26 Mar
Blog

Google Nest Hub Review: Small, Simple, and Smart

"Google’s Nest Hub is a great way to keep an eye on your smart home."

  • Simple smart home control

  • No camera on the device

  • Small size means it can be placed anywhere

  • Double as a digital photo frame

  • Affordable

  • No camera means no video chat

  • Poor sound quality

  • The screen is too small for media consumption

This review was last updated by digital trends editor John Velasco on March 25th, 2020.

When the Google Nest Hub ($ 149) arrived on our desk, we were surprised. It couldn't be that tiny little box, we thought. Intelligent displays (intelligent loudspeakers with integrated voice assistants such as Google Assistant or Alexa) should have large screens, large footprints and lots of bells and whistles – right?

Google's Nest Hub has other ideas, and while it's tiny, it has some powerful features that make it powerful under the hood. In a way, its simple approach is a refreshing interpretation of the smart display – but it also feels watered down.

Also worth reading

Also worth mentioning is its bigger brother, the Google Nest Hub Max. It has many of the same functions, but has a larger screen, excellent audio performance and a front-facing camera for video calls. It's also more expensive at $ 229.

Small screen, big world

With a size of just over 4.5 inches, the Google Nest Hub is comparatively small and has a 7-inch screen in portrait format, which is attached to an oval fabric stand on the back. Unlike its competition, the giant Amazon Echo Show, which has a 10-inch screen and 4-inch base, the Nest Hub takes up almost no space and can sit anywhere without taking up a lot of space. This makes it easy to fit in many parts of your home.

Unlike other smart displays, the Nest Hub lacks a camera of any kind. This is either a good or a bad thing depending on how you feel about your privacy and lack of video chat ability. The only buttons on the outside of the hub are volume up / down and microphone on / off.

In addition to the Echo Show and the Lenovo Smart Display (another smart speaker with a screen operated by Google Assistant), the size difference corresponds to the comparison of a tablet with a smartphone. The Nest Hub's small size makes it more versatile – most smart displays are designed for primary kitchen use – but it seems like a missed opportunity as the device comes with six months of free YouTube Premium. The screen is too small to be viewed for a long time.

Greg Mombert / Digital Trends

However, the Nest Hub works as a digital photo frame. If you use Google Photos, you can connect your albums to the device during setup and have photos of your choice rotated throughout the day. We loved this feature and found some long lost gems in our collection.

A function called Ambient EQ automatically adjusts the brightness of the screen so that the device fits into the room. You can also adjust the brightness manually. We also appreciate the interpreter mode, a feature that allows you to communicate with people in different languages.

Keep it real

More reviews for smart displays

We love how easy Google Home makes device setup. The Nest Hub is no different – plug it in, open the Google Home app, and follow simple instructions on both screens to get started. Depending on whether you’re already connected to the Google Home ecosystem, you’ll need to take additional steps.

For example, the app asks if you want to set up Voice Match that automatically recognizes your voice and gives you and others around the house tailored answers. You'll also want to connect to streaming music and video services (you'll need to sign in to your accounts) and smart home devices. This is self-explanatory in the recently revised Google Home app.

In our case, we already have a Google Home device in our test house, which made the setup process as easy as connecting the device.

Greg Mombert / Digital Trends

A smart home love bond

The Google Nest Hub is best when connected to a smart home. We like the pulldown screen, which gives us instant access and control over smart home devices that we have connected. You can still use your voice to control lights, plugs, locks, cameras and more ("Hey Google, turn on the lamp on the ground floor"), but the pull-down menu contains a clear list of connected devices and status of each.

For example, you can tap Lights and get a list of connected lights and their status, or select by room to see a list of all connected devices. You only need a few minutes to organize your devices in every room. It is a user-friendly control panel for all connected devices.

Hey Google, what does my morning commute look like?

Google Assistant works the same regardless of your smart speaker, but the Nest Hub complements your interactions by adding a screen. For example, if you want to create a video tutorial on how to cook eggs hard, just say "Hey Google, show me videos on how to cook eggs hard". You can then select from the results displayed using the touchscreen. For a Google Home Mini or Google Home without a screen, Google Assistant simply reads the instructions. This is not so helpful if you are learning visually.

The hub is a nifty way to get a snapshot of what's happening at home.

There are also other uses. If you've connected a Nest camera (or a compatible camera) to the device, you can view the footage in the Google Nest Hub. We have two Nest cameras in our test house and found that viewing footage from them was a seamless process.

You can also answer the Nest Hello video doorbell on the Nest Hub with bidirectional communication. We don't have Nest Hello in our smart home, but we like the idea of ​​having an extra space to monitor movement at the front door.

Google Home Hub

Google Home Hub

Greg Mombert / Digtial Trends

Since Google Assistant is already connected to Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Maps and other Google platforms, the integration into what we already use is seamless. For example, when we set up the Nest Hub, Google already knew us from our account and usage. Therefore, calendar reminders and the morning commute view were automatically displayed on our home screen. If that scares you, you can adjust what you see.

Ok google, play music on a better speaker

The Google Nest Hub also works as a home hub, but has some shortcomings. The sound quality is the biggest disappointment. It ends up between Google Home and Google Home Mini, and that's not outstanding. It is not loud and bass and treble are missing to make listening a pleasant experience.

The loudspeaker is not loud and the bass is missing to make listening pleasant.

In contrast, the Amazon Echo Spot and Echo Show offer a louder sound and a richer music experience. We understand and respect that Google wanted to keep the device simple, small, and affordable, but it's a missed opportunity not to provide at least adequate sound. Audiophiles or anyone who appreciates a reasonably decent sound will have to pick up another speaker.

The other disadvantage, which we have already pointed out, is the screen. It's just a little bit smaller than we would like. Even an inch would help us enjoy the YouTube videos that we can't access on Amazon devices due to a continuing feud between the two technology giants.

Warranty information

Google offers a one-year limited warranty on materials and workmanship for the Google Nest Hub.

Our opinion

The Google Nest Hub has a lot to offer. We appreciate the focus on smart home controls, the pull-down panel and the functions for digital photo frames. We also appreciate the lack of a camera for those who are concerned about privacy.

We wish Google had made the screen and sound a priority. With free YouTube Premium, it feels like a missed opportunity. At $ 149, however, this is an affordable price for better smart home control.

Is there a better alternative?

It depends on what you are looking for. If you're looking for a smart introductory speaker without a screen, check out Google Home Mini ($ 49) or Amazon Echo Dot ($ 50). Both are enough. If you need the screen for the kitchen and love Google Assistant, the Lenovo Smart Display, available in both 8 and 10 inch sizes ($ 199 and $ 249), is the best choice. However, if you really want the full package, you can pay the additional cost for the Nest Hub Max ($ 229).

If you're interested in Amazon Alexa voice technology, the Echo Show is a great option with a built-in smart home hub, 10-inch screen, and great sound. If you're looking for a smaller smart display, consider the Echo Spot ($ 130), which is meant for a bedside table or desk.

How long it will take?

You can expect Google and Google Assistant to stay here. Google will continue to update and improve Google Assistant technology through firmware updates. However, we cannot guarantee that Google will not introduce another smart display later.

Should you buy it

If you're looking for an affordable smart screen with Google Assistant that focuses on controlling smart homes, buy the Google Nest Hub – as long as you can do without video chats. If you can't, consider the full-featured Nest Hub Max, which also acts as a Google Nest Cam, or maybe an Amazon Echo Show if you prefer Alexa.

Updated March 22, 2019 to add interpreter mode.

Editor's recommendations




26 Mar
Blog

Google Nest Mini Review: Even Faster, Even Smarter

nest mini review google 2nd gen feat

Nest Mini (2nd generation)

"Google's Nest Mini makes an already good device even better and remains the first choice among affordable smart speakers."

  • Fast answers

  • Adjusts the sound based on background noise

  • Environmentally friendly materials

  • Affordable price

  • The maximum volume could be louder

  • Same look as the previous model

This review was updated by Digital Trends Editor John Velasco on 03/25/2020.

The Nest Mini (2nd generation) is the newest mini speaker from Google. The Nest Mini was released on October 22, 2019 and offers a number of improvements, including: B. better sound, faster processing and much more to offer the user a better experience than its predecessor.

We tested the Nest Mini to see how it can compete with the rest of the pint-sized smart speaker pack. Here is our full review of the Nest Mini (2nd generation).

Try these new features

wash your hands

It is more important than ever to make sure that you wash your hands properly, especially if the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus spreads. The Nest Mini offers a brand new feature to help children. They just say "Hey Google, help me wash my hands" and a melody will play from there for 20 seconds to give you a reasonable amount of time to wash your hands.

