I recently received a call from a client in Dallas who noticed that one of the local stores is installing the Retul 3D Motion Capture System and wondered if it was better than the fitting she received from KGS Bikes. The explanation is a little more involved than a Q&A question so I decided to bump my scheduled ezine article for this one.

The KGS Fitting System, those by Serotta, WobbleNaught, Carmichael, Specialized, Cyfac, Body Scan, Fit Kit and others, use a procedural system that gets a specific outcome and these may or may not even use the data generated by a motion capture system.

Retul has become the gold standard in fitting tools in the past 18 months. The reason I say it is a fitting tool is that Retul can be used with any fitting system. It is 3D Motion Capture System that can accurately measure sensor points which are attached to rider or are indexed to a bicycle.

Retul has a competitor in Dartfish, which is a 2D motion capture system that I own. I am planning on purchasing Retul to augment my fitting services so here is an explanation of how I deal with fitting systems and motion capture systems. The crosshair laser that I use to measure bicycles is another reference tool that is independent of the fitting system. It helps to separate the two as there is overlap and thus room for confusion.

Fitting Systems – KGS vs others. Many of the fitting systems on the market today feature equations or benchmarks that a rider should use to calculate the best way to fit a bicycle. Fit Kit is one of the earlier systems that use a plumb line to determine Knee Over Pedal Spindle, WobbleNaught uses 33 different measurement points of the rider and the bike to get a computer generated setup for that individual rider and that individual bike. Carmichael uses angles and geometry to assure that an individual is set up within an acceptable range of angles on the bike. Serotta and others use a combination of measurements and riding on either the owner’s bike or a setup bike.

What separates the KGS Fitting System from the others are two specific processes:

1) I have developed a system of finding the best, most efficient and balanced position for an individual using my custom setup bike, through scientific analysis using a step by step approach to find that perfect setup whether the rider is young or old, fit or unfit.

2) The use of a setup bike with a power meter, that is 100% infinitely adjustable and capable of producing the workload that you as the rider really produce on the road, is critical. My system determines a proper bike setup, rather than a setup based on the limitations of a specific bike.

Fitting Tools – Setup bike. The setup bike was just described and is the core of my fitting system. It has road, mountain and time trial handlebars, different saddles, adjustable cranks from 150-230 mm and almost all modern pedal systems. Since the bottom bracket is the datum point, every other conceivable position is determined by the location of the saddle and handlebars. Since all riders interface with the bike in exactly the same place, (pedals, handlebars and saddle), if the setup bike is able to be positioned to find the rider’s best position it can be found, documented and repeated.

The setup bike is not the system any more than one’s bike on a trainer would be. In fact, my system is good enough to find the perfect setup even if it would be difficult to build a real bicycle with those specifications. This is because I don’t assume that the bicycle industry has created a stock frame for you, I assume nothing. When we get through the fitting process we know exactly how to build a frame that is perfect for you, or to specify a stock frame that works with your body.

Cross hair laser – This fitting tool is what I use to accurately measure the handlebars and saddle relative to the bottom bracket. These lasers do nothing but project two lines into space, but the accuracy attainable from this device is fantastic.

Dartfish Advanced Video Analysis – I bought the Dartfish software and used it with my fittings for a few years but found that the only thing that really worked well was the ability to show ankle placement and the time it took to show the client problems was better spent in showing a solution rather than highlighting the problem. Dartfish is a great tool and some clients can benefit from it but most are better off letting me show them how to get better form rather than see how bad their form is in the first place.

Retul – The Retul system is a 3D motion capture system. The reason I am getting one is the ability to capture the fitting session and not only save that data but analyze it with other setup data. I have the ability now to get people setup properly on the bike. That is not the point. Having a system that gives me better resolution of all the aspects of a rider’s position and being able to save it is important. Another part of the Retul system is a sensor that can be triggered when it touches parts of the bike so the critical dimensions of the setup bike can be captured more quickly and with the same accuracy that I use now. I can save a few minutes doing documentation which usually means I get more time to spend helping the client with specific problems.

