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Archives for January 2017

Elbow Freezie Wrap Review

January 31, 2017 - Updated April 23, 2019

Elbow Freezie Wrap Review
The third gel pack is in a lunch pail right now.

The Elbow Freezie Wrap is one of three products I bought to help overcome a tennis elbow injury in 2011. It was the Freezie Wrap and not the Inferno Wrap which helped most in recovering from tennis elbow.

A Freezie Wrap can be bought for the leg/knee, shoulder, knee, plantar/spur, wrist, and the elbow which I bought.

Tennis elbow injuries take time to heal because the arm is constantly in motion. What the area around the elbow needs when its agitated is ice, not heat. I made the mistake of applying heat in the beginning with the Inferno Wrap when I should have been using the Freezie Wrap. The elbow was inflamed, it needed ice.

**Update April 2019. The Elbow Freezie Wrap has been discontinued. Check out the Elbow Support Wrap from Lot Fancy. It can heat and cool unlike the Elbow Freezie Wrap.**

The Elbow Freezie Wrap is quite simple. Keep all three gel inserts in the freezer at all times. When you need to ice your elbow you put one of the frozen inserts into the built in pouch of the Freezie Wrap. Put your arm into the wrap and tighten it with the velcro. MendMeShop.com calls it their Cold Cure Technology.

Frozen gel inserts will keep cold enough to provide relief for 25 minutes. Sometimes I forget I have it on as the compression keeps the pain away too. Most times I forget to take it off and its not until the gel pack is warm when I do so.

Versatility is a feature of the Elbow Freezie Wrap I did not expect. Not only does it do a great job of taking care of elbows it also can take care of a knee.

I hyperextended my knee during our last week of softball this year. Was a weird play where I was tagged under my knee causing my leg to straighten out while trying to cross home plate. Since I was in the air when I was tagged all of my weight came down on the one leg when I planted my foot. It hurt instantly.

Thankfully nothing popped but I was in pain. Not enough pain to stop playing (was Championship night) but I knew the second I sat down, the swelling would kick in.

When I made it home that night my knee was swollen. I brought out the Freezie Wrap and was hoping I could wrap my knee in it the same way I do my elbow. Figured the elbow and knee both work like hinges and at the very least was worth a try. It worked. I was able to wrap it just right with the frozen gel pad to cover most of my knee. Went through two frozen ice gel packs that night and two more in the morning. It helped a lot in reducing the swelling in my knee.

Elbow Freezie Wrap
Frozen gel pack in pouch. Time to wrap.

After six years of owning the Elbow Freezie Wrap I would recommend it the most in helping to heal a tennis elbow or knee injury as it can be used for both.

As long as I am playing sports, working out, and typing, the tennis elbow will never completely go away. When it starts to act up I throw on the Elbow Freezie Wrap. A half an hour later the pain is gone.

It is not a cure-all product but a complimentary one to the Inferno Wrap. Use the Inferno Wrap when the elbow is not hurting to get more blood flowing to heal. Use the Freezie Wrap when its inflamed.

Purchase directly from MendMeShop.com like I did or buy something similar on Amazon. A waiting list is common for the Elbow Freezie Wrap as they sell out quickly. Sometimes there might be none in stock for months.

At $60 the Freezie Wrap is not cheap. I feel it is worth it as how many times have you put ice packs on and it only touches the surface of the injury. Oh, and you have to hold a freezing ice pack. This wrap covers the entire elbow in a comfortable set up.

MendMeShop.com is located in Canada. Fraudulent activity alerts may happen from your credit card company due to it being processed in Canada. This is what happened to me. Allowed the payment to proceed and received the items in less than a week.

A full refund will be issued for returns but you are responsible for shipping it back. Keeping everything is the best mindset to have upon ordering as the shipping can get pricey.

2015 Ford Transit Connect Wagon Review

January 28, 2017 - Updated January 28, 2017

2015 Ford Transit Connect Wagon Review
Doesn’t it kind of look like Darth Vaders mask? We called it Vader.

The lease is almost up on our 2015 Ford Transit Connect Wagon which means its time to reflect on the joy this vehicle brought one of us.

The truth is its Andreas daily driver. She has put 18k of the 21k miles on the Transit. She would love to tell you how much she loves this car but she is not the one who likes it. So sad.

I am the one who likes it and suggested we get it in the first place. I am also the one who writes about stuff. It is I who must tell you about the 2015 Ford Transit Connect Wagon.

Why?

Quite simply, smart people get what the Transit Connect Wagon is about – versatility. We turned in a 2013 Ford Edge with the 2.0 Ecoboost motor before leasing the Transit Connect. It was fuel-efficient and quick for an SUV. Surprisingly the Edge did not have that much cargo room with the rear seat up.

