Last week at the IHRSA Trade Show and Convention in Los Angeles I was able to see a lot of cool new products and new fitness lines that I believe can transform a club. The sleek designs that I saw from Star Trac, Hoist, Precor and Technogym — just to name a few — are examples that I believe could be utilized immediately in any size gym. Also, I found myself standing around the Group X booths watching men and women exercise together — don’t down play the power of Group X. Go to Lori Lowell’s blog this week to see what she has to say about 2012 Group X trends.
One shining moment (it’s still March Madness) that occurred while at IHRSA was my interview with the great Andre Agassi. It was hard to not be excited to interview such a great tennis professional, but he was there to release his new BILT fitness line, designed by Agassi and his former trainer Gil Reyes, so I had to keep an open mind about what I’d be looking at and testing.
After speaking with Reyes I realized that these guys were the real deal. They had been working on this equipment since Agassi was 19 years old — he’s 41 now — and they designed the equipment specifically to increase Agassi’s strength and endurance on the court.
He has a new bench design (flat bench, incline and decline) as well as a series of selectorized equipment. Each was designed to target muscle groups with minimal strain on the elbows and shoulders — unless you are targeting the shoulders. But, for example, the bicep machine — which is a selectorized pulley system — was tweaked to make sure it targets just the bicep, which allows for the user to not be worn down in reps from pain in their elbows and other joints.
Here is the interview with Andre Agassi discussing tennis, BILT and his relationship with Gil Reyes:
CS: How are you enjoying the show?
AA: I’m trying to take it in. It’s a bit surreal for me, this moment. It’s the birth of sorts.
CS: Have you ever been to anything like this?
AA: I’ve never been to one of these shows, as it relates to IHRSA or something of that nature. But, this is 20 years I’ve lived with this stuff. I’ve watched it in its full form and gone through the process of putting it there, and now sort of turning it over to the public, it’s a bit overwhelming.
CS: What were you looking for when you started using this equipment?
AA: I was looking for a way to get stronger and I was looking to get stronger in a way that wasn’t going to jeopardize what, was already in my mind, going to be a short career. It became the biggest challenge in my profession — the reality that we didn’t have an off-season. As a result, we had to make significant gains in two to four week increments. We didn’t have time to waist on being safe with what it is that we were trying to lift. If you’re lifting something that is vulnerable to joints, tendons or ligaments, you’re not going to lift your full load.
I needed to push myself. So, if I could have equipment that allowed me to maximize those two to four weeks, it would be a huge asset to my career. That was the thought process that Gil and I were going through — which is, how to maximize my time. Like he (Gil Reyes) always does, more than is ever expected. He started to sketch, draw, weld, manufacture what turned out to be the start of BILT.
CS: Why do you want to be in clubs now?
AA: The question you have to ask yourself is, “Are people better off for having this?” That’s the question that I have to ask. The question isn’t, how much change will I have when I die, but how much change can I create? And, for me, that’s what really pushes my buttons. For me, between my schools and everything I’ve given my life for there, everything I give my life towards here — there is a fundamental authenticity that is a reflection of everything I stand for. So, if this can add to people’s lives I want it out there, and obviously this is one of many tests. We fully believe because we live in this space, I’ve spent my life here, I know what’s out there and I know where the bar is, and I know what this offers. I’m highly confident, but you know you have to walk before you can run.
CS: Why did you decide to go with a line like BILT to reach clubs, as opposed to something more tennis specific?
AA: This is tennis focused. You have to understand something about tennis. Tennis is a sport that requires 100 percent physically, emotionally; upper body, lower body, balance; it’s as comprehensive as a sport if you do it ballistically as any sport out there. So, if you can make a muscle stronger, you can make it more capable. Tennis requires every engagement of every muscle, so this is tennis specific, this is football specific; this is sport specific, this is health specific. Some people might not understand that about tennis, but they’ll understand about this equipment.