In summary, a bad fitter will not do a significantly better job with Retul. All the fitting procedures and knowledge that the fitter used prior to the acquisition of Retul are used after the device is purchased so many bike shops are still stuck with the age old discovery: Bike fitting is not easy.

It has taken me years of study to get really good at bike fitting and I still learn things every day. I feel lucky to have a studio that I can use to really do a client some good. I can’t speak for other shops and studios, but I work not only hard but as smartly as I can to put the client first and get an awesome outcome. I can’t wait to get my own Retul system but the fact that I just have my knowledge, skills and setup bike means that current fit clients will get what they want and need, which is a custom setup that works for them.

At the end of the day, I still find a lot of stock bikes don’t fit grownups well. It is irritating as I have a lot of educating to do when people find out that it is not they that are abnormal, but the bike they want to buy that may not be the one for them.

A person is said to be physically fit if he or she is physically sound, healthy and he or she has the ability to perform physical activities well. Nowadays more than 60 % of people say that they don’t have enough time to running for an hour or hit the gym. But all these people want to be fit and get into better shape.

No doubt people all over the world are more and more health conscious, but most of them don’t know how actually complete fitness can be achieved. Although one can prepare his / her personal fitness plan provided some important tips and precautions have been taken into consideration, otherwise it can cause adverse effects.

Online books and videos about fitness training can be helpful to some extent but has the drawback of non confirmation that you are adopting them correctly.

If you can not visit gyms or health clubs and also are not able to make up your mind to rely upon books or videos, then the best option for you could be hiring a personal trainer for few days. Personal training sessions are very popular these days among people who want a focused fitness program designed for their individual needs and implementing it in the right direction at their own place.

You may hire a certified and professional personal fitness coach who can provide you fitness training sessions with a well organized fitness plan as per your age, sex, medical condition and your daily works schedule at your home or office.

Benefits of hiring a Personal Fitness Coach:

Diet plan – Personal fitness coach prepare daily diet plan in which he / she decides that what are your calorie requirements and how can you get it perfectly. Fitness trainer know very well that according to trainee’s age, height, weight and medical condition what calories requires to get high fitness results.

Fitness training sessions – On the basis of trainee’s age, sex, weight, height and medical condition fitness instructor prepares the physical exercise session plan in which he or she decides what type of exercise is required for trainee and which exercise a trainee should do first and for how many times. Fitness coach divides the whole fitness programs in different small sessions and set the priorities and time of exercise according to particular fitness trainee. This training program you can further continue by yourself at your home.

Exercise Equipments- Personal fitness trainer generally bring fitness equipments needed for exercising and also can guide you what kind of equipments you should use to carry on with your fitness program.

Physical and Mental fitness – Perfect physical fitness is directly correlated to mental fitness.
A certified fitness trainer trains you to develop a positive attitude and motivates you for exercising so that you lead a healthy life.

Can a person be both fit and fat? With a national obesity rate of nearly 30 percent, this is a question that needs to be answered. People do not seem to be actively looking for ways to be thin, and just because a person is thin does not mean they are fit either. So who, really, has a healthy and fit body and how can we get there from where we are?

First of all, most people think you have to hit the gym in order to be the healthiest you can be, and this is just not true. Although exercise does nothing but enhance your health, fitness is not the only answer. It is not always about how you look. It is not always about how you eat. Just like everything else, having a healthy and fit body has many components.

Here are 7 Tips to know, once and for all, if you have a healthy and fit body!

Healthy and Fit Body Tips #1: Proper Nutrition
Providing your body with the right food and liquid is the most important component to your health. If you struggling with weight loss and the inability to get yourself fit, start with a change in your diet. Eating right does not mean eating less. A soy-based meal replacement once a day works for me, along with a few targeted supplements you can not find in food.

