Review: Rüez Boxer Briefs

The build up

So I reviewed Rüez briefs recently, and really appreciate them when running.  I appreciate them even more when I don't have them as it reminds me just how much the extra support enhances the enjoyment of my run.  I was curious to try their boxer brief, too, though with a bit of trepidation as I'm not generally a fan of that style of underwear as I always feel like they ride up on my legs.

What it is & how it works

I won't go into the whole idea of Rüez, but would instead suggest you read my original review.  In a nutshell, they have a pouch (hence their name, which is pronounced like the second half of 'kangaroos') that you put your, um, personal stuff in via a hole you fit that stuff through.  What stuff?  Well, um...your, um...junk. Bits. Peas and carrot.  Frank and beans. OK, that's enough of that - you get my point.

I'll say that, for background, I'm a boxer guy when I'm not working out, so understand that whatever I'm saying here about the boxer brief vs the brief isn't because I'm used to one of those over the other on a daily basis. I'm not used to either, and don't normally wear those styles day-in-day-out.

My impressions

So, the boxer brief works very much the same as the brief, and fits like a boxer brief.  I didn't find that they rode up too much or were too uncomfortable.  This goes for wearing them around, working out or running.  As I said about the briefs, the material is really comfy and stays nice and cool.

My depressions

While they were fine, I didn't find them to do their job during a run. That's not to say they were bad, but just not delivering on the whole point of their existence.  The reason, to me, was because the way boxer briefs fit makes the whole end up too big, and not contouring to your body like it would in a brief. As a result, things (you know, things) kept going back out of the pouch into the main part of the boxer. That's why I say they're fine - they're no worse or less comfortable than another pair of sport boxer briefs, and I'd say I really enjoyed them when looking at them like that.  I just didn't quite get the added support during runs that I expected when I decided to wear Rüez.

To buy or not to buy

So this is the only question that ever matters. To me, this is a great - and I do mean great - product for working out in a gym or doing things that don't have the jarring of running.  That is, I'd use them for weight lifting, using cardio equipment (not a treadmill, though, for obvious reasons) or maybe playing golf, though I don't play golf.  I would not choose them for running, playing basketball, football, etc where I would personally miss the great way the briefs really keep me supported and comfortable.

If you're interested, you can buy Rüez online at http://www.ruezunderwear.com/shop.html. They run pretty true to size, and have outstanding customer support. I really do love their products, and recommend them to active guys. Just get the right one for the right use, and enlighten.your.body.

Review: Rüez Performance Briefs for Dudes

The build up

Hmmm...how to get into this post without embarrassing myself too much or running out of ways to say words drunk people dare each other to shout louder and louder at parties or public places that rhymes with cleanest and meanest (for the Naughty by Nature fans from 1991 out there).

So I'm reviewing a product that I learned about from Believe in the Run, a great product review blog I highly recommend.  The product, Rüez performance underwear, won their "Best In Gear" (or "BIG") award.  After trying it out myself, I see why.

For fun, let's see if you can count the euphemisms in this review.  They will help you laugh and keep this blog from being too NSFW.

I have been personally looking for a solution to holding my bits and pieces stable while running, especially since my hernia surgery last June as I find I'm much more sensitive now.

What it is & how it works

The idea is basically like a sports bra for men. Only you wear it down there. Yeah, there. It's a brief orboxer brief made for athletes that features a hole you pass your skis and bindings through like in the backseat of a car. Um, the skis were the euphemism, not the backseat part. OK, just making sure you were following my meaning here.  There's then a pouch in front of the hole that is the reason these things are called Rüez, and pronounced, "Roos," like kangaroos. Get it?  A pouch. In fact, it's not just a pouch, it's more technical than that - it's called a, "Performance Pouch."  By passing your business through the hole, they are held securely, keeping them from jiggling too much, getting injured, or sticking to your leg or something.

There's also a pocket on the side of the boxer (coming to the brief soon) for a credit card, hotel room key, a little cash, etc. I have no interest in this since my running shorts have pockets, I run with a water bottle that has a pocket and my iPhone arm band can hold stuff, too.  Still, good thinking.