CS: What type of environments are you hoping that this will be perfect for?
AA: This should be in people’s lives. A number of these pieces should be in their homes. All this equipment should be in gyms. It’s fair to say that all of this equipment should be in universities, and high schools — anywhere that cares about their sports programs. Any club that cares about its memberships — I believe consumers will get on this equipment — drive across town to use it.
CS: What made you decide to go with a fitness product? Why did you decide to go this direction?
AA: I didn’t go this direction. This is my deal. Just so we can be clear, this isn’t me endorsing something, but literally we built this together over two decades, which is really cool.
The question is what has gotten me to turn it over to the public? A lot had to do with my book. When I turned the literary lens on my life, I realized certain experiences, intersections, relationships had long helped formed who I was — one of the most important was my relationship with Gil. One of the biggest examples of this impact on my life, his love for me, protection of me is manifested in this equipment. I wanted to turn that over. I wanted to say let’s have the legacy that allows us to do this for 20 more years together in a whole different space.
This has been sitting in my gym. And, Steve Miller, a long-time fitness professional, came in and asked if we might be interested in doing this for the public. It took Gil and I all of three seconds to say “absolutely.” Because, no longer was I worried about competitors having it, no longer was I worried about that side of it, and it gives us a good excuse to spend the next 20 years together.
CS: As you transitioned out of being a professional athlete to just being healthy and fit, how does it still work with your body and what do you enjoy more about it now?
AA: A great piece of equipment can help you build strength in a very safe way. A great piece of equipment will give you as much as you give it. So, you’ll get out of it what you put into it. The difference for me now isn’t the equipment; the difference for me now is me. What I’m looking to get out of it is different than I used to get out of it. I used to look to get out of it, this high level of intensity — incredible strength, incredible endurance, incredible cardio. Now, I go — I just want to feel good. I want to fight the aging process as long as possible, because it’s a battle. I plan my work, and I work my plan. That’s why I think this is so unique. It’s not designed for the casual user; this isn’t designed for the high-end athlete. This equipment has hit a space that absolutely sweeps the board on what someone is looking for.
CS: What caught your eye when Gil came to you with this equipment?
AA: Well, I trusted him, first of all. So, that trust goes a long ways. Secondly, it was a function of what I felt. I would challenge you to go on any curl machine in the world, besides this one, and warm-up to a one off max and tell me how comfortable you are loading your bicep with as much as you can hold and tell me that you’re not worried about your elbows, you’re not worried about your shoulders. On our curl machine, which I did many times, you can warm-up to a one off max, to a three rep set, because that’s how little stress it puts on the areas that you’re not looking for stress. That’s a game changer, period. There is no other way. They have the preacher curls — I get it. But you still have to get over there, you still have to lift that thing, so if your biceps can do 110 pounds, guess what? Your elbows can’t. So, you have spotters that help you. What I felt with this equipment when Gil designed it, when he brought it out, was that this doesn’t feel right. Okay, well lets make the adjustment. Back in the shop. Okay, this doesn’t feel right. Back in the shop. All of a sudden, there it is. All of a sudden you can warm up to a one off max. To this day I can’t go into a lot of gyms and get a comfortable workout because I know what a comfortable workout really is.
Agassi said his book had about nine revisions before it was ready for the public. He explained that Gil went back with him more times than he could even count for the BILT line more than 20 years ago. Gil measured Agassi’s body to make adjustments and really focused on exactly what he was looking for.
This equipment hasn’t been designed to revolutionize the fitness industry. It was simply something that two men believed worked for an athlete searching for longevity, and could easily work for the general public and for health clubs. The comfort it creates during a workout, and the amount of burn without stress on joints is something members don’t typically see on a regular basis. This is Agassi and Reyes’ way of giving back to the world and being able to continue their personal and business relationship for another 20 years.
Tyler Montgomery is the Editor of Club Solutions Magazine. Contact him at tyler@clubsolutionsmagazine.com
