is supported by a solid battery life and an attractive price."

  • Nice, neutral sound

  • Good battery life

  • Comfortable to wear for a long time

  • Good everyday noise cancellation

  • Competitive price

  • Bulky, bar-like design

  • Spotty call quality

When you talk about Panasonic, you might think of TVs or cameras rather than headphones, but that will change with the RZ-S500W, the company's first pair of true wireless earphones. Yes, we know. This is another pair to consider and a fairly late entry into the game. So what makes this tempting?

Currently available in the UK and soon to be available in the US, they cost £ 169 or an estimated $ 199. This is a strong value considering that they have active noise cancellation on board, while rivals like Sony's WF-1000XM3 cost $ 239 and Apple's AirPods Pro $ 249. Then the question arises whether they have the audio chops to take them over.

The Panasonic RZ-S500W have been in my ears for about a week (not permanent, but you understand my meaning), and so they are.

design

It is very difficult to make real wireless earphones attractive. Sony hasn't really accomplished this feat, and Apple shares the opinion with the AirPods. Panasonic has taken the path to make them look like bolts, and while they aren't exactly pretty, they definitely feel good.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Most of the RZ-S500W sits outside of your ear, rather than forming around your inner ear like the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus, and relies on the tip to hold it in place. The balance is excellent and the 7 gram weight means they don't pull your ears or feel like they're falling out. Five sets of silicone tips of different sizes are included to help you find the best fit for your ears.

If they're in your ears, don't expect them to be subtle. Everyone around you will notice that you are wearing the RZ-S500W, not least because it sticks out of your ears at some distance, but also because the blue LED in the left bud flashes. They don't look more ridiculous than most other real wireless headphones, but they don't drive the industry by introducing a chic new design.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The buds are in a plastic housing with three LEDs under the hinged lid, which indicate the charge status. Attaching the earphones inside is a bit of a hassle, as they are not as easy to fit as the offers from Apple or Sony. Once attached, they are magnetically pressed and the top closes securely over them. There's a Type C USB charging port on the back of the case. Although it's smaller than the Sony WF-1000XM3 case, it's not as compact as the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus case or as wonderfully high quality as the shiny metal case from Master & Dynamic for the MW07 Plus.

The RZ-S500W has a simple, no-nonsense design and functional case, none of which attract admiring glances, but do the job they are designed for very well. This may reflect the reasonable cost, but that's okay because the money went where it belongs: the audio.

sound

The sound is transmitted through an 8mm driver with a neodymium magnet in each earphone. The resulting audio quality is bold, bright and very pleasant. Panasonic has decided to tune the RZ-800W more neutrally, which means that the bass has not been artificially amplified and the vocals in the sound stage are ahead of headphones with a brand-specific tone like beats.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Don't consider this a lack of bass, as it's the opposite. The bass is precise and controlled and deep if need be, but it never overwhelms mids or vocals. The earbuds are not overwhelmed by the deep bass during the opening of KLF's What Time is Love, the Tokyo Tower remix that has more than enough subbass to feel. However, the RZ-S500W sounds best when you play songs that rely on strong vocals.

In Keyakizaka46's Hiraishin, the earphones wonderfully capture the group's voices as they circulate the soundstage without becoming too bright while delivering the track's strong bass line. Some headphones lose the main voice in Gang Parade & # 39; I need you, I love you, I want you to be on the beat, but that's not the case with the RZ-S550W, which balances it out very well.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Band Maids Choose Me focuses on the lead singer's vocals, but never lets up on the lead and bass guitar, which makes for exciting listening. Jidenna's Long Live the Chief and Moses Mayfield's Fall Behind are treated the same way as Choose Me, with focused vocals and hard bass. While still a great listening experience, it's clear that the Panasonics love women's pop and rock.

Although the RZ-800W sounds great, they can't quite keep up with the wonderful, involved, and perfectly balanced Sony WF-1000XM3. They come much closer to Master & Dynamic's MW07 Plus, but focus more on the vocals. I found that they came closest to the over-ear ATH-M50x of the Japanese audio brand Audio Technica in terms of sound and soundstage, which is respected for its studio-like neutral sound signature.

