Fitness Equipment: Page 91

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The Corporate Advantage; Cardio Belt Club; Partners in Wellness

These innovative programming ideas motivate members to exercise using all offered programs and products.Back to top

A Resort Town's Success

The Hart Center, Fairfield Bay, Ark., exceeded its first-year membership goals by focusing on its equipment, classes and events.

Growth Proves Success

Cindy K's Fitness for Women, Iowa City, Iowa, is the result of one woman's American dream.Fitness facility size: 3,800 square feetStrength equipment: Precor Multi-Station weight machines, Fitness Plus Multi Hip, Fit Express Hydraulic Circuit, Hex and Bollinger dumbbells

Market Watch

Amid unprecedented fitness industry growth, health club operators have had to refocus - and often retool - in order to stay ahead of the competition.

Steady Beat

"Scoring big with consumers, heart rate monitors have rapidly become a fitness industry staple."

Weight Machines vs. Free Weights

Weigh the pros and cons of training with machines compared to free weights by using the following guidelines.WHEN I WAS in eighth grade, I broke the school record for chin-ups. I still have the certificate of achievement from the school's principal proudly displayed on my wall. Heck, I still brag about the accomplishment to others. It doesn't matter that it was so many years ago, or that some tough kid has probably come along since to break my record. At the time, I had the strongest biceps and forearms in junior high. I used chin-ups to show off to the girls in class. My mother even bought a chin-up bar and attached it to my bedroom doorframe so I could train at home. I did chin-ups every day. What I learned from doing those hundreds of chin-ups is this: There is more than one way to train a muscle.Weight machines. Most traditional weight machines allow only single-joint exercises, with movement occurring in a single plane. Since weight machines guide movement, they do not recruit muscles other than those specifically targeted by the machine. This apparent lack of freedom does confer one advantage: Weight machines allow lifters to isolate specific muscles or parts of muscles, which is of interest to bodybuilders and others who want to shape a specific body part.Weight machines. Since the assessment of strength requires the use of either weight machines or free weights, the outcome of any experiment comparing the two types of weight training will likely favor the kind of training that uses the same type of equipment as the strength measurement. Studies testing strength (one-rep max) using equipment or a type of exercise different from that used in training have found similar gains in strength between weight machines and free weights.3, 4, 5Weight machines. Weight machines do not provide much flexibility in designing or performing workouts. For example, while manufacturers of weight machines try to accommodate as many different body sizes as possible, there is still a limit as to how many adjustments can be made in the seat or arm settings, rendering the exercise to be performed in a relatively fixed position. Since each traditional weight machine is designed for a specific exercise, only the intended exercise can be performed with each machine. In addition, training progression is often problematic, as many weight machines are restricted to 10- to 20-pound increments.Weight machines. From a management perspective, weight machines obviously represent a greater expense than free weights, including both their initial purchase and their maintenance. For a given cost, fewer people can be serviced at a given time with weight machines. Plus, you get a lot less for your money, with members only able to use the machine for one or two specific exercises.Despite the inability to alter their resistance at stronger joint angles, and the slightly greater risk of injury, free weights still have the overall strength-training advantage because of their training specificity, workout flexibility and superior stimulus for increasing strength. Possibly the most important reason for using free weights is that, while weight machines allow lifters to train muscle, free weights allow them to train movement.

