From: "Saved by Windows Internet Explorer 7" Subject: Murphy Gym fits ambitious plans, compact spaces Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2008 13:57:10 -0600 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; type="text/html"; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0000_01C89980.70E02320" X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.0.6000.16545 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0000_01C89980.70E02320 Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/business/story.html?id=ce0d7b77-3d62-46ad-b062-e46e689a10ef&k=21150 =EF=BB=BF
Washington Capitals defenceman Mike Green caused a = chain reaction=20 when he crashed...
The Murphy bed may be a well-known solution for making use of small = spaces,=20 but a Saskatoon invention is stretching the definition of compact = living.
The Murphy Gym, a vertically folding functional trainer, is only days = away=20 from hitting the market, and the men who manufacture the item are = excited about=20 its possibilities. Production manager Murray Strand and president Don = Sawatzky=20 of Superior Fitness Equipment Manufacturing say the Murphy Gym is ideal = for=20 condo living, basement gyms or commercial use. The pair are hoping = homebuilders,=20 especially contractors working on downtown condo developments, take note = of the=20 design, one that can be built into walls and finished with custom = cabinetry.
"During the time of building a home or even renovating a room or = basement,=20 this can be built right into the wall so that you just see a couple of = doors on=20 it and it just looks like a closet," said Strand, who came up with the = idea of=20 the Murphy Gym. The unit can also be mounted to a wall, he explained, = folding up=20 to a thickness of 15 centimetres.
After working with fitness equipment for several years, he came up = with his=20 now trademarked, patent-pending idea after couples would disagree over = the size=20 and efficiency of equipment.
"When I worked in fitness stores I would get couples coming in all = the time,=20 and the husband wanted the biggest baddest piece of equipment and the = wife would=20 say, 'You're putting that where?' She wanted something compact and = cosmetically=20 appealing and he wanted something the most functional it could be, and = this (the=20 Murphy Gym) is a combination of those," he said.
The functional trainer inside the cabinet is an essential piece to = any gym,=20 Strand explained, a pulley and weight system that can work any muscle in = the=20 body.
While the benefits of having fitness equipment in the home are = obvious, what=20 might not be so clear is the value of made-in-Canada equipment, said=20 Sawatzky.
The Murphy Gym will be manufactured at the company's Wells Avenue = location,=20 he said. Parts that the company can't make, such as upholstery, are = contracted=20 out to local manufacturers.
Saskatoon-based Siemens Laserworks Inc., for example, will use its = technology=20 to cut steel for the functional trainer. Brad DeCorby, vice-president of = sales=20 for Siemens, said with the local economy heating up, the company is = doing more=20 work for local customers, and it's a good feeling.
"Anytime you end up doing something for the local market, it's always = nice to=20 say you're a part of that," DeCorby said.
"If it helps Murray at Superior then it does help us too, but in a = more=20 indirect way.
"It (the Murphy Gym) is unusual, and those are the ideas that seem to = thrive."
A businessperson who has been involved in the fitness industry for = several=20 years, Sawatzky said foreign-made fitness machines often cost less than=20 equipment manufactured locally, but cheaper units often need repairs and = don't=20 last as long. The Murphy Gym will retail for around $3,000.
Sawatzky said he's intrigued by the possibilities of the Murphy Gym, = a=20 departure from the early days of Superior Fitness when making hydraulic = exercise=20 machines for women was the top priority.
"This (the Murphy Gym) is one that Murray had been very excited about = for a=20 long time, and the more I saw it, the more I got excited about it too = because=20 it's definitely something that's going to be used in small spaces," he = said.
"That in itself is what people are heading for, smaller condos with = two=20 bedrooms and that sort of thing."
ckyle@sp.canwest.com