The only disappointment is the lack of codecs. Panasonic has only added AAC to the RZ-S500W, which means they can be used with most mobile devices, but does not offer the additional quality advantages that some expect from AptX or AptX HD or a low latency connection with AptX LL.

Noise cancellation, app and control

For the RZ-S800W, Panasonic uses a dual hybrid noise canceling system that mixes feedback and feed-forward microphone systems to remove unwanted noise from inside and outside of the earphones. I thought it was great for general use, but didn't find it to be as isolated as the best models. Even without active ambient mode, I could still hear myself speaking to ANC, but the traffic and general noises in the house were effectively muted.

Panasonic RZ-S800W with the app "class =" m-carousel - picture dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn2.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/panasonic-rzs500w-app-640x640.jpg "srcset = "https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP//yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Panasonic RZ-S800W with noise reduction setting in the app "class =" m carousel - picture dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn3.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/panasonic-rzs500w-noise-app -640x640. jpg "srcset =" https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAndy Boxall / Digital Trends

Panasonic RZ-S800W with app equalizer function "class =" m-carousel - picture dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn4.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/panasonic-rzs500w-equalizer-app- 640x640 .jpg "srcset =" https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The noise cancellation settings are adjusted via the touch-sensitive control panel on the right earphone, which is switched between on, off and ambient mode by a long press. You can also play and pause music with the touch controls, and they're decent too. I was concerned about using multiple gestures this way, but I'm happy to say that they didn't mess up and mostly responded the way I wanted them to. A long press on the left bud activates Siri or Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa is also available with a software update.

Download the Panasonic Audio Connect app and control the noise cancellation effect through 50 different levels. I found it made little difference to my use – I either want noise cancellation or not – and if more outside sound was required, the ambient mode served the purpose better. The sound quality is slightly affected by the ANC because the music takes on a warmer, bassier tone. The app also has a Bass Enhancer setting, which was not essential when the ANC was on, but did help round out the sound when it was off. A five-band equalizer completes the range of functions.

The RZ-S500W doesn't expect the world's best noise cancellation because it can't match the amazing isolation of the Sony WF-1000XM3, but it's great for everyday city life and traffic. Due to movement restrictions, I was unable to test them using public transportation or airplanes.

Battery and connectivity

According to Panasonic, the playback time when the ANC is switched on is 6.5 hours, with a charge of 19.5 hours, a total usage time. Charging the earphones with the case takes approximately 2 hours. There is a battery meter in the app that shows the individual battery levels for each earphone. A 15 minute charge offers a usage time of 70 minutes.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

At the time of my review, I have no reason to doubt these numbers, but I doubt the accuracy of the battery meter. For most of the review period, I had a longer listening session of at least 4 hours. During that time, the app still indicated that 90% of the battery was still available, making it difficult to estimate the performance more accurately.

However, the case was empty after at least 20 hours of operation until the last LED light, which means that battery life is an important reason for buying the RZ-S500W. The battery life is longer than that of the AirPods Pro and roughly corresponds to that of Sony. This allows them to commute easily for at least a week and occasionally listen before they need to be fully charged. This is a huge advantage.

I used the earphones connected to an iPhone 11 Pro, and the Bluetooth 5.0 connection was solid with no interruptions or jerks when I was within 10 meters of my phone in my apartment. Panasonic has introduced an independent connection system for each earphone that is more stable and efficient. I had no problems with delays or breaks between the earbuds.

The connection was also stable during a call, but the sound quality for the person called was not particularly good. I have been told several times that my head sounded like it was in a pocket, but I can confirm that I never carried a pocket during one of the calls. However, the call quality for me as a caller was great.

Price, guarantee and availability

The Panasonic RZ-S500W cost £ 169, which is $ 213, and has been announced in the UK and Europe. A release in the U.S. is likely in the near future, where the price is expected to be $ 199. Panasonic grants a one year warranty on its audio products and offers free repair or replacement.

