I’ve gone to many trade shows over the years, and seen many fitness companies and products come and go. Manufacturers are always looking for the next big thing (remember when the elliptical trainer came out?), and facility owners are always looking for the latest and greatest product to get members in and then keep them coming back.
More than a few times, I have seen products at trade shows and thought, “This product will never make it. What were they thinking!?” (To refresh your memory on some of these, read Top 20 Product Trends from the Past 20 Years.)
Despite past mistakes, I think manufacturers and fitness centers (by way of their wallets) got it right this time. Instead of trying to come up with some new-fangled cardio machine, most of the major manufacturers have focused, instead, on making improvements to their existing lines. The major addition I saw at a recent trade show was in technology. Cardio machines now feature personal viewing screens, plug into iPods, and can track workouts with a USB stick or the Nike+ system. Now, these are things that members will actually use!
A recent article about the newest fitness equipment says, “The future of exercise is here — and it’s heavy on the techno. Fitness equipment is catching up with tech-savvy, gadget-loving exercisers.”
Members can now keep better track of their workouts, or simply have more distractions from their painful miles on the treadmill with movies, music and television right on their console. “Watching a bank of communal televisions is so five minutes ago,” says the article. Technology and fitness manufacturers have finally caught up to the ideal of a totally personal and individualized exercise experience.
Of course, there will always be the dreamers who come up with some strange gadget that they think will be the next best thing. And, more power to them! They always make trade shows more interesting for everyone.
3 comments:
I think its great that fitness equipment is getting more technologically advanced. It's always frustrating when you use a cardio machine that can't measure your heart beat right, so I hope that they can at least get that part figured out!
The more "stuff" they put on these machines the more stuff I have to keep functioning. Service calls are not cheap, nor is most of the electronics warranteed for long periods..Enough already,,charge your IPOD at home!
I'm a bit of a technophile and I personally like these advances but the truth is that most new members are confused by complicated machines and more bells and whistles will only intimidate the uninitiated.
I agree with the other commenters that doing the basics well is more important then cramming more and more functions into an already crowded console.
The truth is that while more sophisticated machines ostensibly appeal to people unless it directly improves their core experience (i.e. moves them towards their goals) I believe it will only have a superficial impact on the industry.
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