FITNESS TECH SHOWCASE 2019
We’re hosting a fitness tech showcase and a warehouse sale at our corporate offices in Eugene.
NOVEMBER 21 & 22, 2019
EQUIPMENT. DOOR PRIZES. REFRESHMENTS. WAREHOUSE SALE.
We're excited to invite you to our 2019 Fitness Tech Showcase on November 21st and 22nd at our corporate offices in Eugene.
Our showroom is full of the latest advancements from Precor, Escape, Echelon, Aviron, EXOS, Expresso and Hydromassage. Come and try them out for yourself.
In addition to showcasing the latest in technology, we are hosting our annual warehouse sale. You’ll find lightly used demo models ranging from studio kettlebells to touchscreen treadmills. We also have refurbished units, flooring remnants and more.
Commercial Fitness Equipment Corporate Headquarters
4686 Isabelle St. Unit A.
Eugene, OR 97402
If you’d like to join us please fill out the RSVP form below.
EQUIPMENT SPOTLIGHT: Escape TIYR Sport
Have you heard about the new TIYR Sport from Escape? Learn all about this awesome new product here.
“A tire represents movement. For you to move your vehicle, a tire lets you do that. It represents progress,” explains entrepreneur, Amen Iseghohi. His family history and childhood inspired him to develop a whole ethos that’s led to an exciting new partnership with Escape.
This is the TIYR Sport. Using his experience with the product expertise of Escape, they’ve added the features – colors, straps, better materials – to provide a more varied, versatile and safe training tool. Amen knows the benefits of the TIYR Sport better than anyone, through testing for over six months with clients. Now your members can discover them, too.
Amen continues: “I use fitness as a vehicle for self empowerment. The truth is: you have to be willing to fail. It’s humbling. That’s how you learn and that’s how you grow.”
With hundreds of combinations for warm-ups, stretches, HIIT workouts, strength training, and sport-specific fitness, the TIYR Sport is the ideal new fitness focus to empower members, helping gym-goers and clients of any ability to better their bodies and minds.
Could you use the TIYR Sport in your facility? We’d love to consult with you, examine your goals and space and budget, and see if this is the solution for you! See the form at the bottom of this page to get started.
CFE EVENT: BattleFit at Turtle Bay
Mike recently went to Turtle Bay on Oahu to prepare them for offering Battle Fit....
CFE BATTLEFIT TRAINING AT TURTLE BAY
The coolest fitness equipment in the world is only as good as what people do with it. That’s why we believe in education and programming. Mike Reis, our Central Oregon Territory Manager, is a Master Trainer for Escape Fitness programming. He recently went to Turtle Bay on Oahu to prepare them for Battle Fit....
WHAT IS BATTLE FIT?
BattleFit programming is described by Escape as:
“A team-based programme developed by former British Army officers, based around high-intensity 35-minute workouts. Tapping into the popularity of bootcamps, it pushes participants past their comfort zone to their best ever fitness levels.”
In a word: Intense.
This “programming in a box” package is designed for those clients who want to work out at extreme intensity. In fact, the goal is for clients to workout at 80% of their max for 35 minutes! Despite the high intensity of the workout, the program still emphasizes safety and flexibility for different fitness level participants. Trainers can ramp up the intensity for more advanced members, while at the same time instructing less able participants in a way that matches their capabilities. Even with drastic differences in fitness levels in the same class BattleFit trainers are able to create an environment of teamwork and camaraderie that people are looking for in group training.
Plus, Escape programs certify the facility, not just the trainers. Things change but no matter what happens with training staff, Turtle Bay has the tools to continue to offer BattleFit classes to their guests. The BattleFit box comes with instruction manuals for the trainers who will be teaching the class, 35-minute workout routines, fitness tests, product-specific training workshops and an exercise library covering all of the workout components. All backed up with an online library of training videos in the Escape Training Portal.
Turtle Bay took it to the next level by taking advantage of an in-facility training with our in-house Escape Master Trainer. Mike certainly didn’t mind going to Hawaii to work with the great trainers at Turtle Bay!
WHY BATTLE FIT?
Turtle Bay already had an impressively robust class offering. Tabatas, yogas, spin, suspension, and more. They were looking to offer HIIT training to their guests. But not just any HIIT training, they wanted to offer an experience. And they didn’t want the quality of that experience to change with future trainers. That’s why BattleFit was the perfect fit. By choosing Escape “programming in a box,” the quality of their offering wouldn’t go down with future staff changes and doesn’t require yearly licensing fees. BattleFit, and all Escape programming, comes with all the tools for in-house certifying of future trainers. Online modules and tests to certify new trainers help to ensure the program is always delivered in the way it was designed. Mike spent extra time with Turtle Bay’s head trainer so that she is prepared to certify all future trainers. And if sometime down the road Turtle Bay wants a refresh, Mike will head back out to coach future trainers.
The BattleFit experience is also unique. Instead of just providing a workout with exercises chosen at random by the trainer, there is a battle scenario for each class. A mission of the day. Today your unit is taking heavy fire and has to move to safety but stay low and slow. All the exercises center around the mission of the day.
