 | |
| Founded | 1957 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Harold Zinkin |
| Defunct | 2006 |
| Fate | Acquired by Nautilus, Inc. |
| Parent |
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Universal Gym Equipment was an American manufacturer of exercise equipment, in particular weight machines. It was founded by Harold Zinkin in 1957. In 1998, it was acquired by Flexible Flyer. In 2006 it was acquired by Nautilus, Inc. The Universal Gym brand was subsequently discontinued except for a line of selectorized dumbbells. [1]
Harold Zinkin was an enthusiastic weightlifter and bodybuilder in the 1930s. He was a habitué of the famous Muscle Beach bodybuilding milieu in southern California, was the first "Mr. California" in 1941, and finished second in the 1945 Mr. America contest. [2]
Barbells and dumbbells had been used for strength training for many years, especially by weightlifters and bodybuilders. However, inexperienced users could injure themselves with these "free weights".
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Zinkin operated several gyms in the Los Angeles area. Zinkin wanted to make strength training safer and more accessible to novices, and thus broaden the appeal of the sport. To that end, he developed the "weight machine". Instead of lifting a bar with weight plates on it, the user pulls or pushes a handle connected by levers or cables to a stack of weight plates riding on steel guideposts. This allows a user to perform weightlifting exercises with no risk of dropping the weight on himself.
It also allows weight resistance to be in any direction (i.e. down as well as up, or rotary), and for the user's range of motion to be constrained, thereby concentrating effort in a specific muscle group.
Another key feature was much easier change of weight. With barbells and dumbbells, lifting at different weights required either a set of bells with different fixed weights, or else adding and removing weight plates at both ends, a process which could take up to a minute. On Zinkin's machines, the weight lifted was selected by inserting a pin into the weight stack; moving the pin took only a few seconds.
Zinkin marketed his machines under the "Universal Gym" trademark. They proved highly successful. He sold several custom-built units, and in 1963 began mass production. [2]
The standard "Universal Gym" incorporated stations for eight or ten different exercises in a single large frame. Often these units included non-weight exercise stations, such as a chin-up bar or a slant board for sit-ups.
Athletic and exercise venues of all sorts - schools, colleges, YMCAs, private gyms (such as the Vic Tanny chain), and professional sports teams - acquired Universal Gym machines to supplement or replace free weights.
Zinkin wrote later, "If I'm proud of anything, it's that machine and the fact that there probably isn't one professional athlete in the world who hasn't worked out on a Universal at least once." [3]
Universal also offered single-exercise machines, and smaller units for home use. With its strong brand recognition, Universal also made and sold other fitness equipment, including free weights, weight lifting benches, and machines for cardiovascular exercise.
In 2004, the Universal product line included Power Circuit Single Stations, Free Weight Machines, Classic Chrome Single Stations, and the Multi-Station Machines — all based on the design of Zinkin's original Universal Gym.
Universal had a number of industry "firsts", including such products as the "Dynamic Variable Resistance" technology that varied the resistance applied to muscle groups by an exercise machine throughout the entire range of motion.
However, from the 1980s onward, Universal faced increasing competition from Nautilus and other rivals. Zinkin retired from the company. In 1998, it was acquired by Flexible Flyer, a maker of outdoor recreational products such as sleds and swing sets. Flexible Flyer later decided that Universal did not fit its business. In 2006 Universal was acquired by Nautilus, Inc. [4] In 2011, Nautilus released for a line of selectorized dumbbells under the Universal brand. [1]
The bench press, or chest press, is a weight training exercise where a person presses a weight upwards while lying on a weight training bench. Although the bench press is a full-body exercise, the muscles primarily used are the pectoralis major, the anterior deltoids, and the triceps, among other stabilizing muscles. A barbell is generally used to hold the weight, but a pair of dumbbells can also be used.
A barbell is a piece of exercise equipment used in weight training, bodybuilding, weightlifting, powerlifting and strongman, consisting of a long bar, usually with weights attached at each end.
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The dumbbell, a type of free weight, is a piece of equipment used in weight training. It is usually used individually or in pairs, with one in each hand.
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The shoulder shrug is an exercise in weight training used to develop the upper trapezius muscle.
Exercise equipment is any apparatus or device used during physical activity to enhance the strength or conditioning effects of that exercise by providing either fixed or adjustable amounts of resistance, or to otherwise enhance the experience or outcome of an exercise routine.
StairMaster is an American company specializing in the design and production of fitness equipment. They sell cardiovascular and strength equipment such as stair climbing machines, TreadClimber cardio machines and dumbbell sets. The Stairmaster was so widely used that people referred to nearly all other brands of step climbers as StairMasters.
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A health club is a place that houses exercise equipment for the purpose of physical exercise.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to exercise:
Dona Oliveira was a professional female bodybuilder from the United States. She competed from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s.
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The rear delt raise, also known as the rear deltoid raise, or rear shoulder raise is an exercise in weight training. This exercise is an isolation exercise that heavily works the posterior deltoid muscle. The movement is primarily limited to the two shoulder joints: the glenohumeral joint and the scapulothoracic joint. Scapular movement will also cause movement in the sternoclavicular joint and acromioclavicular joint. If the elbow bends during the extension exercises, it gravitates into a rowing motion.
The BUR Barbell Company was a privately held American physical fitness equipment manufacturer that was in operation from 1928 until 1966. The company traces its origins to Bradenton, Florida, and Birmingham, Alabama. After the Second World War, operations were relocated to Lyndhurst, New Jersey to take advantage of the rapid economic and population growth in the region. At one time, BUR Barbell was the second largest producer of barbells in the United States.
Weightlifting or weight lifting generally refers to physical exercises and sports in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells or barbells. People engage in weightlifting for a variety of different reasons. These can include: developing physical strength; promoting health and fitness; competing in weightlifting sports; and developing a muscular and aesthetic physique.
A weight plate is a flat, heavy object, usually made of cast iron, that is used in combination with barbells or dumbbells to produce a bar with a desired total weight for the purpose of physical exercise.