Our opinion

Given that the RZ-S800W is Panasonic's first widely used true noise canceling wireless headphones, it is an outstanding achievement. The excellent neutral sound makes it very easy to hear, especially for those who love singing. Overall, the experience isn't particularly detailed, but it's fun, engaging, and helps you enjoy your music. Noise cancellation may not be the best, but it is still effective for general daily use. Add the competitive price, and the Panasonic RZ-800W is an enticing purchase.

Is there a better alternative?

You're spoiled for choice when you watch real wireless headphones today. We recommend spending a little more to purchase the $ 230 Sony WF-1000XM3, which has a warmer tone, smarter design, and the best noise cancellation system available. Apple's $ 249 AirPods Pro are also worth considering.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus for $ 149 doesn't offer noise cancellation, but it offers great value for money in terms of sound quality, compact design, and long battery life. There are so many different models that you should also check out our list of the best real wireless headphones you can buy to find more alternatives.

How long it will take?

The Panasonic RZ-S500W has IPX4 waterproofness, so they are protected from rain and sweat. In addition, the plastic housing feels durable and strong. The lifespan of all real wireless headphones is determined by the battery inside, which deteriorates and ultimately returns less useful life. However, this is unlikely to be a problem over several years. Panasonic is an established, trustworthy brand and these headphones meet expectations in terms of quality and workmanship.

Should you buy it

Yes. The competitive price, decent noise cancellation and wonderful neutral tuning make it easy to overlook the slightly dorky design.

Editor's recommendations




14 Jun
Blog

The Bleeding Hearts of CrossFit Affiliates

Let's call Bullsh * t the newly discovered belief in social justice that is being spread through CrossFit partners. CrossFits High School Musical of Dysfunction stopped being interesting years ago. Many of the original enthusiasts moved on or became indifferent or indifferent. And what's left are people who either got into the affiliate business because of the myth of the brand. You know, our warm-up exercises are like your workouts. Yadda yadda yadda and we are the strongest on earth, community, blah, blah, blah. And some are just wounded warriors who have managed to survive all the members standing in front of them, who have shot up and crashed, and they are basically the last to stand, just happy to be alive and that to do what they undoubtedly really do love. You can believe in the sincerity of these partners when they say they are disgusted by Glassman's comments, but you can't pass them off when they try to CrossFit from the comments of its great size and the culture for which it is ultimately responsible to separate has repeatedly defended.

The affiliate diet: have and eat your cake

De-affiliation is something that is not over yet. How can it be if ultimately money from affiliated companies still flows into the pockets of the man who started the movement away from CrossFit? When I read things about how CrossFit is a great community and was built despite what CFHQ has done, it sounds great to people trying to understand all of this in CrossFit, but for those of us it absolutely does no sense the exterior in the real world.

Again, I don't blame affiliates and CrossFit fan boys for justifying everything and putting them in the context of a reactionary political movement or a high point in the spirit of the times, but that often forgets that what has happened recently is just one point in one is arch that bends towards thickness.

To be fair, the following video by Andy Stumpf must be seen as a counterpoint to what I'm saying, but if you only hear minute 16, you go somehow, dude, why end it with a meaningless Kumbaya session with the Powers who are now at CFHQ when it's nothing more than polishing the jerk moment? I was about to take a pitchfork and join a crowd after 16 minutes driving to the CFHQ.

(16:18)
The biggest, not the biggest, and best answer I can give you is that I'm actually surprised that it took so long. And I asked myself a few years ago when it was in the middle of my movement. And I've seen some of these reports and wondered how the hell does that happen? How does such behavior occur and how can it continue to occur? And then I had the crashing realization that I know exactly how it happens because I was complicit in allowing it to happen. At least in the interactions that I observed or heard during my time at CrossFit, I cannot count how often derogatory and specifically sexual comments were made directly to female employees in my presence. Sometimes the employees were not there and often in mixed company.

