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Does the
equipment matter?
 A s
you research franchises you'll notice that the equipment
type used varies. There is a difference in the workout
provided by the main three types, hydraulic, weight-based
(pin-select), tension, and free weights.
Most women's
gyms do not use free-weights or tension systems, rather most
use hydraulic fitness equipment or weight based setups.
To save money, many fitness franchises use hydraulic
equipment - where there is a cylinder similar to those found
on cars' shock absorber. When working out, you
are only given a positive muscle contraction (concentric),
and the resistance depends on the motion of fluid through a
valve. To get more resistance, you have to work faster
- sacrificing form. Franchises using hydraulic
equipment (of varying quality levels) include
Curves Franchise
and Ladies
Workout Express.
 Weight based
fitness equipment (offered by
Contours Express
Franchise and
Butterfly Life Franchise) is superior for a workout for men or
women. It is very easy to select weights using small
pins and there is no dependence on speed for resistance.
You just select the weight level you want and resistance is
consistent in both directions. Fitness experts call
the push motion concentric and the negative motion
eccentric. To put it simply, you must push the weights
up and also prevent them from falling down, giving you an
excellent workout.
For a given
30-minute workout, weight-based equipment (above) is vastly superior
to hydraulics (right). The adjustability of
weight based equipment is usually much better since you do
not have to consider the arc of they cylinder.
Hydraulic cylinders are often thought of as safer, but
well-designed weight-based equipment offers safety as well. In our
franchise comparison grid, I
have a column for equipment types that is updated anytime
there is a change in the offerings.
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