She’s short, so lifting the infant car seat and locking it into the base in a parking garage while trying not to swing the door open and hit the car next to her was a delicate procedure. Sure enough she was pregnant with our second child for the last couple months of that lease trying to lift our first-born into a toddler car seat. She did not enjoy doing that in the Ford Edge.

With the dual sliding doors and small footprint the Transit Connect would be easier to get babies in and out of in parking garages and everywhere else on Earth. Those two qualities alone were reason to get the Transit over an suv. We were brand new parents which meant we did not know what we did or did not need in a car. The Marketing Machine told us to get something with a lot of space for baby stuff and that’s what we did.

Dual Sliding Doors 2015 Ford Transit Connect Wagon
Baby stuff everywhere.

7 Seater or 5 Seater?

“You have a 7 month old and you’re having another baby in 6 months so of course you’re getting the 7 seater.” – said everybody.

“Wrong.” – said Brad Gibala

This notion that you must have a huge car because you have kids is silly. Not once during our two years of leasing the Transit Connect did we feel cramped or needing more space.

We took a trip to Gull Lake with my golf clubs, bags, stroller, baby bouncer, and a portable crib. What we realized after a couple of months of ownership was the Transit Connect might be more than we needed. The 5 seater worked just fine.

Which Engine?

We were set on the 1.9L Ecoboost from the get go. It was listed at 2 more mpg’s highway and 1 more city than the 2.5L. It added $4 to the payment for the Ecoboost. We had a good experience with the 2.0L Ecoboost in the Edge so we went with it. Only downside was it needed premium gas to hit those mpg numbers. We put regular gas in occasionally but the Transit would run sluggishly. It ran so much better with premium. Lets call the extra mpg’s with the Ecoboost and the premium gas a wash.

What We Liked

Transit Connects versatility is hard to come by in small vehicles. The Ford Edge I previously had was 15 inches longer but the Transit Connect had almost 10 more cubic feet of cargo space (68.9 to 77.1) due to the high roof. We were able to put the kids stroller in there standing up. Kind of felt like we had to or it would look like we were wasting space.

Stroller In Ford Transit Connect Wagon
Enough Said

The Transit Connect was easy to park in Compuwares basement parking garage. Since the Transit is basically a Ford Focus with a high roof it carries over the small car feel. The car’s responsive, nimble, and light which made maneuvering in Detroit and nearby Royal Oak easy to do.

The seats were in an upright high position making it easy to get in and out of along with giving you good visibility. Never once did I feel cramped driving or riding in the Transit. The huge windows may have something to do with that as it felt like driving in a fishbowl.

Front Seat 2015 Ford Transit Connect Wagon
Slide Right In

Loved the lift gate. Made getting things in and out of the cargo area so easy. The damn thing must be 7 feet off the ground when open. You can stand underneath it and use it as an umbrella when tailgating if need be. The low bumper height made for an excellent seat too.

If there was one downside to the lift gate it was you had to check the ceiling above you. Our garage is small. If we pulled in far enough we could open the tailgate in the garage. Otherwise we’d have to gently open it and rest it on the overhang.

Liftgate Garage Ceiling 2015 Ford Transit Connect Wagon
Hope you have a taller garage than us.

 

We averaged 26.3 mpg combined which is ok. I did see 29.4 mpg on the highway at 70 mph on our longer trips.

MPG 2015 Ford Transit Connect Wagon Ecoboost

Reverse camera which is standard on most cars these days was nice but sometimes unnecessary because you could stand and lean into the driver’s seat (due to the high roof line) and back up.

The door cup holders were huge. I would put a water bottle in there every time I drove.

The overhead compartment was nice for things like boxes of tissues or baby wipes but we really did not use it that much.

Not once was a babies head smacked off the Transit Connect when getting them into their car seats. Well, maybe once but definitely a lot less than most cars and small suvs that parents own. There is so much room to maneuver them into the seats and the roof is so tall that it makes smacking their heads on the car hard to do.

Not So Much

I believe cars made today are so much more awesome than cars made a decade ago which means there really is nothing to complain about. “OMG – this car sucks. It doesn’t have heated cup holders.” – says whiners.

The Transit Connect does not have heated cup holders as it’s a barebones manually operated kind of car which I liked (Andrea dealt with it). We leased it so anything that went wrong (nothing yet) would be covered by Ford. I prefer to not have things like power sliding doors as that is one more thing that can break forcing me to take the car in to get fixed. Even though I would not pay for repairs I’d still have to take it in.

The ride was a bit bouncy due to the low profile tires and high roof line. It felt as if the car was lunging due to those two things. After a month of driving we got used to what was really nothing. It just rode different from the Edge I turned in.

There was only a couple of times when adults were in the back seat instead of babies. It happened on a road trip to Chicago with my brother and his girlfriend. Both said the back seats were very firm which made for an uncomfortable ride. We had the cloth interior which was firmer than leather. I asked them if they would like to walk home. They said no.

