One recent workout had us doing burpee to box jumps, where you quickly drop to a push up then jump onto a box. That might sound simple—but if it does, you probably haven’t done a lot of burpees (which earned their name from what you do after you’ve don a lot of them). A burbee can be pushing from a high area and lifting you body up. Combined with jumping up to a box jump, this is an amazing exercise for bouldering or hiking. The box jump is an exaggerated step up, which emulates you stepping up onto a higher surface as you would when climbing and hiking up steep terrain.

The next portion of the workout was pull ups, which are self explanatory. That helps the mountain climber and the extreme hiker pull your body weight up to a high branch or a rock to get yourself to the next area. Back squat jumps came next, where you have a barbell on your back do a squat…and then jump. That is the best training movement for running and helping your body move up steep terrain with a backpack on.

CrossFit Bellator is not chock full of elite athletes, although you can see great athletes there—mostly they are every-day people who want to better their lives and make their adventures better. Workouts like today show why CrossFit is so great for functionally training to do nearly any of your favorite sports or activities.

An update on the footwear we’ve been testing: So Far the New Balance Minimus have held up great to the running and the jumping. They should be great minimalist trail shoes, and I am looking forward to testing them on our CrossFit Turkey Mountain runs soon, not just in the gym!

Brent has his BS in Exercise Physiology from UCF. He was a fitness manager for four years and served as a strength and conditioning coach for Ripon Collage. A Crossfitter since 2007, Brent has also managed for Gold’s and Anytime Fitness.

But while this little boy has a lifetime of building up callouses in the harsh African heat and environment, my little footies are pretty sadly lacking in durability. Broken glass, uneven pavement, rocks, nails and screws and thousands of other hazards await the runner who may want to experience barefoot running’s benefits but lack the lifetime of callouses.

Enter companies like VivoBarefoot, who provide not so much a running shoe as a thin covering for your foot that simply takes the best barefoot running has to offer and adds a layer or two of protection.

We had the chance to check out a few models from VivoBarefoot, but their self-professed go-to running shoe is their curiously named Aqua Lite. Apparently not a water shoe despite its name, the Aqua Lite comes across as a felt slipper and not at all what I initially expected from expert runner Lee Saxby’s favorite on road running shoe. The upper’s material would not look out of place in any casual setting, but Vivo claims it offers great durability as well as excellent breathability, hydrophobic protection, and light weight—all combining to make the Aqua Lite a long-lasting favorite for runners on the road, the treadmill, or even in the gym.

My first experiences with the Aqua Lite, however, showed my poor form and how unprepared my body was for a transition to barefoot running. While the Aqua Lites were comfortable and the zero-drop and large toe box allowed for foot expansion and natural movement, my form lacked and I quickly developed a great deal of pain in my Achilles tendon, particularly on my right foot.

A little research directed me to VivoBarefoot’s compendium of training materials available on their site under training. My early experiences should serve as a warning against trying to switch without doing your due diligence. From videos to perfect your form to linking up with coaches, VivoBarefoot provides not only the footwear to allow you to run barefoot-style but protected, they also give you the resources to make the transition at your own pace.

My own barefoot evolution continues, but the Aqua Lites have established themselves as one of my go-to flat surface minimalist running shoes of choice. Not only that, they look good with jeans for a night out, too! Retailing for $115, the Aqua Lites are competitive with other premium running shoes, and if you are considering going barefoot, you can’t beat VivoBarefoot’s combination of footwear and online resources.

One of the most amazing stats about the Kilo 3P jumps right out at you—it weighs (just over) one pound per person, a total of 3.8 pounds for great accommodations for three people. The second stand out detail doesn’t come out until it’s time to set up: the three pole design makes for incredibly easy assembly no matter how bone-headed, tired, or pressed by the elements you may be.

The Kilo 3P is a three season tent—three people, three pounds, three seasons…are you detecting a trend here?—with excellent waterproof construction and a bathtub floor with taped seams to keep you dry under the rain fly almost regardless where you pitched camp. Unless you’re in a flowing river, you’re going to stay dry, and thanks to the rain fly’s skirts, air can still circulate easily while you stay dry. We endured a spring storm of pretty good strength without sacrificing an ounce of comfort.

Set up is a snap due to color-coded poles of Easton’s Carbon ION™ with AirLock™ Connectors. We’re talking trained monkey simple here, which is be a major plus if you get caught setting up camp in the dark or in bad weather. Only slightly less intuitive was the rain fly, with its quick-attach loops, but with the directions or an illustration, you’ll get it once and never have another problem.

Nits to pick are very few: the footprint is sold separately, which would be a nice addition to a tent that retails normally for $500 but can be found for $400. That price alone might be a bit much for some campers to bite off, but the tradeoff of technology, performance, size, and weight means something had to give somewhere—you can have it all, but you will pay for it. And during testing, we broke a pole at the point of one AirLock Connector—our tester had seen any number of rigorous press testing stints, however, and we were being knuckle-scraping stupid/aggressive instead of respecting an investment of this dollar amount (you of course would never do that in a rush to relocate a bit during a downpour).