Find your keys

Isn't it annoying if you've left your keys somewhere at home while you're late for an appointment? With Google Nest Mini, you can track them down using any of Tile's Bluetooth trackers. To track them down, just say, "Hey Google, where are my keys?" From there, Google Assistant reports the last known location.

Same look, but only a few design improvements

The Nest Mini looks almost identical to the Google Home Mini. It is 1.65 inches tall and 3.85 inches in diameter. It has a fabric design and the same rounded shape. The Nest Mini is available in four colors: chalk, charcoal, coral and a new sky color. We received the chalk color for our evaluation.

Google Nest Mini on the tableJohn Velasco / Digital Trends

The new Mini has some design improvements over its predecessor. Although you may not notice a big difference at first glance, the differences become clearer during the setup process. For example, on the back of the device there is a small cut-out for a screw that you can use to attach it to a wall. The upper part of the Nest Mini fabric is made from 100 percent recycled plastic, while the outer casing is made from at least 35 percent recycled post-consumer plastic. The Nest Mini is slightly heavier than the Home Mini (181 grams versus 173 grams), and you can feel the quality of the craftsmanship when you hold the Nest Mini in your hand.

Key controls, sensors and connections

The Mini is powered by a 15 watt power supply connected to a DC jack. This is a change from the Mini standard Micro USB connector. Even though it would have been ideal to buy USB Type C, since the Nest Mini is unlikely to move around frequently, Google is perfectly fine with opting for a proprietary connection. There is no 3.5mm audio jack to connect an external speaker, but Bluetooth support.

Erika Rawes / Digital Trends

The Mini also has a side microphone off slider on the side, so you can turn the microphone off at any time. The volume controls are capacitive touch buttons, but are now on the sides of the device – with associated embedded LEDs to indicate their placement. If you touch each side of the device, the volume will increase or decrease.

However, manual control of the volume is not necessary with the Nest Mini, as the device automatically adjusts the volume to the background noise in the room. We noticed that the Nest Mini produced louder music and reactions during many conversations or when playing television than when the room was completely quiet.

Better sound, but if you put it next to the Echo Dot …

The Nest Mini has a 360-degree sound and the same speaker driver (40 mm) as the Home Mini. With the Nest Mini, however, Google has updated the audio tuning software to improve the sound quality. It is said to have a bass twice as strong without affecting the sound quality.

Google Nest Mini on ledgeJohn Velasco / Digital Trends

When we heard the same songs in full volume on the Nest Mini and on the Echo Dot 3rd generation (with a 1.6-inch driver), there was no doubt that the Echo Dot 3rd generation had a louder sound and had a stronger bass. However, the sound of the Nest Mini was clearer and we could hear every level of music – clear midtones, high notes and bass.

When it comes to speech recognition, the Nest Mini is top notch. It hears commands even in the loudest situations and we believe it outperforms the Echo Dot 3 in this area, although the Dot has four far-field microphones and the Nest Mini only three.

A faster assistant

Google has expanded Nest Mini with a machine learning chip with up to a TeraOPS computing power, with which the device can process commands locally. We absolutely noticed a difference in the response time and quality of the Mini's responses.

Google Nest Mini on the wallJohn Velasco / Digital Trends

It quickly answers certain questions such as "How much does it cost to remodel my kitchen?" And then listen and answer immediately the following questions such as "How long does it take to renovate my kitchen?". The answers are becoming more useful and more detailed.

A feature-rich device

Google is adding more and more features to its home devices. The Nest Mini can make free calls using Google Duo (it basically acts as a home phone) and you can use it as an intercom to call other Google / Nest speakers at home. In addition, you can use the stream transmission and transfer content (music, podcasts, etc.) with your voice from your Mini to other compatible devices. Google Nest speakers can now control more than 30,000 different smart home devices. You can let the Nest Mini speak multiple languages ​​and more.

Our opinion

We were somewhat surprised that Google waited so long to update its mini speaker, but didn't make any drastic changes to the overall appearance of the device. This is partly because they didn't want to fix what wasn't broken. Google made changes to the Mini only when needed to maintain the affordable price without compromising on design quality.

Is there a better alternative?

It depends on whether. Some people may prefer the Echo Dot 3rd generation (retail for $ 50) or the Echo Dot 3rd generation with LED clock (retail for $ 60) simply because of them prefer the Amazon Assistant, Alexa, or the Amazon Alexa app. Some people think that the Google Home app is not as intuitive and user-friendly as the Alexa app. Amazon's Echo Dot speakers also have a 3.5mm audio output jack, while the Nest Mini doesn't.

The Nest Mini now offers a faster and smarter assistant. Yes, the Echo Dot offers a slightly better app and more options (more speaker selection, better compatibility with smart home products, compatibility with Apple Music, etc.), but the Nest Mini still has a lot to offer for those who like Google Home devices .

Do you want more options? Check out our favorite 2019 smart speakers.

How long it will take?

Longevity and longevity are areas where Google Nest speakers are typically successful. In the past, Google routinely makes important updates to its assistant than to its smart speakers. In this way, customers can be sure that their devices are not immediately out of date, as they will be replaced with an updated version a few months later.

Should you buy it

Yes. If you're looking for a powerful, fast, and attractive smart speaker at an affordable price, you won't be disappointed with the Nest Mini.

Editor's recommendations




26 Mar
Blog

Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen) With Clock Review: The Time Is Now

Amazon Echo Dot 3rd generation watch front

Amazon Echo Dot with clock

"If you plan to build your smart home, the Amazon Echo Dot with clock is a smart choice to keep you up to date."

  • LED watch is useful and versatile

  • Physical buttons are easy to use

  • Tons of Alexa skills to add

  • Diverse compatibility with smart homes

  • Distortion at higher volumes

  • Cannot be transferred directly from apps

This review was last updated by Digital Trends smart home editor John Velasco on March 25th, 2020.

Although I'm often surrounded by cool technology, I have to admit that I've never used an Amazon Alexa speaker in my home before. This is partly because I first bought a Google Home and have been on the Google Assistant train since then. If you have invested in the ecosystem, it is also difficult to make the switch.

But here I am, switching to Amazon Alexa with the company's latest affordable smart speaker in the Amazon Echo Dot with Clock. I know what you're thinking. It's just the Amazon Echo Dot that was struck with an LED watch. But don't dismiss it just because it's a subtle change.

Try these new features

Thanks to frequent updates that expand their toolkit, Alexa is getting smarter. While there are some basic features you should definitely know, there are new tricks available every month. With the Amazon Echo Dot with Clock, you can try the following.

Get the latest weather alerts

Storms and other bad weather can occur immediately, which is useful for the latest warnings. The Echo Dot with clock can keep you up to date by saying, "Alexa, tell me if there's a storm alert."

Election updates

There will be a lot of news when the presidential elections are in full swing. So it is a good idea to know what is going on in politics. You can use the Echo Dot with clock to get the latest voting information, debate reviews, and more. All you have to do is say, "Alexa, what's my election update?" Or "Alexa, what happened in the last debate?"

Timekeeping at a glance

Amazon Echo Dot 3rd generation watch angleJohn Velasco / Digital Trends

With the advent of smartphones, the bedroom alarm clock has almost died out. So why in the world do we need another stationary thing to tell us the time? Now that even the Xfinity cable box in my bedroom has removed the clock from its design, there is actually no other way to tell the time when I'm not looking at my phone.

And that's why I can estimate the Amazon Echo Dot with a watch, because when you're half asleep you don't want to fumble around to determine the time. Instead, I can quickly take a look at the puck-sized speaker on my bedside table. Since the brightness of the LED watch adapts to the ambient light conditions, it is never too bright or too dark.

When you are half asleep, you don't want to fumble around to set the time.

It would have been great to see different color options for the LED watch, but the design of this Echo Dot is refreshingly simple and intuitive. There is no fuss about it. You don't even have to touch your phone.

Amazon Echo Dot 3rd generation watch ringJohn Velasco / Digital Trends

Current owners of the 3rd generation Amazon Echo Dot won't notice anything drastically different with the design of this latest model. Except for the addition of this LED watch, the rest of the speaker is the same. It has a fabric outer panel, physical buttons at the top and the characteristic light ring. Only available in sandstone at the moment, it complements any decoration style without overwhelming anything else you might have lying around.

While the Google Nest Mini has a more coherent appearance, mainly due to the use of LEDs and buttons embedded in the fabric cover, the Amazon Echo Dot with clock offers a more tactile experience. That makes it a lot easier when it's dazed.