The visors are ridiculously huge, clown like if you will, and they had to be because of the front windshield. There was so much sunlight getting into the cabin that it would blind us. You have to keep sunglasses in the car. We had to tint the front windows to cut down on some of the sun. Otherwise it would cook the side of your face.

I would have to take our garage door opener off the visor when it was sunny as the visor would not stay in place. The garage door opener would start hitting the windshield after hitting a couple of bumps. Ten seconds of metal tapping glass is all I could take and the opener would be put in the overhead compartment.

Felt bad for my 2.5 year old when the sun is out in the morning when driving into Detroit as the sun blasts his face in his car seat. Even with the visor down there is nothing you can do. I tell him it’s not the suns fault its sunny but his fault because he throws his sunglasses and hat I gave him on the floor. This does not please him at all.

I’ve had to hold my right hand up to block the sun from hitting his eyes as I drove down Woodward. If he was only an inch taller too. Our 1.5 year old is rear facing still and has no clue whats going on. She eats her gold-fish and stays quiet.

We also bought Stick and Peel window shades for both rear seat windows. The rear windows came tinted from the factory but they were not that dark. The additional layer of tint from the Stick and Peels provided extra shade for both of kids so they would not get hot back there.

Baby Car Seat 2015 Ford Transit Connect Wagon
Look at the windshield. Now picture this sleeping baby now being a 2.5 year old facing forward with the morning sun blasting his face. You would not be happy either.

What I’d Like To See

I know the new one is out but Ford needs my help for 2018 and beyond.

ARMREST!!! – It needs one that swivels. Feels weird not having one in that driving position. Its a van. It needs an armrest.

“Stow-N-Go” rear seats like the Chrysler Town & Country – This feature is available in the long wheel base but what about the shorties? The tumble seats kind of suck. I know this is a barebones car but when you tumble the seats they are still in the way. It just looks odd. I tumbled or folded them only once as the kids car seats were always in. There has to be a way to design a rear seat in the 5 seater that folds flat into the floor. Even if it means giving up some floor space.

Hybrid or Hybrid Energi Version – We were seriously considering leasing the 2016 Ford C-Max Energi as our commuting car and having a second larger vehicle for weekend trips / Home Depot runs (moms letting me keep dad’s F-150 at the house right now) but she is not ready to do so with two toddlers and little cargo room. You know what does have a ton of cargo room for a big electric battery? Yup – the Ford Transit Connect Wagon.

A hump in the cargo area like the C-Max Energi would still have mountains of space left over. The Engineers at Ford could surely position the battery behind the rear seats so those seats could now be folded flat. Come on Ford. Get with it. Make a Ford Transit Connect Wagon Energi. I’d get one immediately.

Bigger tires on the fancier wheels – The Ecoboost option came with fancier wheels which meant low profile tires. They weren’t bad but thicker tires would be better in reducing the bounces. We rotated the tires once in our two years of leasing and they still have plenty of tread left.

In Summary

When our lease is up we will not be getting another Ford Transit Connect Wagon. It looks like we will be getting a 2017 Ford Escape Titanium. Not nearly as versatile as the Transit but for at least two more years we will not need it to be.

What I thought to be odd about the Transit Connect with it being a minimalist type of car was that the lease payment was $30 higher than a fully loaded Escape Titanium. I would think the Transit to be the same price or less since it does not have leather, premium radio, or built-in navigation. I get the Z Plan as my Dad retired from Ford. It is not a coincidence me mentioning only Ford vehicles in this review. I would be an idiot to not take advantage of the discount.

The Transit was extremely helpful in transporting babies and all the stuff you think you need when you’re new parents. Slide the doors open, throw them in, and then shut the door. No balancing act with doors in parking lots and no lifting babies in. Our oldest is capable of climbing into his car seat and by the middle of July our youngest will be facing forward. Having sliding doors is not a necessity anymore.

Once you get over how awesome it looks you will appreciate the Transit Connects versatility. It shines in urban areas with short commutes. On long road trips you might be taking an extra pit stop or two to stretch out. This is not a deal breaker as you will not be able to find a vehicle of its size where you can bring that much gear with you. I never tried to take out the rear seats but you can take them out in ten minutes. Imagine how much recreational gear you can bring if it’s just two people with the back seats out. After getting to your destination you could take the gear out and sleep in the Transit if desired.

When we picked up the Transit Connect our salesman said he had only sold or leased two others in the 5 months it was available. This does not surprise me as Americans are stupid when it comes to purchasing or leasing cars. I was elated when I heard Ford was going to start bringing some of their European cars over here including the Transit. Well, maybe not the boxy Transit prior to the 2015 one. I liked the concept but it indeed was ugly. Ours at least looked ok. I mean awesome.

