Necessity is the mother of ingenuity, and the story of Handy Gym is a proof of that. The restrictions during the Covid19 pandemic marked a new era in the field of physical activity and sport. The constraints meant that something as vital and necessary as physical exercise had to be limited. Closed and shared spaces ceased to be safe and the freedom to move gained more value than ever before. But it wasn’t the global pandemic that motivated the creation of this ingenious training device, it was Parkinson’s Disease. Its creator, Manuel Montes, was looking for a way to fight against the physical and mental deterioration of this disease and came across the most innovative solution.
Using inertial technology, his company developed a portable machine (weighing at just 1kg) that is used much like a yo-yo. Without having to carry weights around or travel to gyms, Manuel could train any muscle group and improve his physical condition no matter where he was, saving him a lot of valuable time.
But it was after the pandemic (just as life tries to return to normal) that training solutions like Handy Gym (which add value and are unaffected by restrictions) have gained more importance than ever. On the other hand, conventional machines and tools are no longer attractive if they don’t provide the benefits that these new times call for: Portability, Versatility and Innovation, the workout of the future.
Inertial technology is here to stay and there are increasingly more options available on the market which make it possible to exercise without lifting a single weight, using only resistance generated by your own body. But these devices are not new, the system was developed at NASA so that astronauts could train in zero gravity conditions where using free weights was not an option. For years, devices with this type of technology have already been used in high-performance centers. Unfortunately, their use was always limited to the most specialized sports sectors and the technology did not reach the public.
How does it work? Basically, like a big yo-yo. It is a firing system in which you generate inertia with your own strength (in the concentric phase), and when you reach the end of the motion the device clamps down on the rope using the generated inertia and generates resistance (in the eccentric phase). It is proven that eccentric overload training brings a lot of benefits at many levels, but this still remains largely unknown by the general public. Although, that is already changing, thanks to devices as innovative as Handy Gym, the first of its generation to be portable and offer amazing versatility.
Portability is synonymous with freedom. It is essential for training without being tied to a place. Being limited by location is not just a problem specific to conventional sports equipment as inertial systems have always been bulky and heavy, made up of platforms or columns that are difficult to move. But what happens if you go on a trip? Or if you’re away on holiday, traveling for business, or attending any event away from home? Should you interrupt your training? In these cases, if you don’t have access to your regular gym or the equipment you have at home, you can’t exercise and so you slow down your progress. That’s a thing of the past as tools like Handy Gym remove all those obstacles so that you can readily workout wherever you go. It’s a completely new concept that brings amazing freedom and independence.
The advantage of using devices like Handy Gym is that you are not working against gravity the way you do when using free weights. Instead, they adapt to your abilities, greatly reducing the risk of injury. You can set the resistance level of the machine to be gentler or harder, but it is you who ultimately generates the force that feeds into the device.
In addition, inertial systems generate an eccentric overload phase. There are many studies that indicate that training with this type of systems provide many benefits that improve muscle performance:
That’s why high-performance sports professionals have been working with this type of technology for years. For the first time, a machine like Handy Gym allows amateur users to also benefit from this great technological advancement and take their training to the next level.
Why do we talk about versatility? Because, in addition to using inertial technology and being 100% portable, its design is so ingenious that it allows you to perform any type of exercise. Handy Gym incorporates a series of complementary accessories which allows you to attach it in many ways, indoors or outdoors. A door, a window, a pole, a branch, a lamppost, walls… there are countless objects and surfaces that you could fix the device to and train literally anywhere. You adjust the range of motion yourself by regulating the string and the angle which you want to use, so that you can imitate any specific movement.
This is very useful for athletes of any discipline as it enables them to train their muscles in ways which imitate the type of movement they perform when competing. If we apply this characteristic to injury recovery, then physiotherapists or other professionals specializing in rehabilitation can treat specific muscle groups by using the necessary movements which allow them to rehabilitate injured areas safely. The possibilities are almost endless.
Thousands of users are already using this new training system with confidence. If you are not familiar with the technology, you will find it completely different from conventional systems (it is not a weight or an elastic band), but those who have taken to it say that it has completely revolutionized the way they exercise.
All over the world, from amateur users to elite athletes, through personal trainers to physiotherapists. Its versatility is so great that it has become a strength training tool suitable for all types of people. If you are a lover of physical activity or sports, Handy Gym is a must. It’s a safe investment in your health and quality of life that will give you the opportunity to maximize your workouts and improve results. The workout of the future is already here.
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