Vortex Fitness offers a significant and new approach as a solution for fitness centers looking to affordably and practically accomodate the handicapped, as well as provide the best in service and training results. Most fitness centers can not afford to accomodate the handicapped by making the entire facility accessible and then to purchase entire lines of accessible units designed for separate body parts. Current solutions are often seen as costly and problematic. A new solution is to create an area where the "entire body" can be easily and quickly trained in one small, safe and accessible space. Only by using a small set of multi-purpose units, each capable of training the entire body, can the creation of a small, easy to get to area for the handicapped, and all others in the center to use, be made possible. This solution solves everyone's problems and fulfills this great need. Vortex calls it "A SPACE FOR ALL TO TRAIN". This is a new approach.
There are 49.7 million Americans who a 2000 Census Bureau estimate said are blind, in wheelchairs or otherwise physically or mentally impaired. Andrew Houghton, 39, an advocate for disability rights said, "If the fitness industry made modest accommodations, it would attract new dues-paying members among the disabled." The sports club association wants to make sure that the new regulations don't cost the clubs exorbitant sums, and won't force members to wait in endless lines for fewer machines.
"We think the D.O.J. should be looking at the accessibility of the equipment by body part," Ms. Durkin said of the Justice Department. "So, a chestpress machine would be accessible, but not every conceivable apparatus that could be used for a chest press has to be." (Re: IFC website article.) Is this statement the best way to approach a viable solution? We at Vortex think yes, but with a more affordable and all-inclusive twist...
"I'm trying to take the less costly approach that offers a total solution for the handicapped, the club owner and the Department of Justice. One which can easily fit right into most existing fitness centers with very little in overall facility design change," says Bob Piane the equipment designer and CEO of Vortex Fitness Equipment.
"A SPACE FOR ALL TO TRAIN" uses 2 - 4 Vortex accessible / inclusive units to fill all the resistance needs, depending on the size of the club and the demand. (See visual, attached for a sample layout.)The 4 unit area only uses 10' x 30' (300 sq. ft.) of space for a cost of about $18,000. The alternative to supply the handicapped would cost a gym owner about $60,000 -$80,000, the price of over 15 different higher-cost handicapped accessible machines needed to service every body part, if they could find them. That set up would take up a space of about 1,500 sq. ft. for the equipment since they'd have to widen the walkways and space in between them to access the units. They'd also have to eliminate other units to the create the space needed. This can cause long lines for users waiting to access the limited number of units now available. The 2 - 4 Vortex units provide affordable total body training for all body parts in one small area that are easy to get to, are fast and easy to use and require little to no adjusting when going from one exercise to the next.
The Vortex solution also greatly reduces one big area of concern for gym owners, and another point of resistance to help those in need, the liability issue. Once a handicapped person is in their facility they can be held liable for any accidents. If they have to move about a large area in order to reach all the machines and equipment needed for a complete workout it can very dangerous for them as well as for the other members not used to their needs. By creating an area to use that is safe, accessible and easy to use by all can virtually eliminate that concern.
Vortex Fitness's "A SPACE FOR ALL TO TRAIN" is significant and offers a new approach as a solution for fitness centers looking to affordably and practically accomodate the handicapped. Rather than fitness centers accommodating the handicapped by making the entire facility and entire lines of units designed for separate body parts accessible, they can now easily and affordably create an area where the "entire body" can be easily and quickly trained in one small, safe and accessible space. This inclusive solution helps solve everyone's problems and fulfills a great need. Finally, there can be a place for the handicapped and everyone to enjoy the benefits of fitness training.
To learn more, contact Vortex at: sales@vortexfitness.com, www.vortexfitness.com or 877.676.4677.