We just do not need big trucks, cars, or suvs here. The problem is Americans buy or lease cars based on the one time a year they need a big vehicle (camping, towing a boat, etc.). What they really need is something utilitarian like the Transit Connect Wagon that is decent on gas, fits in any parking spot, and can satisfy 95% of their transportation needs. For the other 5% they need to borrow or rent something.

That’s all I got. As you can tell we’ve I’ve been very happy with the Ford Transit Connect Wagon. But come on Ford. Get on the Transit Connect Wagon Energi already.

Elbow Inferno Wrap Review

January 26, 2017 - Updated April 23, 2019

Elbow Inferno Wrap Review
Time To Fire Up The Elbow

The Elbow Inferno Wrap is a product I used to help recover from a tennis elbow injury in 2011. When the injury happened I searched Google for anything to help recover quicker. The Elbow Inferno Wrap by MendMeShop.com kept showing up so I bought one.

**Update 4-2019: The Elbow Inferno Wrap has been discontinued. Check out the Elbow Support Wrap from Lot Fancy. It can heat and cool unlike the Elbow Inferno Wrap.**

MendMeShop.com makes different Inferno Wraps for specific parts of the body – elbow, knee, back/hip, leg/arm, shoulder, plantar/spur, and wrist. I bought the elbow one.

Recovering from a tennis elbow injury takes time due to the elbow bending in normal day-to-day activities. To heal properly the area around the elbow needs blood flow. The Elbow Inferno Wrap is designed to get more blood flowing through Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy.

The body does a good job of providing blood flow after an injury and stops when it feels its healed itself enough to survive. Thats great and all but what most people want to do more than just survive. Greedy humans we are.

After receiving the Elbow Inferno Wrap I read through the instructions and put it on. It is comfortable to wear and provides flexibility to move your arm. The hottest setting of the three was the one I used most often. I never felt the hottest setting was going to burn my arm.

The Elbow Inferno Wraps selling point is it’s a heating pad that wraps the entire elbow and not just the surface of the elbow. It penetrates more area this way as the elbow is an awkward area to put a heating pad on. How many times have you used a heating pad and tried to wrap it around a body part? Like every time. The Inferno Wrap simplifies heating pads downfalls.

Elbow Inferno Wrap Pouch
Fire It Up To Level 3

The Elbow Inferno Wrap takes 5 minutes to heat up and stays the same temperature the entire time. There are no warnings saying to take it off before a certain time. The Inferno Wrap was comfortable and sometimes I would forget I had it on.

The Elbow Inferno Wrap helped speed up recovery and reduce pain in the months following my injury. I used the Inferno Wrap for up to an hour every day for 6 months when I was on my computer. It kept my elbow loose and warm so I could type for hours.

One thing I should have done is wear it when my elbow was not hurting. When the elbow hurts it is inflamed and needs ice, not heat. Made the mistake of wearing the Inferno Wrap when it was hurting and should have put the Freezie Wrap on instead.

In Summary

With my injury healed up I mainly use the Elbow Inferno Wrap for preventative maintenance. I still keep it near my computer and throw it on occasionally.

I believe the Inferno Wrap helped me recover faster from tennis elbow. The injury will never completely go away but I feel it worked in helping to alleviate pain. When your options are do nothing and take pills or use the Inferno Wrap I feel going the wrap route was best. I could not stand the thought of taking pills everyday to mask the pain. I would rather do everything with my non-dominant hand than needlessly take pills.

This is what happened for the first couple of weeks when I was figuring out how to heal the tennis elbow injury. Since the injury happened to my dominant right hand I had to do everything left-handed. Using the mouse and even cooking were a pain in the butt. I had to learn a new way to do everything with this injury. Thankfully the Elbow Inferno Wrap could be worn anywhere near a plug which is what I did.

Not designed for the knee but I wrapped my knee with the Elbow Inferno Wrap. A two for one if you will. I have been dealing with knee injuries longer than my elbow so its nice to know I have another tool available to heal if need be. This saves me more money from not having to buy the Knee Inferno Wrap down the road.

The Elbow Inferno Wrap is not cheap at $150. They had a bundle package with the Freezie Wrap at the time for $150 total. You can buy the Elbow Inferno Wrap directly from the manufacturer on MendMeShop.com or at the MendMeShop Amazon Store. They sell out quickly and are not in stock occasionally. You may have to go on a waiting list or try to find a used one.

I bought directly from MendMeShop.com as there were no listings on Amazon at the time. Due to MendMeShop.com being headquartered in Canada you may receive a call from your credit card company suspecting fraudulent activity like I did. I told them it was not fraud and to proceed with the order.

At the time it shipped from Canada and orders over a certain amount had free shipping. Thats why I bundled the Freezie Wrap. It did not take long for my order to get to me since I live in Michigan. They ship from Pennsylvania now but returns go to Canada and you are responsible for the return shipping cost. It’s best to have the mindset that you are not returning anything you buy from MendMeShop.com. Hopefully my review gives you what you’re looking for in a decision one way or the other when deciding to buy or not buy one.

