Free Motion strength system serves many fitness levels

By Katherine Nichols
Advertiser Staff Writer

People of all ages can use the Free Motion pulley-based strength training system. The Cable Cross station offers a variety of possible training methods. Ground Zero Designs

That's the philosophy behind a new pulley-based strength training system called Free Motion that has made its way onto the floor at the Honolulu Club.

So far, the Honolulu Club is the only one in the state to invest in the new system, but because of the ease with which top athletes and elderly people can use the same equipment, other clubs and physical therapists may not be far behind.

Developed by Roy Simonson, an elite athlete who started Cybex, Free Motion by Ground Zero Designs is different from traditional weight stack stations for several reasons. "The machine follows you versus you following the machine," said Jeff Dilts, the Free Motion representative who recently visited Hawai'i to teach the Honolulu Club staff about proper technique. "On Cybex, it's one machine, one exercise. It's great for isolating." But Free Motion, as its name implies, allows more freedom of movement. "People can operate in any plane of motion they want." This allows the user to get creative.

The orientation of the cables eliminates seat/height adjustments, which take time and can intimidate novices. Even for a beginner, Dilts said, "it would be hard to do it wrong." The handles attached to the cables also move, so you can find wrist and arm angles that make the exercise most effective.

Though the club has 10 of the 14 available stations designed for different body parts, any number of muscles can be exercised on one machine. Unlike traditional systems, you can supplement the recommended exercise with your own moves to strengthen your unique weaknesses. All stations also allow you to work one arm at a time — of particular benefit in rehabilitation and physical therapy.

The "Lift" station is especially versatile, inviting dozens of combinations. "You can go through the circuit 10 times and never do the same exercise twice," Dilts said.

"I like the variety," said Glynis Ramirez, a nutritionist and personal trainer at the Honolulu Club. "You have constant tension on the muscle. You can do sport-specific and injury-specific training. It also seems to be a lot less stress on the joints."

Exercises can be done while seated on the machine's pad, but as Dilts pointed out, stabilizing and repositioning muscles are engaged when you stand or hover over the pad, making the workout even more difficult.

"It's really just a complement to the existing (free weights and Cybex) system," said athletic director Rick Ahn.

Janet Watts, a 49-year-old club member agreed: "I still do some free weights," she said. "I do (Free Motion) as a supplement. You can get a real cardiovascular workout. And it doesn't seem to hurt me as much as using free weights." She said that in little more than four months of training on the new "user-friendly" system, she is already feeling "a little more cut."

Still, Ahn and Ramirez have noticed most people are reluctant to venture from their routines. But Ahn said that when people are willing to try, they report that "it feels real, it feels a lot more practical in terms of 'this is what I do in real life.' "

Golf, bat and tennis swings can be mimicked exactly, mirroring the infinite number of movement patterns. Trainers hope that the emphasis on real-life activity in this new system will help people strengthen their weaknesses and prevent injuries.