Newsletter


In this issue: Cybex and Powerlift Form Strategic Partnership \| IHRSA International Convention \| Fitness Spotlight - Amarillo Town Club Southwest, Amarillo, TX \| Cybex hosts RTS Training in DUOC \| Workplace Fitness - What Is Being Done?
C Y B E X A N D P O W E R L I F T F O R M S T R A T E G I C P A R T N E R S H I P
Powerlift Installation	CYBEX has entered into an alliance with Power Lift allowing CYBEX to increase its product offerings to the institutional markets, which includes high schools, sports performance centers, military/government, collegiate and pro-team markets. Power Lift is the leading manufacturer of heavy duty free-weight equipment, Olympic Lifting platforms and athletic performance based training equipment Read More . . . < TOP

I H R S A I N T E R N A T I O N A L C O N V E N T I O N

CYBEX showed up big at IHRSA’s 27th Annual International Convention and Trade Show, which was held San Diego, CA from March 5-8th. There were over 12,000 fitness professionals from over 70 nations in attendance. With IHRSA being one of the premier fitness industry events of the year, it’s no surprise CYBEX had a major presences at the show. With one of the largest and busiest booths on the trade show floor, CYBEX occupied nearly 9,000 square feet in the convention hall.

New for the trade show from CYBEX were the VR1 Duals. The Duals are an extension of the VR1 selectorized line that balance the need for space and budget conscious facilities. The VR1 Duals provide multiple exercises into one, making them a great solution for small footprint environments, seeking to offer more exercise options to their users. Also debuting at the show was the 750T treadmill display enhancements. A new high contrast display along with increased ease of use only add to what is the strongest, toughest and most reliable treadmill on the market today.

We look forward to seeing everyone throughout the year at other upcoming events. And of course we will see you all again in San Francisco for IHRSA 2009!

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CYBEX Booth

F A C I L I T Y S P O T L I G H T - A M A R I L L O T O W N C L U B S O U T H W E S T

Amarillo Town Club Southwest – Amarillo, TX

This month’s Facility Spotlight is the 23,000 square foot Amarillo Town Club Southwest in Amarillo, Texas. ATC opened this club, its second location, this past January in one of the fastest growing areas of the city.

As you enter the facility, the outdoor recreational aquatics center can be viewed from the front desk. The main workout area has high ceilings and windows surrounding the upper perimeter so that it is consistently filled with natural light. There is an Earth tone / natural colors blend throughout the industrial design to accommodate heating and cooling features and there is a centralized juice bar area for socialization as well as a large group exercise room and a secondary spinning room.

Members will have no problem reaching their fitness goals here. The club features over 110 pieces of CYBEX equipment including 20 750T treadmills, 10 Cyclone recumbent and upright bikes, full circuits of both Eagle and VR3 selectorized strength training equipment, and a full range of plate loaded machines, free weight benches and racks.

Steve Halsey, Vice President of Amarillo Town Club, says that they chose CYBEX for many reasons including the design and function of the machines, their ease of use, the diversity of the equipment offered, and the reputation of the company.

“The process of working with CYBEX was excellent”, said Steve. “They were creative, instructive, informative and totally involved in our new facility. They immersed themselves into the project and our needs analysis”.

Halsey also commented that his customers are enjoying all the new equipment. “They like the style, ease of use, and the adjustments on the machines are extremely user friendly. We are very happy with our equipment choices and the support that we have been given. Our staff members and customers are true die hard CYBEX fans.”

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C Y B E X H O S T S R T S T R A I N I N G I N D U O C

CYBEX hosted an RTS Seminar with Dr. Mark Slavin at the largest and most prestigious university in Chile, Universidad Catolica de Chile (DUOC). More than 120 people attended this event including students, professors and the local media.

This was a unique opportunity for CYBEX as we were the pioneer in Chile introducing this sort of training on biomechanics and resistance training. This university has a complete university degree for Personal Trainers. The government of Chile is working on a new ruling which requires all Personal Trainers in any type of fitness facility to have a University degree in Health and Exercise Technology. The Universidad Catolica de Chile offers degrees in Personal Training and Rehabilitation and the CYBEX/RTS course is part of that curriculum. DUOC has also purchased a full CYBEX fitness facility that will be used as a lab for Health and Exercise Technology training.

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University in Chile

W O R K P L A C E F I T N E S S : W H A T I S B E I N G D O N E

Royal Bank of Scotland
Employee Fitness Center

Companies around the globe, in different industries with different philosophies, are investing in employee fitness.

For Accenture, a company with a highly distributed workforce, providing its employees with fitness facilities and programs was a natural extension of their longstanding commitment to the health and wellbeing of their employees. That commitment is grounded in the philosophy that employees, who are healthy and happy and feel valued, form the most productive, innovative and loyal workforce possible.[1]

For Dow Chemical, a manufacturing company with large numbers of shift employees, the conclusion was arrived at in more methodical fashion – based upon irrefutable data that showed how health and wellness impact the bottom line.

After seeing success with their early programs aimed at obesity, physical activity and tobacco use, Dow led a study among their employee base focused on the ROI of reducing their top 10 health risks. All of which can be helped through diet and exercise. And they found that by simply reducing each of those risk factors by 1% per year, they would save approximately $50 million over a ten year period – a 3:1 ROI.[2] And that estimate “assumes the only benefit is changes in direct dollar expenditures for health care,” says Catherine Baase, M.D., Dow global director, health services. Dow also, estimated more than $6 million in “lost days” saved due to reductions in absenteeism. [3]

But for all those “studies” and “philosophies”, how do you get employees to exercise and get fit?

Fitness: How Convenient

Quite simply, you make fitness facilities easy and convenient for them. One of the most oft cited reasons why adults do not exercise is that they do not have the time. So companies that are serious about helping employees improve their health (while helping improve the bottom line) invest in workplace fitness centers.

An idea that is substantiated by Richard Cotton, PhD, exercise physiologist and spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise. According to Cotton, "To get someone to exercise, we've got to help them carve out the time. Having a gym at your fingertips does just that."

Marty Shaver, a supply manager at Motorola in Palmer, Texas, would also agree. Before Motorola installed an on-site gym, Shaver was 30 pounds overweight with high cholesterol and no time between work and the long commute home to his family for a stop off at the local gym.

Since that time, however, Shaver has shed 20 pounds and his cholesterol is back in the healthy range. According to Shaver, he owes his healthy ways to the on-site fitness center at Motorla. "It's a huge convenience," says Shaver. "Instead of going down the stairs and straight out the door at the end of the day, I simply take a right at the bottom of those stairs and hit the gym for an hour." [4]

Information for this article came from these additional sources:

[2] Goetzel, Ron Z. PhD; Ozminkowski, Ronald J. PhD; Baase, Catherine M. MD, FAAFP, FACOEM; Billotti, Gary M. MS “Estimating the Return-on-Investment from Changes in Employee Health Risks on The Dow Chemical Company’s Health Care Costs,” published in the Journal of Occupational and EnvironmentalMedicine

[1],[3] Doing Well through Wellness — 2006–2007 Survey of Wellness Programs at Business Roundtable Member Companies, 2007.

[4]Elizabeth B. Krieger, Working out at Work; WebMed Feature, 2002. Last reviewed 2005. .

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