| Innovations | FIT Extra Total-Body Cardio
Multitasking Movement
Total-body cardio machines are transforming the exercise experience for club members
Although relatively new to the equipment universe, total body cardiovascular machines have achieved enormous popularity and continue to change how people exercise.
“What sets total-body trainers apart from other types of equipment is their efficiency, which offers higher caloric burn rates and quicker conditioning,” explains Jim McIntryre, the vice president of sales and marketing for Paramount Fitness Corporation. The category’s growth is driven, in part, by the constantly intensifying time-crunch created by today’s overbooked personal schedules, which can encroach on, or replace, workouts. “People are keying in on fast fitness,” says Brett Collins, the sales
and marketing manager at Heart Rate, Inc., which makes the VersaClimber. “They want to minimize their time investment and maximize their training results.” At the same time, while total-body trainers can challenge members
who crave higher intensity, they can also accommodate novices or the deconditioned, who may prefer a slower pace. “Today, total-body units are generally low- or no-impact,” reports
Jeff Dilts, the senior director of marketing and product management for Star Trac. “They’re also a great option for high-threshold training, when users want a break from high-impact activities such as running.” While “traditional” equipment, including ellipticals, rowers, and
upright climbers, retain enthusiastic followings, newer variations on the total-body theme are rapidly acquiring committed fans. The RealRyder, for example, transforms indoor cycling into a total-
body experience with its articulating frame, which allows users to steer, lean, and balance as they ride, as they would outdoors on an actual road bike. “By incorporating triplanar movement, dynamic balance, core stability, and full-body engagement, the RealRyder delivers a functional, all-body workout,” says inventor Colin Irving, the CEO of RealRyder International, LLC. Precor, Inc., recently introduced a new version of its popular
Adaptive Motion Trainer (AMT), which now offers a longer stride length (36”) for taller individuals, as well as a new Open Stride feature, which allows stride height to be adjusted from a low position (simulating running) to a high one (climbing). User-defined movements, such as those offered by Precor’s AMT and Technogym’s Vario crosstrainer— which transitions from a stepping movement, to an elliptical motion, to a full-stride running movement—are generating interest on the part of both manufacturers and club members. “The challenges are making the workout user-friendly and mastering the learning curve.” They are challenges manufacturers are clearly willing to tackle. —|
ihrsa.org |
NEW BallBike Revolution
BallBike Revolution is a commercial core/cardio/strength cycle equipped with a patented “controlled instability” cradle, which holds the stability ball and allows users to work their core muscles during a cardio session at varying levels of impact-free intensity, utilizing magnetic resistance. BallBike adds a strength component with rubber resistance bands on the back side of the cycle, facilitating upper-body exercises. The machine is backed by a full commercial warranty.
CardioGym CG-5000
Avanti Fitness’ Cardio Gym CG-5000 combines cardio and total-body strength exercise in a single machine. The Cardio Gym utilizes a smooth, magnetic- resistance recumbent bike with a built-in high-low pulley system with two 150- pound weight stacks. This unique design enables individuals to perform more than 30 pulley exercises while riding. The bike has a one-touch reverse feature that allows users to unlock the bike’s position to pivot 180 degrees with ease.
Manufacturer’s list price: $5,999.99 BALLBIKE BY FIT ONE
TOTAL-BODY CARDIO AVANTI FITNESS, INC.
APRIL 2012 |
Club Business International 67
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