BattleFit also requires minimal equipment, is meant for smaller groups in a smaller space and can easily be taken outside. All of those things made it ideal for the space available at Turtle Bay.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE?
The 2-day BattleFit training course was intense and very comprehensive.
The class covered:
BattleFit workout examples
How to best utilize the BattleFit accessories
Class format
Setup how-to
Fitness Tests: How and Why
Delivery and coaching techniques
The Turtle Bay staff started as trainees but by day 2, they were taking the lead as the trainers and pushing their colleagues to their limit!
GOING FORWARD…
The challenge with offering great programming long term, is having trainers that are actually trained to deliver the kind of experience you want for your clients. This challenge has been overcome by the Escape programming solution. Turtle Bay’s trainers are now fully ready to push their guests to accomplish more than they ever have in a fitness class. That will just keep those guests coming back for more. And Turtle Bay has all the tools, no matter what, to continue this amazing class for all their guests on into the future. If they lose a trainer? They can deactivate their portal. They’ll certify the new trainer in-house with Escape’s online portal, complete with tests that must be passed. Then that new trainer gets registered with Escape and has access to all the materials, including classes that earn them CECs.
Plus, the Escape portal is always expanding. All certified trainers get access and content is being added to train them on new products and methods. Escape is helping trainers to always be improving.
Are you tough enough to workout at Turtle Bay? Are you sure?
WHAT ARE SOME OTHER OPTIONS?
We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. BattleFit isn’t for everyone and isn’t for every facility. Maybe you’re looking for HIIT training that appeals to a wider demographic of fitness levels? Consider MoveIt with MyZone where participants can see their heart-rate and progress side by side with the rest of the class. MoveIt focuses on circuit training and suspension training and can accommodate larger class sizes. What if your clients are new to HIIT and functional training? HIIT the Deck programming is a great way to get people exploring the special combination of cardio, strength and functional training that define HIIT.
When you invest in programming it needs to be there for consistent delivery over the long term. That’s why all of Escape’s programming, including Battle Fit, meet these core principles.
FLEXIBLE. By offering you a suite of programming styles, you can select which ones suit your brand and are right for your target audiences.
SCALABLE. By including trainer education as well as the programming itself, we’ve guaranteed that all your trainers can deliver the programmes. This means you can grow the frequency of classes, either on a single site or across multiple locations.
PROGRESSIVE. All of the programmes can be shaped to suit people fairly new on their fitness journey, and change with them as they develop their ability and needs.
VARIED. Variety is one of the things that makes functional training such a great experience, so our programming includes multiple different workouts to keep people coming back.
FUN! Working out should push people hard, but most people also need a sense of fun to keep them motivated. So we include teamwork, partner drills, tests and challenges to create a real buzz during the workout.
WHAT ABOUT YOU? ARE YOU READY FOR PROGRAMMING AT YOUR FACILITY? LET US KNOW, WE’D LOVE TO ASSIST YOU IN TAKING YOUR FITNESS OFFERING TO THE NEXT LEVEL.
Addressing the Trends: HIIT Zones
What is HIIT? Why and how should you incorporate it in your fitness center?
What and Why?
If you’re involved in the fitness industry, there’s a high likelihood that you have heard of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). HIIT is essentially a training method that involves pushing the body to its workout limits for a short period of time (ex. 30 seconds), followed by a brief period of rest, then repeated over another short period of time (ex. 15 mins). These workouts are a huge trend in the fitness industry among fitness experts, gym members, and gym owners, because they’re awesome--and here’s why:
Time-Saver
The allure of a 15-minute workout as opposed to a half hour to an hour work out doesn’t take much explaining. We live busy lives, but we want to prioritize our health and fitness. HIIT allows for the best of both worlds.
Space-Saver
Workout spaces that are more open are ideal for HIIT because they do not require equipment that waste space, and you need room to move around at high-intensity. If space is an issue in your fitness center, HIIT helps with that!
It Brings Real Results!
Note what was revealed in this research study about the effectiveness of HIIT.
“The major goals of most endurance exercise programs are to improve cardiovascular, metabolic, and skeletal muscle function in the body. For years continuous aerobic exercise has been the chosen method to achieve these goals. However, research shows that HIIT leads to similar and in some cases better improvements in shorter periods of time with some physiological markers.”
-Micah Zuhl, Ph.D. and Len Kravitz, Ph.D.
Increased Attraction and Retention
Keeping your gym space new, attractive, and engaging is essential for retaining guests, members, etc. The ingenuity of HIIT workouts is a magnet for attracting and keeping hold of a larger demographic.
How?
Because of the success of this form of training, businesses will benefit from including designated spaces for HIIT, or “HIIT Zones,” in their fitness centers. Now here’s the important question for managers: How can I incorporate zones for HIIT workouts in my fitness center successfully?
Open Space
It’s important that you provide ample space for HIIT in your fitness center, thus “HIIT zones.” Have your HIIT Zones be free of clutter and have HIIT-specific equipment, described in the next subheading.
