Unless I am doing a mental exercise, I am always working out with music. I dance as I lift and run, because working out is my happy place.
When small iPods were a thing I used to just fold up my key and Nano in the waistband of my short and go run. That was easy and light. No giggling and stayed everything stayed safe. But now we use phones for streaming our music and those things are a lot bigger. Since the glory days of teeny tiny pod are over, I seem to always be looking for solutions to keep my keys and music light, secure and safe while I play.
I have never been comfortable with the arm/bicep music player straps. I’m so super beefcake but I seem to quite frequently flex off the strap when I’m doing bench press or weighted rows. Also, the RUBBING. Not ok. I don’t need to feel bulkier than I am while I am working out and lifting weights. I feel like I’m strapped down. The feeling of swinging weight should be reserved for kettlebells.
And fanny pack phone/key holders are kind of bogus too. I like then - until I have to move quickly; until I want to run on the treadmill; until I want to do ...well, brupees. That thing doesn't stay secure - like it jumps when I jump and usually in the opposite direction. I feel like I’m coming apart. The military gal in me scream “This is not secure!” Then I have to usually turn the music off.
Enter the RUNNING BUDDY. I got this is an “I don’t want this gift” from my mother. A patient of hers got it for her and she never used it. I begrudgingly took it and it stayed in the packaging for at least a month. I thought it was another fanny-pack thing. Then one day, my favorite/least favorite armband was in the wash and I tried it.
I love this thing. I clipped it into the back of my high-waisted compression tights, threaded my ear cord under my bra and went to work. Because it adheres itself with magnetic clasps, there is no cinching down straps or one-arm wrestling the apparatus around your bicep. I started with a rowing and DB snatch warm up, then went on to to workout my upper body and core.
This bad boy stayed in place - like S T A Y E D. It was also easy to change positioning of it. When I did a series of exercises on my back, I just flipped the Buddy to the front. When I went on to abs and burpees, I just clipped it into my sports bra and tank and crunched myself into oblivion.
Since then, I am an avid advocator of the Running Buddy. It come in a number of different sizes so you can find one that fits your. Needs. It even does a great job while doing plyometrics and skipping on the treadmill. I use an old and small Galaxy S4 Mini for my workout music and the weight was small enough to stay in place. When I use my BF’s iPhone 6 with a tank case or my Nexus 6, the pouch gets a bit cumbersome for rapid movement or jumping. We have established that I’m already a bit persnickety equipment joggling off my body when I move. But even then, the pouch stayed on my body and clipped to my pants - so thats a win.
So if you’re in the market for some good all-around gear, get yourself a Running Buddy and rock and roll.
PS: At the time of this review, this post is NOT sponsored by Running Buddy.