Even people who exercise all the time can not be totally fit if they grab a bag of potato chips over an apple. No matter what you look like on the outside, your inside is what matters the most. If your body is not getting right nutrition, you can not expect it to look and feel good. You are what you eat. Never forget that.

Healthy and Fit Body Tips #2: Muscle Mass
Our bodies require a certain percentage of muscle to stay healthy and meet the tasks of daily living. This varies per individual, but after the age of 30, our bodies lose muscle mass each year. The key to restoring this is resistance exercise to keep muscle mass. To age gracefully by being fit, keep your muscle mass percentage high.

Healthy and Fit Body Tips #3: Body Fat
This your total body weight that is composed of fat. 10 percent to 14 percent is considered good for men, and 14 percent to 18 percent is considered good for women. Being too far below it and above it both have health risks. Unless you’re a weight-dependent athlete or a fitness model, you should strive to fall into your category.

Healthy and Fit Body Tips #4: Aerobic Endurance
I bet you do not think about how well your body transports oxygen, right? From shoveling snow to running a marathon, aerobic activity is a good indicator of good aerobic fitness. Your cardiovascular goal for fitness is simple. Get your heart rate up and hold it, then bring it down without becoming short of breath.

Healthy and Fit Body Tips #5: Strength
How much force can your muscles generate? Your body needs to be able to move stuff, and you, around. Mass protects your body, strength moves it and keeps it from falling over. Strength training requires short bouts of high-intensity outputs, much different from aerobic activity. Strength training slows the aging process, so the stronger you are, the slower you age.

Healthy and Fit Body Tips #6: Balance
Life is no fun if you’re always toppling over. Your ability to maintain control of your center of gravity is important for obvious reasons. To stay in balance your body uses smaller muscles to help keep your joints tracking properly. A person with good balance has less chance of incurring an injury. The next time you see an exercise ball, use it!

Healthy and Fit Body Tips #7: Flexibility
Your ability to move your body freely through a full range of motion does not require an advanced class of yoga. Simply start stretching your muscles more because they contract during exercise and the daily rigors of living. Keeping your muscles supple gives you a buffer against being injured and is an indicator of overall fitness. It will also help you age with less complications.

As you can easily tell, there are many components that are of equal importance in order to have a healthy and fit body. It is not just the way a person looks on the outside but rather a combination of many factors. You have the ability to change your body for the better just as easily as McDonalds can change it for the worse. The difference is developing the mindset of a person who chooses healthy over unhealthy.

HIT Fitness in the Spokane Valley, WA area is a growing trend

Hit Fitness , or High Intensity Training, is a fitness system built around a unique combination of science and sport.

Hit Fitness is definably an “alternative” way to personal fitness, but it is a method that is worthy of a look.

What Will I Really Be Doing In HIT Fitness?

Hit Fitness combines a unique combination of typical fitness along with sporting elements, such as the practice of Fencing or Kenpo.

Some of the activities that are included in Hit Fitness include:

*Fencing
*Kenpo
*Self-Defense
*Personal Fitness
*Other Sporting Activities

The types of activities that you participate in depends on the type of Hit Fitness Spokane program that you join.

Different instructors of the Hit Fitness way have different methods. Regardless of the methods that your fitness coach uses to teach you Hit Fitness, you will experience a unique exercise technique that will benefit your body more than a traditional fitness plan can accomplish.

Hit Fitness Sporting Events

Participating in sporting events in the Hit Fitness program is a big part of your training. The sporting events not only help you reach your fitness goals more quickly but can be used later on as well.

Sounds Fun. What Does Hit Fitness Spokane Concentrate On? Well, the Hit Fitness program is quite the unusual exercise system. The Hit Fitness program focuses on the following aspects of the fitness world:

Anaerobic Threshold Balance Body Composition Strength VO2 Max (maximal oxygen consumption)

Hit Fitness Anaerobic Threshold

A basic definition of the Hit Fitness Anaerobic Threshold is that it occurs when muscles “burn” glucose without the use of Oxygen. Anaerobic Threshold is ideal for those who need that short extra burst in their life. On the flip side, Anaerobic Threshold would not be ideal for a distance runner.

