Free Motion Company has designed and created the most innovative and state of the art resistance training equipment in the world. Based on the most current research, this system encompasses concepts and strategies that are changing the face of the exercise industry. One of the original "key" equipment designers from Cybex company is the person who developed Free Motion equipment.

Because of the frequent incidence of physical injuries in our society, whether from occupational hazards or exercise and recreational activities, our fitness industry researchers and health and physical education professionals are continually looking for ways to get the human body fit without injury. Strength training is one way to develop the body toward fitness, but traditional strength training techniques and equipment can actually be the culprit for much of the problem.

Many "traditional" weight training regimens lack muscular balance, concentrate on aesthetics (the look) rather than true strength and mobility, and are very stressful on the joints, muscles and other connective tissues because of the incorrect application and repetition of the resistance load over time. In addition, the traditional weight training equipment does not train the body the way the body really moves.

After addressing the issue of rampant and chronic injury, our exercise researchers and professionals have discovered a better way. It is called "functional fitness" and involves training our bodies through a wider variety movement patterns that incorporate balance, coordination and intrinsic muscular stability while exerting muscular force This variety of movement patterns carries over to all individual needs and goals, whether it involves general fitness, rehabilitation and physical therapy, occupational fitness, athletics or bodybuilding. In addition, functional fitness requires the use of the body´s "core" for the initiation and stability of all movement. This core is from the center of our body…abdominal and lower back musculature.

The human body is a very complex network of muscles, tendons, ligaments, & bones, etc. Our movement patterns are as complex and full of variety and require the integration of many muscle groups (both lower and upper body) to work together to "functionally" perform certain movement tasks. "Functional" training is the new buzz word in fitness. It means training the body to be strong and flexible in tasks we do everyday, such as: Lifting children, shoveling snow, gardening, cleaning house, hauling groceries from the car to the kitchen and then putting them away into high and low cupboards…etc., etc.

Functional fitness requires strength and flexibility in the muscles and connective tissues that support these types of activities. It makes sense that, if we don´t want to get hurt when we perform these typical daily tasks that we should train our bodies the way we move in normal, daily movement patterns and activities. Going beyond that, people who are involved in sports activities that require vigorous and intense movement should be training hard in those movement patterns required by the sport or activity.

Traditional weight training equipment was designed to strengthen and develop specific muscles by working them as a separate unit. Most machines apply resistance on a single isolated muscle, such as the bicep curl machine, or they focus on a small group of muscles that work together in a compound movement, such as in the overhead press. These types of machines provide a basic benefit in the development of strength and flexibility, but they are very limiting in true, functional strength development.

Typically, because traditional machines are structured with guiding rods and cams, they do much of the balancing and coordination for the person doing the exercise. In addition, the machines only allow one path of motion, which is limiting to overall fitness because our bodies move in many different paths of motion, many different planes and normally use lower and upper body muscles together to perform most activities we do throughout any given day. Traditional machines actually provide the necessary support, balance and coordination to make the movement easier for the exerciser rather than requiring the exerciser to develop his/her own natural support mechanism through the "core" (center of body…abdominal and lower back musculature), as well as incorporating smaller, intrinsic musculature for true strength and stability.

Free Motion equipment breaks the mold of traditional weight training equipment by allowing us the opportunity to train our body in ways that we cannot train with the restriction of traditional machines by:

1. Allowing the body to move through an unrestricted path of motion.
2. Adapting to the person using the machine.
3. Instigating the use of core muscles to stabilize the entire body to perform the required exercise.
4. Recruiting smaller, intrinsic musculature to assist with controlling the pulley system.
5. Allowing more variety in exercise:
   
   • Traditional movement patterns as well as patterns in many other planes of motion that adjust to each individuals joint structure.
   • Sitting or standing exercises.
   • One-sided exercises as opposed to both sides working at the same time, which gives task-or sport-specific benefit like shoveling snow or swinging a bat, racquet or golf club.
   • Additional patterns of movement allowed by the pulley system. On a traditional shoulder press machine, that´s all you can do is a shoulder press, however on the Free Motion shoulder press you could do the shoulder press in several different planes as well as a front, side or posterior arm raise. The trainers at Fitness Architects have been promoting "functional fitness" and training the "core" for a long time. We are excited about having equipment that provides us the means to apply our training principles to you, our members. We are confident that we have the best equipment to offer you a workout program that best fits your needs and will give you optimal and effective results.

IN A NUT SHELL:

1. Free Motion equipment does everything the other equipment does, PLUS much, much more.
2. Is easy to use…just sit down, pick up the handles and start moving. There are no seat adjustments or back adjustments. The machine conforms to you.
3. Provides a free path of motion on every exercise so the exerciser is not limited by the machine´s design or his/her own joint structure.
4. Initiates vital "core" stabilization. Forces the body to engage the abdominals and back to work as an integrated system so the load is applied the way it would be applied in real life movement patterns.
5. Allows a wide range of variety to every exercise, for example, the chest press allows a straight, incline or decline path of endless variety as well as a flye or pec deck exercise.
6. All the same concepts of weight training apply: sets/reps/pace/body alignment/joint integrity/wrist stabilization/etc.