Smart Workout, A Specialty Gym

The centerpiece of Smart Workout is the Hydraulic Circuit, a series of weight machines providing "accomodating resistance". "Accommodating resistance" means that the machines' resistance automatically adjusts to the effort you apply. So the harder you push, the more resistance you get. The machines adjust to those who can lift a lot of weight, and equally as well to those who can lift only a little. And it's all done automatically. There are no weights to adjust, and no chance of injury.

Nine machines are arranged in a circle, and every 60 seconds there's an audio prompt to change stations. You don't have to think about how many reps to do - just do what you can in 60 seconds, and move on. You don't have to think about where to go, because you just move to the next station. And you never have to wait for anything, because the person in front of you has moved on too.

Three full rotations takes just 27 minutes, and provides a fully effective workout for both cardio and strength.

We call this "the class the starts when you start it " because you can arrive at any time and just jump in.

Hydraulic cylinders were first attached to exercise machines back in the late 70’s when a high school football coach saw their value for rehabilitation of injured high school athletes.

This exercise program has since been offered in many venues, including collegiate athletic programs, and the Olympic village of the Barcelona games in Spain. Health and fitness professionals from all over the world are discovering the versatile cross-training benefits of the hydraulic interval circuit training program.

Why hydraulics?

Hydraulic resistance provides fully accommodating resistance . What does that mean? It means that when the muscles fatigue, hydraulic resistance decreases in exact proportion to the force exerted by the participant. In laymen’s terms, this means that when your muscle gives out and you slow down your movement, the resistance decreases, allowing you to recover without stopping cold. YOU CANNOT DO THIS WITH WEIGHT BASED EQUIPMENT.

Weight based equipment is inadequate for use on continuous movement, or interval circuit training. Weight based equipment produces a “negative/positive” resistance. This means you push the weight up or out (positive), and then you resist the weight coming back or down (negative).

Your personal muscle strength or weakness, and the weight you selected before you began the exercise, are the only two factors in this equation. When your muscles fatigue or fail, you have one option: TO STOP! The only way around this is to have a “spotter” standing by at each station to help you lower the weight or change the resistance while in motion, which you CAN’T DO with “pin-selector” weight stacks. Weight based equipment cannot match the benefits of hydraulic resistance equipment.

Other benefits of hydraulic exercise equipment:

Due to the accommodating nature of hydraulic resistance, it can benefit the most physically strong, and also the least physically strong, and results are awarded indiscriminately to both.
The interval circuit training program is firstly an aerobic exercise, which impacts heart and lung health. Calorie expenditure is the hallmark measurement of the interval circuit training program, and you can burn 200-700 calories in just 30 minutes, depending on your pace and heart rate zone.
Strength benefits are also accomplished in the interval circuit training program.
Perhaps the greatest benefit of interval circuit training, is its cross-training benefits of aerobic and strength, in one 30 minute program. Traditional aerobic training, such as swimming, cycling, low impact aerobics, step aerobics, treadmills, ellipticals, rowers, etc, do raise the heart rate, but they do not engage all of the muscle groups as does interval circuit training.
Hydraulic machines are designed for safety, simplicity, and effectiveness. To increase resistance, you simply push or pull harder, rather than adjust complicated weights. The result is an effective strength training method, that reduces soreness, and eliminates the potential for injury.


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