Had two phone-conversations recently with higher-ups at two of the leading fitness equipment manufacturers in the country (they have me on speed-dial, you know, because i'm so cool and all). My main question for them both was, "what's new? What's hot? What's the latest trend that's really going to sweep the health-club world in the next few years?"

The two different responses were fascinating...

One of them--let's call them the Phunctional Pharm--went off on user-powered treadmills, Spinning-class bikes that use magnetic force for resistance and provide objective level indicators to the users, zero-impact cable-column machines for injury recovery and performance enhancement. The other gentleman hailed from a company we'll call Don't Be Aphraid of Phitness, and spoke of cardio equipment with built-in customizable personalized entertainment systems, strength-training machines designed to be maximally comfortable and minimally intimidating, systems and programs that allowed you to do "the exact same workout every time you go to the gym."

Of course, my knee-jerk reaction is to sing the praises of the Phunctional Pharm and to hold up Don't Be Aphraid... as the sign of everything that's wrong with this whole phitness industry. After all, PP is trying to bring proven athletic-style training methods to the masses. They're trying to educate the public about new methods that are fun, safe, and truly effective for building strength, health, and phit..., er, fitness, while DBA is simply trying to coax people into using tired, outmoded, and ineffective fitness methods, simply because they're comfortable and easy and manageable.

But I'm not going to do that, because the fact is that there's a place for Don't Be Aphraid of Phitness: they're the "gateway" company. They're the folks who--hopefully--help to hook the people who otherwise wouldn't dream of going to the gym, much less into the weight room. By supplying "entertainment space" to the user of cardio equipment, they're showing the user that exercising (or, at least, a form of exercising, or, at least, something closer to exercising than they're used to) can be...not all that much different from something they're probably pretty good at, namely, channel-surfing. I never asked the VP I spoke with what the company mission statement was, but it clearly had something to do with casting as broad a net as possible: they want to make fitness as easy and unintimidating as they can for everyone.

The fact is that I'm as happy as a clam in a junkyard with a handful of heavy things. I consider it a personal challenge to figure out how to work out with whatever random objects and in whatever random space I can find, be it a hotel room, a stairwell, or a park with a jungle gym. So I really don't need all that much. If you're reading this, I imagine you're similarly inclined. Sure, cool toys are a bonus, but they aren't necessary, and sometimes they're a hindrance.

But as I processed my knee-jerk response to the reps from these two companies, I realized that both of them are, in their way, fighting the good fight. At last count, 126% of Americans are morbidly obese (or something like that), and all the railing in the world about max effort incline bench presses and sprint intervals isn't going to do much to change that. But what might change that--or at least start to make a dent in that--is, unfortunately, a recumbent bike with a DVD player and internet access.

Have a great weekend--

A