Tracking Progress

When I first started doing CrossFit I didn't really keep a log of my times or weights and kind of just did the WODs. Then about a year ago my friend found a great website, www.wodclub.com, to track your WODs and PRs. I love this thing. It really helps me keep on track and progress.

It has a section for teh girl benchmarks, Hero WODs, body weight times (runs, rows etc), and for strength (max Clean, Max Squat etc.).

This is a snippet of my Helen History. You can see what other people have done and an average time finished. As Rx or Modified.

What I like most is seeing an 8 min performance gain. Makes me think "what was I doing last time that it took me 8 min longer with less weight?" But I know the answer...I hate to run. haha

The Conclusion: Rock Tape Vs KT Tape Pro

After many different tests with both of these tapes I have finally come to a conclusion.

I found that KT Tape PRO has a much better stretch than the Rock Tape. KT Tape PRO. Both KT Tape PRO and Rock Tape handles well no my hamstring, although when it came to my back The Rock Tape seems to come off a lot more. Rock Tape did not stick to itself very well and would start to come off from those points. While the KT Tape PRO did a pretty good job on my lower back to stick to itself. The other thing that I noticed was that since KT Tape PRO had a better stretch when you apply the tape to a high moment area like your shoulders, it tends to work better.

On a side note, both of these tapes however would be susceptible to rolling when I slept. Not all the time but it has happened.

My conclusion is that for me KT Tape PRO is the right choice and holds up to my activities. Diving in the ocean, CrossFit WODs, sitting around the house and sleeping.

KT Tape Pro 

Pros:

Customer Service
Good stretch on tape
Comes in an uncut version

Sticks well to itself for taping applications that require that
Works well on flat areas like hamstrings
Comes in a cool plastic case

Cons:
Have to look for uncut version. Not widely advertised.
Slight odor because it is synthetic. (not enough to bother me, come might be sensitive to the smell)

Rock Tape

Pros:

Customer Service

Low Odor

Single Roll of Tape
Works well on flat areas like hamstrings

Cons:
Frays easily
Hurts a bit when pulling tape off
Not as much stretch (need to use longer stripes of tape)
Did not stick well to itself for taping applications that require that

Rock Tape Day 2

Day two of Rock Tape on my hamstring. So far it is still sticking well with a bit of fraying on the outside causing stings to come off. I am a little disappointed that the tape is fraying like this and I haven't even taken it into the ocean or done a WOD with it yet.

Rock Sauce: The Hamstring Marinade

The Story:
I am no stranger to pain so I have tried many topical pain relief methods. So naturally I had to try this stuff out too.

The Review:
When I opened the bottle I noticed that it has a lotion constancy to it but it seems to be a bit thicker and it looked like corn starch and water. I capped it, shook it up a bit and then squeezed some out. I only squeezed out a small amount and then the room fills with that menthol scent. A very strong scent. I like it so it doesn't bother me. After applying the Rock Sauce to my hamstring I wiped it off as instructed then applied my Rock Tape. When I was done I put a little more Rock Sauce over the tape and rubbed it in. A few seconds later I could feel the cooling sensation of the the Rock Sauce working its magic. I have to say I am pretty impressed with this stuff. The combination of the Rock Sauce and Rock Tape worked wonderfully. The only thing I did notice is that the cooling sensation did subside quickly. Like most of these topical pain revilers. They are for temporary relief after all (that is why it is not under Cons.)

Conclusion...it worked well and I would most definitely buy this again. Although I have an 8oz bottle and you really don't need to use a lot. So this bottle could last me some time.

Pros:

Works

Cooling sensation NOT a painful cold

Only a small amount is needed

Cons:

None yet

Rock Tape Night 1/Day 1

The Story:
Yesterday I got my Rock Tape in the mail and was ready to try this stuff out. I decided to start with the regular Rock Tape. 

The Review:
I will start by saying that the tape feel thinner than the KT Tape Pro. It also feels must more porous and I am not surprised since it is 97% cotton and 3% Nylon. The edges look like they will fray easily which worries me a bit. The edges look like they are cut from larger strips so the cut is made right through the stitching pattern. So far it is holding up well with slight fraying on the sides. Since the product is 97% cotton it also has a very low odor. So people that are sensitive to smells would like that.

Small thing to note is that the box has a slit on the right side so you can have the tape sick out and keep your tape dust free.

Another thing that I really like about Rock Tape is that it is one roll. KT Tape comes as pre-cut strips (I am not sure if they have uncut strips.) This means you have to cut your own strips. It allows you to get a more accurate length to work with as well as giving you more taping options than you would get with a pre-cut strip.

This is one that I found interesting. I, like many people have horrible posture. So this would be interesting to try...Used a lot of tape though.