(17:20)
And very often the overtures were much more open. It was an open secret who might have been in Greg's sexual crosshairs. And whether this is manifested in uncomfortable travel arrangements such as for female employees, traveling with Greg and a trip is imminent, but only booked a hotel room or female employees are sitting alone in a vehicle, with the CEO being what Greg prefers from his women. Or even directly from Greg that he suffers from what Tiger Woods does and the list goes on and on and owns. And the closer you got to Greg, the more you saw and the closer you got to Greg, and the more you saw and the less you did or what essentially, it seems like we all did what was nothing . The more we have activated this behavior, the more things I have spoken about, examples from abroad, and I am deliberately diversified because I do not want to involve anyone other than those who need to be, but there are many of them tell these stories.

Not enough for you How about:

(18:35)
And the bottom line, they're not mine, but these people deserve a platform. And the reason they're not talking now is out of fear.

(18:45)
I'll give another example, hoping it brings clarity, color, and context to the environment that some of these women had to tolerate. Imagine an employee who had already spent a lot of time in Greg's crosshairs. And I say this based on what I saw, what I heard, and comments that Greg directed directly to me. This employee is in a vehicle, mixed company.

(19:20)
She happens to be in a relationship with an assigned service member and Greg inquires about this service member and realizes that he currently has four abroad. His response to this information directly to this employee was that we hope to be able to name a hero WOD soon after him. And for people who don't know what a HERO WOD is, it's training that's named after someone killed overseas or as a law enforcement first-aid worker in his country here in the United States. And there is no more precise window into the area that some of these people had to work with. Then this statement from the CEO and that person owns 100% of CrossFit inc.

It's not enough for CrossFit partners to behave like stags caught in the headlines if they know exactly who they're dealing with and know exactly what's going on. You can't have your cake and eat it – that's why there are clichés.

Go villain

I know someone from Breaking Muscle on Facebook or anywhere said we were done with CrossFit and we just call them box gyms. I'm not sure if that will work, but I know one thing: you can call them all Rogue gyms, and you would probably do it as well.

Everything in this partner is from Rogue, they hang the banners, the company has a good brand and even if they have skeletons in their closets, they don't film them and put them on social media.

In the early 1970s, Nautilus devices made a big change in the world of bodybuilding devices, and the brand did indeed drive a segment of the fitness business. Rogue can do pretty much the same thing, and if you want to get involved, they have done more than CFHQ by venturing into Maces, Strongman, Powerlifting, and all sorts of different product lines that, interestingly, match training methods.

Drop CrossFit, become a Rogue gym, and let Rogue market the crap of bars, bells, assault bikes, oarsmen, and all the other things Reformed CrossFitters need to do what used to be called training .

14 Jun
Blog

Keys to Monitor An Athlete’s Workload

Effective training plans are based on levels of complex planning, preparation, and implementation. Simply throwing a template program on a group of athletes and hoping that they will magically improve after eight weeks is not enough. Trainers need to take the time to assess what is happening along the way and to make the necessary changes as they see fit.

Anyone can be the artist of a program that smokes their athletes. But the best coaches act as a guide to steer the program in the right direction and offer the optimal appeal. Surveillance techniques are undoubtedly essential for a high-level sports performance program.

Why we monitor

To understand why it is important to monitor your athletes and their training, it is helpful to ask yourself what would happen if you did not watch. No monitoring means no understanding of how athletes react to the training from an analytical perspective.

Some coaches believe that they can use their coaching eye and assume what's going on with their athletes. Monitoring is therefore seen as a waste of time. Although I believe it is important to use some intuition and deep understanding of your athletes, planning your programming using perception techniques is a recipe for disaster.

Monitoring enables us to assess stress responses to individual training sessions or a series of sessions (more on that later). We also receive information that can help make decisions and control the training process. We can get an idea of ​​how hard an athlete works, what his recovery looks like, and even his potential risk of injury

Key to monitoring an athlete's workload - fitness, fitness, recreation, pace training, programming, optimal performance training, game day, training programs, customer evaluation, coaching process, sports injuries, heart rate variability

Monitoring not only leads to training and provides information about our athletes, but also validates the approaches and methods we use. By testing and monitoring performance, we can determine if our programming is working and achieve a positive performance gain.

In addition to the performance on the match day, this is one of the few ways in which we as performance specialists, sports coaches, sports directors and athletes alike can validate themselves in order to keep a job. It's a competitive environment, and if you can't prove you are getting better, many just assume you are getting worse.

