The latest workout gear and gadgets
On a quest for six-pack abs? The new VersaBack fitness ball may help.
The latest workout gear and gadgets
Smart Fitness reports from the Super Show
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By Anne Stein
SPECIAL TO MSNBC
Feb. 29 - Each year at the Super Show, a sports and fitness extravaganza sponsored by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, some 3,000 exhibitors roll out the products they hope you'll soon be using in your health club or at home. Smart Fitness roamed the aisles of fitness gear and goodies and picked a few we think you'll be seeing in the stores, on fitness Web sites or at your club.
WHILE SOME OF the products exhibited won't see light of day beyond the expo hall, the products below already have or soon will.
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SCHWINN WINDSPRINT INTERVAL TRAINER
It may look like an ordinary exercise bike, but Schwinn's new Windsprint will make your indoor cycling workouts a lot more interesting and a lot more difficult - if you want them to be. This pre-programmed bike includes the usual settings for "manual" and "hill" but adds an interval workout - those short, intense efforts that make you that much tougher.
The Windsprint prompts you to stand up, sit down and shift gears, all of which adds variety by getting you out of the seat and onto your feet. The bike has handlebars to accommodate in- and out-of-the-seat positions, as well as extra leg room for standing and sitting. Just like the older Schwinn Airdyne bikes, resistance comes from a front wheel fan.
Wheels at the front of the machine make this a fairly portable piece of equipment. Price: $749.
VERSABACK SYSTEM
This nifty piece of equipment had been used solely at rehabilitation and sports injury clinics but is now making its way to the general public. The VersaBack consists of a giant, peanut-shaped fit ball (those large rubber balls in your gym used for stretching and sit-ups) that sits in a black fabric sling, opposite a set of three bars. The system lets you safely and easily strengthen your core - the lower back, abdominal and oblique muscles - as well as gently and safely rehab a sore back, stretch before and after exercise, and do seated crunches.
Unlike ordinary fit balls, which roll around unless you keep them under control, the VersaBack ball is held in place, meaning you can safely and effectively stretch without worrying about your ball rolling away. Also from Schwinn, it will retail for $249.
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VIVONIC FITNESS PLANNER
This system is a "portable coach" that can be thrown inside your gym bag or put into your pocket. It's the first hand-held tool that not only logs your meals and workouts, but also incorporates your goals, fitness activities and schedule to give you a custom workout and nutrition plan.
The Vivonic system is made up of a software program and the handheld tool. Vivonic PC software, which downloads to your PC at home, takes a lengthy health history, then creates a fitness plan that can be downloaded to the Vivonic handheld tool. The information can also be downloaded onto Handspring and Palm Pilots.
The handheld tool comes with a stylus to use on a touchscreen, where you'll input activities, meals and view reports, as well as a serial port connection to link to your PC.
The software can keep track of a number of things, including calories burned, and the number of miles walked, biked or run in a week. There are 4,000 foods you can log in. And besides calories, users get information on grams of fat, carbohydrates, sodium, cholesterol and protein in their diets.
Users also can log onto the Vivonic Web site to download new workouts and view other fitness information. Vivonic is from the Intel Corporation's New Business Group. Software only is $49; with handheld tool, $229.
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WASHABLE WORKOUT GLOVES
Harbinger, a leader in the fitness glove industry, has come up with two recent innovations that should make a big splash in the gym.
The first is washable leather gloves. Chances are that if you lift weights often enough, you wear leather gloves to keep the weights from slipping out of your hands, as well as to protect your hands from calluses. But sweat and leather have never been a great mix, and users know that after a few months, those gloves can get pretty nasty. Now, Harbinger has come up with leather gloves, in several colors, that can be thrown in the wash rather than thrown away. And the gloves actually get softer and more supple with each wash. The gloves come in a variety of sizes, for men and women, and range in price from $9.95 to $34.95.
The other innovation is boxing/bag gloves specially tailored for women's smaller hands. With more and more women involved in cardio kickboxing, traditional boxing workouts and other martial arts that use punching bags, Harbinger decided that women needed gloves of their own.
Patented NoSweat Lining keeps hands cool and dry. Price: $49.95.
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ILLUMINITE CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES
December's Smart Fitness gift guide told you about IllumiNITE pullovers and jerseys for walkers, runners and cyclists. This innovative material is made up of millions of microscopic reflectors, built into the weave of the fabric, that act as mirrors to reflect light back at motorists at night. The fabric, which is wind-proof and water-resistant, doesn't appear reflective during the day.
And now there's even more reflective gear to choose from. At the Super Show, several companies rolled out their versions of clothing and accessories made of IllumiNITE: Quantum's Fall 2000 clothing line includes a huge variety of pullovers, fleece jackets, lighter-weight jackets for running and cycling, as well as tights, shorts, reflective hats, headbands, gloves and water bottle holders. If you're walking, running or riding at dusk, dawn or night, any of these could be life-savers. Water bottle holder, $25; fleece head band, $16; fleece gloves, $25.
And Glowdog, Inc. has exclusive rights to IllumiNITE for pet apparel, so both you and Fido can glow in the dark. Glowdog offers reflective bandannas, collars and leashes for cats and dogs, and doggie bow ties, vest-jackets and fleece jackets. The idea for reflective pet clothing came from Glowdog's founder, Beth Marcus, who was almost hit by a car while on a walk one night with her dog, Luke. Doggie bandannas, $7.95-$10.95; doggie jackets, $22.50-$46.95, depending on size.
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IFIT.COM INTERACTIVE PERSONAL TRAINER
In January, Smart Fitness told you about coaching Web sites, where you send health and fitness information and goals to an online coach, who then e-mails you back or posts a personalized program. These same sites also feature videos demonstrating proper technique, as well as chat sessions and fitness and nutrition information.
One company, however - iFit.com - has taken interactive coaching a step further. Once you're plugged in and logged on, workouts streamed from the iFit.com Web site automatically change the speed and incline of your iFit.com-compatible treadmill, which includes select models of ProForm, NordicTrack, Image and HealthRider. Elliptical trainers, stationary bikes and home gyms are scheduled to be compatible with the iFit.com site by this spring. iFit.com also offers compact discs with music (country, '80s, Latin Mix and Rhythm Mix) and the voice of a personal trainer coaching users throughout the workout. In addition, interactive videos are available and come in two varieties: the first is a group class led by a personal trainer; the second is an "adventure" workout set in Hawaii or Utah.
But you don't just pop in the CD or video and take it easy. During the course of each CD and video, your treadmill will make automatic adjustments in speed and incline to provide a challenging workout.
Even more intriguing, however, is the live, personal trainer available to users who log on to iFit's Web site. A camera focuses on your coach - wherever he or she is - so you can look at your computer monitor and follow your trainer's instructions in real time. The two of you can talk back and forth, and the coach will take you through an entire training session. You'll need an iFit.com-compatible treadmill, bike or elliptical trainer, as well as software and Windows Media. iFit.com-compatible treadmills start at $599; CDs and videos, $14.99.
We hope you'll have some fun with the new gear and gadgets. If you don't have a workout program in place, they just might help you get on the road to great fitness. If you're already on that road, check them out anyway; a little variety can be truly inspiring.
Anne Stein is a former competitive cyclist based in Chicago. She is a master's swimmer and enjoys running outdoors.