Identify Your Talents, Build Your Strengths

Clearly and accurately identify your talents by looking at your top-of-mind reactions, yearnings, rapid learnings and satisfactions.Have you ever found yourself in a job that didn't use any of your strengths? If you did get back into a position that used your strengths, it is likely because you acknowledged your talents and refocused your life around them. If you're still off your "strength path," the key to getting back on is to identify your talents and find ways to use them. Clearly and accurately identify your talents by looking at your top-of-mind reactions, yearnings, rapid learnings and satisfactions.Monitor your spontaneous, top-of-mind reactions. Observe the way you react in situations you encounter. While reactions under extreme stress reveal dominant talents, thousands of situations in your daily life provoke revealing reactions.Yearnings reveal the presence of talent, especially when felt in early life. At an early age, did you find yourself drawn to certain activities and repelled by others? Childhood passions are created by various connections in the brain. Weaker connections have weaker pull, while the strongest connections are irresistible. They have a magnetic influence, pulling you and igniting a yearning. Yearnings reflect the physical reality that some of your mental connections are stronger than others. No matter how repressed the yearnings are, they will keep calling you.Rapid learning offers another trace of your talents. In some cases, a talent doesn't present itself through a yearning; it is silent. To discover a silent talent, something needs to spark it. Once it has been ignited, the speed at which you learn a new skill provides the tell-tale sign of the talent's presence and power.Satisfactions provide the final talent clue. If it feels good when you perform an activity, there's a good chance you're using a talent. You either feel it or you don't. Identify positive activities that seem to bring you psychological strength and satisfaction. Then, look deeper. For instance, if you've had a satisfaction at work due to overcoming an obstacle, challenge yourself to identify what specifically gave you the satisfaction. Did you appease an angry member? Did you develop and implement a creative and effective marketing program with a decreased budget? Did you increase new member sales without undercutting prices and in light of a downswing in the economy? Pay close attention to the situations that bring you satisfaction. Identify them, and you will be well on your way to pinpointing your talents.

Bodybuilders and Grandmas Welcome

Canadian Body Works Fitness is the largest fitness center in its market.Canadian Body Works Fitness is the largest fitness center in its market, at 48,000 square feet, serving 8,000 members, and is open 24 hours a day. Its success, according to Owner Craig Hawksworth, "is really quite simple: It is found in our reinvestment policy. We are constantly reinvesting our money back into the fitness center, which gives the members a reason to stay. Who wants to be part of a club that's the same as it was five years ago?"Date fitness facility opened: August 1993

