Terra-Core: FirstLook

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Something really cool arrived at the RainyDayMagazine office in February.

The large, heavy box with the HUGE lettering delivered to the front door let us know that this was serious piece of kit.

The “warning” on the front was first thing we noticed. We love Terra-Core’s inspiring attitude!

Unpacking

When the box was opened, those encouraging messages continued.

It might seem a small thing, those nifty…edicts, but getting/staying fit is as much about the state of the mind as the putting the body to work. The body doesn’t really want to sweat, it wants to rest, so the mind needs to…encourage, the rest of the human into action.

At close to 30 pounds, this thing is a BEAST! For obvious reasons, the Terra-Core came uninflated. We immediately noticed that it is kind of a cross between two pieces of workout gear: a step-aerobics platform and a half-dome balance-trainer.

We have looked at balance trainers in the past, but the Terra-Core trainer takes the concept to a whole different level: the handles on its underside allows for exercises not possible with other gear. More on that in the FirstUse article.

Setup

Included accessories:

• Hand pump, extra plug, extractor
• Instructional DVD, wall chart, Owner’s Manual
• App / Terra-Core Tribe info

There was not much to getting the Terra-Core ready for use: remove the plug, inflate the bladder, replace the plug. Done.

The plug-extractor was a little too bendy to be really useful. In the end we managed to work the plug out with just our fingernails.

But the hand pump worked great and filled the bladder quickly.

The amount of firmness needed/wanted depends on the weight of the user. But it’s also important not to over-inflate the Terra-Core, as the amount of “give” is important. Our recommendation is to err on the side of a lower setting at first, and inflate further if needed.

FirstLook

Once the Terra-Core had been inflated, it was ready for use. We noted the following after inflation:

• The center has a series of horizontal channels;
• The ends have a smooth glossy surface that is very “grippy;”
• The unit is extremely stable on the carpet.

The channels in the center are molded into the surface. Our guess is that they provide extra traction for particular exercises. We don’t yet know how functional they are, but they run pretty deep so we are calling them “sweat channels” for now.

The notches in the underside of the ends are meant to anchor stretch bands. They also act as teeth for gripping the carpet: there is no pushing-it-out-of-the-way when the flat side of the Terra-Core is on the carpet. You WILL have to pick it up to move it.

Additionally, the rubber feet (four on each end) do a really good job of limiting slippage when the unit is on a wooden floor.

The Terra-Core has both long and short handles. The long ones are metal and very securely attached to the sides. Their placement made carrying or flipping over the unit very easy.

The short handles are molded from the same material as the deck, and are integrated onto the deck itself.

Note the slanted ramp and channel under the handle: those of you/us with larger hands will appreciate the not scraping of knuckles on the deck. Whether that came out of user testing or the designer thought of it him/herself, it’s a very nice detail!

Final Thoughts

We like the thoughtful design of the Terra-Core, the quality of the materials, and the overall build of the unit.

We cannot wait to sweat all over this thing!!! Look for the FirstUse post in the Spring.

Links to items mentioned:

• Terra-Core