Are you looking to take your members’ workout experience to the next level? Look no further. We have broken down some of the newest, tech-savvy fitness equipment and accessories that can enhance workouts.
Equipment
Make your fitness floor standout with new high-tech equipment, producing a much more enjoyable workout experience. Members can now exercise while watching a movie on-demand, surfing their Facebook newsfeed or checking what’s trending on Twitter.
Matrix 7xi Experience: “The 7xi boasts an exclusive, yet familiar app interface to keep members, facility owners, personal trainers and service technicians connected,” said Ashley Haberman, the assistant marking manager of commercial at Johnson Health Tech, which owns Matrix Fitness. “Access to several modes of entertainment — Facebook, Twitter, On-Demand music and video, Virtual Active, etc. — keeps members motivated. The open platform allows for continued expansion of app options too.”
The 7xi equipment not only enhances the member experience. According to Haberman, health club owners and facility managers can also utilize the platform to help build their brand.
“Customized home screens, messages to members, cross-promotion through the facility calendar — owners can connect to their members in ways only limited by their imagination,” added Haberman. “Through the included Asset Management system, owners and service techs can track equipment usage, monitor service status and schedule repair, all remotely 24/7.”
Star Trac – Spinner Blade ION: Fill your cycling studio with the Star Trac Spinner Blade ION and members could be flocking to classes. According to Dan Corkill, the product manager at Core Health & Fitness in Irvine, California, the bike was designed to take the indoor cycling experience to the next level.
“For a long time, instructors used the rider’s cadence (RPM) and heart rate to track and vary the intensity of a class,” said Corkill. “With the development of the Spinner Blade Ion, instructors now have another variable — power. Instructors and riders can now track how much work they are really doing.”
Corkill explained a strain gauge is incorporated into the bike’s design in order to measure the work created by the flywheel and the friction resistance system. Since electrical power is required to run the strain gauge, a generator was added into the flywheel. This eliminated the need to change batteries. Not only does this save facilities a lot of money in batteries, it helps clubs to be greener.
An additional unique feature of the bike: its appearance. When the flywheel is spinning, a blue light emanates from it. “When the studio lights are low and the room is full of these bikes, a blue glow electrifies the atmosphere,” said Corkill. “The Spinner Blade ION will satisfy the needs and desires of instructors, facility operators and members alike.”
Technogym – UNITY Platform: Technogym’s UNITY platform boosts the cardio experience for its users. According to Nerio Alessandri, the president and founder of Technogym, the features of UNITY are designed to give a personalized, easy-to-use training experience. Through UNITY, users have access to their Facebook, Skype, mywellness account, TV channels, websites, exercise programs and Virtual Training landscapes.
“Technogym has also developed MyRunning Logbook, an app within the UNITY platform, which allows users to replicate their favorite outside run and challenge their past performance on a Technogym treadmill with a UNITY console,” said Alessandri.
If you can’t make it to the gym, no worries. UNITY, in combination with Technogym’s mywellness app for mobile devices, allows you to take your workout with you anywhere.
“You can manage your workouts in the gym (with Technogym equipment that has the UNITY console), outdoors with your mobile devices, at home via PC or Technogym home equipment, on holiday, wherever you train,” explained Alessandri. “Fitness facilities and trainers are now able to offer their members ‘Wellness on the GO’ packages and connect with them on Technogym equipment anywhere in the world.”
Accessories
Help your members take their workouts to the next level with these fun fitness accessories, perfect for all ages and purposes.
Dynaflex Powerball: The Dynaflex Powerball Gyro is a perfect workout tool for rehab, toning, strengthening, etc. The device saves space, time and money, while still providing an enjoyable workout.
“The Powerball weighs under a pound but can produce a range of resistance from 1 to 45 pounds of silky, smooth resistance, depending on the strength of the user,” explained Farren Mataele, the CEO of DFX Sports and Fitness. “The DFX Powerball is a compact and easily portable fitness tool that can be used anytime, anywhere.”
Incorporate the Powerball into personal training and group fitness programs and members will be excited to try this new piece of equipment. “The Powerball Gyro incorporates on-board LED lights, which grow with the intensity of your workout, acting as a visual aid in how well you are doing,” said Mataele. “Many users find it fun and competitive to see how bright they can get the lights to go or just love seeing how fast and how long they can use the gyro. With all of these great benefits, why wouldn’t you want to use it?”
SmartMat: Take your yoga skills to the next level with the world’s first responsive yoga mat. The SmartMat features pressure sensors sandwiched between custom yoga mat materials that link with your smart device via Bluetooth. The mat provides trackable feedback and suggestions for position improvement.
In the next release, the SmartMat will be able to serve group fitness classes as well. According to Neyma Jahan, the founder of SmartMat, it is not ready for release yet, but the instructor will have a “controller app” that will link to all of the students’ SmartMats. “A health club owner would really benefit from using the SmartMat,” said Jahan. “An instructor can guide a class and get quantifiable feedback about students. They can get real-time feedback about how the students are doing.”
Smart Rope: Tangram is taking a unique spin on jump roping. The design agency founded in Seoul, Korea in 2008 recently unveiled its newest high-tech design at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
The Smart Rope is a one-of-a-kind device that is embedded with sensors that keep track of every jump, which can be viewed on either your smart phone or right in front of your eyes. A row of 23 high-quality LED lights display your fitness information in front of you as you jump.
According to Joen Choe, the president of Tangram America, the Smart Gym mobile platform tracks how many jumps you’ve completed, how many calories you’ve burned as you jump and time elapsed. A button on the handle lets you switch between these settings. Also with the virtual trainer function, Smart Gym helps you establish goals and track progress.
Not Your Average Wearables
PUSH Band: Personal training clients looking to optimize their performance need the PUSH Band. The wristband goes beyond counting steps and instead measures your strength and monitors several other essential metrics. Through the PUSH Portal, an online platform, users can find training routines that are loaded onto a phone or tablet. Then, all activity while wearing the PUSH Band is tracked and logged.
“With the PUSH Band we capture elite-grade metrics such as velocity, power and work that pro-athletes and coaches have been using for decades to optimize their training,” said Mike Lovas, the CDO and co-founder of PUSH.
According to Lovas, the PUSH Band offers scientifically validated metrics that can help users improve training by calibrating the intensity of the workouts. “Understanding how fast you can lift, PUSH can tell how fresh or fatigued you are, and then recommend changing the loads or moving on to another exercise,” he said. “The ultimate goal of PUSH is to help users be able to perform better in the gym and on the field.”
Healbe GoBe: Fitness is only one part of the health puzzle. Nutrition is another huge component. The Healbe GoBe is the first and only wearable device that can automatically measure calorie intake through the skin. Using its patented Flow Technology, the wristband also tracks activity level, heart rate, blood pressure, stress level, hydration level and sleep status.
According to George Mikaberydze, the managing director and co-founder at Healbe Corporation, the GoBe utilizes three sensors — piezo pressure sensor, impedance sensor and accelerometer — and an advanced algorithm to deliver comprehensive insights into whole-body health.
“GoBe changes the user’s perspective of how they analyze and care for their body by providing specific data, rather than averages or estimates,” said Mikaberydze. “This information makes them better equipped to make healthier decisions in everyday life and assists them in reaching their health and fitness goals.”
By Emily Harbourne
