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Choice of Equipment
Not all machines are created equal
In order to exercise* safely and effectively you HAVE to use machines. However all exercise machines are not equal; key characteristics of the machines are crucial to the safety of the client and the potential for maximum strength and fitness improvements. Luckily we have identified three manufacturers who have (or had) the same understanding of exercise, and we use their machines, modified in some ways to make them even more fitting, in our facility. The most important characteristics are:
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fit the clients’ body: we are all unique in our combination of height, limb length, muscle origin and insertion, and a number of other physiological factors. In order to exercise safely the machine has to adjust to fit the client, not the other way round. That means being adjustable for a 5 foot tall slight woman, to a 6’4” 250 lb man.
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fit the clients’ ranges of motion: in order to exercise effectively the range of motion has to fit with what the client can reach – stop too soon and you don’t get the best benefit, stop too late and you risk overreach and injury
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support different strength levels: all exercise machines use weight plates, but if you are exercising to 95% of your capacity then an increase of 10% (i.e. 100kg to 110kg) is literally beyond your capability
The three ranges of machines we have at Abstract Bodyworks are listed below, along with the target muscle groups.
MedX
MedX was the last company the legendary Arthur Jones set up, taking all his years of experience and putting it into a range of fantastic machines that provide the platform for excellent exercise. We were lucky to secure a good collection and installed them in our Newbury facility. But excellent though they are there are a few modifications we have made to make them even more fantastic.
SuperSlow
Ken Hutchins, Arthur’s collaborator at Nautilus and MedX, went beyond even what Arthur had done and designed an even more sophisticated range of machines. They are as rare as hens teeth – we believe we have the only examples in Europe! – but for what they are designed to do they are truly the pinnacle of high intensity exercise equipment. Ken has gone even further with his research at RenX and is now focusing more on Timed Static, an exercise routine that has yet to prove as beneficial for the “general public” that are our clients.
Nautilus
Nautilus have been around for decades; it is where Arthur and Ken first developed their ideas, and the revolutionary Nautilus CAM (hence the company name and logo!). Although Nautilus have drifted off into the me-too world of treadmills and the like, the old generation equipment continues to deliver on our promises; the fact that the machines are almost as old as our clients simply tells you how well, and expertly, they were manufactured!
Our Philosophy
* Our Philosophy
Medical research, some of which we have carried out, tells us all that exercise is crucial throughout our lives in order to maximize Healthy Life Expectancy. At Abstract Bodyworks we want our clients (and ourselves) to live lives to the full, for the full extent of our lives. In order to do this we provide an exercise environment that people can fit into their lives, whether busy with work or family, whether a life-long exerciser or flat out couch potato, from 29 to 104 (our oldest client!). And all based on the DEFINITION OF EXERCISE developed by Ken Hutchins:
Exercise is a process whereby the body performs work of a demanding nature, in accordance with muscle and joint function, in a clinically controlled environment, within the constraints of safety, meaningfully loading the muscular structures to inroad their strength levels to stimulate a growth mechanism within minimum time
Ken Hutchins, 1987