SMART FITNESS ; Computer Leads Exercisers Through Personalized Workout

My, those strength training machines at the gym look frightening. All those weights and bars and moving parts are enough to keep one devoted to the elliptical, never daring to venture to the other side of the gym without the guidance of a personal trainer.

Norwell-based Koko Fitness is trying to make strength training less scary. The company has created a machine to help gym-goers learn the ropes without shelling out the cash – or the time – required by trainers. The Smartrainer is an all-in-one strength training machine with a twist: a video screen that guides the user through a 30-minute exercise routine.

“It was just the right way to exercise,” said Michael Wood, explaining why he joined Koko as chief fitness officer a year and a half ago after 20 years as a trainer.

First, you pick one of the 20 or so 24-session workouts with names like “Weight Loss,”"Fit to the Core” and “Performance Golf.” Then the machine tests your strength and range of motion, and adjusts the resistance accordingly.

The screen provides a constant flow of information, including how to do each exercise and how many seconds each rep should take. At the end of each workout, it tells you how many pounds you lifted, how well you paced your reps and how many “points” you earned, so you can compete against yourself.

Throughout the program, which should take eight weeks at three times a week, the machine regularly tests your progress, and adds weight as you get stronger. It saves your information on a USB “key,” which you plug into the machine at the start of each session.

The baby boomer generation was a source of inspiration for the machines, said co-founder Mary Obana. Boomers know how important strength training is – it increases metabolism, which speeds weight loss, and helps stave off illness like heart disease and osteoporosis – but many don’t know how to go about it, and can’t spend the money or the time on a personal trainer to show them how, Obana said.

Julie Olsson, a 42-year-old mother of three from Norwell, is part of Koko’s time-starved target demographic. She has worked as a tester for the Smartrainer for more than a year.

“It is awesome,” Olsson said. “I’m not in the weight room for an hour and a half. I have a family to go home to, and school at night,” and work during the day.

That time press has created a surge in half-hour workouts. The problem with many of those, said Willy’s Gym owner Barbara Niggel, is they’re “one size fits all.”

“That’s the danger with any 30-minute express kind of thing,” she said. “I don’t want a 70-year-old person getting on (a machine) and doing the same thing as a 20-year-old.”

Niggel has bought five Smartrainers – at $8,000 to $10,000 each – for her Cape Cod gyms. Members pay $39 for each program.

She said the Smartrainer is “the most complete 30-minute workout I’ve ever seen, and it’s the safest.” A trainer guides new users through their first session to make sure they do each exercise correctly.

Olsson said the intensity of the workout draws her in.

“The tougher the better for me,” Olsson said. “I love to work out. … It’s really cool at the end when it says you’ve lifted 10,000 pounds at one session.”

Since Smartrainer went on the market in June, Koko has sold about 100 units to 25 different locations, including gyms, hotels and physical therapy clinics.

– RACHEL SLAJDA For Livlng Well

(c) 2007 Patriot Ledger, The; Quincy, Mass.. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.