IHRSA: More Expo Favorites

We went to the 2013 IHRSA conference and expo in Las Vegas! Here are some of my favorite fitness machines, products, and innovations at the expo.

I have more great things to share from the 2013 IHRSA Expo! Some of these products and companies aren’t new to the marketplace, they were new to me and fascinating! The Expo was by far my favorite part of the whole shebang.

One of my absolute favorite things I got to see at the IHRSA Expo was the BodyMetrix ultrasound body composition measurement system. This system is on my dream list! I got to watch the technician demo the system and it is impressive.

This system is also a favorite of John Berardi, PhD, of Precision Nutrition, and author Timothy Ferriss. The system is reasonably accurate, non-invasive, and affordable, making it a great choice for trainers and facilities looking for body composition measurement systems beyond typical skin calipers and bio-electrical impedance systems.

Plus, it is much more practical than Bod Pod, hydrostatic weighing, and DEXA scans. There is still a margin of error (as much as a caliper measurement), but you don’t have to worry about getting pinched with this system.

Suspension systems were everywhere – virtually every major equipment manufacturer has been making these adult jungle-gyms. One of my favorites (and one of the most versatile) suspension systems I saw was made by Perform Better – this thing was awesome!

It was taller than most and it had a place for a rope, cargo net, handles for doing human flags, monkey bars, and lots of other cool things. This is a compact playground for adults – fun!

I love the bright colors, too: it stands out and is a nice visual contrast to the mostly black systems that other companies were creating. We all need a burst of color in the gym!

One suspension system that really stood out was the Queenax suspensions systems. Their systems are unique and HUGE – they are designed to fill an entire room if needed.

The Queenax systems are set up to accommodate all kinds of add-ons like TRX, hammocks for aerial yoga, adjustable acrobat bars, poles, gymnastic rings, and just about anything else you can think of. I got to demo a short class with the acrobat bar for a little bit – it was challenging and I was tired and clumsy.

I ended up with a bloody nose, but it was fun! Debbie, who blogs at Live From LaQuinta, got to try out the aerial yoga demo (lucky!).

Some companies are working on improving recovery by combining compression and cold to aid athletes and gym-goers.

DynaVision creates a cooling system called CoreControl for lowering body temperature to improve safety and performance. They have a mitt that has a cold system and a vacuum that lowers body temp. The system is being used by firefighters, sports teams, and other groups to help their employees and teams stay safe and perform better in hot environments.

DynaVision also creates vision and reaction trainers. My husband has amazing reflexes and he rocked the socks off this machine!

Recovery Pump also makes a recovery system that uses compression and cooling combined in a set of boots to speed exercise recovery and reduce risk of injury. I wanted to try this out, but they were pretty busy!

A couple companies have taken the concept of the treadmill and have applied it to numerous mediums, such as ladder climbing (Jacobs ladder), rock climbing, and rope climbing. There were a couple continuous rope climbing systems similar to the one below by Mt. EverClimb.

The nice thing about this is that you can climb as long as you like (or as “high” as you want) without creating a falling hazard.

Here are some other products and companies that I thought were worth mentioning!