Fitness & Health Expo At Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre
If there’s one thing you can be sure of in the world of fitness, it’s that nothing stays the same. Thankfully, you can always count on a new class, a new accessory or a new piece of gym equipment to hit the market to help keep you interested in fitness and inspired to work out.
Each year in Australia, the world’s top brands in fitness come together to unveil the latest trends, products and theories surrounding getting sweaty and making the most of it.
It’s called the Fitness & Health Expo – on at Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, April 10-12 (and Perth, Sydney & Brisbane later in the year!)– and here is an advanced sneak peek at some of the exciting new developments in fitness and health before they even hit the gym or the hands of your personal trainer.
Kettlebells get loud
Nothing like freshening up an old favourite with a new twist. Take kettlebells for example. They’re great fitness tools but add music and what do you get? Kettlebell AMPD takes heart-pumping music and your favorite kettlebell moves and combines them into 60 minutes of calorie torching fun. Each song focuses on a main area, while still maintaining a whole body workout. Coming to a fitness centre near you soon.
Gamified workouts
Wave goodbye to boring gym equipment and give a gamified exercise session a whirl, with cameras and sensors watching you move and awarding you points for every rep. Challenge yourself or your fellow exercisers as you work out inside a video game. The ‘Versus’ system’s scores take height, weight, age and power into account to keep comparisons fair. The system also constantly monitors your movements and gives you live feedback and suggestions for improvement. Invented in Melbourne.
Above: Healthy Chef sensation Teresa Cutter will be at the Expo
Gym equipment that knows who you are
Imagine if you could walk up to a piece of gym equipment and you didn’t have to adjust the seat or the weights using those awkward removable bolts that never want to budge? This is now a reality. The new milon equipment automatically adjusts itself to an individual user’s settings by incorporating smart card technology that stores a user’s biometric parameters as well as their training plan. Thanks to chip card control, the equipment automatically adjusts to your individual body size and training plan when you insert your card. This totally eliminates any setting errors, saves down time in the gym and prevents under or overtraining.
Monitoring systems that stop you from overdoing it
Injury is one of the biggest roadblocks you can hit when it comes to achieving your fitness goals and overtraining is a big cause. That’s why some monitoring systems will now let you know just how hard you’ve pushed yourself. For example, the iQniter monitor system provides users with an instant performance report after the class and included is a Training Effect number on a scale of one to five. One means the session was great for recovery and five represents an over reaching session or a session that should only be completed 1-2 times per week by highly trained individuals. Coming to a gym near you soon to help you balance your workouts throughout the week.
Heart rate monitors go stylish
Fitness monitors have become the must-have fitness accessory for most, and thanks to Garmin, you can leave the black rubber wristband behind, replacing it with a fashionable stainless steel or leather band in a range of vibrant, in-season colours and designs. Keep an eye out for the new Garmin Style Collection.
Vending machines get a healthy makeover
The Lean Machine is set to turn the traditional vending machine industry on its head and give it a much-needed rattle. Selling a variety of products that are organic, raw, natural and clean, the Lean Machine menu ensures people don’t have to compromise their diet if they need to grab a quick snack on the run. Products on offer include dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free and sugar-free snacks for those that have intolerances or are simply watching what they eat, and also low-fat, low-sugar, low-carb protein options, naturally sweetened energy drinks, green tea, cold drip coffee shots and water.
Surfs up…at the gym
If you love the challenge a new fitness class can provide then take a look at the latest on offer. Surfset brings a mechanical surfboard into the gym to provide rotational core training and an isometric stability workout in one. It’s all about getting away from the traditional static workout and challenging your body in new ways. Every exercise on the board is designed to engage your core and stabiliser muscles.
Virtual fitness classes
A group fitness class without an instructor in the room? This is now a possibility with new virtual fitness classes hitting the market. Bringing classes to locations that may have previously found it hard to get an instructor, such as rural areas, and making fitness classes a round-the-clock possibility at places like 24-hour gyms, these high-tech classes may be on offer at a location near you soon. With systems like Fitness on Demand and Wellbeats, the instructor appears on a screen that automatically lowers at the class’s set start time.
The Fitness & Health Expo is on April 10-12 at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. It’s open from 10am – 5pm daily with Friday open only to those who work within the fitness and health industry. For more information visit www.fitnessexpo.com.au and follow Facebook and Twitter for updates on features, timetables and celebrities.
General visitors can pre-book tickets online to avoid the queues – cost is $30 for a one-day ticket. If you work in the industry, entry is free if you pre-register online and provide the appropriate identification.