HIIT Equipment
To make your HIIT Zone a real “hit,” you should include equipment designed for HIIT workouts. The AirBike Assault and AirRunner are fabulous examples of large HIIT equipment. Going even bigger (yet still space-efficient), the Queenax functional trainer is another great option for HIIT. Queenax units allow for open space and functional storage. The many accessories you can couple with the Queenax are ideal for HIIT workouts.
To learn more about Queenax, check out this article.
Finally, and most importantly:
Consult with CFE!
We know how fully utilize a space and make it exactly what you want. Please see the form at the bottom of this page to request a consultation with us. We can talk about your vision and goals for a fitness center and how we will make it happen. We’re excited to work with you!
EDUCATION: RIGS VS RACKS
This post is all about the differences, benefits, and limitations of rigs and racks.
RIGS VS RACKS
Fitness trends are changing. Have you noticed how much functional fitness has grown in popularity over the last 10 years? This, and the tendency towards training general population students like athletes, have changed the needs of a school weight room. Since most schools don’t have an opportunity to do a major update on their weight room more often than every 10-15 years, it’s important to make the right decision... You’ll be living with it for quite a while. This post is all about educating you on the differences, benefits, and limitations of rigs and racks.
What is a rig?
Rigs are so versatile they are difficult to define. For the purpose of our discussion today we will define a rig as a versatile frame with the ability to reconfigure your “stations” to your needs of the day. It can be anywhere from 4’ all the way 24’ and beyond. It can be just about any shape you want with almost any type of station you want. We will assume you would be wanting your rig with as many lifting stations as possible.
Here are some examples of rigs:
What is a rack?
We’re talking half racks, power racks, and ¾ racks. They can be “doubled” back to back, they can be annexed with storage and there are even a few accessories that can be added. Often you can expect to get not only a lifting station but also a pull-up station.
Pros of Rigs
Rigs are a great solution to getting the maximum amount of users in a tight space while providing a way to transition to other modalities. What does that really mean? Versatility. You could have a tiny 4’ wall-mounted rig, you could have a 24’ self-standing rig in the middle of your space or anything in between.
This means that you can tailor your rig to your training style and the number of students you want to train simultaneously. One option we love is a 6’ by 24’ rig. A setup like that means that you can have 6 lifting stations that you can monitor by walking down the center of the rig.
When you’re not doing lifts you have an unending amount of stations you can set-up such as dips, glute/ham, pull-ups, TRX, ball targets, battle ropes, etc. Maybe you even want to have turf down the center so that your students can be pulling a sled in the protected space in the center of the rig while other stations on both sides of the rig are being utilized.
All of this versatility adds up to space-saving. Training more students in the same amount of space.
Another benefit of rigs is they tend to be budget-friendly. For example, it is about 30% less to get a rig with 6 lifting stations than 6 free-standing half racks.
Cons of Rigs
While rigs can be configured to fit the needs of powerlifting and/or sports specific training they tend to put athletes closer together and not provide as much privacy as a power rack can. This makes monitoring even more important.
Rigs tend to be really basic in style, you could even describe them as raw. This may or may not fit with your vision for the room. The style and “feel” of the room need to be considered.
Another difficulty with rigs is that they need to be bolted to the ground. This requires certain conditions and sometimes it’s just not possible to do that. Rigs also tend to be tall and require a taller ceiling height. Plate storage can also be less functional and more cumbersome depending on the setup you select.
And then there’s the issue of space. Rigs are hugely space-saving but if you really have only a very small amount of space to work with, you may not be able to get a rig in that really adds to the value of your space.
Pros of Racks
Racks have been the go-to item for weight rooms for years. Power racks and half racks are fairly specific to the needs of the coach and the athletes performing the exercise.
If you’re doing Olympic lifts they are the gold standard. They provide adequate space to provide lifters with a safe, controllable environment. Collegiate athletics are going to lean towards a rack because they are more accommodating with power-lifting, better for moving a lot of heavy weight, and for linear strength programming. Plate storage is easy to access and efficient.
Plus a robust rack is going to look strong, it’s going to create a substantial feel in your weight room.
Cons of Racks
The biggest con on racks is that they are just not as versatile as a rig. You have a very limited movement plane to work with. When using a rack you know the lifts you can do and there’s not much of an opportunity to go outside of that.
They are not going to give you the same access to versatile dynamic/functional movements as a rig. The accessories and attachments that you can use on a rack are very limited. When putting multiple racks in a room you have the potential for a lot of “dead space” that would be utilized if it were a rig.
What should I use?
By now you might know exactly which option you lean towards. We feel these factors are the big 3:
Training Style: Are you performing just Olympic movements or are you wanting to provide more functional training like suspension training and room for dynamic movements?
Amount of students you want to train: Are you working with a small group(or with multiple coaches) that you can monitor easily or do you need to be able to monitor more students in the program simultaneously?
Budget: Do you have space and dollars to spread out or do you need to keep it really efficient?
Honestly, there are even more factors to consider than what we have mentioned in this article. For instance, when you add in the right flooring you can have the equivalent of lifting platforms in every square inch of your space. Is that beneficial for your space? That is exactly why we don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to fitness room design.
We’d like to get to know your training style, your team, and your space so that we can help you to consider all the factors and assist you in building a facility for your students and athletes that will serve your needs for years to come. Get started on your project here.