What to monitor

It goes without saying that more is not always better when it comes to monitoring.

One should not only collect data for the purpose, without the intention to use this data. Monitoring must improve the effectiveness of the training, make logical sense, and provide reliable information about the specifics of the athlete's training. It must be specific to the age, gender, sporting event, age of training, level of performance and injury status of the athlete. It must also be easy to present to coaches and athletes. 2

There is simply not enough time to collect data as this can be very distracting and can cost valuable training time if used inappropriately. Implementing the least amount of monitoring for the maximum results is paramount.

Monitoring athletes' training and performance can basically be divided into two categories:

  1. Internal load
  2. External load

The internal stress represents the athlete's physiological and psychological responses to the physical stimulus, while the external stress is simply the training stimulus applied It is important to note that the training load goes far beyond the sets and repetitions that we prescribe in the weight room. It includes all of the athlete's training units, from sports exercises to competitions and conditioning sessions.

Within the training load paradigm, we have a dose-response relationship that can be classified under:

  • Acute Training Effects – Acute training effects can be designed as immediate or immediate effects such as an increase in heart rate during a sprint.
  • Immediate training effects – Immediate training effects occur in a single training session, e.g. B. A change in the ratio of testosterone to cortisol after exercise.
  • Cumulative Training Effects – After all, cumulative training effects are the physiological or motor / technical responses that you get from a series of training sessions or a training plan.

It is important to understand what each piece is and what it contains, as they all help create an effective athlete monitoring program.

How to monitor

Once you understand the various aspects of athlete monitoring, you can start collecting data. As mentioned before It is important to collect information about both the internal and external training load.

If we do this, we can determine the impact of our external training load on the internal training load of our athletes.

External training load

There are dozens of variables that we can monitor when we look at the external training load. For example, we can track the number:

The key is choosing the right variables for tracking the athlete you are working with.3

A soccer player can benefit from GPS monitoring that tracks the distance traveled and the total number of accelerations during a game, which would be rather useless for a competitive weight lifter. Having an idea of ​​the global training stimulus is key, but when it comes to the weight room, we can certainly be a little more specific.

One of the keys to building a successful strength training program is tracking the volume load that occurs. The most basic form for this is:

The sets x Reps x Load = Volume Load

There are several equations that deal more precisely with a percentage of the repetition maximum. However, the real key is to consistently use an equation and use it across all strength training sessions to keep track of the total work done. With this method, coaches can correlate the workload of their athletes with the overall goal of the training week or month.

It's easy to understand why blindly prescribing repetitions and sentences is a recipe for disaster, since a targeted amount of work consistently drives adaptation. Sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less, but it vibrates, allowing athletes to train, accumulate fatigue, relax, and repeat.

Internal training load

Similar to the external training load, there are a variety of variables that can be measured to capture details of the internal training load. Heart rate (HR) and heart rate reserve (HRV) are two extremely common methods because they are easy to measure, Negative blood lactate and hormone responses can be a little more difficult to assemble.

The internal training load paints a nice picture of how an athlete reacts to the training and how it can be restored. We can generally assume that the higher the heart rate during aerobic exercise, the harder they work. Similarly, HRV has been popularized as a method of determining readiness for training and recovery.

While I'm a fan of tracking internal load measurements, when appropriate, A big problem arises when we try to apply a method across multiple training modalities. Using heart rate as a measure of work and fatigue during a speed run may be an excellent choice, but a heavy squat with short, intermittent work spurts is very different.

One method that has been popularized and used to combat this problem is the perceived effort session rate or sRPE. With sRPE, athletes can rate a session on a scale of 1 to 10 levels of difficulty. This way we can go back and multiply it by the duration of the session and derive a score. For example, if an athlete:

  • With a 30-minute conditioning session at an RPE of 5, they would have a training load of 150 arbitrary units (AU).
  • Then if they had a 60 minute weight session later that day and rated it as an RPE of 8, it would result in a training load of 480 (AU).
  • If you add them up, it shows that the training load for this day was 630 (AU).

