Indoorwalking: Achieve your fitness steps

Jay Asser 07:50 21/08/2014
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  • No stress: The Indoorwalker is designed in such a way that there is no strain on any body part.

    Walking is a novel concept, isn’t it? We all possess the most basic ability to travel from place to place while also exercising without the use of any equipment, all through the move­ment of our legs. Yet as healthy and easy as it is, walking isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when we think of methods to get fit.

    But Barcelona-based fitness com­pany Indoorwalking is changing that by bringing the simplest form of exercise back in style, focusing on low-impact cardio training.

    They provide an inclusive pro­gramme that anyone can follow to improve their fitness.

    As the name says, they accom­plish that goal through walking indoors on an elliptical-like machine. However, while their machine, called the Indoorwalker, very much resembles an ellipti­cal, it’s different in ways that sets it apart from the everyday, typical contraption found in any gym.

    Whereas an elliptical uses long ellipses to mimic big steps, which can cause problems by putting strain on the lower back, the Indoorwalker has shorter ellipses. That allows for much shorter steps and a quicker pace, which works better to follow any rhythm or tempo of workout music.

    The Indoorwalker also posi­tions a person’s posture correctly without any aggressive angles which can cause pain on the joints and lower back. It’s very adjustable as you can change the angles of the poles and handlebars in terms of height, width and depth, as well as the resistance to up the intensity.

    “The Indoorwalker’s ellipses are fixed like, for instance, on a bicycle. The thing is, because the rest of the machine is adaptable, it’s very com­fortable,” said owner and general director Javier Lanfranchi.

    “The comments that I usually get is that it’s very soft and like walking on a cloud. Basically, you’re walking with your weight. The moment you step on the platform, the platform will go down and create inertia. When there is no resistance, it helps the person do the movement. It’s like walking on air because the sensation is that you have abso­lutely no impact on the joints.”

    Founded in 2004 by Enric Bonil­la, Indoorwalking attempts to close the gap between cardio exercise and inactive people. Lanfranchi owns the subsidiary Indoorwalking Middle East, which is in countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and now the UAE with the region’s lone fitness centre located in Tecom, Dubai.

    Initially, Lanfranchi admits Indoorwalking started as a com­mercial company to distribute their products – their Indoorwalker and fitness programmes. With the demand they were receiving for a gym-like facility, Indoorwalking opened their centre to showcase the Indoorwalker, which can be bought by clubs and gyms, as well as for personal home use for Dh9,500.

    Though Indoorwalking has so far found less success selling the machine to gyms in the UAE than in the other Middle East nations, Lanfranchi knows that people who try it, can result in more sales.

    “Even though we’re not selling much here to clubs and gyms, we’re selling quite well individually for home use,” he said. “The reason for that is that the whole family can use it. It’s adaptable. Dad can use it, then mum can adjust the poles to use it and then the kids can.”

    Indoorwalking’s classes feature a mix of men and women of all different ages and fitness levels, ranging from 20 to 70 in age. Each class runs for 45 minutes and someone of Lanfranchi’s size at 1.84 metres and 90 kilograms can burn anywhere from 700 to 750 calories per session.

    Though the resistance and in­tensity can be increased during the workout, Lanfranchi emphasises effort the most. After all, walking has been around forever and has proven to be healthy without the need of added factors.

    “One of the things we always rec­ommend to people is that walking is one of the first forms of move­ments of the human body,” said Lanfranchi. “We learn to walk first, then run and jump and etc.

    “Our human condition is to either lie down and sleep, or to stand up and walk. Because that is the most natural movement of the human body, it’s something you can do and not get hurt. We tell our customers that the less pain you suffer during exercise, obviously the less injury. The more often you do it, the faster the results.”

    A number of membership options are on offer at Indoorwalk­ing, starting at Dh110 per class. Also available are unlimited classes in one-month, three-month and sixth-month stretches, as well as a weight management programme.

    It’s time to get back to basics with walking.

    What: Indoorwalking Middle East
    Where: Yassat Gloria Hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road, Tecom, Dubai
    When: Open from Sunday to Thursday from 8:00 to 13:00 and 16:00 to 20:00.
    Contact: Call 04 381 8931
    Verdict: An easy, low-impact exer­cise that gets results…sign up.

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