My Inferno Wrap is 6 years old and still works well. It has done everything it said it was going to do. My elbow feels much better and I can play softball and golf with no pain. Typing for hours on my computer does not hurt nor does simple things like lifting up grocery bags.

All three settings heat up and there are no tears in the material. It is pricey at $150 but you can get many years out of the Elbow Inferno Wrap as you nurse your tennis elbow injury back to good health.

Thera-Band Flexbar Review

January 25, 2017 - Updated November 17, 2017

I had almost forgot about the Thera-Band Flexbar I bought 5 years ago due to it working so well. I have not had a need to use it that much as it addressed the tennis elbow injury I sustained.

It was not until recently when I discovered it at the bottom of a box of various equipment. Thought it would be a good time to bring it back into the mix and use it again. I had forgotten how this simple looking thing can deliver a pretty good workout and address those nagging injuries.

Thera-Band Flexbar Review
Don’t Go Out In Public With This

Back in 2011 I suffered what could best be described as tennis elbow. It has never heeled 100% but I have been back to playing sports and working out for awhile. Some of that is due to the Thera-Band Flexbar.

I had hurt my arm – mostly around the elbow area – when I went out to get the relay throw from an outfielder as I was playing short stop. My teammates were yelling “3” so I knew a throw to 3rd base was my play.

It was a heated game so there was a little bit more intensity than normal. I remember throwing as hard as I could. Sadly, the throw was just off and the guy was safe.

I didn’t notice it at the time but by throwing harder I had over extended a number of things in and around my elbow. The adrenaline covered the pain and I finished the game.

The next morning though I was in some serious pain. My arm and in particular my elbow was throbbing. Not good.

I spent the next three weeks doing a whole lot of nothing due to the injury. Typing, working out, and lifting grocery bags hurt to do.

Went to two separate Drs. and physical therapists. They both said I had hyper-extended everything around my elbow. I had pain on the inside and outside of the elbow.

Whats embarrassing about all of this is they said the injury was not because of the throw I made. The throw was the event which caused everything to tear.

Turns out me typing on a keyboard and using a mouse for the past 9 years of my life was the culprit. Moving the mouse ever so slightly some tens of thousands of times caused tendons in and around my elbow to coil up. It burst when I made the hard throw.

The medical advice I received was to practice the RICE method (Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevated.) and use anti-inflammatory medicine when needed. I’m not big into pills if I don’t need to use them so I passed.

They also mentioned the healing process would take awhile since it’s an area of the body which is constantly used. Therefore its going to keep tearing and healing.

The last piece of advice they had was once the pain went away to start lightly strengthening the muscles around the area. They suggested a couple of stretches but that’s about it.

The stretches helped but how was I going to address the strengthening part? I headed to Google and did some searching for ways to heal tennis elbow injuries. The Thera-Band Flexbar kept coming up in the results so I bought one.

Upon Receiving the Thera-Band Flexbar

I opened it up and read through the instructions. It comes with an index card sized guide showing all the ways you can use the Flexbar.

It recommends using the various moves 10 to 15 times up to three times a day. The first time I used it I could feel it lengthening those tendons and most importantly alleviating the pain.

The first use was all I needed to get me on board with the Flexbar. I used it everyday for three months and it really helped. I’d say the pain was 90% gone after those first three months.

Here’s the thing. I could not bring myself to make a video of me using the Thera-Band Flexbar nor pictures showing the different grips.

You can probably tell by the Flexbars shape that it shares distinct qualities of a mans down stairs fleshy bits. While it would make for a good internet video I don’t think I could keep a straight face showing the versatility of the Flexbar to you.

This embarrassment happened shortly after buying the Flexbar. Upon making my return to the softball field I decided to use it before a game to warm up and stretch my arm. Well, the jokes started rolling and rightfully so. At the same time more than half of my team tried it out and were surprised how well the Flexbar worked.

I did find a simple video of the Thera-Band Flexbar showing a couple of the ways to use it.

Out of the “twist, bend, and shake” ways to use the Flexbar the “shake” way is why the comments are disabled on YouTube for that video.

Usually I keep it at home and use it before I head out to softball or even golf. It can garner some looks if you bring it out in public and try to be serious using it. Does make for a good laugh at parties though.

The “Tyler Twist” is the most effective way to use the Thera-Band Flexbar. It works all of the tendons needed to help combat a tennis or golf elbow injury.

Again, I did not see the need in making a video of me cranking down on the Flexbar due to me not being able to keep a straight face. There are however many videos on YouTube of people, mostly good-looking women of course, showing how the Tyler Twist works.