Some of you may be thinking this is irrelevant. You're either female, don't exercise, are young or you don't know better. This is a product you either know you need and appreciate the concept, or you don't even realize how much nicer it is to use this until you try it.

My impressions

I decided to try the brief given my post-op issue and desire for as much support as possible.  I'd imagine the boxer brief would be essentially as supportive since the things I want supported would still be slipping through a hole and tucked into their pouch.

I found the material to be very comfortable. It's kind of a mix of spandex and cotton feelings, and is a quick-wicking fabric. It's actually 85% polyester/15% spandex, but the poly has to be of a really high quality for the product to feel the way it does. It felt this way even after both washings I put them through - some products feel nice at first, but immediately change when you wash them. Not Rüez. They're quality.  As for the wicking claim, I definitely got sweaty on my run, but they weren't soaked the way my Adidas performance brief typically are.

Speaking of my Adidas briefs, that's been my go-to solution so far, and it's ok, but not ideal. I found the things don't stay close to my legs and ride too low. As a result, they don't quite give the support I was looking for.  The Rüez had no trouble in this regard. They stayed wrapped around my legs, and adding that to the pouch meant I was well-supported.  And by, "I," I mean, "my junk".

I wore them from about 7am through my run to about 2pm. They were really comfortable, and my run was definitely much more comfortable. I wasn't going, "Oh my god, this is incredible. My boys are staying tight and comfy with each stride!"  I wasn't shouting to random people on the street as I breezed by them. I also didn't set a PR pace or anything (my knee is actually acting up, so I took it somewhat easy, though did do my longest distance since my knee surgery in December).

What did happen was that I wasn't ever aware of any discomfort during or after my run. I wasn't sore later down there. These may not sound big, but they are. This is what I was looking for. Rüez definitely delivered 100% on my expectations.  Kool and the Gang were cool.

Speaking of cool, the founder of Rüez, Chris Varney, is awesome. He's extremely responsive, very thorough, and really funny. He created the product out of his own need (great story on their site), and actively uses them in his own running.  He gets it. He lives it. That totally puts him in a better position to create this product and run the business than someone just looking to make a buck. And I love his customer service. Chris - if you're reading this, you're awesome. Don't change.

The best thing he said was in answering my question on how exactly to use the product (they include a small image, but it wasn't totally clear to me if everything goes through the hole, just the twig, or just the berries). He wrote back within about 20 minutes of me submitting a question online, and said "Jim and the twins all go into the urban condo." I suppose in his line of work, you need to be funny, but that was just awesome. Definitely better than my played out 'twig and berries' line.

Of course, my wife couldn't believe I sent in an email saying "twig and berries," so Chris's response saved me a little at home. She also found a NSFW video on YouTube on what to do which had a blue fake wenis attached to spandex pants demonstrating the product. I much preferred reading Chris's response to seeing the video (though it was helpful. And disturbing. Very disturbing.) No, I won't provide a link to it. I'm too nice of a guy to do that to you.

My depressions

I have literally one complaint, and I wonder if the boxer brief would have been better for me (though I generally don't like boxer briefs - I feel like they're always riding up my legs).  I found that - at least for the first hour - I was aware of some bunching of material between my legs back behind my business. Sorry, try not to imagine it.  It just seems like the material of the brief is a touch too wide between the legs, and so it creates a little ripple of fabric when you wear it.  I wouldn't say I was aware of it at all during the run, nor most of the day. Either it broke down, I got used to it, or a little of the two.

I think this is an issue with the design that might be impossible to avoid. Ultimately, you've got two independent sheets of material (one for the main brief that has a hole cut it in, and then one for the pouch), and they get joined at a seem between the legs (like most briefs have). It's probably the case that some rippling sensation would happen no matter how narrow this area is, and being too narrow would mean insufficient support.  I'd just imagine a tiny bit narrower would help.