Don't expect to rock

Due to its small size, the Amazon Echo Dot with watch is not the first choice if you want to listen to music when friends are over. That is definitely no! Audio performance is sufficient for smaller, isolated rooms, but distortion is noticeable at higher volumes, and it becomes clear how difficult it is for this speaker to maintain clarity.

When I started adding more skills and my different accounts, it became clear that Alexa was as capable as Google Assistant.

You can connect a speaker via the 3.5 mm additional socket to increase the music performance if you want. However, this may be a cumbersome solution.

The Amazon Echo Dot with clock is best suited for interactions with Alexa. The four microphones respond well to my voice commands, while Alexa's responses in their standard voice are far more natural compared to Siri or Google Assistant from Apple. All my requests were recognized by the speaker.

Various smart home integration

At first, Alexa didn't seem as smart as Google Assistant. However, when I started adding more skills and my different accounts, it became clear that she was just as capable. It can control my Philips Hue lights, make calls or order a pizza.

The Echo's LED clock provides the ability to display the countdown when a timer is set. It can also show the temperature if you ask Alexa about it. These are minor functions, but it is no longer necessary to fiddle around with my phone. In addition, the same functions that were available with the last one are still available here.

Amazon Echo Dot 3rd generation watch on the tableJohn Velasco / Digital Trends

Although you can't deny Alexa's ability to control different smart home devices, there are still some minor issues I have with Alexa. For example, I can't adjust the volume of the speaker using the volume controls on my smartphone unless I start the Alexa app and choose the volume control option.

Another little complaint I made with Alexa is that I can't get something I hear on my phone through an app to the speaker. With Pandora, I can do this if I'm using a Google Home device but Echo devices don't. Instead, everything is managed through the Alexa app.

You could argue that all of these features can only be achieved by talking to Alexa, but sometimes I still like being in control of my smartphone.

Aside from this complaint, I have to admit that there is a huge library of Alexa skills that enhances the functionality of this virtual assistant using the Amazon Echo Dot with clock. It is impressive, even if it is not quite perfect.

Warranty information

The Amazon Echo Dot with watch comes with a 90-day limited warranty and service.

Our opinion

Adding an LED watch to an existing speaker may seem like a lazy update to Amazon, but the Echo Dot (3rd generation) with watch is still an outstanding example of, with its exceptional $ 60 smart home integration cost Entry-level smart speakers, powerful Alexa assistant, and a design that suits any style of decoration.

Amazon also offers several bundles that are worth a look. As a rule, another intelligent device is packaged without increasing the total costs. For example, the bundle that contains a smart light bulb increases its cost to $ 65 while another bundle with a Smart plug You will reset $ 70.

Is there a better alternative?

If you're just heavily invested in the Google ecosystem, the new Google Nest Mini is the obvious alternative. However, if you appreciate Alexa and just want better sound, you should consider either the new Amazon Echo (3rd generation) or Echo Studio.

Do you want more options? Check out our favorite 2019 smart speakers.

How long it will take?

Amazon has continually expanded Alexa’s feature portfolio to include various capabilities, so you can expect this speaker to continue to add new features. Since the Echo Dot with clock is built to be stationary and solid, it can remain functional for a long time.

Should you buy it

Yes, especially if you want to start building your smart home.

Editor's recommendations




26 Mar
Blog

The 8-Minute Bodyweight Circuit: Does It Actually Work?

I love research that makes movement more accessible to everyone. An article from the American College of Sports Medicine [1] does just that. Researchers reviewed the literature on high-intensity circuit training and developed a cycle of bodyweight exercises that can be done anywhere in less than eight minutes.

The exercises in the circuit are carried out continuously for 30 seconds with high intensity, with a 10 second break and transition between the exercises. The 12 exercises in the circuit are:

1. Jumping Jacks

2. Sit on the wall

3. Pushups

4. Crunches

5. Step-ups

6. Squats

7. Dips

The 8-minute bodyweight circuit: does it actually work? - Fitness, bodyweight exercises, bodyweight, squats, circuit training, lunges, dips, planks, jumping jacks, pushups, wall seats, step-ups

8. Planks

9. Run on the spot

10. lunges

11. Pushups with rotation

The 8-minute bodyweight circuit: does it actually work? - Fitness, bodyweight exercises, bodyweight, squats, circuit training, lunges, dips, planks, jumping jacks, pushups, wall seats, step-ups

12. Side plank

While this short won't make anyone a top athlete, it could help break down training obstacles for those who don't have time to go to the gym. It could also be a great option for traveling athletes. Athletes who need even more challenges can repeat the route several times.

High-intensity circuits also depend on the athlete working with high intensity. This is difficult for people who are deconditioned or new to the exercise. I often read mainstream articles like this from the New York Times that trumpet the fact that you can get a complete workout in just a few minutes. I don't think most of these authors really understand the requirements of 4-7 minutes of very high intensity work. It is neither comfortable nor pleasant, but they pretend that a few minutes of intensive work is preferable to 20 minutes on a treadmill. I remember a quote from The Princess Bride that was applied to the phrase "high intensity": "You continue to use this word. I don't think it means what you think it means. "

But for the right audience at the right time, this could be a useful circuit to maintain your fitness on vacation or to start training on a limited time and budget. Try it out and let us know what you think!

References

1. Brett Klika and Chris Jordan. High-intensity circuit training with body weight: maximum results with minimal investment. ACSMs Health & Fitness Journal: May / June 2013 – Volume 17 – Issue 3 – pp. 8–13. doi: 10.1249 / FIT.0b013e31828cb1e8

25 Mar
Blog

Individualizing Training: Structural Balance, Intensity and Autoregulation

Writing programs is easy. You only need to do between 1 and 20 sets of 1 to 100 repetitions per muscle group between 5 and 120% of your 1 rpm and rest between sets 1 to 300 minutes. It is science. This is obviously an exaggeration of what is written in most textbooks, but most textbooks contain general guidelines, but do not explain how you can customize these numbers for your customers.

Textbooks are intended for this. To give you a general idea of ​​how to write training based on what is effective for the majority of the population. So if you follow the guidelines listed, you are likely to get some decent results for your customer, but what's next? Are you just adding weight to the bar? Do you play more sets More repetitions? What happens if the performance doesn't get better or even worse? Just go back and repeat the previous program?

The reality is that most people respond similarly to different types of stimuli. If you lift heavily, they become strong. If you make a lot of volume, they will get big provided you eat enough (read the ultimate guide to building muscle and hypertrophy).

What differs is their starting point, how much volume / intensity they need to see adjustment, and their ability to recover from training. Implementing the concept of structural balance (INOL) and using a general training framework that takes fatigue into account can help you design an initial program and provide the data for successful writing of future programs.

What is structural balance?

Let us first define terms. Structural balance simply means that your entire body muscles are balanced. So the muscles on the front of your body don't overwhelm the muscles on the back of your body, and you don't walk around like a gorilla with a massive upper body and a lower-sized lower body.

There are two things you should do to determine if a client is structurally balanced. The first is a simple assessment of posture. Depending on how well you are familiar with the customer, you can determine how deep you can go. For example, an athlete you have worked with in the past and who is very confident may have no problem taking his shirt off so you can see his shoulder blade move.

An overweight 40-year-old woman who is already very afraid of training will likely feel a lot uncomfortable if you ask her to take off her shirt. Regardless of whether your customer puts their shirt on or off, you can generally see a large imbalance such as overly kyphotic T-spikes or twisted shoulders.

The second option is to perform different exercises and compare their or calculated maxima. It should be noted that you would only do this with a customer who has a certain level of training history, or with a customer who has gone through a block with a focus on movement like Block 0 with you. So if the customer is able to run maximum values, or rep maxes, you can see where their imbalances are.

The intensity number of lifts (INOL)

The next definition we have to look at is INOL. INOL is an abbreviation for the intensity of the lifts. The intensity is considered from the point of view of% 1RM and the number of lifting operations carried out at these percentages. The calculation actually used is (repetitions / (100 intensity)). This gives you a score for a particular elevator.

In his work "How to design strength training programs with Prilipens table", Hristo Hristov has recommendations on what score does not cause enough stress for adaptation, what causes enough stress for adaptation and what causes too much fatigue for effective adaptation. Even if you don't use their specific numbers, using INOL is an effective tool to measure how much volume and intensity your customer is most efficiently adapting to.

Autoregulation: adapt your training to your needs

The final definition is autoregulation. With autoregulation, you can adapt your program to things like your recovery and CNS readiness. There are several ways to use autoregulation, which we'll discuss later in this article.