In Summary

Thera-Band makes four Flexbars of various resistance. I went with the second strongest. For up to $20 you really can’t go wrong with buying one and using it to help alleviate pains from tennis elbow, golfers elbow, and tendonitis. The Flexbar can also help improve grip strength.

Throw it in your backpack, golf or softball bag, or keep it on your desk and use it when necessary. When you use it for the first time you will feel a stretching in and around your elbow and up into your fingertips like you’ve never felt before.

I use the Flexbar for preventative maintenance during golf and softball seasons. My tennis elbow doesn’t flare up as much since I started using a MacBook Pro instead of an iMac. I believe it’s because my arms are straight out in front of me all the time instead of out on an angle using the separate trackpad.

Thera-Band makes a wide range of products but you cannot buy directly from them. It appears they have wholesale agreements with two particular websites along with the Thera-Band Amazon store where I bought my Flexbar.

Boombah Golf Shoe Review

January 23, 2017 - Updated January 26, 2017

Boombah Golf Shoe ReviewBoombah makes golf shoes?

Yes, Boombah make golf shoes.

If you play softball than you have heard of Boombah. Over half of the guys I play softball with own the shoes and pants.

I was on the Boombah website two years ago looking to get a new pair of softball shoes when I noticed a tab for golf shoe. I had to check this out.

At first glance they reminded me of the Boombah turf shoe. The soles looked almost alike and for being a golf shoe they looked cool.

I was not planning on getting golf shoes at the time but was in need of a pair. Decided to buy the Showstopper Turfs for softball and added the golf shoes. If there is one thing that makes Boombah popular besides their looks is their prices. $49 was reasonable for golf shoes.

This is what the Boombah golf shoes look like after 35 rounds of golf in the past 2 years.

Top Boombah Golf Shoe

Bottom Boombah Golf Shoe

What I liked most about the Boombah golf shoes was how comfortable they felt which is how most Boombah shoes are. You could go from the golf course to the softball field in them and not know the difference.

What I liked least about the Boombah golf shoes was the short length of the soft spikes as they don’t dig into the grass enough. There were a couple of times where I slipped on the follow through due to the short soft spikes.

Just like most Boombah shoes I’ve owned there is a durability issue. The soft spikes would wear down where I put the most pressure in my golf stance which caused me to slip.

I’m glad they had leather on the front of the shoe and not mesh. Half of the shoes I’ve bought from Boombah wear down so much that by the end of the season there would be a hole in it. There is some wear to the leather but otherwise pretty good considering the amount of rounds I played in them.

I’d like to tell you if the Boombah golf shoes were waterproof or not but I don’t go out of my way to step into puddles nor do I play golf in thunderstorms. What I can tell you is in a light mist with no standing water on the course your foot will stay dry.

Sadly, these golf shoes will probably not make you a better golfer. What these golf shoes will do is attract attention from people who are golfing with you.

—-

What kind of golf shoes are those?

They’re Boombahs. You know, like the softball shoes.

Boombah makes golf shoes?

Yes, Boombah makes golf shoes.

Man, those are kind of cool looking. How much are they?

$50.

Really? That’s not bad.

That’s what I said.

—-

That same Q&A happened at least a dozen times when I was paired up with someone. It happened 100% of the times I golfed with my softball buddies.

The Boombah golf shoes would be ideal for somebody who plays golf less than 15 times a year and is not overly serious about golf. For $50 you really can’t complain. They look cool, are very comfortable, and if you buy the Boombah softball shoes you’ll enjoy how they feel.

For somebody who plays more than 15 times a year you might want to look elsewhere if you’re concerned about durability. Most brand name golf shoes are $80+, last longer, and have longer interchangeable soft spikes.

Boombah golf shoes are a all in one shoe which means when the soft spikes wear down you cannot change them. What you have remaining are shoes you wear to do yard work in. But again – for $50 – not bad.

I am not sure if I’ll buy another pair as I golf more than 15 times a year. Some years I play 30 rounds or more which means I would be going through two sets of Boombah golf shoes a year. It would make sense for me to buy a more durable shoe but I would still recommend these shoes.

With Boombah being a direct to consumer company you are best to buy them via Boombah.com. They also sell via their Boombah Amazon store but I did not see any golf shoes available at this time.

Herschel Walker Workout Challenge: It’s Tough

January 23, 2017 - Updated January 8, 2019

Herschel Walker Workout Challenge
Herschel Walker at 53 years old.

I do not remember how I heard about the Herschel Walker Workout Challenge. My best guess is I followed a link from Yahoo.

Upon reading how Herschel Walker has worked out most of his life I decided to take the Herschel Walker workout challenge. Well, not the full challenge but the half challenge. AKA – Half Herscheling.

To provide a brief summary of what Herschel Walker did from the time he was in junior high is this. He would do thousands of push ups, sit ups, and pull ups every day and has continue to do so his entire life. He did not start using weights until he was in the middle of his NFL career. Let that sink in.

