Life Fitness says that its innovative approach has kept the company at the forefront of the health and fitness industry and set the standard for interactive exercise equipment.

2006 saw the company reaffirm this position by continuing to push the boundaries with the launch of a host of new products, which are currently being adopted by fitness facilities across the country.

The launch of VIVO enables members, trainers and club staff to easily manage all aspects of the workout process. Integrating Life Fitness cardiovascular and strength equipment with innovative new software, wireless systems and communication tools, the new system is designed to put facility managers in control of key competitive touch points such as enrolment, retention, programming, staffing and operations.

Receiving rave reviews from customers, the Life Fitness Circuit Series is a space-efficient line of strength-training machines designed to deliver time-efficient, total-body workouts in an approachable, easy-to-use format.

Said to be ideal for fitness facilities that want to attract and retain non-traditional users, those new to strength training, and more experienced but time-challenged exercisers, Circuit Series is also a good solution for re-inspiring members who have lost some of their passion for working out.

Leisure Industry Week saw Life Fitness adding to its line up of cardiovascular exercise products with the Summit Trainer. An intuitive machine that combines the best of total body cross-training and climbing with an upper and lower body workout, it simulates a trek in the mountains. User-defined stride lengths and a variety of training positions allow exercisers to control the intensity of a workout and target different muscle groups.

Finally - in response to the public's increasing demand for equipment that helps train the core muscles - the company launched three new core training products in 2006. The Back Extension, Leg Raise and Ab Crunch Bench all permit the exerciser to perform a wide variety of progressive exercises, as well as allowing gyms to offer, as Life Fitness puts it, 'a lot more than just a few mats and a couple of Swiss balls tucked away in the corner'.

The new core training range provides the user with an array of exercise alternatives suitable for someone new to exercise right through to an elite athlete in training for a demanding sports competition.

Chris O'Conner, General Manager of Life Fitness UK, comments: “Last year's performance is a great platform from which to start 2007, giving us the opportunity to build on our achievements as we continue to apply our philosophy of innovation.”