The terms are defined. So what do we do with them? Let's first look at our structural balance. When considering the structural balance, I recommend using exercises that are relevant to your client's goals. For example, if it's a weight lifter, or if you have an athlete who regularly uses the Olympic lifts, you can test for snapping, cleaning, and jerking.

If you don't plan to use the Olympic lifts, there's no reason to include them in the structural balance test. In this case, I recommend testing the conventional deadlift, rear squat, front squat, bench press, overhead press, and barbell row.

Since maximizing or performing AMRAPs on multiple exercises is very stressful, I would split the exercises into 2-3 days with 1-4 days in between. After getting all of your maxima or calculated maxes from your AMRAPs, you can see how the correlation between elevators and your customer's possible imbalances is.

To determine how each elevator should be correlated, you can see the work of people like Charles Poliquin, Christian Thibedeau, and Travis Mash. They have all written about the importance of structural balance and the importance of structural balance.

Exercise selection and baselines

A possible example of a structural balance would be to use the squat as a reference lift. If your customer squats 100 pounds back, they should be able to squat 85 pounds, conventional deadlifts 110 pounds, bench press 75 pounds, barbell row 52.5 pounds, and overhead presses 45 pounds (see Know Your Ratios , Destroy weaknesses).

Now when you look at your structural balance assessment, you also need to consider the client's anthropometry. If you have a client who has extremely long legs and short arms, he will most likely not be able to lift 110% of his squat.

If you have a massive chest and super short arms, you may be able to do more than 75% of your bench press because you only need a shorter range of motion to move the bar. Therefore, use the numbers of your structural balance sheet assessment as a basis, but adjust them based on the anthropometry of your customer as required.

You can use your structural balance test to determine which exercises you want to highlight in your training block. The exercise selection can be determined in different ways. An easy way is to train each exercise category all three days of the week with your earliest primary weakness in training and your strengths later in training to ensure you get the highest quality reps for your primary weakness.

If we split our movement categories into deadlift / Olympic variation, squat / lunge variation, upper body push and upper body pull, we can include an exercise from each of these categories in the training. Since not all exercises are equal in terms of the stress they cause, it is a good idea to use descending stress exercises throughout the workout.

Instead of using the most stressful exercises in each movement category and including conventional deadlifts, squats, bench presses, and barbell rows, you can use descending stress exercises like traditional deadlifts, front squats, overhead presses, and pull-ups.

Determination of individual intensities with INOL

After you have selected your exercises, we can look at the intensities. Using INOL's concept and Hristov's numbers, we can see that in week 1 you want at least 0.4 points for a workout. Everything below does not generally cause enough stress to bring about positive adjustment.

0.4-1 is considered very feasible and optimal if you don't accumulate fatigue, and 1-2 is considered hard but good for charging phases. I am a big supporter of using the minimum effective dose to gain strength, and I think it is always better to go below and increase exercise stress than to exceed and possibly reset.

With this in mind, I would recommend using a score of 0.8 for your primary exercise first. Regardless of which loading parameter you are using, whether it is straight sets, wave loading, working on something heavy and performing back-down sets, the value in the equation (repetitions / (100-intensity)) should be 0.8.

This number can initially be increased by up to 10 to 20% for your primary exercise. However, you need to decrease some of your other exercise categories by the same percentage. Every week you can decrease the volume and increase the intensity. After each training block, increase the INOL from week 1.

If the previous training block was effective, increase Week 1 INOL to 0.88. If this is effective, increase it to 0.96. Continue increasing the value until you see no positive adjustment. If INOL gets too big in a single workout and you routinely cannot recover enough for another hard workout this week, it is better to reduce the volume that day and add another workout within the week.

At this point, look back at your training logs and see which week 1 INOL your customer has improved the most. Take advantage of this amount of training volume for most of the year, while occasionally going over to accomplish too much and recover, and you will set your customers up for the best chance of success as the volume is tailored to them.

It is important to remember that when you exercise, you are not exercising in a vacuum. What happens on day 1 affects day 2. With this in mind, we want to be able to automatically regulate our customers' training based on what we can do on a given day.

There may be days when your customer didn't get enough sleep, ate enough calories, separated from their partner, or the previous training session was too stressful so that they cannot achieve the numbers they suspect to hit that day . This can become very obvious once the customer starts training and you can then make an adjustment. Ideally, however, you want to be able to adjust the workout before you start training.

To decide whether or not to change the plan, you should use a CNS readiness measurement procedure. There are different possibilities. One option would be to test heart rate variability (HRV). There are a variety of tools that you can purchase to measure HRV, but they cost between a few hundred and a few thousand dollars.

Another possibility is to measure the bar speed at a reference percentage for a reference lift. The equipment would also cost you a few hundred or a few thousand dollars. These are great tools that you can use. So if you have the resources, I would recommend purchasing them as they provide you with a lot of training data.

However, if you don't have the money for HRV or accelerometer equipment, you can use cheaper methods like a handheld test bench. In Thomas Kurtz's book Science of Sports Training, he discussed measuring grip strength to test recovery, since grip strength correlates with CNS readiness.

He states that an athlete whose grip strength decreases by more than 2 kg is under-recovered. A handheld test bench can be purchased for just $ 20. It is important that you use the same hand test bench for every test. Using others will reduce the reliability and validity of your test.

Another thing to consider is that if you have a lot of exercise that puts strain on your grip, you may get a low score due to peripheral fatigue instead of systemic fatigue. For this reason, it is a good idea to do a secondary test like a countermovement jump height.

If your customer is not sufficiently rested and needs easier training, you can apply the "rule of 60" and reduce the burden on the training volume to 60% of your original plan (see super training). Instead of reducing the volume in the form of sets / repetitions, I would recommend reducing it by the training intensity (% 1RM) as the maximum under-regenerated athlete for that day is likely to be lower and this still offers a lot of exercise with the movement.

Continuous assessment and adjustment

Using INOL with your automatic regulation protocol will also help you plan for the future. At the end of each training block, review the adjustments you had to make and what the INOL your customer ultimately did based on those adjustments. In this way you get a better picture of the training volume to which your customer can actually adapt and you can plan future training blocks more efficiently.

Initial training programs for every customer are always a sound guess. However, if you use these tools in a bottom-up approach, you may be more likely to use a top-down approach for future programming for your customers. Seeing how they adapt to a specific program helps you understand them better and create more personalized overtime.

Everyone adapts to similar stimuli in a similar way, but the ability to customize a program for each customer increases their chances of consistently optimal results. Stand out from other trainers and use your tools to offer your customers the best program.

25 Mar
Blog

3D Systems Cube 3D Printer Review

3D Systems Cube 3D printer spool

3D Systems Cube 3D printer

"The Cube 3 is one of the most feature-rich printers you can get for less than $ 1,000, but its hit-or-miss performance can be frustrating."

  • About simplified user experience

  • Double extruder

  • Self-calibrating

  • Wi-Fi connectivity

  • Closed design

  • Under $ 1,000

  • Buggy, frustrating software

  • Advanced user controls are missing

  • Expensive proprietary filament cartridges

  • Loud operation

  • Unheated bed occasionally causes misprints

As with beer, steaks, and roofers, you get what you pay for when it comes to 3D printing. Fancy features come at a price, and if you want to have two extruders and touch screens on your printer, for example, you'll have to spend a lot of money – unless you buy a Cube 3. This printer was developed by 3D Systems and offers a range of highs -End features for under $ 1,000.

It almost seems too good to be true, so we got our hands on one and put it to the test.

Features and specifications

For a printer with such a low price, the Cube 3 offers some incredible specs. In addition to a neat, completely closed design, the printer is equipped with two extruders, a maximum resolution of 70 micrometers, Wi-Fi connectivity and an integrated touchscreen for navigation. You'll find it hard to find some of these things on a $ 3,000 printer. So if you see them on a printer that costs less than $ 1,000, you'll see a unicorn riding a centaur.

Setup and configuration

3D Systems designed the Cube 3 to be user-friendly, and nothing makes this clearer than the ridiculously simple setup process. The machine is ready for use almost immediately, and once you start it up, it does almost everything for you – including calibration and leveling of the build plate. All you have to do is tap a few buttons on the device's built-in touchscreen display and you're done.

3D Systems Cube 3D printer LED screen 2 "data-image-id =" 811539BIll Roberson / Digital Trends

BIll Roberson / Digital Trends

The hardest part of the whole process is likely to be entering your WiFi password so you can connect the Cube 3 to your home network. To do this, you have to scroll through the alphabet to find and enter every number / letter / symbol. It's a bit annoying for sure, but it's not that difficult in the big scheme of things either. Entering the password is the most difficult part of the entire setup process? That says something.