This method is very helpful because it synchronizes several training methods and makes them somewhat compatible in terms of our understanding of the impact on the athlete. For example, we can look at the relationship between acute and chronic workload and see how they respond to the intended training stimulus.

While using this method on some of my athletes, I am the first to admit that it has some shortcomings. It is somewhat subjective in nature and some athletes do not have enough experience to accurately assess the difficulty of their sessions.

Different personality types rate sessions differently depending on the attitude and motivation of a particular athlete. While not perfect, it certainly offers an alternative way to track your internal training load.

Wrap up

We know that training is a revolving door of many variables, some of which we can control and some of which we cannot. It is important to have a solid understanding of how a training plan can not only be implemented but also tracked and changed over time.

Implementing monitoring in your athlete programs ensures that you are directing things in the right direction and making changes as necessary. Just remember to keep track of what's needed and get rid of what's not needed. Use monitoring as a means to improve your programming without affecting it.

References

1. Haff, G.G. "Quantifying the workload in strength training: a brief review." Professional strength and condition 10th autumn (2010): 31–40. Network.

2. Robertson, S. "Red, Amber, or Green? Monitoring Athletes in Team Sports: The Need for Decision Support Systems." International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance 12 (2017): 73–79. Network.

3. McGuigan, M. "Monitoring Training and Performance in Athletes." Human kinetics. 2017.

13 Jun
Blog

Edifier TWS6 Review: Affordable Audio For Athletes

Edifier tws6 earphones

"Edifier has successfully developed affordable real wireless earbuds for active listeners."

  • 8 hours of playback

  • IPX5 waterproof

  • Exceptional sound quality

  • Comfortable

  • Limited touch controls

  • Ear wings required for proper fit

Edifier is committed to taking the world of affordable real wireless earphones by storm this year by releasing two products with identical prices: the TWS NB and the TWS6.

The TWS NB impressed us enough to be called our new favorite budget e-wireless earbud. As a result, expectations were understandably high for the $ 120 TWS6, a pair of buds with similar functions and some important differences that target an active audience. After a week of keeping these earphones in my ears, you should consider that these expectations have been met.

Out of the box

With the last edifier buds I checked, I was impressed with the luxury of the packaging in which they were delivered. It seems that this is a trend in the brand as I came across the same takeaways when I opened the TWS6.

Edifier TWS6 earphonesNick Woodard / Digital Trends

Both the charging case with the buds and the four (!) Pairs of additional earplugs waited patiently in foam pads. Directly under the earplugs was a small box with a USB-C charging cable, installation instructions and silicone ear wings, as Edifier calls them.

There is a pairing button on the housing itself that starts the connection process. Following the standard procedures for locating the buds in my phone's Bluetooth settings made setup quick and easy. The process is neither unusual nor unusual, but the ability to simply plug in a new pair of earphones is always appreciated.

However, I will point out that if you are looking for more detailed instructions on the functionality of the earbuds or the correct way to attach the ear wings to the buds, you will not find any in the compressed physical version of the manual. You must venture online for the full edition to receive this information.

design

I am fascinated by the way the TWS6 looks, but also a bit perplexed. Because I liked the initial aesthetics of the buds so much, I have some concerns about the methodology of the overall design.

First, the TWS6 are elegant and simple and present themselves as buttonless buds in black (white is also available). They're not heavy on your ears and don't stand out like other options like the Sony WF-XB700. But they're fat, something you should keep in mind when you're stuck against a "clogged ear". Regardless, it was pleasant to have them in my ears for longer test periods.

Edifier TWS6 earphonesNick Woodard / Digital Trends

There are both memory foam and silicone earplugs to choose from. In my tests, I chose a smaller silicone alternative to the one on the buds and found that it fits well. There are also the ear wings above that started my confusion. The TWS6 doesn't come with ear wings that are already attached to the buds, but part of me really thinks this should have been. This is because if you just took the buds out of their suitcase like I did, put them in your ears and wanted to start listening, you would have a completely different experience.