Applying the ACSM Guidelines

Research shows that the ACSM exercise guidelines are effective for improving body composition and blood pressure in previously sedentary adults. While all of the reported studies showed favorable outcomes for improving strength and body composition, there was little consensus regarding a standard training protocol. For example, important strength-training studies conducted at Tufts University typically featured five or fewer exercises, performed two or three days a week, for three sets of eight repetitions each.9,13,21,11 On the other hand, equally important studies conducted by University of Maryland investigators29,28,25,23 typically featured seven to 14 exercises, performed three days per week, for one to two sets of 15 repetitions each.ACSM guidelinesThe 1995 ACSM exercise guidelines essentially restated and reinforced the 1990 ACSM Position Stand3 with respect to the recommended training protocols for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness in healthy adults. Both of these ACSM publications advised previously sedentary but otherwise healthy men and women to perform one set (eight to 12 repetitions) of eight to 10 resistance exercises for the major muscle groups at least two days a week. These guidelines also recommended a minimum of 20 minutes of aerobic activity, three days a week, at sufficient intensity to attain 60 to 90 percent of maximum heart rate.Exercise classes were scheduled mornings, afternoons and evenings on a Tuesday/Thursday sequence (twice per week) and on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday sequence (three times a week). All training sessions were completed within one-hour class periods, and included approximately 20 minutes of resistance exercise and 20 minutes of aerobic activity. Participants with low initial fitness levels required more time to complete the strength-training circuit, and began with shorter bouts of aerobic activity. All exercise classes were carefully instructed and closely supervised (maximum of six participants with two instructors) to ensure compliance with the ACSM exercise guidelines.Program protocolStrength training consisted of one set of each resistance exercise, from larger to smaller muscle groups, with a weightload that could be lifted between eight and 12 repetitions. When a trainee completed 12 repetitions, the resistance was increased by 5 percent (or less). Each exercise repetition was performed in approximately six seconds, with about two seconds for the concentric muscle action and about four seconds for the eccentric muscle action.Participants also performed a 20-second static stretch for the prime-mover muscle group immediately following each resistance-training exercise. For example, upon completing the leg extension exercise, participants performed a 20-second quadriceps stretch; after completing the leg curl exercise, they performed a 20-second hamstrings stretch, and so on, for all 10 strength exercises.Participants in the 10-week introductory fitness program were 1,644 adults between the ages of 21 and 80 years old from the greater Boston area. Each participant completed a medical history questionnaire, and anyone with possible exercise contraindications was required to provide written physician permission before beginning the program. The mean age for the 892 participants who trained twice a week was 56.2 years, and the mean age for the 752 participants who trained three times a week was 51 years.Pre-training and post-training assessment data were collected over an eight-year period from 1996 through 2004, including nine spring, eight summer, eight fall and eight winter exercise sessions of 10 weeks in duration. Ninety-two percent of the previously sedentary adults who enrolled in the exercise program completed all 10 weeks of training. Data for these 1,644 introductory exercise program participants were analyzed by training frequency, gender and age. Beginning values for body weight, body composition and blood pressure are presented in Table 1.Based on these findings, it would appear that three exercise sessions a week may be more beneficial overall, but two weekly workouts are effective for improving body composition and reducing resting blood pressure in previously sedentary adults.Age. The data were also divided into age groups: 1) 21 to 30 years; 2) 31 to 50 years; 3) 51 to 65 years; and 4) 66 to 80 years. The analyses showed no significant differences among the four age groups in body weight, body composition or blood pressure changes. These findings indicate that the ACSM minimum requirement exercise guidelines produce similar improvements in these health/fitness factors for young, middle-aged and older adults.Based on the results attained by 1,644 adults who completed our 10-week introductory exercise program, the 1995 ACSM minimum requirement exercise guidelines are effective for improving body composition and resting blood pressure in previously sedentary men and women between 21 and 80 years of age. On average, 10 weeks of combined strength and endurance training produced a 2 percent reduction in percent fat, a 3.7-pound loss in fat weight, a 3.1-pound gain in lean weight, a 3.8 mmHg-decrease in resting systolic blood pressure and a 1.8 mmHg-decrease in resting diastolic blood pressure (see sidebar).Research indicates that both genetic and psychological factors can influence tolerance for and responsiveness to physical training.6,4 In addition, it would appear that relatively simple and time-efficient exercise protocols may be advantageous for previously inactive adults from an acceptance and compliance perspective. Based on our experiences with beginning exercisers, the 1995 ACSM basic strength and endurance training guidelines provide both a practical and effective approach for improving body composition and resting blood pressure in previously sedentary adults.* Full range of pain-free movement.

