If you’ve been out of the gym for a while and you’re back to get your body ready for summer, you may have noticed some newcomers in the room. And they’re not the clients; they’re the machines.
In the past several years, there have been a few new twists in cardiovascular workout technology, and you’re the beneficiary.
We hopped off the elliptical to spend a few minutes with Joe Lawrie, who sells commercial-grade fitness equipment as owner of both Fort Wright-based 123 Wellness Inc. and Atlas Fitness. Lawrie, who opened Atlas Fitness in January to enable customers to bring the same machines they use at their gyms into their homes, filled us in on some of the latest trends in cardio training.
Lateral trainers
Think of them as a sideways version of your old friend the elliptical. Instead of moving forward, you’re moving side-to-side.
“It works a different set of muscles you’re not used to working,” Lawrie said. “It’s a great way to cross-train.” Though they were introduced five years ago, their popularity has grown in the past 18 months, Lawrie said.
Suspension elliptical trainers
Your old “Y” standby has a sleek new addition to the family. Suspension ellipticals maintain the same range of motion but with different technology. The pedals don’t travel along a track but are suspended, giving the sensation of walking on air.
“You still get the no-impact workout, but because it’s smoother and quieter, it’s more enjoyable to the user,” Lawrie said.
Adaptive motion trainers
Elliptical giant Precor is an innovator in this space, devising a machine that enables users to define the path they run in, Lawrie said.
“One user might have a long stride, and another might have a short stride. As you’re exercising, you’re able to define what that stride is.” The Adaptive Motion Trainer is among the newer additions to the fitness family, but already is “a pretty big hit across the industry,” Lawrie said.
Tread climbers aren’t exactly new, but are making a comeback, Lawrie said; along with a newer apparatus from Matrix Fitness called a ClimbMill, he calls this a “hero piece,” indicating you’re in for a pretty intense workout.
“The fitness enthusiasts love it,” he said.
New technology for traditional equipment
If you’re still attached to your favorite apparatus, you can still use some advances to your advantage. Technology can give you a virtual trainer in your earbuds guiding you through a treadmill workout, for example.
“A lot of people might get on a treadmill and hit quick-start, watch TV and walk at 3 mph for 30 minutes,” Lawrie said. But a virtual trainer can guide you through intervals of more intense activity. “With someone in your ear, like a personal trainer would be, you might work a lot harder.”
Also, virtual active programs can simulate a walk or run along a path all around the globe. They’re interactive, so if you speed up, the video picks up pace as well.
“I’m not a guy who likes to do cardio for 45 minutes, but I’ll do that,” Lawrie said.
Also, many machines now allow you to connect your own devices, like iPhones and FitBits, to use apps that automatically track your workload, or just enjoy playlists you put together.
