MEDWAY, Mass.--()--Cybex International Inc. (NASDAQ: CYBI), a leading manufacturer of premium exercise equipment, yesterday unveiled My Cybex, a video series highlighting true stories about the drastic impact its revolutionary Arc Trainer has had on the lives of users across the athletic spectrum – from fitness reality show stars to professional athletes to average gym-goers. The video series was unveiled at the annual International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) Convention in Los Angeles, California.
“I was about 23 years old, and my doctor literally told me that I was not going to see past the age of 30 the way I was going with my health,” says Neil Tejwani, who speaks of the role the Arc Trainer played in kick-starting his fitness efforts as a contestant on NBC’s hit reality show The Biggest Loser. “Week one when you’re on that show at the ranch you may not be able to run a marathon the first day, but I know you can go on the Arc Trainer for at least 30 minutes. So it was a huge part of our day-to-day workout regimen and weekly regimen as well.”
Tejwani, who shed 211 pounds during the show’s fourth season, credits the Arc Trainer with providing a workout option that delivered significant results without pain or injury. “When you’re as heavy as I was, you’re looking for as low-impact as possible, and for me I could do the Arc Trainer,” Tejwani says. “The first time I did it, I was expecting to go on there for five minutes and then pass out afterwards. The next thing you know 10 minutes rolls around, then 15, then 20, and before you know it you’re on that thing for over an hour, but it doesn’t feel like you’ve been working out for an hour.”
The Arc Trainer delivers power, strength and cardio results with a unique combination of glide, stride and climb motions, all while putting less stress on joints so athletes can continue to perform on and off the field. A new model unveiled at IHRSA features several improvements designed to enhance the Arc Trainer experience and improve workout results. The E3 View 15.6” high definition monitor gives users their choice of a complete look at exercise data; video from TV, iPod, or iPhone combined with a summary of exercise data; or a total escape that fills the whole screen with video content. The innovative Muscle Map™ display, a visual motivator, gives users the power to visually target individual muscle groups and take full advantage of the near limitless settings offered by the Arc Trainer.
The versatile Arc Trainer is becoming an integral part of training regimens for some of the world’s most elite athletes, such as Michael Robinson, a 2011 Pro Bowl fullback for the Seattle Seahawks.
“I play fullback in the National Football League, so it’s all about my knees, my feet, my limbs being healthy,” Robinson says of the Arc Trainer in his My Cybex profile. “I’ve never seen a machine that is so forgiving on my limbs.” Robinson says that he thinks incorporating the Arc Trainer into his training regimen could help increase his career “by two or three years” because it puts less stress on his knees than other cardio machines.
Chip Gosewisch, an ultra-distance runner who competes in 100-mile trail races, agreed on the Arc’s potential to help extend an athlete’s career. “To be honest, I think it would prolong the career of an endurance athlete quite a bit,” Gosewisch says. “I want to stay healthy, I want to continue to run races, and I think the best way for me to do that with all the pounding that it takes is to incorporate the Arc Trainer into my training.”
A new study conducted by the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse Department of Physical Therapy found that exercise on the Arc Trainer results in less stress to users’ knees than the Precor Adaptive Motion Trainer (AMT), stair climbing machines and lunging exercises. The patellofemoral joint forces (PFJFs) arising while on the Arc Trainer were comparable to those that occur during walking. (For more information, read the full CRI/University of Wisconsin - La Crosse study online.)
“With the Arc, it allows me to do some of my speed work in a less pounding environment than running on trails,” Gosewisch added. “I definitely saw a big difference in recovery after a hard Arc workout going into, like a long-run training day, felt way fresher.”
The Arc Trainer isn’t only for professional athletes or ultra-distance runners. As Robinson, the Pro-Bowl fullback, says, “We’re probably the top 2 or 3 percent of athletes in the whole world. The fact that they’ve made a machine that works for us, imagine what it could do for a regular person.” Average gym-goers can also benefit from the Arc Trainer’s unique design, which burns 16 percent more calories than an elliptical, providing maximum rewards with equal effort.
“I would tell club owners who have ellipticals to get one or two Arc Trainers in there, spend two minutes with your client and show them how to use it. I can guarantee you, within a week or two, other clients, once they try the Arc Trainer, will never go back to the elliptical,” says Brett Fischer, owner of Fischer Sports in Phoenix, Arizona. Response to the Arc Trainer from average gym-goers has been overwhelmingly positive:
- “You burn tons of calories. You can work the upper body and the lower body at the same time and it doesn’t feel like you’re working as hard.”
- “I’ve also noticed good changes in my lower body as I exercise on the Arc Trainer. There’s a lot of tone and a lot of muscle conditioning.”
- “Arc Trainer kept me feeling loose and fit so I was able to get a higher-intensity workout.”
- “Easy on the knees, easy on the back, easy on the eyes because it’s tough on fat!”
- “I’ve lost a lot of weight, I’ve gotten a lot smaller, I feel incredible.”
The Arc Trainer is part of Cybex’s new 770 series, which includes the Arc Trainer 770AT Total Body, Arc Trainer 770A Lower Body, Cybex 770T Treadmill, and the 770C Upright Bike.
To learn more about the Arc Trainer and other 770 series products, visit www.arctrainer.com or meet with Cybex staff at the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) Convention March 14-17 in Los Angeles or the FIBO trade show, April 19-22 in Essen, Germany.
About Cybex
Cybex International, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of premium exercise equipment primarily for commercial use. The Cybex product line, including a full range of strength and cardio training machines, is designed using exercise science to reflect the natural movement of the human body. Led by the Cybex Research Institute, Cybex fitness equipment is engineered to produce optimal results for users from the first-time exerciser to the professional athlete. Cybex designs and builds its products in the USA for a wide range of facilities, from commercial health clubs to home gyms, in more than 85 countries worldwide. For more information on Cybex and its products, visit the Company’s website at www.cybexintl.com. Complimentary Cybex products were provided to Fischer Sports in advance of its endorsement. The results of the above endorsers may be atypical and individual results may vary.
This news release may contain forward-looking statements. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the statements made above. These include, but are not limited to, the ability of the Company to comply with the terms of its credit facilities, competitive factors, technological and product developments, market demand, economic conditions, and the resolution of litigation involving the Company. Further information on these and other factors which could affect the Company’s financial results can be found in the Company’s previously filed Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, its Reports on Form 10-Q, its Current Reports on Form 8-K, and its proxy statement dated April 14, 2011.
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