Upper-Body Strength
Wrestlers, martial artists and rock climbers strengthen their torsos through rope climbing. Now the technology is available for not just elite athletes but also average health club members to achieve a complete upper-body workout in minutes. The VIPER rope-climbing machine from Marpo Kinetics gives users a quick and effective cardio workout by exercising upper-body muscles only. By combining multi-muscle strength and cardio training in one machine, the VIPER eliminates the need for separate equipment, maximizing floor space utilization. The rope climbing machine's compact footprint enables the VIPER to easily fit into small spaces.
Contact: Marpo Kinetics; phone: 925-337-4205; www.marpokinetics.com.
Assessment Tools
The Body Composition Analyzer by Fitness Expert is a non-invasive bioimpedance device that allows users to monitor their body composition within a 2 percent accuracy of the water-immersion test. The Calorie Tracker is a sophisticated calorie-tracking device based on accelerometer technology that measures, records and reports users' daily caloric burn as they sleep, work, relax and exercise. The online Personal Fitness Record helps track, trend and graph fitness results as they are gathered from the Body Composition Analyzer and the Calorie Tracker. The nutrition calculator allows users to record their total caloric intake and compare it against their total caloric burn each day. These devices are registered by the FDA.
Contact: Fitness Expert; phone: 801-558-8474; www.fitnessexpert.com.
Flooring
For only the second time in company history, Exerflex Flooring has released a floor color other than its conventional blonde flooring — hardwood cherry-red flooring. While the flooring appears cherry in color with flecks of gold in some of the pores of the wood, the species is usually referred to as Merbau, a South Pacific species that is stable and superior to maple in hardness. The red flooring is manufactured using the same specifications as the traditional blonde flooring and is installed in the same way. Its performance characteristics are similar as well.
Contact: Exerflex; phone: 800-428-5306; www.exerflex.com.
Core Training
The Rotary Torso Bench by RT Fitness eliminates spinal compression while improving discal alignment. With legs partially extended, the abdominal musculature is at the mid range, which is optimal for strengthening, so when users rotate, their muscles can reach their maximum ability. When rotating in either direction with a loosened grip on the handles, users also engage their core-stabilizer muscles. The Rotary Torso Bench can be upgraded to the RT/AB/BACK, which makes it a three-in-one Core Combo Unit. Either configuration is suitable for sports performance, spinal rehabilitation and general core conditioning.
Contact: RT Fitness; phone: 800-363-2671; e-mail: [email protected]; www.rtfit.com.
Entertainment
The Envision Series 42-inch plasma television with analog NTSC and digital ATSC tuners features a wide viewing angle of 160 degrees, high contrast ratio of 10,000:1, and built-in speakers.
Contact: AOC Brand Sales Headquarters; phone: 888-662-9888; e-mail: [email protected]; www.nam.aocdisplay.com.
Aquatic Storage
Good aquatic training equipment, like water dumbbells and noodles, does not come cheap, and sometimes it seems like it grows fins and swims away. Unorganized accessories can also clutter your pool area and pose a safety hazard. Clean up the deck and protect your equipment with the Power Systems Aqua Rack. This three-tiered rack can hold and transport most aqua equipment by securely cradling the gear in mesh hammocks that allow for water runoff and ventilation. End posts can be used for hanging resistance tubing, swim bags or towels. The Aqua Rack is constructed of sturdy 2-inch PVC with swivel casters for smooth mobility.
Contact: Power Systems Inc.; phone: 800-321-6975; www.power-systems.com.
Software
MembersFirst, Inc, launched FirstSearch, a complete suite of search engine optimization, submission and marketing services. FirstSearch compliments the company's list of online services offered to clubs seeking to harness and leverage the Internet as a primary channel for improving membership development. The new offering covers the full range of search engine optimization and marketing techniques necessary to ensuring prominent positioning and ranking in keyword search results from all the major search engine providers.
Contact: MembersFirst; phone: 508-653-3399; www.memfirst.com.