If you’re packing it in and out yourself and weight is at a premium (which is always is unless you’re camping next to your car), the Easton Mountain Products Kilo 3P is an amazing piece of tech worthy of its awards. Whether all that tech and light weight is worth the investment depends on what you like to put your money into. As long as you’re on good terms with your tent-mates, the Kilo 3P isn’t a bad way of spending hard-earned cash on one of, if not the, best light weight tents available on the market.

Innovation and creativity really is the name of the game for the Ultras. They of course represent VivoBarefoot’s extreme minimalist mindset—there’s as little as possible between you and the ground. The innovation comes from combining what VivoBarefoot calls “the cage”—a perforated upper of dual-density, highly abrasion resistant material that flexes and moves very freely that you can tighten with elastic draw string—with a “sock.” Into the hexagon-holed cage, Vivo drops in a removable sock to improve fit, offer more protection, and make the shoe a little warmer for those chilly outings. You can wear the Ultra in Ultra Pure form (no sock) or with the sock liner, depending on your comfort level and activity.

An amphibious shoe, the Ultra is designed to protect your foot from injury on sharp objects while still delivering a very authentic “barefoot” feel. The sock adds to the shoe a more traditional feel—without it, the Ultra reminds me of a minimalist Crock.

However, for an amphibious shoe, I found the sock very slow to dry—if you’re going to get wet, leave the sock at home or stuff it in a pocket for after your run. Embrace the more minimalist feel of the cage (and plug-in mesh tongue insert that comes in the box) and keep the sock dry. Your foot may slide around a bit or get sand in the cage during a beach run, but it beats having a wet “sock” for hours and hours.

The sock adds a different dynamic to fit, as well. My European size 40s were snug with the sock in and a bit loose without it. The quick draw string lacing lets you tighten the cage up nicely, while intentionally providing room for your foot to expand.

While VivoBarefoot says the Ultra is good for the trail, the outsole lacks the lugs and traction for rough trail running. That said, it felt sticky enough on wet blacktop. I’d say the Ultra meets two of its three categories—a beach run and travel or casual use—but is not a shoe I’d choose for the trail.

The bottom line is that the Ultras are comfortable, exceptionally light, and handle the wet well (without the sock). They squish down into nothing for travel, and if your main interest is in having a protective layer between your feet and injuring debris on a run, they’re a versatile, comfortable shoe with a unique look. Ultra’s retail for $80 on VivoBarefoot’s website. That said, you could easily skip the sock of the Ultra, spend only $50 on their Ultra Pure model, and wear a pair of your own socks and still experience these VivoBarefoot’s best attributes.

The WOD—Workout of the Day—was five rounds of 50 double-unders (jump rope) paired with 400 meter runs. This is of course after warming up and working on some lifting technique. I was spent after the warm up, as most of my “working out” has been toting my daughter’s extra 30 pounds around a local urban “wilderness.” Those squats especially will be hell to pay in the morning, I’m sure.

Joey, one of the trainers, was awesome, with frequent encouragements and the right personal touch to make my poor level of fitness not seem so glaringly awful. With the temperature in Tulsa in the middle to upper 80s today and the humidity rising, it was a warm day and a lot of cardio. At least I didn’t pass out!

This was my first chance to check out New Balance’s MT20SBs Minimus shoes. They’re apparently popular with the CrossFit set because of their durability, and I was surprised my feet didn’t sweat more—they’re the Winter Run versions, which are tougher. I’ll have more thoughts on these soon after a few more workouts.

I’m not typically comfortable in gyms—I’d much rather be out in nature. But Joey and the people at Bellator made me feel right at home, out of shape or not. If I want to be in better shape for my wife and daughter and for the hiking and camping I love, I can’t imagine a better tool than CrossFit to get me there.

At Benosh, we’ve partnered up with the amazing people at CrossFit Ballator here in Tulsa, OK, and some truly incredible manufactures. New Balance was the first to really buy into the line of functional training articles we’re doing this summer and provide some peerless Minimus footwear and some gym apparel, like these shorts.

Mesh gym shorts are everywhere, and every manufacturer seems to make them. These New Balance shorts have little to distinguish themselves outside of that liner, but they don’t have anything to prove. Executed with quality and with the wicking liner, the Showdowns have vaulted into the spot of my favorite shorts for the gym and for trail running. They wick fast, are very comfortable, and look great.

At a very reasonable $18 that wouldn’t be out of place for a big box’s store brand, the New Balance Showdown Shorts do the mesh short thing right and add a nice feature with the lining. Grab some and get moving!

Despite my denial, I wanted to give those knees a belated birthday present. When I heard about Newton Running and their Action/Reaction^TM technology, which they say “reduces impact, returns energy, and propels you forward so you can run faster, farther, forever” my knees and I were interested.

Since mountain trails are my favorite surface, I tried the Terra Momentus model.  To say these are bright green is an understatement.  I think I could run at night without a headlamp!  But I’ve had two people ask me about these shoes, so Newton’s evil marketing plan is working.

