I’ve said time and time again that fitness is a very important part of the life of any serious martial artist.  With that in mind, a few months ago I started looking into some proper exercise equipment for the house.  Let’s face it – most people dont get to the gym as much as they should, and having something at home can be very handy (so long as the problem is one of time, and not one of motivation).  In the end, I settled on what you see here: the Bowflex Revolution.  We’ve all seen the ads on TV, but that doesnt prove anything.  What everyone wants to know is whether or not it is any good.  Well, it has been a few months and so I think I’m ready to give it my verdict.

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ProForce Curved Rebreakable Board

Finding good equipment can be a challenge.  There are lots of shops selling lots of items that look good, but are a bit more questionable in practice.  Thankfully, I am here to help sort through the mess.  First up for review is the ProForce Curved Plastic Rebreakable Board.

Let’s start out with a quick overview of what, exactly, this product is, does, and is for.  In martial arts, a common training technique is to break boards with your hands, feet, head, etc…  This is usually done to help develop power and precision, as well as teaching the practitioner how to “punch through” a target – it is also frequently used in competitions.  While wood is relatively cheap, you can start going through it pretty quickly if breaking is common.  That is where rebreakable boards come in.  Rebreakable boards are generally made of plastic, and are intended to resemble (as closely as possible) the dimensions, strength, and other features of a wood board – but with one big difference: when you break it, you can put it back together again and keep reusing it!

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