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The Rock's new Under Armour over-ear headphones pack ANC and a 45-hour battery life
Dwayne Johnson has re-teamed with Under Armor on the new UA Project Rock Over-Ear Training headphones.
Bose Sport Open Earbuds review: Great for workouts, but not much else
Bose Sport Open Earbuds keep your ears open to your environment while you exercise, which can increase safety for runners and other workout situations. However, the design limits performance elsewhere, so you have to accept sacrifices that could be deal breakers.
Jaybird’s Tarah wireless sport earbuds drop to $45 at Best Buy
Jaybird's water- and sweat-resistant Tarah wireless earbuds are on sale for $45 today.
Powerbeats review: Better workout earbuds at a better price
The Powerbeats Pro are some of the best true wireless earbuds I tested last year. They sound much better than any previous Beats in-ear option before and they're loaded with handy features. However, the sound isn't perfect and the over-ear hook design isn't for everyone. Now the company has redesigned the "regular" Powerbeats ($149.95), bringing almost all of what makes the Pro version so good to its other wireless model. Plus, they're $50 cheaper than the Powerbeats 3, which makes them even more attractive.
SmartTools' updated weight lifting cuffs are cheaper and more durable
Bench pressing 200 pounds is cool, if you're into that, but it can put a strain on your limbs. SmartTools has an alternative. The company's SmartCuffs, blood flow restriction training (BFR) cuffs, let you lift less weight and see the same gains. While BFR training has primarily been used in clinical settings, the new SmartCuffs are meant for consumers and they're significantly more affordable than past iterations.
Jaybird's Tarah wireless sport earbuds are half off
If you don't want to spend $150 to $230 on workout earbuds that will inevitably end up at the bottom of your gym bag, Jaybird has a deal for you. Today, its Tarah Wireless Sport Headphones are on sale for half off. You can get a pair for just $50. That's the lowest price we've ever seen on these earbuds.
The best workout headphones
The gym can be a dull, boring place for some of us. Myself included. Fortunately, you've got a smartphone -- or an MP3 player. Whether it's for a music streaming service, a finely curated list of ripped tracks or a backlog of podcasts, what you need now are some workout headphones. It's 2019, and while not all wired headphones will work with your smartphone of choice, all phones have Bluetooth. There's also the fact that moving around with headphones, whether for a bench-press session or a run around the block, is better without wires. As long as your headphones stay put, that is. That's why all of our recommendations are wireless models. We've pulled together a few picks that should suit most workouts. While you can expect decent audio quality from all of them, decisions about workout gear, come down to personal preferences. Because of that, we've included over-ear models, noise-canceling champions and some reasonably priced headphones that punch above their weight.
Save $80 on Sony’s sporty WF-SP700N true wireless earbuds
At their original list price of $180, Sony's sporty WF-SP700N true wireless, noise cancelling earbuds were already a solid deal. Today, Amazon has an even better offer. The WF-SP700N in black are on sale for $99.95 -- that's an $80 savings.
Spryng is tech-laced compression wear for speeding up workout recovery
If you wanted to simplify, CES 2019 could be neatly divided into self-driving cars, giant TVs and health tech. A lot of what we've seen of the latter either tracks your movement or is hardware ingrained into workouts. Spryng is a little different, aimed at speeding up your recovery, reducing muscle soreness by stimulating blood circulation. While looking like an unassuming pair of chunky shinguards, these tech-laced wraps expand and contract around your calves, improving blood flow and feeling very nice in the process.
I just had my ass handed to me by a boxing robot
BotBoxer is the creation of SkyTech Sport, a company that makes gym equipment, most famous for the simulators used to train the US olympic ski team. Five years ago, the Los Angeles-based company turned its attention to creating a robotic boxing trainer, which it showed off in Las Vegas. I was excited to try the machine out for myself, despite being a total novice in the world of boxing.
Jaybird's Tarah Pro wireless earbuds offer 14 hours of music for $160
While true wireless earbuds might be all the rage in 2018, a lot of folks still prefer their audio gear to be tethered. For those people, companies like Jaybird continue to roll out new products with improved features. Today, that company is introducing the Tarah Pro: an upgraded version of its most recent wireless sports earbuds that pack an impressive 14 hours of battery life for $160.
Under Armour’s Sport Wireless Train headphones are ready for the gym
Last month, Under Armour launched its Project Rock on-ear headphones, which are built for intense workouts and were designed in collaboration with Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock). But not every fitness buff is going to be a fan of him (even though they should be, because gains), so it only made sense for the company to introduce a model without all his Rock branding. Enter the Sport Wireless Train, Under Armour's latest on-ear headphones, created alongside audio firm JBL. The new set was first revealed in 2017 and looks nearly identical to the Project Rocks, with the only difference being the UA and JBL logos on the earcups and headband, respectively.