Then again, I have no experience or knowledge of underwear design, so maybe this is an industry standard width that's based on millions of years of collective wearing and designing. Seriously, millions - tons of guys wearing undies for years and years. And I am a boxer guy, so what the heck do I know about brief design. I haven't worn briefs since I was like 11 (save for on recent runs).

That was it for issues. And if I just wore them for my run, I probably wouldn't even have noticed.

To buy or not to buy?

This is really easy - unless you aren't a guy or don't exercise, get them.  Period.  Go to http://www.ruezunderwear.com/shop.html and get a pair or two. Shipping is cheap, so you can get one to try, and then get 12 more when you're convinced.

If you don't hurt your body while you improve it, you're much more likely to enlighten.your.body.

Review: I Ate Green Tea from EatGreenTea

The build up

I was going through recent followers on Twitter to see if they would be good to follow back (I generally do follow back, but some accounts don't really warrant it, like those who follow me to pitch making me the top person on Twitter and getting my site millions of hits a second). I saw an account called @EatGreenTea that intrigued me. I have green tea extract in a supplement I take, and have long been aware of the benefits of the high antioxidants content of green tea.  There's a great breakdown of the benefits of green tea on this page.

The premise of EatGreenTea's products is that you can get far more benefit by eating green tea leaves than by drinking water that steeped in it. In fact, they claim you get 30x the antioxidants in a serving of their product vs a cup of green tea.

I was intrigued, and decided I'd try both of their products out as I could see different uses for them.
 

What it is & How it Works

They offer two ways to get your green tea fix - a powder and loose leaves. To me, the powder was ideal to add to my morning protein shake, or to mix into my omelet (along with my greens, mushrooms, spinach, onions and spices/seasonings). The loose leaves sounded perfect to add into dinner dishes, and I put it right into the vegan chili I made.

My impressions

It's easy to use this stuff - just add it to whatever, and you're done. A daily dose of the powder is ideally a teaspoon, and ideally a tablespoon for the leaves.  My chili made 10 servings, so I added about 10 tablespoons (or would have if I didn't plan to get a teaspoon a day in my protein shake...I ended up adding 5-6). For the chili (or I'd imagine for a pasta sauce, stir fry, etc), it basically vanished into the mix of veggies and spices. For my protein shake (which is white), it instantly colored things green.

Do I feel better? Well, it hasn't been that long, and I've had other things going on that wouldn't help me feel better (very little sleep lately, for example - though that's unrelated to the green tea, which can be a stimulant), so I wasn't necessarily expecting this to suddenly be a cure-all.  It is very easy to use, relatively cheap per serving (eat product is only $25, and I'd imagine there are 20-30 full servings of each in the bag), and there's no debate that green tea is good for you, so I'm sure it's beneficial. Whether it's markedly better than drinking tea is where the debate would be, and would probably center around whether your body can use the higher dose of antioxidants. I'm in no position to debate that point. I do know I don't feel worse, and not having issues (digestive, sleep, etc), so I doubt there's anything wrong with eating green tea, but do consider it relative to your medical situation rather than just going by what a blog says.

 

Update: Anthony, the founder of EatGreenTea followed up with some information on the issue of absorption of all the additional antioxidants:

Much of the research that you see around the documented benefits of green tea involves subjects who consume the equivalent of several cups of green tea per day. The reason is because the amount of antioxidants consumed in a single cup of brewed tea typically isn't enough to make a measurable difference in the body. The body really needs the additional antioxidants found from eating the green tea leaves.
We don't question if the body can handle all the nutrients from eating a spinach salad, or if there are too many antioxidants in blueberries. While agreed that too much of any one food is not a good thing - people are not in danger of getting too many antioxidants from eating a tablespoon of EatGreenTea. They are however, at risk of not getting enough antioxidants from just drinking a cup of brewed tea.

I can't see adding the powder to the chocolate version of my protein shake as I think the tastes would go to war and leave me as a casualty. For me, while I feel better about the powder (like I'm getting more of the good stuff), I think the leaves make more sense in terms of innocuously getting the benefits of this product into my day.

