Kickstarter Abuse: The naming and shaming of EvoGrips by Ramon Sodano / Mark Pederson

Kickstarter is a crowd-funding service wherein a project creator asks the site's users to give money so that they can create something. This seems a great way to promote innovation and as the Kickstarter homepage suggests “Bring creativity to life.” Had I known of Kickstarter previously, I may’ve used it to fund some of our unique creations, like our free-to-download workout app, or to have helped bring our Globe Gripz innovation to fruition, which now serves to fund our free resources. There are many people/ companies that do not operate according to the same code of ethics as GymProfessor.com. Unfortunately, Kickstarter is also susceptible to abuse and deception of its users by said creators. This is how I came to know Kickstarter.

On the 23^rd of October 2013, a Kickstarter project was created called EvoGrips - The Evolution of Ergonomics. Get Fit, Not Hurt. Within 24 hours of the project’s creation, I was contacted directly by several Kickstarter users disgruntled that Ramon Sodano and Mark Pederson were miss-selling a copy of Globe Gripz (called EvoGrips) as a new innovation. Remember, at this stage, they haven’t even made it – just text (copied), pictures (from the same angles as ours), and a disingenuous video (albeit much better than my own first attempt) - and users then offer monetary backing. They complained to Kickstarter also. Having checked out the provided link, I swiftly added my complaint to Kickstarter (privately, so as not to publicly embarrass RamonSodano / Mark Pederson) and highlighted the breach of patent and copy. After much delay, Kickstarter simply referred me to contact Ramon Sodano / Mark Pederson via a “Contact me” button on their site. The breach of copy is quite evident, however, people deal with people and I try to see the best in people and so politely contacted the creators of EvoGrips in the hope they would do the right thing. With delayed responses from Ramon Sodano / Mark Pederson deliberately evasive and unwilling to provide a postal address for legal documentation, it became abundantly clear to me that they knew exactly what they were doing from the outset and I had no choice but to refer the matter to our legal team. This grates on me, as thousands of pounds spent on legal fees and time allocated on the matter could be put to far better use to bring on new Gym Professor projects and add to our free resources, but I wholeheartedly disagree with their deception to Kickstarter users/ backers, let alone our lost revenue. All the while, Ramon Sodano / Mark Pederson continued to promote EvoGrips to Kickstarter members and even further afield off the back of the Kickstarter promotion.

To-date, Ramon Sodano / Mark Pederson (EvoGrips) have chosen to ignore correspondence from our legal representative (D Young & Co LLP) and have successfully screwed $11,068 from unwitting Kickstarter users. With the failure of Kickstarter to exercise their rights (which appears the norm according to online reports) and Ramon Sodano / Mark Pederson / EvoGrips failing to provide a response to our formal complaint, I write this article in the hope that it shows up online when searching “EvoGrips” so you know who you’re really dealing with. Well, now you know the truth, be sure to check out our worldwide acclaimed multi-grip ergonomic training aid – the original and best Globe Gripz workout tool.

www.GlobeGripz.com

You may also find our free-online-resource and free-to-download workout app to be of great help with your training goals too. All the best,

GP

P.S. Pictures tell a thousand words...

 

Hammering horseshoes and banishing bingo wings: here’s our Exercise of the Month: Triceps Pressdowns.

Here's an extract from the 'Exercise of Month' feature in the September 2013 issue of Living magazine:

Hammering horseshoes and banishing bingo wings: here’s our Exercise of the Month: Triceps Pressdowns.

The Triceps, a three-headed muscle situated at the back of the upper arm, are responsible for straightening the elbow. When well-developed (and presented on a lean physique), they form an aesthetically pleasing horseshoe like appearance. For those suffering what is colloquially know as bingo wings, fat and/or extra skin that hangs from the underside of the upper arms (i.e. over the triceps),triceps exercises are often promoted to banish this dilemma. This is not untrue, but a little misleading – I’ll explain how exercising the triceps can be of benefit. You cannot spot-reduce fat accumulation in an area by exercising muscles within the vicinity (remember this with sit-ups people); however, exercising is key to help bring about an energy deficit and subsequently burn off excess body fat. If advancing years is partially responsible – muscle atrophy and decreased skin elasticity – developing larger muscle bellies through regular and progressive exercise can greatly enhance the appearance.

Start-Position

Mid-Position

Here’s how we perform Triceps Pressdowns:

1. Set the cable handle at a suitable height. To improve exercise comfort, you may choose from a variety of cable handles and grip-styles (Globe Gripz are recommended!)*.
2. Grab the cable handle to assume the load. Stand upright with your back straight and your elbows bent by your sides. Start-Position. Note: Your lower back and abs should stabilise your torso and your shoulders keep your upper arms fixed in position. 
3. Inhale. Then, keeping your elbows by your sides, exhale and straighten your elbows in a controlled manner until your hands are by your thighs and squeeze your triceps. Mid-Position.
4. Inhale whilst controlling the negative to return to the Start-Position and repeat for desired number of repetitions. 

Further note: Do not lean forward to aid the press – stay upright throughout!

A cable machine is preferred for this exercise in order to provide continued resistance throughout the movement. It can also be performed successfully using resistance bands. A similar exercise variation - Kickbacks - can be performed at home using dumbbells, cans, or bottled water.

*Slip Globe Gripz onto a cable handle (as shown below) to easily change your grip-style to improve comfort or simply add variety. Using Globe Gripz, here’s a good tri-set gym workout for your Triceps..

If you like performing 21's and tri-sets, check out more advanced training ideas here: Advanced Training Methods

For further exercise demonstrations and gym workout ideas, just search the GymProfessor.com website – it’s all here :)

If you like our free-online-resource, please show your support by informing your friends about us using the social links provided.

Cheers,

GP

Free Gym Workouts and Diet Advice Resource