You can't nail the perfect squat with just an iPhone app
The Squat. Capital 's'. With or without weight, it's widely regarded as the best exercise you can do. But one that's easy to get a little bit wrong and ruin all those benefits. So here's Kaia Health's Perfect Squat Challenge app, developed with input from both physiotherapists and sport scientists to help you nail the form. Notably, there's no wearable, no special hardware. It's just your iPhone camera and roughly seven feet of space.
Black Box VR plans to open a boutique, high-tech gym
When I was in high school, my workout regimen involved marching band, Denise Austin VHS tapes and copious rounds of Dance Dance Revolution. Not only did I play DDR in bowling alleys and arcades whenever I had the chance, but I had a metal dance pad at home (PlayStation 2 with a converter to make it run on my Xbox 360). Late last year, a decade after graduating from high school, I bought a plastic dance pad and busted out my PS3 just to play DDR again, with the idea of incorporating it into my workout routine. Which is to say, I'm no stranger to the idea of video games as exercise. Neither is Black Box VR.
This self-cleaning bag freshens up your smelly gym clothes
At my age it's important to get to the gym on a regular basis, but it's hard to find the time. It's just as difficult to get around to doing laundry, which means I tend to get stuck carrying a bag of sweaty, smelly gym wear. But maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I owned a Paqsule, a new self-cleaning bag making its debut on Kickstarter today. It uses UV light and activated oxygen to kill off viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms, making your clothes a whole lot fresher -- maybe even enough for another go-around on the treadmill.
'Pokémon Go' will add catch bonuses to make the grind worthwhile
As Niantic Labs keeps tweaking things to hold onto its Pokémon Go player base, it has revealed another new feature coming to the augmented reality game. Currently, player activities like catching Pokémon can level them up towards earning medals that toss off points, but not much else. Soon, there will be a catch bonus for earned medals that level up based on the type of Pokémon caught.
Body scanners are coming to your gym
Sure, you may feel like you're in better shape after a trip to the gym, but how do you quantify it besides stepping on a scale or breaking out calipers? Australian outfit mPort thinks it can do better. It's rolling out 3D body scanners at LA Fitness gyms and shopping malls across the US, giving you a more detailed look at your fitness. Effectively, they're infrared photo booths. Step inside (and strip down to your skivvies) and you'll get a virtual representation that gives clues to basics like your body mass index as well as harder-to-pinpoint factors like your body fat composition and hip-to-waist ratio. If you're improving your physique, you'll have concrete proof of it.
Rithmio Edge tracks weightlifting sessions with Android Wear
We've seen a number of wearable devices that track your weightlifting sessions at the gym, but Rithmio has a new app that does so with a device you may already own. The Rithmio Edge app works with Android Wear smartwatches to keep tabs on your workout, tracking both exercises and reps using the company's gesture recognition technology. The app learns your movements as you go so it can log the different exercises you fancy during those lifting routines. It also tracks reps and sets so you'll not exactly where you stand when it comes time to analyze progress.
'Pokemon Go' launches in Japan under golden arches
Despite being the true home of Pocket Monsters, until today, Japanese fans weren't able to download the smartphone phenomenon that is Pokemon Go. As rumored, Niantic Labs' game launches in Pikachu's homeland with a promotional tie-in with McDonald's (it's already offering Pokemon toys with its kids' meals in anticipation) and the app maker says more sponsored locales and events are on their way. Ingress, the location-based game that preceded Pokemon Go, ran multiple promotions with companies including McDonald's and SoftBank in Japan -- as well as Jamba Juice in the US. Expect see plenty more sponsored locations in Pokemon Go (well, gotta make some money when the app is free to download), but what exactly do the sponsored locations entail? The good news is that the tie-in doesn't seem to change much at all -- and could even be good news for some players.
Move It puts a smart mini gym in your room
Eons ago, I used to go to the gym several times a week, but nowadays I can give you hundreds of reasons for why I no longer do so. Meanwhile, my beer belly is slowly engulfing my belt, and that's never a good sign (I really should have joined the Engadget Fitness Challenge). This is pretty much the kind of scenario that Hong Kong's Eggplant Technologies is targeting with its Move It smart fitness apparatus, which has just launched on Indiegogo ahead of its August shipment. In a nutshell, this is a four-in-one compact gym kit that you can leave in one corner of your home, and it comes with a mobile app that not only coaches you, but also lets you meet and challenge other fellow Move It users around the world.
