Music To My Ears
August 11, 2010 | gadgets
When it comes to training with music, we are certainly spoiled for choice. Undoubtedly, the iPod shaped the portable music player industry to such an extent that you could argue it has become a brand eponym (or metonymic at the very least). Nonetheless, there are countless portable music players available in the market designed for training.
I’ll look at 2: the iPod Shuffle for dry-land training and a completely different Finis SwiMP3 for pool training.
iPod Shuffle
I will admit to being very excited when this little music player arrived, and ordered one immediately it became available locally. It integrates very nicely with iTunes, as much as you would expect from any iPod and functions very well. Sound quality, “lightness”, functionality and a remote on the headphone wires all make a perfect musical training partner. However, the downside: the remote collects sweat and after a while becomes jammed so you’re unable to turn the volume down (in my case). Replacing the headphones (via Apple) is outrageously expensive and this makes it a not-so-great workout partner in the long run.
TIP: tie a small knot near the remote on the headphone to alleviate copious sweat from jamming the electrics.
SwiMP3
This little music player has got to be one of the more clever applications of sound conduction out there. By conducting the sound through your (fairly hollow) cheek bones you can hear just about every single beat above the splashing of water. It actually sounds better when your head is submerged. It might look a little space-age-ish once you’ve clipped it on but it does the trick, especially on those long sets.
You can certainly get “lost” in the beat and the water if you’re in the mood in the right set on the right day with the right music. Of course, you can also get good motivation levels if you sort out your playlist carefully before you start…
IMPORTANT: I often see a lot of people either cycling or running outdoors (in heavy traffic areas) with music players and headphones plugged in. NOT a good idea. Think.