Construction quality and design

Many 3D printers do not try to hide the fact that they are 3D printers, but the Cube 3 does, and we appreciate it. Instead of leaving all belts, motors and gears visible for everyone, 3D Systems stowed everything in a neat plastic housing and gave the machine a clean, smooth and inviting appearance. If you value aesthetics, this printer should definitely be on your radar.

If we had to summarize the printing performance of Cube 3 in one word, that word would probably be "meh".

This is also not a problem in the processing quality department. The plastic case feels a little thin and fragile at certain points, but the printer is fairly sturdy and well built overall. I had to move it between the DT office and my house a couple of times, and each time I just put my hand through the opening and carried the thing around on my forearm. Everything about the printer is closed and secure, so I didn't have to worry about damaging it – even if I had to take it with me on the bus one day.

3D Systems also included a number of other small design features that make the Cube 3 great to use, such as a waste collection system, a removable build plate, and a rapidly changing filament system. But some of them are mixed blessings.

Take the filament spool system, for example. Cube 3 PLA is supplied in these small, pre-packed spools that are attached to the sides of the machine and snap into the extruder (printhead) with a simple turn. This makes filament insertion a breeze, but it also means that you can't use cartridges made by someone other than 3D Systems, which is a little annoying. It is exactly the same problem you encounter with 2D printers: once you buy the device, it only works with a certain type of ridiculously overpriced ink cartridge. Your average PLA or ABS spool costs around $ 30, but these fancy (and admittedly practical) spool cartridges from 3D Systems cost you $ 49 per pop.

Another double-edged design feature is the magnetically attached construction board of the printer. The absence of clips makes the plate very easy to remove, which makes prying your finished objects off the plate a little easier. The downside, however, is that it's not heated and isn't quite as safe as if it were cut off. We had a couple of printing problems (more on that in a moment) with the Cube, and as far as we can tell, they were caused either by the building board moving on its magnetic armature so easily or by the filament not adhering properly to the unheated board. This didn't happen with every press, but it happened often enough that it was remarkable.

Last but not least, there is network connectivity. Cube 3 can connect to your computer via WiFi. That's great. Depending on the complexity of the object you want to send, this can take a few minutes to a few hours. With more complex models, it takes ages to transfer them to the printer over WiFi, and many basic models take a few more minutes. Wireless connectivity is great, but annoyingly slow most of the time.

All in all, I would say that while the Cube 3's design is far from perfect, its pros and cons definitely outweigh the disadvantages.

User interface and software

With just a touchscreen and a single button, navigation on the Cube's user interface should be a matter of course for anyone using a smartphone – which is practically everyone at the moment.

But the software you need to use to actually do the damn thing is terrible. We don't normally look too deeply at software reviews in our 3D printer reviews, but it was bad enough to warrant a discussion.

With such a low price, the Cube 3 offers some pretty incredible specs.

In contrast to most other 3D printers, which are designed for open source slicer programs such as Cura or Slic3r, Cube only works with its own software program called Cubify. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and Cube 3 is definitely not the only 3D printer that runs on proprietary software. Unfortunately, the program that works with Cube 3 is a pain. It's like the crappy software that comes with some all-in-one printers / scanners / copiers. It looks good, but it doesn't work very well and is so simplified that it's frustrating to use.

Performing basic tasks (connecting to the printer, adding an STL file, changing the fill settings, etc.) is easy enough, but there are practically no advanced user controls, and some things just don't work properly.

For example, after loading an STL file onto your "shelf", the printer only appears to accept it in about 50 percent of the cases. The other 50 percent see an error message explaining that the model may not work with the printer and may need to be re-synced to get the best results. This is pretty annoying and happened to us on several computers. Oddly enough, the prints would work well if we ignored the warning.

3D Systems Cube 3D printer LED screen "data-image-id =" 811538BIll Roberson / Digital Trends

BIll Roberson / Digital Trends

In other cases, STL files loaded easily, but the program did not allow us to save the changes we made. This made it impossible to print with the desired settings. There have been several instances where this has happened to us. The only way to fix this was to close the program, reopen it, and try again. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't – which is insanely frustrating.

If 3D systems could fix this software, they would have an impressive little printer under $ 1,000 in hand, but currently this software is a major obstacle to usability.

Printing performance

If we had to summarize the printing performance of Cube 3 in one word, that word would probably be "meh". It's nowhere near as accurate or detailed as high-end printers, and the objects it produces are far from perfect – but it also has some redemption features that you wouldn't normally find in this price range.

The machine is ready for use almost immediately.

For starters, it has two extruders, so it can print in two different colors or materials at the same time. This is fantastic for two reasons. First, you can print two-color objects at once. Secondly, it is possible to print your object with a material and to print the supports with the absolutely fantastic water-soluble filament from 3D Systems. This means that you don't have to spend half an hour breaking off supports and cleaning your pressure. You can simply drop the finished product into a water bath and let the supports dissolve.

Nevertheless, the printing performance of the Cube 3 leaves something to be desired, even with two extruders. With Cubify software you can only print with layer thicknesses of 200 or 70 microns. So you have to choose between fast and low resolution or slow and detailed. To be fair, there is this compromise in every 3D printer, but Cube 3 doesn't offer you any options for the middle ground. If you want to print at 100 microns, you're out of luck.

Print speed and resolution are decent, but have problems with fine details and dimensional accuracy. The dimensional accuracy was omnipresent when we ran the 3D benchy test. The lengths and widths of certain parts ranged from exactly up to 200 micrometers. You honestly wouldn't be able to see this with the naked eye, and it probably doesn't matter whether you're just printing soap dishes and candle holders for your home – but if you need extreme precision, that's probably not the case. t the printer you should be using.

The biggest problem we encountered with the Cube 3 was an abundance of misprints – no matter how many times we calibrated it. If you do not apply the adhesive properly to the bed, the first layer may not adhere strongly enough to the ceramic substrate, which can (and will) lead to printing errors. But we also found printing errors when we applied the glue perfectly. So it's more of a hit-or-miss affair. We are not quite sure whether we should blame the unheated bed of the machine or the fact that it moves easily on the magnetic armatures, but the fact is that we have a number of printing errors with the Cube 3 and this couldn't I don't know how to avoid them.

Maintenance, repairability and upgradeability

One of the things we liked most about the Cube was that it was easy to maintain. 3D Systems has thought about this area and it really shows it. The quickly changing filament system is child's play and the magnetically anchored pressure plate can be easily removed for cleaning. There are also waste bins that automatically collect excess filament and a self-calibration system that levels everything with just a few clicks. Regardless of how you look at it, maintaining and servicing the Cube 3 is a breeze.

Just don't break it. The completely closed design of the printer makes disassembly difficult. So if something goes wrong internally, you probably can't fix it yourself.

You can't update it much either. This device is not designed for upgrades or accessories of any kind – except for software and firmware updates, which we sincerely hope will be available soon.

Conclusion

The DT accessory package

Improve your game and get the most out of your equipment with the following extras selected by our editors:

3D systems Isense 3D scanner ($ 455)

3D Systems 2.37 fl oz cube adhesive ($ 9)

3D Systems Sense 3D scanner ($ 386)

The Cube 3 scores with great design and useful features, but the poor reliability and frustrating software of the machine sometimes make it difficult to use. This is a great option for anyone looking for an easy, non-technical way to get started with 3D printing. However, users looking for high quality prints and advanced printing options should look elsewhere.

However, this is also one of the most powerful printers you can find for less than $ 1,000. Even with occasional misprints, this device offers you a lot of money.

Heights

  • About simplified user experience
  • Double extruder
  • Self-calibrating
  • Wi-Fi connectivity
  • Closed design
  • Under $ 1,000

Lows

  • Buggy, frustrating software
  • Advanced user controls are missing
  • Expensive proprietary filament cartridges
  • Loud operation
  • Unheated bed occasionally causes misprints

Editor's recommendations




25 Mar
Blog

Individualizing Training: Structural Balance, Intensity and Autoregulation

Writing programs is easy. You only need to do between 1 and 20 sets of 1 to 100 repetitions per muscle group between 5 and 120% of your 1 rpm and rest between sets 1 to 300 minutes. It is science. This is obviously an exaggeration of what is written in most textbooks, but most textbooks contain general guidelines, but do not explain how you can customize these numbers for your customers.

Textbooks are intended for this. To give you a general idea of ​​how to write training based on what is effective for the majority of the population. So if you follow the guidelines listed, you are likely to get some decent results for your customer, but what's next? Are you just adding weight to the bar? Do you play more sets More repetitions? What happens if the performance doesn't get better or even worse? Just go back and repeat the previous program?