Hit Fitness Balance

Another important part of the Hit Fitness way is the aspect of balance. A majority of people who participate in the Hit Fitness exercise plan are athletes. These people require a great amount of agility and balance to succeed at what they do best. By having great balance, you can even increase the efficiency of your Spokane workout.

Hit Fitness Body Composition

Hit Fitness Body Composition is a way of describing the percentage of bone, fat, and muscle in your body. The Hit Fitness Spokane system puts a lot of attention on the aspect of body composition, as it is vital to balance the mass percentages of bone, fat, and muscle in ones body.

Hit Fitness Strength

Hit Fitness works with your overall body strength. Since the Spokane Hit Fitness way of exercise revolves around sporting activities, it is important to have strength as it will give you the opportunity to push your body to the next level.

Hit Fitness VO2 Max

What is VO2 Max? Basically, VO2 Max is another meaning for the maximal amount of oxygen consumption. It plays a very important role in Hit Fitness as your VO2 Max directly determines how physically fit you are. Each person has a different VO2 Max. The max can be included over time through Hit Fitness Spokane WA exercises.

So, is Hit Fitness Right For You? Spokane Hit Fitness is not right for everyone. If you are athletic, then you should definably consider the Hit Fitness way of exercise. If you are interested in starting on a Hit Fitness exercise plan, you should speak to your local fitness coach today to see if such a program is offered.

What are Wii Fit reviews saying about Wii Fit, the new gaming phenomenon that has recently taken the world by storm? Most of Wii Fit reviews are positive about Wii Fit, saying that the active-playing game has opened up video gaming to people that might not otherwise consider video gaming enjoyable. The super interactivity supplied by Wii Fit games gives the players plenty of enjoyment and helps to keep them moving too; a fact that Wii Fit reviews cite as one of the more enticing attributes of Wii Fit.

Wii Fit reviews point out player appreciation for the fact that Wii Fit calculates players’ fitness level and BMI by entering basic personal data such as height, age and gender to the Wii system. The game then has gamers engage in a number of activities and exercises which is recorded as the player progresses. Through the art of gaming, video players are now exercising too, doing yoga, running, and body strengthening exercises. There are over 40 different types of training activities offered by Wii Fit, including traditional exercises such as step aerobics, jogging, as well as modern stress busters such as Yoga and meditation. You can also choose other fund exercises such as Hula Hoops, Snowboarding and rhythm boxing. The exercises offered by Wii Fit are so diverse making this game great for almost anyone no matter how physically active he is. The Wii Fit system is an truly excellent option for people who want to get exercise but that don’t want to go outside or leave the house to get it. Exercises can be done in the privacy of one’s own living room or entertainment room without the need for big, ugly, or bulky exercise equipment.

Wii Fit has also received rave reviews about the balance board that comes with the Wii Fit package. This innovative board is highly sensitive, sensing the weight, pressure and motion of the individual that stands upon it. Encouraging fitness in every regard, the Wii fit allows for progress tracking, BMI checking, and regular body assessments after the gamer uses the system.

Kids are loving the Wii Fit because they can use the balance board with alternative Wii, interactive gaming. For example, Wii Fit reviews said great things about how the balance board can be used with Ski and snowboarding games which. For individuals that ever thought video games were bad for you, Wii Fit is out to prove them wrong. Through highly advanced technologies, gamers can now become active exercisers that can actually enjoy getting fit.

I recommend you checking out WiiConsoleDeals. com. It is a specialized Wii for sale site that lists up to the minute deals on the Wii consoles, Wii Fit and other popular Wii games and accessories. Be sure to try this website first.