Don't ban the Nike Metcon 1 from your leg hands

(NOTE: If you're not down with my beautiful prose [or simply lack the time to read my off target rants], skip to the bottom for a short synopsis of this review)

WHAT ARE THOOOOOOOSE? This Vine literally summed up my life from 7th grade to senior year of HS. I remember the first year I was able to consistently convince my parents that spending more than $100 on a pair of shoes was definitely worth it. It was my first pair of Jordan's, and probably the most iconic ever, the Jordan 11's (every sneaker head loved the Space Jam ones, but the original's were my favorite. My brother ended up getting the David Robinson's, which were SOOOOOO DOPE!). The comfort and performance on the court still holds up well to this day, despite coming out in 1995 (yeah, HS in '95. I'm old). Back then, the ONLY shoe to rock was a Nike. Adidas made some headway late in the 90s with Kobe Bryant "feet you wear" series, but for the most part, it was Nike's world and we were just supporting cheap labor in parts of the world we'd never go to.

Reebok has been the only major player in the CrossFit world for a few years, with a gamut of olympic lifters and shoes specifically made for the myriad of obstacles we encounter at our respective boxes. The most famous of course in the Reebok Nano series. Until this year, your run of the mill athlete was buying a pair of these of just using whatever running shoes they'd happen to have sitting in their closet from that time they signed up for Planet Fitness (PIZZA DAYS AT THE GYM!!! WHY IS THIS NOT AT MY BOX???). While there are other companies who also have a reputation within the CrossFit community (Inov-8, Strike Mvmnt, see this thread for more), Nike is the first worldwide mega shoe corporation to jump in. And jump in they did. Introducing, the Nike Metcon 1.

Nike's first venture into the CrossFit world has had it's share of doubters, but for me it's the best all-around CrossFit shoe I've used. Mind you I've only had the aforementioned Planet Fitness pair, and a more than a few pairs of Nano 3.0's (which many people believe to be the worst of the Nano franchise), however that doesn't mean that Nike hasn't put out a quality product. Purchasing the MetCon can still be a bit more trouble than it should be (with popular sizes selling out quickly and lack of colorways due to limited pairs being released by Nike), if you can find a pair you like, I highly recommend them. Here are a few criteria where I think the MetCon gets it right:

More cushion for runs: While by no means an apt substitute for a real running shoe, the MetCon in my opinion provides a far more comfortable surface for short runs than any Nano variation. I've done up to a 5K in them and have felt them to be perfectly adequate to the task. By comparison, my dogs are barking into round 2 of a 400M sprint in a pair of Nano's. This is because the Nano has a flatter sole than the MetCon's. The MetCon's are more cushioned, which is just more confortable. I'd compare it to a pair of Rainbow sandals as compared to Reef's (that means nothing to most people, but basically one is more cushiony than the other. BTW, in California, there are Reef people and Rainbow people. It's like the Beatles/Stones debate for people who say "hella" all the time). I would stick with a true running shoe for runs longer than 5K or if you have especially sensitive feet, but because most of the workouts you will do revolve around the 400M-1 mile variations, this should not be a problem. Some people do not like the cushion, as it provides a little more "give" due to the extra padding. More power to them. But I'm a pretty pretty princess and my feet deserve to be pampered (FYI: I've experienced zero negative effects from the extra cushioning. My foot is just more comfortable, which is great).

Raised heel for olympic lifts: I have bone spurs in the front of my ankles, which really limit the amount of dorsiflexion in the front of the joint (think knee over toes flex rather than ballerina toes, which is plantarflexion). I usually do most olympic lifting in my Nike Romaleo 2's, but for lighter barbell workouts I can make do with the MetCon's. This is because the raised heel is in between that of a Nano, which is flat, and a classic olympic shoe, which typically gives the wearer anywhere from a half inch to an inch of incline in the heel. You'd never see a competitive olympic lifter wear anything but oly shoes to train, but the MetCon is a nice hybrid that provides a little extra for those who might need it. Now the coach in me will say that just because you use any type of raised heel, that shouldn't stop you from working on the things that hinder you actually being able to move the way you should. That is, it's a crutch that you should be working to get away from, not using it at all times to complete movements. But in the end, the goal is lifting more weight. The raised heel allows for extra leverage and positioning to achieve that goal. And in the end that's what it's all about, right? That and eating all of the donuts.

Flywire in the midfoot: The MetCon uses Nike's patented Flywire technology to create a very secure and stable feeling around the foot. The first time I wore the MetCon's, I love the feeling through the midfoot even when the shoes were not tied. Like I got the Marty McFly self tying Nikes. I felt like my foot was really "in" the shoe. Now, this isn't a recommendation to wear the shoes untied, as you might fall on your face and hurt yourself, and if you do that, you're gonna have a bad time. However, I liked that even sans being laced up, I don't feel like the shoe is going anywhere. With foot positioning and feel so important in many of our movements, this was an aspect of the shoe I really liked that lacked in the Nano.