The reality is that most people respond similarly to different types of stimuli. If you lift heavily, they become strong. If you make a lot of volume, they will get big provided you eat enough (read the ultimate guide to building muscle and hypertrophy).

What differs is their starting point, how much volume / intensity they need to see adjustment, and their ability to recover from training. Implementing the concept of structural balance (INOL) and using a general training framework that takes fatigue into account can help you design an initial program and provide the data for successful writing of future programs.

What is structural balance?

Let us first define terms. Structural balance simply means that your entire body muscles are balanced. So the muscles on the front of your body don't overwhelm the muscles on the back of your body, and you don't walk around like a gorilla with a massive upper body and a lower-sized lower body.

There are two things you should do to determine if a client is structurally balanced. The first is a simple assessment of posture. Depending on how well you are familiar with the customer, you can determine how deep you can go. For example, an athlete you have worked with in the past and who is very confident may have no problem taking his shirt off so you can see his shoulder blade move.

An overweight 40-year-old woman who is already very afraid of training will likely feel a lot uncomfortable if you ask her to take off her shirt. Regardless of whether your customer puts their shirt on or off, you can generally see a large imbalance such as overly kyphotic T-spikes or twisted shoulders.

The second option is to perform different exercises and compare their or calculated maxima. It should be noted that you would only do this with a customer who has a certain level of training history, or with a customer who has gone through a block with a focus on movement like Block 0 with you. So if the customer is able to run maximum values, or rep maxes, you can see where their imbalances are.

The intensity number of lifts (INOL)

The next definition we have to look at is INOL. INOL is an abbreviation for the intensity of the lifts. The intensity is considered from the point of view of% 1RM and the number of lifting operations carried out at these percentages. The calculation actually used is (repetitions / (100 intensity)). This gives you a score for a particular elevator.

In his work "How to design strength training programs with Prilipens table", Hristo Hristov has recommendations on what score does not cause enough stress for adaptation, what causes enough stress for adaptation and what causes too much fatigue for effective adaptation. Even if you don't use their specific numbers, using INOL is an effective tool to measure how much volume and intensity your customer is most efficiently adapting to.

Autoregulation: adapt your training to your needs

The final definition is autoregulation. With autoregulation, you can adapt your program to things like your recovery and CNS readiness. There are several ways to use autoregulation, which we'll discuss later in this article.

The terms are defined. So what do we do with them? Let's first look at our structural balance. When considering the structural balance, I recommend using exercises that are relevant to your client's goals. For example, if it's a weight lifter, or if you have an athlete who regularly uses the Olympic lifts, you can test for snapping, cleaning, and jerking.

If you don't plan to use the Olympic lifts, there's no reason to include them in the structural balance test. In this case, I recommend testing the conventional deadlift, rear squat, front squat, bench press, overhead press, and barbell row.

Since maximizing or performing AMRAPs on multiple exercises is very stressful, I would split the exercises into 2-3 days with 1-4 days in between. After getting all of your maxima or calculated maxes from your AMRAPs, you can see how the correlation between elevators and your customer's possible imbalances is.

To determine how each elevator should be correlated, you can see the work of people like Charles Poliquin, Christian Thibedeau, and Travis Mash. They have all written about the importance of structural balance and the importance of structural balance.

Exercise selection and baselines

A possible example of a structural balance would be to use the squat as a reference lift. If your customer squats 100 pounds back, they should be able to squat 85 pounds, conventional deadlifts 110 pounds, bench press 75 pounds, barbell row 52.5 pounds, and overhead presses 45 pounds (see Know Your Ratios , Destroy weaknesses).

Now when you look at your structural balance assessment, you also need to consider the client's anthropometry. If you have a client who has extremely long legs and short arms, he will most likely not be able to lift 110% of his squat.

If you have a massive chest and super short arms, you may be able to do more than 75% of your bench press because you only need a shorter range of motion to move the bar. Therefore, use the numbers of your structural balance sheet assessment as a basis, but adjust them based on the anthropometry of your customer as required.

You can use your structural balance test to determine which exercises you want to highlight in your training block. The exercise selection can be determined in different ways. An easy way is to train each exercise category all three days of the week with your earliest primary weakness in training and your strengths later in training to ensure you get the highest quality reps for your primary weakness.

If we split our movement categories into deadlift / Olympic variation, squat / lunge variation, upper body push and upper body pull, we can include an exercise from each of these categories in the training. Since not all exercises are equal in terms of the stress they cause, it is a good idea to use descending stress exercises throughout the workout.

Instead of using the most stressful exercises in each movement category and including conventional deadlifts, squats, bench presses, and barbell rows, you can use descending stress exercises like traditional deadlifts, front squats, overhead presses, and pull-ups.

Determination of individual intensities with INOL

After you have selected your exercises, we can look at the intensities. Using INOL's concept and Hristov's numbers, we can see that in week 1 you want at least 0.4 points for a workout. Everything below does not generally cause enough stress to bring about positive adjustment.

0.4-1 is considered very feasible and optimal if you don't accumulate fatigue, and 1-2 is considered hard but good for charging phases. I am a big supporter of using the minimum effective dose to gain strength, and I think it is always better to go below and increase exercise stress than to exceed and possibly reset.

With this in mind, I would recommend using a score of 0.8 for your primary exercise first. Regardless of which loading parameter you are using, whether it is straight sets, wave loading, working on something heavy and performing back-down sets, the value in the equation (repetitions / (100-intensity)) should be 0.8.

This number can initially be increased by up to 10 to 20% for your primary exercise. However, you need to decrease some of your other exercise categories by the same percentage. Every week you can decrease the volume and increase the intensity. After each training block, increase the INOL from week 1.

If the previous training block was effective, increase Week 1 INOL to 0.88. If this is effective, increase it to 0.96. Continue increasing the value until you see no positive adjustment. If INOL gets too big in a single workout and you routinely cannot recover enough for another hard workout this week, it is better to reduce the volume that day and add another workout within the week.

At this point, look back at your training logs and see which week 1 INOL your customer has improved the most. Take advantage of this amount of training volume for most of the year, while occasionally going over to accomplish too much and recover, and you will set your customers up for the best chance of success as the volume is tailored to them.

It is important to remember that when you exercise, you are not exercising in a vacuum. What happens on day 1 affects day 2. With this in mind, we want to be able to automatically regulate our customers' training based on what we can do on a given day.

There may be days when your customer didn't get enough sleep, ate enough calories, separated from their partner, or the previous training session was too stressful so that they cannot achieve the numbers they suspect to hit that day . This can become very obvious once the customer starts training and you can then make an adjustment. Ideally, however, you want to be able to adjust the workout before you start training.

To decide whether or not to change the plan, you should use a CNS readiness measurement procedure. There are different possibilities. One option would be to test heart rate variability (HRV). There are a variety of tools that you can purchase to measure HRV, but they cost between a few hundred and a few thousand dollars.

Another possibility is to measure the bar speed at a reference percentage for a reference lift. The equipment would also cost you a few hundred or a few thousand dollars. These are great tools that you can use. So if you have the resources, I would recommend purchasing them as they provide you with a lot of training data.

However, if you don't have the money for HRV or accelerometer equipment, you can use cheaper methods like a handheld test bench. In Thomas Kurtz's book Science of Sports Training, he discussed measuring grip strength to test recovery, since grip strength correlates with CNS readiness.

He states that an athlete whose grip strength decreases by more than 2 kg is under-recovered. A handheld test bench can be purchased for just $ 20. It is important that you use the same hand test bench for every test. Using others will reduce the reliability and validity of your test.

Another thing to consider is that if you have a lot of exercise that puts strain on your grip, you may get a low score due to peripheral fatigue instead of systemic fatigue. For this reason, it is a good idea to do a secondary test like a countermovement jump height.

If your customer is not sufficiently rested and needs easier training, you can apply the "rule of 60" and reduce the burden on the training volume to 60% of your original plan (see super training). Instead of reducing the volume in the form of sets / repetitions, I would recommend reducing it by the training intensity (% 1RM) as the maximum under-regenerated athlete for that day is likely to be lower and this still offers a lot of exercise with the movement.

Continuous assessment and adjustment

Using INOL with your automatic regulation protocol will also help you plan for the future. At the end of each training block, review the adjustments you had to make and what the INOL your customer ultimately did based on those adjustments. In this way you get a better picture of the training volume to which your customer can actually adapt and you can plan future training blocks more efficiently.