I modified the Half As Good As Herschel Walker Workout Challenge to do 500 push ups, 500 sit ups, and 100 squats every day.

Any form of push up, sit up, and squat. Removed the sprinting part. Probably should have kept it. Do as many reps of each move as possible, take a break, and resume with the same move or something different. Whats most important is to get them done anytime throughout the day. Half in the morning. Half in the evening. You get the picture.

Here we go

Day 1 (5-2-15) 500/500/100 – Got them all done in the morning.

Day 2 500/500/100 – Woke up feeling pumped and a little sore. Especially in the abs.

Day 3  500/500/100 – Moved three shrubs to the backyard too. Ate and drank a lot of food.

Day 4 500/500/100 – Did lots of yard work. Burned over 4k calories.

Day 5 (5-5-15) 150/150  Felt exhausted this morning. Had a feeling before going to bed last night that I needed to eat a lot more. Woke up feeling exhausted from Herscheling and the last three days of yard work. Not counting this as a day off since I did do 150/150. I just need to split the difference over the next two days.

Day 6 500/500/100 – I’m realizing the need to get as many done within an hour of waking. Had 200/200 done by 7:30 am. Had 500/500 done by noon. Was able to do 30 push ups a couple different times.

Day 7 500/500/100 – Went golfing at Cattails for the first time. Didn’t want to be tired on the course so I did 100/100 before I left. Did notice a more balanced swing and felt much stronger in the core. Was making great contact today. Did 400/400/100 between 7-8pm. Did 40 push ups a couple of times. Only been a week and have doubled the amount of push ups I can do in a set.

Day 8 200/200 – Had such a great time golfing yesterday I decided to go again. Did 200/200 in the morning and went golfing at Tanglewood. Never been there before but was impressed. Was paired up with a guy who wanted to hit from the blues so I did too. Shot a 92 which is good for me. Made very good contact again. Core strength is helping out with posture which is helping the swing. Was planning on finishing up my 300/300/100 but Andrea surprised me upon getting home saying we were going out to dinner in Detroit. Then surprised me by saying at dinner we were going to see Hall & Oates. So I did not get my reps done.

Day 9 500/500/100 – Did 50 push ups twice. Am getting them all done in about 25% less the time.

Day 10 (5-10-15) Took my first full day off.

Day 11 500/500/100 – Didn’t miss a beat. Did 50 reps a couple of times.

Day 12 500/500/100 – Went golfing at Rackham in the morning for a customer appreciation tournament. Didn’t do any sets and really wish I did. It was 50 degrees and windy out. Was cold on the course. Didn’t feel loose like I did golfing last week. Played crappy. Put up a 95. I’m already in summer mode and it felt like 43 degrees out. Did all my sets at night between 7:30 and 8:40 while watching TV.

Day 13 (5-13-15) – 21/21. Yup – that’s it. 21 of each. On my 35th birthday of all days. Today was the first day since starting the Half-A-Herschel Walker Workout Challenge that my body felt overworked. Got to my 17th push up and it felt like my shoulder was about to tear or pop and my elbow flared up. Throw in my son waking up 45 minutes earlier on the day I watch him at home and it made for a tiring day.

Day 14 500/500/100 – Did 250/250 before golfing the very odd Dearborn Hills. They have no Par 5’s and 12 Par 3’s. Need to start stretching more. While I’m feeling stronger I do feel a bit tight in the upper body. Cranked out the remaining 250/250/100 around 7pm.

Day 15 100/100 – Did some in the morning and then started doing some chores around the house. The Huntington Woods Annual Garage Sale was going on and we had some stuff out. I was not manning the tables as my mom and Andrea were but my friend Dave called and said he was coming over with his daughter and beers. Hence I did no more once the beers started flowing for the rest of the evening.

Halftime Report

Including the two days off I would have needed to complete 6000 push ups, 6000 sit-ups, and 1200 squats to be on pace. I am at 5471/5471/1000. That puts me 529/529/200 away from being on pace. While I think its doable to add an extra 50 push ups and sit-ups a day on top of the 500 I’m supposed to do it reminds me how I’m only doing Half-A-Herschel and that I’m pacing at 40% Herschel. Somewhere out in the world a 52 year old man is doing 60% more than me on a day-to-day basis.

I am noticing a lot more core strength and just about everywhere else. Need to eat a lot more. Been more active outside of Herscheling and its taking up a lot of energy.

Day 16 500/500/100 – Felt a little fuzzy after yesterday’s activities. Did half in the morning and the rest in the evening. Kind of woke me up.

Day 17 (5-18-15) 200/200 – Did 100/100 in the morning and yard work from 9:30 am till 7:30pm. Didn’t pay attention to the time. My Fitbit said I did over 27,000 steps, walked 12.70 miles, burned 4,772 calories, and had 395 active minutes. Was pretty tired when I finally came in. After eating and cleaning up it was 9pm and I was exhausted. Dropped down and did 100/100. Thats all I had energy for.