The premise of their design is to facilitate a barefoot running stride, as demonstrated by this cool exercise:  Take your shoes off and run.

Do it.  Just run down the hall. We’ll wait…

Did you notice that your heels didn’t clobber the ground like they do with marshmallow-padded running shoes we’re all used to?  It’s that knee-jolting that Newton is trying to reduce.

I’m sure there are dozens of patented and nifty features that make these shoes great. (Newton’s web site has tons of info and cool videos) But the most noticeable difference is the extra-thick lugs on the sole at the ball of the foot. The other unusual item is the card that you’ll find in the box.  It has ten points on how to run with these shoes.

This had me a bit concerned, since I’ve been running for almost 29 years.  (Or more if you ask my knees.)

But the point is to un-learn the impact-heavy parts of your running stride, and I’m all about improving efficiency at 9000 feet above sea level.

After a couple of weeks in these shoes, I can say that the Newton folks are on to something.  I actually do feel a new flow to my stride. When you walk in these, the shape of the sole feels a little funny, but running feels great.

My one criticism is that, since these are trail-runners, the heel-cup could be a little more snug.

Bottom line: I’ve been running in these for long enough to be a fan even at their $150 price of entry. And I’m trying to get enough dirt on them to tone down the glow!

Mike Loomis lives in Winter Park, Colorado with his solar-powered wife, Chris, and their pet moose, Marvin. They get outside every day, and they love it… almost every day.  Great gear helps.

Back in April of 2010 we asked whether or not you were CrossFit—and this April, we’re revisiting CrossFit not just with an article but with a partnership with CrossFit Bellator here in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Three editors from Benosh will be killing it this spring and summer to functionally train using CrossFit so we are better hikers, cyclists, and everything else.

What is functional training, you might be wondering. Whatever you enjoy doing, the right workout program can make you better able to tackle. CrossFit is such an incredible program not just because it sheds extra weight like it was going out of style; it is amazing for training core muscles and total body fitness.

Many workouts isolate specific muscles—how many times have you been at the gym and heard a guy say he was going to do curls to make his biceps bigger? Functional training ditches these appearance-based workout goals and replaces them with some huge benefits:

• Decreased injuries
• Increased in natural range of motion and freedom
• More natural use and development of core muscles
• Faster calorie burning

An interesting study showed that functional training delivered more than 50% greater increase in strength vs. fixed-form workouts, along with dramatic increases in balance and a reduction in joint pain (Spennewyn 2008).

It all sounds good to us, and over the next few months, we’ll be telling you about our workouts, progress, and the gear that use from some top manufactures like New Balance and adidas. Welcome to Benosh XF!

Three days after I got my new Vapor Trail Hoody by Marmot, my wife ordered one for herself!

Want more?

In addition to having a really cool name, Marmot’s Vapor Trail Hoody actually creates vapor trails when you run or bike fast.

OK, OK, I’ll get serious. This softshell has features you’d expect: it’s water-repellent (rain-tested on bike rides) and breathable.

But here’s what really sold me (and my wife) on this jacket: It has all the cool heavy-duty features you don’t normally find in a “light” jacket. It is stretchy/comfy, with a layer of insulation in the front and an amazing hood–which battled the wind and won.  The Vapor Trail has pockets and adjustment straps you expect to only see on winter jackets. (I would like to see pit-zips, but hey, I’m getting picky.)

The Vapor Trail Hoodie has a slim fit, extra-length sleeves with elastic cuffs, and is a long enough to keep you warm when the wind tries to steal the fun.

If my wife hasn’t bought them out, you might find one for yourself for a very reasonable $150 on Marmot’s website!

Mike Loomis lives in Winter Park, Colorado with his solar-powered wife, Chris, and their pet moose, Marvin. They get outside every day, and they love it…almost every day.  Great gear helps.

The first time I put on the Cool Lines Tee, I immediately noticed that I indeed seemed cooler—the fabric just felt cooler to the skin than the previous shirt I had been wearing. That feeling wasn’t just in my head: it’s the result of New Balance’s IceFil® skin-cooling technology. Lightning Dry technology means that it wicks away the sweat as well.

Some other shirts from New Balance have these technologies working for them, but while they account for the “cool” in the Cool Lines name, the “lines” part comes from the visual cue overlay tape that is designed to help you maintain good form while training. Combined with gym mirrors, the idea is that you can check your muscle alignment easily in the Cool Lines Tee. Good form means reduced chance of injury.

My CrossFit workouts at Bellator in the Cool Lines Tee were still brutal, but my sweat wicked away quickly and the shirt never felt clammy or overly clingy. I wouldn’t hesitate to wear this shirt while hiking or camping, either, as a stand-alone shirt or as an undershirt. In fact, for warm weather outings, it would be my shirt of choice for any activity.

The New Balance Cool Line Short Sleeve is available on their website for a very reasonable $35. This is a high dollar value piece of gear, and I encourage you to pick it up or another New Balance shirt featuring its technology in order to be active this summer.