Initial training programs for every customer are always a sound guess. However, if you use these tools in a bottom-up approach, you may be more likely to use a top-down approach for future programming for your customers. Seeing how they adapt to a specific program helps you understand them better and create more personalized overtime.

Everyone adapts to similar stimuli in a similar way, but the ability to customize a program for each customer increases their chances of consistently optimal results. Stand out from other trainers and use your tools to offer your customers the best program.

24 Mar
Blog

Best Treatments For Dry Hands

Hand washing is important these days, but notoriously hard on the skin, which often results in rough, dry skin. Because there is little fat on the back of your hand – and the skin there is much thinner – dryness and signs of aging are much clearer on your hands than on your face. If you find your youthful hands become dry and cracked, read on Eminence Organic Skin Care Solutions to reverse their transformation.

Choose rich moisturizers to treat dry hands

If soaping is a priority, the humidity is low If heating systems remove moisture from the skin, you should use Eminence Organics hand care, especially our Mangosteen Replenishing Hand Cream. This luxurious hand cream maintains moisture through multiple hand washing and surface renewal and refines the skin with ours Lactic acid complex. Another effective choice is our vanilla mint hand cream. The organic shea butter ingredient is an excellent softener to moisturize dry skin on your hands with a delicate hint of fresh vanilla and mint. Avocado and rosehip oils nourish and revitalize the skin for a smooth and youthful appearance.

Protect your hands with gloves

Gloves are not only a stylish accessory, but also an essential step to protect your paws from drying elements. Make sure you put on a pair to protect yourself from the wind and keep moisture in your skin. Gloves are particularly important for intensive activities such as washing dishes. Avoid drying your hands with oil spills and wear rubber gloves when cleaning the kitchen. The last thing you want to suffer now is an uncomfortable case of cracked "Dishpan hands. "

Protect your skin with SPF

According to the Annals of Internal MedicineApplying sunscreen to your hands not only protects them from skin cancer and sunburn, but is also clinically proven Protect them from signs of aging. In this Australian study, members of the group who used sunscreen daily on areas including the hands showed 24% less lines, wrinkles and coarseness on their skin. To achieve the same effect on your dry hands, we recommend applying sunscreen to your hands if necessary. A sun protection product like Lilikoi Mineral Defense Sport Sun Protection SPF 30 not only blocks harmful UVA and UVB rays, but also moisturizes your skin and makes it silky smooth.

Fill your skin at night

At Eminence Organics, night treatment is one of the best solutions we recommend for dry skin on your hands. Monoi Age Corrective Night Body Cream is a fabulous (and fragrant!) Way to soothe super dry hands with shea butter that is high in fatty acids. Argan oil provides additional nutrients, while vegetable hyaluronic acid and nutmeg make the skin plump and minimize the appearance of lines and wrinkles. We love covering our hands with this rich lotion at night and putting on a pair of cotton gloves (or clean socks) if necessary. After eight hours of beauty sleep, you wake up to hands that are as perfectly moisturized and soft as baby skin.

Eminence Organics manicure infographic

Treat yourself to a dry hand treatment at home

By treating your fingers with manicure at home, you can keep them soft, smooth, and hydrated. Here is the Eminence Organics manicure for happier hands:

After filing your polish-free nails, the first step in your organic manicure is to soak your fingertips and soften your cuticles. We are happy to mix out a pump for our soaking solution Put coconut milk cleaner in a bowl of warm water. Let the hands work for at least two to five minutes so that fingertips and cuticles are hydrated and gently cleaned.

2. Peeling

Hands still feel a little rough? Polish flaky skin with our Sugar scrubs. You can choose from three delicious scrubs – coconut sugar scrub, blueberry soy sugar scrub, and cranberry pomegranate sugar scrub – you can remove dead skin cells and replenish moisture. Rinse your silky smooth hands thoroughly and dry.

3. Moisturize

Our award winning Apricot body oil is the perfect blend of luxury oils to deeply moisturize your nails and cuticles. Massage this fragrant oil into your hands and gently push back the cuticles as it absorbs.

Eminence Organics Mangosteen Regenerating Hand Cream

4. Exit

Complete your manicure at home by applying the Mangosteen Replenishing Hand Cream. One application makes your hands silky soft even after several hand washes.

What are your tips to keep your hands smooth and hydrated? Let us know in the comments below or on social media.

24 Mar
Blog

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Plank but Were Afraid to Ask

Let's start with the first and most famous thing about the hallway, and so you do one. A standard plank is carried on the floor with arms and toes spread shoulder-width apart. Raise your body until your body is in a line from the top of your head to the top of your heels. If you want to learn more about the plank and its history and variations, read below.

How planks became so ubiquitous

It all started with Joseph Pilates. That's right, the inventor of the extremely popular Pilates system is supposed to “invent” the plank. In Pilates, he did an exercise known as the leg pulling front. This exercise would be done for repetitions and as a strengthening exercise.

And while we see some of Pilates' movements appearing, it's not just Pilates. It wasn't until 2005 that Brian MacKenzie released his 101 athlete assessment tests, which used the plank to determine nuclear power. We then saw other people jump into the fight.

First Ace Fitness jumped in and talked about the benefits of the plank. Express that the sit-up should be replaced by the plank. In 2009, the International Association of Fire Fighters included the plank in their fitness assessment. Today the International Sports Science Association calls planks one of the most effective abdominal exercises you can do.

If you want to dig a little deeper, try Conor Heffernan's "History of the Plank" exercise.

Is the plank an accurate marker for abdominal strength?

So we continue to this day. I agree that the plank is one of the easiest and easiest to train, but let's take a look at what it's good for. It's no secret that the plank is an easy way to quantify core stability and core muscle endurance.

However, if you look at the world record holder George Hood, a 62-year-old former Navy who has a record for holding a static stopping rail for 8 hours, 15 minutes, and 15 seconds. What an impressive achievement!

While this is impressive, general thinking would show that it is a specific adjustment rather than a universal marker of strength. If it were a universal marker of strength, we would see that people between the ages of 20 and 40 are more at their peak than a 62-year-old man.

We are in our highest performance age between 20 and 40 years. While doing this exercise, we can build up our static sagittal core stability. The expression that the A and O of the abdominal strength is overrated is exaggerated.

The limits of planking

The kernel can do a lot of things. The first limiting factor is that it doesn't work or improves our rotational stability; This can be done with a side plank with passage.

By turning on your side and stretching an arm to the sky and stretching as far as possible and returning to the starting position, you improve the stability and strength of the rotating core.

We can also do a side plank manipulation where your hip touches the floor and lifts to work on your slopes. In addition, for those of us obsessed with the rectus abdominis or the six pack, you can do a low mountaineer to really exercise those muscles.

The myth that the plank works the gluteal muscles goes back to Pilates' root exercise. When you plank your glutes, you are in their natural position so you are not fighting against gravity. This is the same as just pushing the muscles.

An amazing variation of the plank is actually the reverse plank; This is much more difficult and has resistance in the glutes and scapular retractors. In the reverse plank, turn to the ceiling and squeeze your back and glutes to rise.

Today you won't find a single abdominal routine that doesn't contain any variation in the plank. There are amazing devices that will help you make the plank. This helps you with timing, positioning and damping.

The plank is an activity without which no exercise routine is complete. However, we have to make sure that we don't overemphasize them. While it should be included, it shouldn't be overrated.

24 Mar
Blog

Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Review: Powerful, Affordable, Expandable

Dell Inspiron 15 7000 2020 review

"The Inspiron 15 7000 is nothing special, but its expandability makes this midrange laptop something special."

  • Practical expandability

  • Solid productivity performance

  • Good keyboard and touchpad

  • Attractive price

  • The color accuracy of the screen is deactivated

  • Uses older graphics card

Laptops are nowhere near as upgradeable as they used to be. Whether it's battery, storage, or storage, you stick with everything you buy.

There are some rare exceptions to this trend. One of them is the latest Inspiron 15 7000 model from Dell. This Inspiron is not soldered on, but has easily accessible RAM slots and additional connections for a second PCIe M.2 SSD and even a 2.5-inch drive.

It starts at just $ 800, although the 7591 we tested was a bit more powerful. This special configuration for $ 1,050 includes a Core i7-9750H, the GTX 1050, 8 GB RAM, a PCIe SSD with 512 GB and a full HD non-touch display (1,920 x 1,080). That's a very attractive price for a 15-inch laptop with so much performance.

Is the upgradeability of this laptop different from the crowded field of excellent 15 inch laptops?

Upgradeable internals

The Inspiron 15 7000 is a "midrange" laptop, but that doesn't mean it isn't built well. The model I checked is made from stamped aluminum. This is a nice improvement over the 7590, which uses a magnesium alloy. This means that the 7591 is solidly built for a laptop of this price, without the lid, the keyboard deck or the housing bending or bending significantly.