I also want point out that I firmly believe that the company and how it's run value-wise is as important as the product being sold. I had a couple of back and forth emails with Eat Green Tea's founder, Anthony Codispoti, and was really impressed with the responsiveness - both speed and quality of response, and speed of shipping (I got the green tea a day or two before my most optimistic estimate). The company also went the extra mile and wrote some really clear guidance on daily dose targets on my invoice to be sure I knew what to do when. I found the packaging to be clear enough (and nice looking overall), but it's touches like these that imply a general approach to doing business that mean something to me. It's what makes me choose one company over another, and why I'd stick with a product despite potential price differences.

My depressions

Honestly, my only issue is how strong the powder is flavor-wise. I don't dislike green tea, but I don't love its flavor. My protein shake is pretty strong flavored, too, and this totally overpowers it. I don't really care, but it's definitely worth knowing. As a result of my experience with the powder, I was nervous that it would totally change my chili or my omelet to add the leaves, but they are totally indiscernible in either. It's not really a problem, but something to be mindful of in your use cases.

 

Update: Anthony followed up on this point, too:

The powder does impart a lot more of its flavor (and color) into food items. I personally prefer to use the whole leaves in my smoothies (and most other things) because I'm not a big fan of the flavor either. Powder works well for baking (where even color distribution is desired), and mixed drinks (in my opinion).

Also, the packaging could be better. There's a little resealable inner bag within a foil bag, and I can't for the life of me get the powder's inner bag to reseal without losing a bunch of powder as smoke or on my fingers. Big deal - I just rolled both bags' tops together and rubber banded the whole thing. Yes, I am essentially McGyver.

 

Update: Anthony is a step ahead of me on this, which just shows my point on his customer service ethic. This is a company focused on quality and a quality experience for customers.

We acknowledge that the packaging for the powder in particular needs to be improved. We've been working with our farm to find a solution but haven't yet settled on one.

There's also the question of the stimulant effect of green tea.  I don't feel jittery or any more or less awake, and, as I mentioned above, my sleep issues aren't the product's fault (I am getting woken up by outside, powerful yet adorable 4 year old forces and kept awake later than I'd ideally prefer). It's worth a look at the issue of green tea and stimulants, especially if you have issues with caffeine.  A quick Google search can help, but here are a couple of links I found: Natural News: Green Tea and Caffeine, Wikipedia Green Tea Article.

I emailed the company about this, and got back a really helpful response that I wanted to share (another great example of their customer service):

I get that question a lot Bryan. While there is an increase in the amount of antioxidants you're ingesting - there is not an increase in caffeine. Caffeine is very water soluble so when you brew a cup of tea you're getting all the caffeine from it. Antioxidants are not as water soluble - so when you brew a cup of tea most of the antioxidants remain inside the leaves / tea bag.

When it comes to caffeine, the benefit of ingesting the whole leaves is that the caffeine is absorbed more slowly into the body (as opposed to ingesting a cup of brewed tea). So you don't get that energy peak and crash. Instead its more of a sustained energy lift throughout the day.

I'm not really qualified to evaluate this statement, but it sounds reasonable to me, and my experience would suggest that it's true.

To buy or not to buy?

This isn't a clear situation. I think there's no harm in using this stuff, but that's my view and coming from my body. You need to understand how your body reacts to green tea and its active components before deciding that for yourself. Millions of people drink it, and it's largely regarded as a healthful thing, so the odds are in your favor. As for the benefits of this product over drinking green tea, I can't say whether they're material or hypothetical. I do know I don't drink green tea, so this was a great way to get its benefits into my life quickly and easily. For me, that's a win, and means I'll at least be buying the leaves again to add into my dinner dishes. If that sounds appealing to you, then you should consider giving it a try.

In the end, the fact that I'm still using them, and plan to keep using them should stand as my overall view and recommendation. I just ask that you think about your health situation and your diet before blindly following my actions (or not).

Antioxidants are great, and learning more about their benefits and then incorporating them into your life is a great way to enlighten.your.body.