Entertainment and exercise
Lisa Roberts / The Orlando Sentinel (MCT)
Issue date: 1/29/07 Section: Features
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Welcome to the future, in which you can zap calories using electronics-laden cardio equipment that sends boredom to the locker room. A new generation of machines, from treadmills and elliptical trainers to stationary bikes and stair steppers, is taking exercise to higher levels while offering entertainment options such as iPod ports, games and built-in TVs.
"Interaction is everything," says Mike May, spokesman for the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association in Washington, D.C. "It is where the future of industry is headed. People like to be entertained, they like a little enlightenment, and they want exercise."
The NordicTrack Viewpoint 3000 treadmill exemplifies the trend. The machine has an MP3 player port and a flat-screen TV built into its console. While the user churns along, the console also displays the time, distance and calories burned. The machine is outfitted with Ifit technology, which enters a user's workout by reading data on a small plastic card. Ifit's "personal trainer" coaches throughout the workout, giving tips on such things as breathing and posture while offering encouragement. The program offers twenty-four workouts, all based on an eight-week program that builds toward the exerciser's goal.
Cardio technology has come a long way since the first electric treadmills appeared in health clubs decades ago. The pace picked up as electronics made possible programmable controls, a selection of workouts, and ramps that inclined at the push of a button. Innovations quickly jumped to other cardio machines. Nautilus club equipment, for instance, offers things such as programmed workouts, fitness tests, LCD displays and heart-rate monitoring with a belt or via the machine's grips, says Dale Griffin, sales manager of Precision Fitness Equipment in Altamonte Springs.
"People want all the bells and whistles," says Tony Tamules, fitness manager at the RDV Sportsplex in Maitland, who notes that his upscale club's new Technogym treadmills, which have built-in televisions, are tremendously popular with members. "The ones with the TVs are the ones that are used the most when we look at the usage report."
"Interaction is everything," says Mike May, spokesman for the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association in Washington, D.C. "It is where the future of industry is headed. People like to be entertained, they like a little enlightenment, and they want exercise."
The NordicTrack Viewpoint 3000 treadmill exemplifies the trend. The machine has an MP3 player port and a flat-screen TV built into its console. While the user churns along, the console also displays the time, distance and calories burned. The machine is outfitted with Ifit technology, which enters a user's workout by reading data on a small plastic card. Ifit's "personal trainer" coaches throughout the workout, giving tips on such things as breathing and posture while offering encouragement. The program offers twenty-four workouts, all based on an eight-week program that builds toward the exerciser's goal.
Cardio technology has come a long way since the first electric treadmills appeared in health clubs decades ago. The pace picked up as electronics made possible programmable controls, a selection of workouts, and ramps that inclined at the push of a button. Innovations quickly jumped to other cardio machines. Nautilus club equipment, for instance, offers things such as programmed workouts, fitness tests, LCD displays and heart-rate monitoring with a belt or via the machine's grips, says Dale Griffin, sales manager of Precision Fitness Equipment in Altamonte Springs.
"People want all the bells and whistles," says Tony Tamules, fitness manager at the RDV Sportsplex in Maitland, who notes that his upscale club's new Technogym treadmills, which have built-in televisions, are tremendously popular with members. "The ones with the TVs are the ones that are used the most when we look at the usage report."
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