This is important to note as the buds would not fit my ears very well without these wings. Finding the right wing has completely changed this and made the TWS6 much more suitable for the intense workouts and activities that Edifier is targeting with this product. I accept the possibility that this is a user error and most buyers know how to attach the ear wings without referring to the instructions. But for those who have a similar attitude, I offer this advice: wrap the buds in your preferred ear wings and save yourself the hassle of constantly having to readjust yourself during a walk.

When we look at the case, it has the same black finish as the buds and essentially looks like a wider copy of the case for Apple's popular AirPods. I was initially worried about how the buds with the wings attached would fit in the case. I will say for the sake of clarity that they sit a little closer, but still sit tight and are charged without hiccups.

properties

When comparing the function sets between these buds and the TWS NB, it becomes clear that Edifier has taken two different demographic characteristics into account in these products. While the TWS NB was more geared towards the serious music listener, the TWS6 has features that suggest that it is much more geared towards lifestyle.

Edifier TWS6 earphonesNick Woodard / Digital Trends

The TWS6 supports 8 hours of playback with a total of 32 hours of battery life with the charging case. Technically speaking, the TWS NB can last 11 hours at a time, but only without active noise reduction (ANC). With this coveted feature, playback drops to 5 hours.

The differences between the buds become clear when looking at the waterproof ratings. The TWS NB have IPX4 water resistance, which is reasonable but not special. Meanwhile, the TWS6 offers IPX5 resistance, which protects it from the continued use of moisture-like rain. Having gotten into a downpour the morning before completing this review, I can vouch for her ability to withstand harsh weather.

Both edifier buds we've discussed here support Bluetooth 5.0, and I've found similarly strong connections with each pair. Where the TWS6 falls behind significantly, however, are the controls. The TWS NB have multifunction buttons for a variety of applications. In contrast, the TWS6 has touchpads, which unfortunately lack a lot of functionality.

I can pause and resume tracks with a double tap on the right bud and call up my voice assistant with a double tap on the left side. There is no possibility to change tracks and to increase or decrease the volume. While asking Alexa to create a particular song or playlist helps, it still doesn't relieve the pain of missing a couple of what I categorize as both standard and crucial controls.

Audio quality

Edifier was not silent about promoting the Knowles Balanced Armature drivers built into the TWS6, and for good reason. With a diameter of only 12 mm for the entire bud, these drivers are rather small, but offer an exciting punch.

Edifier TWS6 earphonesNick Woodard / Digital Trends

Based on my listening experience, the TWS6 has all the audio qualities required to create solid buds for workouts and other activities. I've heard a healthy dose of soca music lately (it's a long story), and the TWS6 has skilfully processed the bass-heavy Caribbean beats of Michael Montano's Toco Loco.

They also go well with more mainstream genres. One of my favorite test tracks, Blues Travelers & # 39; Hook, was once again a fun ride that demonstrated the TWS6's ability to dance through a range of frequencies. Other genres and tracks led to the same result: these earphones have a wonderfully pleasant sound that I think will satisfy most people looking for buds in this price range.

However, I would prefer the TWS NB to these buds in terms of sound quality. Although the TWS6 also supports aptX, the NB has an advantage in terms of definition and clarity, as well as ANC to support the listening experience. Thanks to its fit, the TWS6 has efficient passive noise suppression, but does not meet the advantages of ANC, e.g. B. listening to music or making phone calls without interruption.

Our opinion

Edifier did it again with the TWS6 and created an affordable pair of real wireless earphones with nice features and exceptional audio quality. This time they only did it for another listener.

Are there any better alternatives?

I would probably still choose the $ 120 TWS-NB for its audio quality and control benefits, though they're not ideal for active scenarios. Outside of the Edifier brand, the $ 130 Amazon Echo Buds or the $ 130 Sony WF-XB700 are solid competitors in this price range.

How long will they last?

The TWS6 has a build quality that feels solid and impressive waterproofness to protect it from nature. It is a safe bet that you will get your money's worth with these buds.

Should you buy them

Yes. Restricted touch controls are crap, but they don't interfere with what leads to a valuable pair of buds ready for training in the Edifier TWS6. Remember to attach these ear wings.

Editor's recommendations




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