I decided to use the Rock Tape on my hamstrings since I cant really put it on my back. I also used some Rock Sauce with it. I did notice that the Rock Tape worked to relieve pressure and tightness from my hamstrings and I am excited to try this during a WOD. Maybe I'll try it with high rep deadlifts.  Who know maybe I can beat Chris Speallers Diane time (1:52) with this stuff on...Now that would be something.

When I woke up this morning the Rock Tape was securely fasten to my hamstring. Still working and barley noticeable.

Pros:

Customer Service

Low Odor

Single Roll of Tape

Cons:
Frays

Rock Tape, Rock Tape H20 and Rock Sauce

The Story:

Part of my review of  Rock Tape vs KT Tape, I got this in the mail yesterday. It consists of Rock Tape H20 (left), which is supposed to be stickier and last longer in water, compared to the regular Rock Tape (right). I also got a roll of regular Rock Tape to see how that works out. Rock Tape H2O only comes in black unlike the regular Rock Tape, which has may different colors and patterns. The bottle in the middle is Rock Sauce.  A topical pain reliever that is similar to Icy Hot, Tokuhon, or BioFreeze. 

The Initial Review:

The day after I ordered I got a call from Rock Tape. One of the items I ordered was on back order so they wanted to know if I would wait or willing to take a different color. I told them any color was fine by me. He then told me about the different colors. He explained that there were two type of blue and I told him to just surprise me. He obliged and said that the tape would be in that mail that day, it was a Friday. Later I got an email confirming that my packaged had been mailed.

When I opened the box it was packed with some paper so that the items did not slide around. I do appreciate the customer service from Rock Tape. It was a nice and personal touch that they had someone call me about my order. When they could of easily sent me an email. That told me they are a customer-centric company and that they wanted to make sure they got a quick response so that they could ship my order before the weekend or else I would have to wait that much longer. A huge plus in my books.

Comfortable Hiking Shoes...

The Story:
Shoes again...yeah. I know. This time it's hiking shoes!

So the other week I went hiking up Koko Head Crater and since I knew my inov8-150s would not be a good choice and my old hiking shoes were falling apart. I decided to use my Nike Frees. They were pretty comfortable, although it took some time to get used to all the cushioning. During the hike the hard part was on the way down. Since you are pretty much going up and down a long flight of unsteady steps that are falling apart, covered in dirt and rock, a stable shoe is nice. My Nike shoes were fine going up but going down was a bit unstable. So I decided to get some new hiking shoes.

A couple of days after I was at Total Fitness USA looking at the rigs (plan to build one) and noticed they had the Inov-8 hiking shoes too. I ended up talking to the guys about the shoes and found out that Inov-8 started out by making comfortable hiking/walking shoes. I took a look at them and they seemed nice. They had 2 sizes there and while one of the was not my size, it fit. Didn't really mean to pick up new hiking shoes that day but I took it as a sign...

The shoes I got were the Inov-8 X-Talon 212s.  Decently priced around $110.

I took these shoes out on a morning hike on Earth Day. It had rained the night before and a bit that morning so the ground was wet and a bit muddy. I thought, "perfect time to test my new shoes!"

I was pleasantly surprised at how comfy these shoes were. The start of the hike was muddy and the spiked sole was perfect for this. I felt very sure footed in and out of the mud. The only thing is that the mud started to cake up to the sole. So every so often I would tap the mud off on a rock. Half way up the hike I even told my friend "I think these are the most comfortable hiking shoes I have ever owned." Well to be honest I was talking about how great these shoes were the entire hike. I think she must have thought I got a job with 

Inov-8 in their marketing marketing department (would be nice). 

When we finished the hike I sat near the car about to tap out the mud but by the time I got to the car a majority of the mud had fallen off. 

The Review:
Comfortable! Most of the time after a hike I have to take my shoes off because they are either on fire (water resistant hiking shoes don't breath at all) or my feet just hurt. Not with these. At the end of my hike my feet felt great and need to take my shoes off. Amazing shoes!

Great traction on dry, wet and uneven surfaces. One thing I did notice was that when walking on cement or asphalt, to the hiking entrance, the shoes felt tacky or sticky, as if I were slightly sticking to the ground. It was very slight. I actually like this feeling. I felt that if I had that much traction on solid flat ground I would be fine on dirt and mud. Later I noticed on their website that the compound is...Sticky. That explains a lot. I have to say, it is nice to see a company with a technical spec that isn't just marketing hooplah.

As far as the durability of these shoes. I cannot comment at the time since I have only used these once so I can't comment on durability yet. I'd like to try some of their other shoes, but these seem like they are going to hold up for quite some time. So more on that later. 

Again I have wide feet and these still felt comfortable to me. Your best bet is to try some on and hit up a  mountain. 

If you have a question please feel to ask. I won't have fancy answers about but I can give you my opinion best I can.  

Pros:

Very Comfortable

Spiked Sole Great for Traction 

Reasonably Priced

Cons:

Haven't found any yet.

Inov-8 Site with the technical stuff:
Inov-8 X-Talon 212