Other general musings: 

• The shoes did not run the same size as the Nano 3's. I wear a 9.5 in Nano's, however in the Nike's I felt my toes were really jammed up in the toe box, so I went .5 size up. This is in line with all my Nike basketball shoes and not specific to these shoes.
• The toe box itself is larger than what you may be used to in a Nano. At first I thought this would mean more of my forefoot wiggling around, but have yet to have it be an issue. 
• I have felt no difference in the rope climbing technology utilized between Nike and Reebok.
• I had no issue breaking in my MetCon's, but a few friends of mine have bought them recently and have complained that they do take a little time to get used to. These are the people I don't listen to because they constantly complain about this and other First World problems.
• Nike has since remedied their huge mistake of only having men's sizes in the shoe and now has multiple colorways for all the single ladies. The Lauren Fisher colorway is very posh and not too girly, while the black and white kicks look like what I would make a Nike iD version out of. There is also a version with pink, but don't let society decide what colors are meant for boys and girls. You like death metal red, rock that (see all the single ladies, above).

Currently, I have but one pair of MetCon's. My only issue is that they haven't made them available in the aforementioned Nike iD so I can personalize a pair to better fit my many outfits (I recently was rocking a red getup, matching from headband to socks, which clashed ferociously with my grey, black, and volt MetCon's. People looked at me like a had murdered their puppy for committing such a fashion faux pas, and I had a perfectly good pair of Spider-Man Nano's that totally would have tied the outfit together. But such is my love for the MetCon that I was willing to walk around my box like Cerci through King's Landing. Function over fashion kids. 

My general advice is that if you're looking for a quality pair of shoes to get you through almost all of what CrossFit has to offer, you can't do any better than the Nike MetCon 1. If you have a pair of perfectly good shoes and don't have a lot of expendable income, this shoe will not make you Mat Fraser, so stick with what you have (unless you use running shoes. At that point, I mean, come on) and wait till later to purchase a pair. If you're a shopaholic (like me), I won't even try and tell you what to do because lord knows you already have 5 pairs and my advice doesn't mean a damn to you anyway. Either way, I'm a believer in the MetCon and hope you enjoy it as much as I do. 

PROS:

• More cushion than the Nano for more comfortable short runs.
• Slightly raised heel for increased leverage in olympic lifts.
• Spacious mesh toe box keeps feet well ventilated.  

CONS:

• Not all that much different than a Nano to justify buying a pair of shoes if you don't need them.
• "War" with Reebok got pretty tiring.
• Not the magic pill for those with mobility problems. But then again, no shoe is.

Hi, My Name is Romdre, and I'm a Junkie

It's been a while since the last post. Any particular reason? Not really. Mostly laziness. And Alone. If you don't watch it on History Channel, you probably should punch yourself in the giblets.

Either way, I started this blog off as a way to review many of the products, gyms, and programs that I try out, so I figured I'd begin with the blogs namesake, the Junk Headband.

As a bit of introduction, I came from a background playing basketball, so all I ever used to work out in were cut off shirts. At first, this produced some disastrous results. Many a shirt were prone to the nip...not so much slip, but all-out onslaught of areola. Eventually I got the hang of it, but that left me with an abundance of useless shirt sleeves. What was I going to do? Such resources must not be simply discarded away like some $2 hooker. So I started using them as a headband to mop up some of the gallons of sweat I produced at the gym. I also could coordinate them with my daily attire, keeping my rep up as the closest thing to fashionable one can be at the gym. I mean, not as cool as weightlifters, but still pretty baller.

These makeshift sweat shields did come with some drawbacks. For one, the cotton was not the best at wicking away sweat. There was a point of diminishing returns, similar to the hot-crazy scale, where we had diminishing returns. And, as I mentioned before, I sweat a lot (lines back there ladies). So within minutes of the warmup, I'd already be in what I'd call a perspiration crescendo, creating as many problems as it was meant to solve. Further, cleanup of these things was gross. They held onto the foul odors harder than a child holding onto an animal (the animal is obvi thinking "Dafuq bro?").

Then I came across the Junk Headband. I don't remember if I found them or they found me, but it was a match made in heaven. I needed something to help with keeping my sweat to myself, and they needed people to give them money. Win-win (win)!

The headbands themselves are made of "Pro Sport Jersey fabric," which is just a fancy was of saying stretchy nylon. Originally made only in solid colors, the bands now sport various motifs (some are made to look like traditional bandanas, others with animal themes, USA styles, as well as NBA and NCAA team versions) to suit just about everyone's tastes. The most basic style they offer is a tie version that is similar in shape and style to a folded over bandana, however they also have a full "sleeve-like" variety known named infinity, big bang, and big bang lite, signifying thickness of the band.

In terms of performance, the headbands never move from their place during WODs and do a great job of keeping sweat out of my eyes. Most of the moisture wicks away and leaves me free from having to worry about it impacting my times or lifts. Cleanup is a snap, as I usually just run it through water and leave it hanging in my locker, where it would be ready for use by the next day. I can usually get about 2-3 uses before they begin getting that "a little past due date" smell, but that usually doesn't become a problem due to the sheer number of headbands I own (currently around 25).