Day 18 Nothing – Felt a little beat up and extremely hungry. Ate big meals all day. Been feeling very tight since starting the Herschel Walker workout challenge. Did P90X2 Recovery & Mobility to help. The Rumble Roller found knots everywhere. Was painful at times.

Day 19 550/550/100 – More energy today. Did 300/300 in the morning and 250/250/100 in the afternoon. Did some extra to catch up.

Day 20 (5-21-15) Nothing – Am really starting to need the recovery days now. Just didn’t have it in me to do any. Went golfing at Idyl Wyld in Livonia. Played ok. Drives are going further and am feeling much more power in my swing.

Day 21 500/500/100

Day 22 Nothing – Tigers game

Day 23 Nothing

Day 24 Nothing

Day 25 (5-26-2015) 100/100 – So here’s the deal. Every morning for the last three days it felt like my right shoulder was going to tear and my elbow was inflamed. Its been affecting my mood. Felt a bit lethargic and blobby. Doesn’t help I kind of fatted out in the eating department. Knew I had to try again today and got to 100/100 this morning but thats all I could do without feeling like I was going to injure myself.

Day 26 10/10 – Elbow is feeling shot.

Day 27 Nothing

Day 28 Nothing

Day 29 Nothing

Day 30 (5-31-2015) Nothing

A whole lot of not awesomeness happened over the last 9 nine days. My elbow and right shoulder were not up to the task. Should have done the sit-ups and squats but did not.

30 Day Totals

7331 push ups

7331 sit ups

1310 squats

30 Day Goals

15000 push ups

15000 sit ups

3000 squats

Final Results

15000 – 7331 = 7669 push ups short

15000 – 7331 = 7669 sit ups short

3000 – 1310 = 1690 squats short

Wow. Just when you think doing 7331 push ups is a lot you realize you did less than half your goal. Same with the sit ups and squats. Damn you Herschel Walker.

Final Thoughts

What I liked most about Herscheling is its simplicity. With me being a dad now it makes working out a little trickier. It’s not that I don’t have the time. Its that I can’t assume I’ll have that scheduled time every day with a 10 month old (**update 1-22-17: 2.5 and 1.5 year old**).

I did take a before and after photo and the only difference I could see was my chest looked bigger. Figure that. My visual results would have been better if I didn’t take those nine days off. Hence why I did not upload said before and after photo.

I do feel stronger even after having to rest. It really helped my golf game too. There is so much core being worked when Herscheling and that’s what a golf swing is all about.

While I love Beachbody workouts they are kind of a production. What I mean by production is you have to set aside time to do the workout. Set up your workout area. Get your workout equipment. Put in the dvd or fire up Beachbody on Demand. Take your pre-workout drink. Take a selfie. Then log your workout into the Super Gym at Team Beachbody or the My Challenge Tracker app.

Herscheling is different. You have a number of each moves your supposed to do for the day and you do them. Watching TV? Herschel. Looking around for something to do? Herschel. Done dicking around on the internet? Herschel.

If you want to be like my friend Joe who broke it down to “I need to do 50/50/10 over the next 10 hours and to hit that goal I will set an alarm to go off on my phone alerting me to Herschel. After each set I will bring up an excel spreadsheet and mark an X showing I completed it” than go ahead.

That is a bit much for me but if you are one of those types then go for it.

How long does it take to do 30 push ups, like 40 seconds? And 30 sit-ups takes 40 seconds. In 7 minutes you could do 100 push ups and 100 sit-ups. Do you have 35 minutes through out the day where you can do 500 push ups and 500 sit-ups along with 100 air squats? I bet you do.

What worked for me was as soon as I got moving in the morning I’d get 250/250 done which took me about 15 minutes to do. Then around noon I’d do 150/150. At 4 pm I would do the remaining 100/100/100. When you get half of them done before 8 am it makes all of this much easier.

I see Herscheling or doing something similar to it being apart of my life moving forward. It’s a very efficient workout plan that Mr. Walker has committed his life to. Clearly it works.

Doing every day when you have not done that many push ups in a day before is what got me. It’s not that I could not do that many it’s that it was too much too soon. Hats off to Mr. Walker for being able to do that many every day his entire life.

Might be that since he started doing this at an early age he was able to recover much faster. I’m in my mid 30s and the recovery time is what gets me. What my 9 rest days tells me is I indeed would have found more success if I did do it every other day. Stretching or yoga on the rest days would have reduced the tightness I was feeling.

That’s all I got. Was a good challenge. Was funny telling people I was Herscheling for 30 days.

**I started journaling my progress with the Herschel Walker Workout Challenge in May 2015 and finally got around to publishing it in 2017.**

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