By Carey Rossi on March 28, 2011 in
Last week I attended IHRSA, the International Health, Racquetball and Sportsclub Association international convention and trade show in San Francisco. This 30-year old gathering unveils fitness equipment that you will see in health clubs, and eventually on late-night infomercials or on exercise DVDs. Sometimes there are innovative products and group exercise classes to get excited about and sometimes it is more of the same. This year there were some notable new products that consumers will use either at home or in their gyms.
What's New
Dance Fever. I started my IHRSA adventure at 6 AM Thursday morning sampling a new workout, Batuka. A live band provided the music, which is a first for me (with the exception of a Zen Dance class), but with good reason: Batuka is the brain child of Grammy-award winning artist Kike Santander, with some help from fitness heavy-hitters, Fred Hoffman and Petra Kolber. Much like Zumba, Batuka offers different types of classes: Dance-based on modern jazz and hip hop moves and taught very much like a traditional dance class; Zen-inspired by yoga and stretching; Fight-taking root in martial arts; and Force-concentrates on sculpting your major muscle groups. The biggest distinction between the two classes is the music. Zumba is Latin-inspired, while Batuka has more of a world music vibe. It is this distinction that will separate the two and their followers.
Zumba is quite the fitness craze with reports of clubs having participants literally fighting to get into their classes and whether Batuka will be able to elicit that passion in their participants remains to be seen. Until then, I can tell you that Batuka is a fun workout that transported me to my childhood dance class, not aerobic class, days-something that I found refreshing. I had a blast and despite arriving feeling a bit under the weather, I walked back to my hotel for breakfast and a shower feeling great-and my bum a bit sore. I can't wait until it comes to a gym near me.
Boing! Unstable platforms are not new to fitness. There's been the Reebok Core Board and the BOSU and Friday's early morning workout featured a sort of hybrid of the two: SPRI's Step 360 Pro. So what is it? There is no easy way for me to describe the Step360 Pro (*Est. $149.98), but I will try: two intertubes stacked on top of each other with a platform on top that has notches where elastic resistance bands can attach. This bouncy version of The Step allows you to workout concentrating on balance, power, stability and strength. I had the most fun jumping on to the Step360 Pro -giving plyometric moves a heighten stability element. Sticking a landing on a wobbly surface is more challenging, mentally and physically, which keeps your mind and body healthy.
Get Ripped! A few years ago Fitness Anywhere launched the TRX Suspension Trainer (see more under What Will Kick Your Butt) at IHRSA. This year, the company changed its name to TRX Training and introduced the TRX Rip Trainer (*Est. $189.95), a 40-inch, commercial-grade bar with a sheathed elastic medium-resistance cord that can attach to either one or both sides; and comes with a door anchor, Basic Training DVD and guidebook. Honestly, the concept isn't innovative as similar products are also being sold such as the GymStick and Muscle Bar at Perform Better or as the Pilates Stick by Peak Pilates.
It is designed to develop explosive and rotational power, think sport moves--throwing in lacrosse, swinging a bat. By attaching one end of the bungee to an anchored object such as a cable machine, couch leg, or tree, you can simulate these motions. The Rip Trainer's long lever changes the forces that your body is used to working against and makes it distribute force differently. My 10-minute workout made my speech a bit breathless and confirmed my suspicion that my left side is stronger than my right. (Carrying a child with your left arm for two-plus years will cause such an imbalance.) The TRX Rip Trainer is another candidate to the functional training tool category and we'll see if it will enjoy the same passionate accolades that its big brother, the Suspension Trainer, has received. When they figure out how to pair the two simultaneously, that will be one seriously challenging workout.
One Stop. Octane Fitness's Cross Circuit made its IHRSA debut this year, though the elliptical trainer has been around for a bit. It combines cardiovascular exercise and strength training by leading users through a circuit workout by prompting them through two minutes of cardio on the elliptical and strength training exercises such as chest press, lateral raises, rows, curls, triceps extensions using adjustable dumbbells. The home version, the Cross Circuit+ kit (*Est. $249) paired with their Q47 Series (*Est. $4,500), Q37 Series (*Est. $3,000), and Q35c (*Est. $2,000), ellipticals, uses resistance bands instead of the dumbbells.
The Q47 and Q37 Series ellipticals offer new goal programs - 350 calories, 750 calories, 10K and ½ marathon. Digital contact heart rate sensors are located on the moving handlebars on the Q47 models, and contact grips come on the stationary handlebars on the Q37 units and Q35c. In addition the Q47 Series uses electronically adjustable stride length technology known as SmartStride. Octane Fitness just made your home gym foot print smaller with most of your cardio and strength needs are in one place.
What's Cool
Ready, Set, Go! Manual treadmill company Woodway featured a web racing console by WebRacing.org, that allows two treadmill users to race against each other. The WebRacing technology isn't just limited to Woodway's treadmills-- it's being used in gyms around the country and there is a consumer version too. The video console shows a track with two runners, each one moves along at a pace that represents the belt speed on the treadmill. Pair this with the Curve treadmill, which is a manual treadmill and responds to your own gait and speed, you have yourself a virtual representation of an outdoor race--weather be damned.
Power Up. There's a large trend to make gym's eco-friendly--from flooring materials to limiting energy usage to recycling programs to natural cleaning products. This fact isn't lost on the abovementioned company Woodway. Its EcoMill manual treadmill is completely self-contained and utilizes a battery back-up to power the display. Your workout converts your physical energy into electricity, which re-charges the battery. It can also be wired to spit the extra energy back into your home or gym. The EcoMill supports the Curve technology that makes it slightly easier to move the rubberized belt. Sticker Shock Alert! Going green is expensive as the EcoMill retails for nearly $8,000.
What Will Kick Your Butt
For Real FlyWheel. If indoor cycling classes are you're go-to cardio workout, the RealRyder will wake your body up. No more stationary cycling, the RealRyder tilts, turns and leans. And for you to make the bike do all those things, you need to draw strength from your torso, especially because you need to also find your balance on the bike. I left my five-minute demo with my core muscles a bit tighter and I smile on my face. My studio cycling classes give me a great workout, but if I was riding a RealRyder they would be even more intense. This is the next generation of indoor cycling classes.
In Suspended Motion. As I mentioned earlier, a few years ago the TRX Suspension Trainer (*Est. $190) was released at IHRSA. Before that, came Lifeline's Jungle Gym (*Est. $100) and now there's SBT (*Est. $140) and FreeMotion's Rip:60 (*Est. 120). All of these suspension trainers are made up of straps that can be attached sturdy stationary objects or in a door jam and handles that can accommodate your feet and hands. These straps allow for over 300 strength, agility, and stretching movements that use your bodyweight and gravity as resistance. During a workout, you'll be stabilizing your body while trying to perform each exercise. In addition, they are very portable so you can get a killer workout no matter where you are. These trainers can really shake up your strength training and challenge your body.