This is important for a laptop that you want to open. The option to expand is not just a function for hobbyists. You can save money by updating it yourself, and you can even extend the lifespan – as long as you're ready to dig a little.

Turn the laptop over and you will find standard Phillips screws (no hex screws that require special tools). Remove them (the back three can easily be detached and left in the case), and you can gently break the cover off and reveal the inside.

You can save money by updating it yourself, and you can even extend its lifespan.

There you will find two RAM slots, a second M.2 PCIe slot for an SSD and a 2.5-inch bay for a third drive. If you have installed a single RAM stick, you will be running in single-channel memory mode. This has a significant impact on performance. Connect a second customized module and switch to two-channel mode to significantly accelerate storage performance.

If you add a second M.2 SSD, you can configure RAID 0 (striping) or RAID 1 (mirroring) for either better performance and more storage space, or redundancy and more reliability. Finally, you can add a third 2.5-inch drive for additional storage.

As mentioned earlier, this is an unusual level of access and upgradeability for an Ultrabook. You'll need to switch to an expensive premium laptop like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 2 to find a laptop that can add a second SSD with RAID support. With some other laptops like the Dell XPS 15, you can replace RAM and (single) SSD. However, the Inspiron is the only notebook in its class that allows you to add up to two additional drives.

Surprisingly, although the Inspiron 15 7000 is uniquely expandable, it's not overly large or heavy. It's 4.12 pounds, which is lighter than the 4.5 pounds of the XPS 15, but heavier than the 3.76 pounds of the ThinkPad. At 0.78 inches thick, the Inspiron is a bit thicker than some of the premium models, but not much. You don't have to lug around a bulky laptop to improve upgradeability.

The connectivity, which also affects how well you can equip a laptop, is very good. You get three USB-A ports, a USB-C port with Thunderbolt 3 support, a full-size HDMI 2.0 port and a microSD card reader. Connect it to a Thunderbolt 3 dock and you can connect to multiple 4K displays and a variety of other peripherals. However, wireless connectivity was a step back since only Wi-Fi 5 was used instead of the newer Wi-Fi 6 standard for Bluetooth 5.0.

performance

I ran our usual performance benchmarks before adding a second 8 GB RAM module and the performance was disappointing as expected.

Before adding the additional RAM, for example, the Inspiron achieved 1,071 in Geekbench 5 in single-core mode and 3,864 in multi-core mode. After adding the RAM, these numbers were shifted to 1,124 and 4,695. Compare that to the Lenovo Yoga C940 15 with the same CPU and the same two-channel RAM at 1,106 and 5,117.

The upgrade had less impact on our more realistic tests. In Handbrake I encoded a 420 MB video in H.265 to test the content creation performance. Before the upgrade, the Inspiron took a full 3 minutes to complete the test. After that it took two minutes and 50 seconds. The Lenovo C940 lasted 2 minutes and 17 seconds.

By adding the second RAM module and switching to two-channel mode, Geekbench performance was increased by 12% and the laptop was updated with the competition. The increase in the handbrake test was only around 6%. The memory I bought was from Crucial, a single stick with 8 GB of DDR4-2666 MHz RAM that only cost about $ 30. This is one of the more cost-effective performance improvements I've seen for some time.

I didn't notice any difference in the SSD performance compared to the RAM upgrade. The Western Digital PCIe offered an average performance that is lower than the much faster SSDs in the XPS 15 and ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 2 in the Lenovo Yoga C940 equipped with Intel Optane.

However, if you add a second SSD and configure RAID 0, storage speeds will increase significantly. This is another performance boost that is quite unusual for ultrabooks and that only Lenovo matches.

Design and display

Upgradability is good, but the Inspiron still needs to work well as a laptop. The good news is that it is a solid offering in many ways.

The keyboard is comfortable, with plenty of travel and a snappy mechanism. It doesn't quite match the keyboard level of expensive laptops like the XPS 15 and HP Specter x360 15 or the Magic Keyboard of the new MacBook Pro 16, but is good enough for fast typing.

The touchpad is also above average and offers plenty of space for a Windows 10 touchpad (but not like the massive version on the MacBook) and support for Microsoft Precision touchpad drivers. Windows 10 multi-touch gestures work fine and it's a pleasure to use them.

Next is the ad. At 15.6 inches, Full HD is a little less sharp than I prefer. For me, 1440p or 4K is a very preferred resolution for these larger panels. The screen that Dell chose for the Inspiron doesn't bother you in everyday use. At 323 nits it is pretty bright, although the contrast only reaches 820: 1. That is below the 1000: 1 threshold that we like to see.

The color gamut was average at 74% of AdobeRGB and 98% of sRGB, but color accuracy was unsatisfactory at 4.52 (1.0 and below is considered excellent). You shouldn't rely on this laptop to make precise photo edits.

The Lenovo Yoga C940's panel was similar, with better contrast and color accuracy, but slightly less impressive color accuracy. If you want a fine-tuned swatch, you'll need to upgrade to a laptop like the Dell XPS 15 and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme.

After all, battery life also plays a role. Here you make a real compromise for the additional storage option. If you choose the 2.5-inch drive bay, you're limited to a 56-watt-hour battery – like in my test device. If you give up this slot, you can use a 97-watt-hour battery, similar to the XPS 15.

This had a negative impact on the battery life. For example, the Inspiron fell behind the Lenovo Yoga C940 by about 6 hours in our web browser test and by just under an hour in our video loop test. However, the Inspiron did surprisingly well in our demanding Basemark web benchmark test with 4 hours and 40 minutes, well over an hour longer than yoga.

Game performance

My test device was equipped with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 instead of the GTX 1650, which is an optional upgrade. The GTX 1050 was only very popular a year or two ago and offers a passable experience when playing casual games and modern titles with lower resolutions and graphic details.

I ran our usual set of gaming benchmarks and the Inspiron was run in accordance with other laptops running the GTX 1050. Fortnite displayed 52 frames per second (FPS) with 1080p and high graphic details, and Epic 41 FPS. In the meantime, the Inspiron managed 77 FPS in Civilization VI at 1080p and medium details and 40 FPS at Ultra.

This is not a dedicated gaming laptop. So be ready to reduce the resolution and graphic details.

In a heavier game like Assassin's Creed Odyssey, the Inspiron achieved 32 FPS at 1080p and High Detail and dropped to unplayable 17 FPS at Ultra High Detail. Overall, these results are on average 10-15 FPS lower than those of laptops equipped with the newer GTX 1650, including the Dell XPS 15 and Asus ZenBook 15 UX534. If you want to play more on this laptop, you want to upgrade to this faster card.

The Inspirion 15 7591 is suitable for casual games and even comes out in modern titles. However, this is not a dedicated gaming laptop. So be ready to reduce the resolution and graphical details to get the best experience possible.

Our opinion

The Inspiron 15 7000 is a unique upgradeable ultrabook. The ability to add two storage drives is more than almost any other laptop I've tested. Do-it-yourselfers will love it from a conceptual level, but it's a throwback to a time when laptops can last more than a few years.

Unfortunately, the configurations from Dell are confusing. The 7591 I tested only came with a single RAM module, and the older GTX 1050 is a bottleneck when gaming. You can opt for the 7590 with its GTX 1650, but you can only add one additional drive.

Whether you choose the $ 800 base model or something with discrete graphics, the Inspiron 15 7000 is a balanced mid-tier laptop.

Are there alternatives?

Yes, there are several 15-inch alternatives, although there aren't many in this price range. The HP Envy 15 is outdated, as is the ZenBook 15 from Asus. The 15-inch Surface Laptop 3 uses weaker quad-core processors, as does the LG Gram 15.

The XPS 15 from Dell offers a more stable case, faster performance options and a better screen. With the same specs, it's around $ 300 more expensive, although the XPS can be configured much higher. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 2 almost corresponds to the expandability of the Inspiron and can also be a little faster, but is twice as expensive.

If you want to consider a 2-in-1 device, the Lenovo Yoga C940 15 is a good option. It's a bit faster to play than the Inspiron and around $ 500 more expensive. The expandability of Dell is also not possible.

How long it will take?

The Inspiron 15 7000 is well built and should last as long as you need it. With the ability to easily open the case and update components, you can add more RAM and memory as needed. That means the Inspiron lasts a little longer than your average laptop.

The 1-year warranty is industry standard and, as always, is disappointing.

Should you buy it

Yes. It's a solid laptop for the price, and the expandability features are a plus.

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