| IHRSA Report |Member News Value Proposition FreeMotion Fitness
‘Innovation and education’ are the keys that have allowed this functional-strength company to expand into, and explore, the whole world of fitness equipment
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reeMotion Fitness, based in Logan, Utah, was founded in 1999 on the basis of what Pat McGinnis, the company’s president and COO, describes
as a simple, yet bold observation: One-dimensional training doesn’t corre- spond to, doesn’t carry over into, a three-dimensional world—a place where twisting, turning, and moving in all planes is a fact of daily life. Guided and driven by that insight, the
company has developed comprehensive lines of strength and cardiovascular equipment that focus on developing core strength for balance and stability, as well as products that are designed to strengthen individual isolated muscles.
It didn’t take long for the fitness
manufacturing community to take notice of FreeMotion’s unique approach. In December 2000, ICON Health & Fitness, the equipment juggernaut that’s head- quartered in Logan, acquired the company and positioned FreeMotion as its commercial division. Icon also owns the NordicTrack, ProForm, Weider, HealthRider, EPIC, Image, and Weslo brands, and licenses the Google, Gold’s Gym, and Jillian Michaels names. Today, FreeMotion enjoys all the
benefits of being a wholly owned subsidiary of the world’s largest producer of exercise equipment, but remains independent with respect to its marketing, sales, research, development, and operations. Asked what sets
Spinning into a New Space
“We’re no longer just a functional strength company,” posits Pat McGinnis, the president and COO of FreeMotion Fitness. While the firm has made major inroads into the cardio space over the past few years, it’s climbed to an entirely new level with the recent introduction of its FreeMotion Indoor Cycling Bikes.
The company’s audacious goal with this particular product line, McGinnis says, is to “revolutionize” the way that people experience indoor cycling.
The bike’s features are designed to deliver on the promise. The FreeMotion S Series of bikes boasts rust-resistant, zinc-coated steel frames; ergonomics to accommodate virtually any user, including an open, step-through design and multiple bar and seat adjustments; a drive system that mimics outdoor cycling; a mag- netic-resistance system that delivers consistent resistance, with no brake pads to maintain; a perimeter-weighted flywheel, which means that, with the weight on the outer edge, the flywheel pro- duces high inertia, which provides a smoother riding experience; and a console that features direct power measurement. —|
FreeMotion apart, McGinnis responds immediately wi th two simple words: “Innovation,” he says, “and education.”
Patents and partnerships
Since the f irm’s inception, research and development have been an integral part of the business’ DNA. In fact, notes McGinnis, R&D is one of the key corporate attributes FreeMotion has brought to ICON. “As far as I know, we spend more money on R&D than anyone else in the fitness industry,” he says. The facts suggest that
96 Club Business Internat ional | JULY 2011 | www.
ihrsa.org Pat McGinnis »
“While we have a com- plete education staff at our headquarters, we also have an established team of master trainers all over the world … Today, we do trainings on our equipment at all of our major installations.”
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