As for price, they tend to be a little steep for something so simple, ranging from about $10-12 for sale items, and full price versions at $16-18, depending on who Junk teams with to market (Reebok for example has their name on a few versions which cost more due to licensing the TM). For the regular person, five headbands comprising of a few basic colors and possibly a specialty one they really like would be more than enough. For those of us "needing" to keep our fashion game on point (or those with shopping addictions), you really never can have enough.

Junk also has clothing that is for the most part on par with most other CF inspired clothing brands, has recently started making wrist bands inspired by the headbands, and is soon coming out with a collection of Junk socks, a market I think is sorely in need of help.* The bands are now on sale, and the socks are allegedly making their debut at this years CrossFit Games. And yes, I'm getting a pair.

Are there cheaper alternatives for a pretty insignificant problem in the grand scheme of things? Of course. Does that mean I won't continue to buy them as I see more that I like? No way Jose. The Junk headband does a great job as a functional and aesthetic part of my daily workout. And for that, we thank them.





*Sidebar: I usually only workout in Nike Elite basketball socks. They are super comfortable and breathe really well. I also have other Nike socks that I use, but the hoops socks are the best. The problem with CF socks is that they are, in my opinion, too thin. Traditional shoes, such as the Nano and oly lifters, don't have a ton of cushioning or are made to be very hard to create a platform. Most CF socks are more about the style than the performance. Hylete, which I'll review later, had one of the worst socks I've ever worn. Maybe I'm just used to the finer things. And when it comes to my shoes, I need the best.

Better than Yesterday

Week 2 of the 2015 CrossFit Open is upon us, and while I should have posted something about this last week, there's still plenty to talk about.  Lots of woah crazy crazy, from Froning and Fraser kicking it all off, the first double scored workout, and subsequent invalidation of some scores for said workout.  It was definitely an interesting start.

After training since July, I anticipated the first event would be one that I would excel at, a bodyweight movement with light olympic lifting involved.  But of course my weaknesses got the best of me, and I bowed out with a paltry 147.  Forearm fatigue was in the end the limiting factor (if you don't count lack of strength as a prerequisite to being a good athlete).  The C&J went better, but I've known issues in other areas have hindered my development there more so than anything else.

What I'm more excited about was the general feeling you get from participating in something as opposed to merely being a bystander.  I've been at my box for people participating in the Open before, some scaling down and doing their best, others putting their last years worth of training to the test.  It's fun to cheer on your fellow competitors, see them strive for one more rep, one more pound on the bar.  But there's nothing like lacing up the MetCon's yourself and stepping onto the stage yourself.

Unlike local affiliate competitions, the Open allows us to compete on an even playing field with some of the fittest on the planet.  No other sport allows their participants to be able to gauge their talents to those who do this for a living.  I can play pickup basketball with the local teenagers and rack up a triple-double, but that doesn't tell me how I would fare against the likes of Stephen Curry.

And there seems to be more, for lack of a better term, weight behind the Open.  It's become a PR and marketing spectacle, and allowed for the sport to branch out to people and places it might not have without the Open.  Of course, it's created a schism in the CrossFit culture, the Open/Games vs. the original, garage gym mentality that made CrossFit a cult following to begin with, and wether that's a good or bad thing is up for debate.  But the Open and Games have ultimately made our goal in fitness bigger.  I try to approach every open workout as I would a regular WOD at my box.  But I'd be lying if there wasn't a part of me that understood that it's not the same.  I see it in people's faces as their grinding out another overhead squat, sense it in the crowd as they urge their boxmates on to keep moving, keep trying, and feel it as I walk up to the bar and see clock flashing 3...2...1...

I've never participated in the CrossFit Open until this year.  Yes it's a cash grab for HQ.  And no, I don't have any delusions that I'm qualifying for regionals.  But that's not what CrossFit is about anyway.  If you're only in it for that, then you're likely to lose sight of the journey, the reason you should be doing this.  It's about a :01 PR.  It's about getting that first unassisted pull-up.  It's about finishing a workout as prescribed for the first time.  It's about being better that you were yesterday.

Welcome to the Canoe

"Hi, my name is Rommel, and I'm addicted to CrossFit gear (Hi, Rommel)."

In case the name, URL, or first line of this didn't give it away, this is a CrossFit related blog.  For some of you, this is goodbye.  For others, this may be the start of a beautiful friendship/tragic train wreck you can't look away from.  

With all the more well known, CrossFit related information out there on clothing and accessories, you might ask what makes this blog different (I was actually wondering what the title of the post means). Aside from the fact that only people I know are reading it, it's that I buy everything I'll post about myself, therefore want to save you the hassle of wasting your hard earned money on expensive shit that supports your expensive workout habit.

Along the way, I'll also write about things going on with my CrossFit related journey, starting with my competing in my first CrossFit Open.  Despite doing CrossFit on and off for about 6 years, this is the first time I actually threw down the $20 to see how poorly I did against the rest of the world.  Unlike years before, I actually trained more and want to be able to reflect to what got me here.  Maybe it makes for an interesting read.  Most likely it'll sound like a bad idea for a JCVD movie (Still hasn't talked about the title.  Mildly annoying).

Either way, I hope you find the reviews helpful and can withstand my rants.  Should be...educational.