Product Reviews: Cybex V43 Strength & LCX 425T Treadmill

Star Trac Elite CrossTrainer & Pro Stepper; Cybex VR3 Strength & LCX 425T TreadmillSTAR TRAC INVESTED two years of research and development, and had hundreds of user tests, 60 specific product requirements and 35 prototypes before releasing its Elite CrossTrainer, designed in conjunction with BMW Group DesignworksUSA.With traditional ellipticals, the upper-body motion depends on the lower-body motion. The arms of the machine move along with the pedals regardless of the amount of force (or lack thereof) users provide with their upper body. SelectFit makes the Elite the first machine that allows users to vary their upper-body workout throughout the exercise.High-tech users will appreciate the Elite's Pro Partner technology, which allows them to download and monitor their workout with a Palm-powered handheld to track and log workout speed, heart rate, calories burned and distance.wireless data transfer: Pro Partner technology communicates via infrared (IR) beam with Palm OS softwareTHE FIRST things users will notice about Star Trac's Pro Stepper are the ergonomically designed grip bars running the full length of the machine, and the Aero bar wrapping around the top of the display. This unique curve safely accommodates users of various shapes and sizes, and is the result of careful analysis of hand and body positions of stepper users. No longer will users have to contort their backs and shoulders in order to find a comfortable grip. That should save them from back pain and keep them exercising longer -- and actually get results.The oversized Soft Trac pedals with safety rims let even the most vigorous user feel safe and secure at any speed. At the same time, these same features make even deconditioned or post-rehab members comfortable and stable. Another safety and comfort feature is the rear step platform, for a safe, balanced entry to the low 4-inch step-up height.THE VR3 is the latest in the line of resistance-training equipment from Cybex, and it features several biomechanical advances. Most of the pieces use an Easy Seat base, which is an enclosed seat base adjustment design with a gas spring assist. This lets users adjust their seat height without leaving the machine; they can do it with just one hand.Users will also love the greater and more comfortable range of motion of the Dependent Converging (in the Chest and Overhead Press) and Diverging Movement Technology (in the Row). These arcing movements more naturally replicate human motion, stimulate the target muscles more and minimize stress at the joint.The Row combines a floor-level pivot and a clever, unequal-length four-bar linkage that gives users a near linear path of motion as in a cable row, but with variable resistance that closely matches the body's strength throughout the range of motion. The floor level pivot keeps the machine's profile low, and more uniform with the look of the rest of the VR3 line.IF YOUR facility is looking for a treadmill with a large running surface, but you don't have much space, the Cybex LCX 425T fits the bill. This small package boasts a commercial-sized (20 by 60 inches) running surface, while maintaining a compact footprint.The split-level console helps keep the user's accessories at hand, with a magazine rack, two water bottle holders and a CD/MP3 player holder. The handy upper display lets users select or scan between distance, total calories, calories per hour, METs, pace and heart rate, while the lower display provides time, incline and resistance level.

Metabolic Syndrome: Exercise Is KEY to Prevention

Help your clients and members prevent metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease with a regular plan of exercise and diet. Fortunately, it is becoming increasingly clear that physical activity does not need to be highly structured or regimented to yield health benefits. Furthermore, the threshold of intensity necessary for the health benefits of exercise is lower than previously thought. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that people should accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week.Definition* A high fasting glucose at 110mg/dlThe cause for metabolic syndrome has not been definitively established. One hypothesis presumes the primary cause is insulin resistance. Insulin resistance correlates with visceral fat measured by circumference, or waist-to-hip ratio. The link between insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease probably is the result of vascular damage and plaque formation.Treatment strategiesSkeletal muscle is the most insulin-sensitive tissue in the body and, therefore, a primary target for affecting insulin resistance. Physical activity has been shown to reduce skeletal muscle lipid levels and insulin resistance, regardless of BMI. The effect of exercise on insulin sensitivity is evident for 24 to 48 hours, and disappears within three to five days. Thus, regular physical activity should be a part of the lifestyle plan. The goal is to find a level of activity that can be accomplished over the long term. A combination of resistance and aerobic exercise is best, but any activity is better than none. Manipulation of duration and intensity -- starting according to the person's prior level of activity -- will provide a safe and effective program with minimal attrition. Success has been achieved through walking and low-weight resistance activities. Circuit training is of great benefit to these individuals. Studies have shown that walking or light jogging for one hour per day will produce significant losses of abdominal fat in men without caloric restriction.* Increase clients' physical activity.Strength training -- major muscle groups first -- should include light resistance and high reps. Consider selectorized supported equipment first, and have clients follow a similar progression to that of the cardio program. Remember, these individuals may be severely deconditioned.The primary goals of dietary change for metabolic syndrome are to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Evidence from one large and one small clinical trial show that a low-sodium diet helps to maintain lower blood pressure. Results from clinical trials of low-fat diets, in which participants were involved for more than two years, showed significant reductions in the rate of cardiovascular events.The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study demonstrated that consumption of dairy products was associated with a significantly reduced risk of metabolic syndrome.Conclusion

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