These earphones are great – in fact, I find myself using them more and more in situations like taking the subway because their noise isolation is good, and not having cords tangled everywhere is pretty great.
I use these whenever I’m working out, with the exception of swimming, and I’ve had them in rain, high heat (ie. lots of sweat), and they’ve been great. Good range, good noise isolation, and pretty good sound quality.
I’ve tried various methods of taking my phone with me, and soon that should be a thing of the past (hello Apple Watch 3), but for now, I find it the best way to carry my phone. I’ve tried armbands, but found on long runs they get annoying, and that they get in the way in the gym.
The waistband is great – to avoid having it press on your stomach too much, wear it low around your hip bones.
Honestly, I’d probably have an Apple Watch 3 right now if I had the money, mostly for the phone-less music streaming. That said, I’m not totally sold on smartwatches yet, and I bought this because of its flexibility – I can download an app (albeit a bad one) for open water swimming, sailing, etc. Not many watches at this price point have that, it looks pretty good, and it will actually show you notifications from your phone if you want. And you can get them for $91 USD refurbished ($115 new).
When I was looking for a heart rate monitor, most smart watches with them embedded were notoriously unreliable (still generally are). There are a few companies, with the latest generation of watches that do heart rate during activity well, but I still prefer this armband. Whether it’s working out at the gym, biking, running, or otherwise, it’s reliable throughout.
Aqua Sphere Kayenne Swim Goggles
Preferred goggle of triathletes, I bought my current pair at least 5 years ago and they’ve been great. I have really long eyelashes, which makes buying sunglasses/goggles hard, and I also have a big face/head, but these have been great.
I’ve tried just about every foam roller out there, and to be honest, I just feel like it’s a waste of time unless you’re using one of these. Of course, that’s not true, but the results you can get with one of these seem greater/faster than any I’ve tried. I believe much of this is due to the fact that you can move back and forth perpendicular to the bumps (in the longitudinal direction of the roller), which really releases the muscle.
Honestly, now one of my most prized items to travel with, and I rarely feel better than after a workout, hot shower/sauna/hot tub, and a good roll with one of these.
Captains of Crush Hand Grippers
These have been around forever, and are basically the gold standard for grippers. I currently use the #1, leave them around my desk, and use Pavel Tsatsouline’s “Grease the Groove” technique to improve/maintain my grip strength.
Perfect Fitness Multi-Gym Pullup Bar
Pullups are something I historically sucked at, and have worked my way up to being mediocre at, but I believe they are one of the best exercises you can do on a regular basis (also a good candidate for Grease the Groove). I try and have one both at my apartment and my work when possible, so I can do a few whenever I walk by.
This particular pullup bar is one that makes me happy as an engineer – it’s the little details that make it so great. It uses a flat bar to lock onto the door frame so it doesn’t dent your wall, it has protected handgrips so you can do a true wide-grip pullup, it can be taken apart and assembled in just a couple minutes, and it comes with an extra one of the Allen keys needed to assemble/disassemble, both of which can be stored in the bar itself. Gotta love great product design.
