StairMaster is expected to add 60 jobs this year and a total of 100 jobs over the next five years at its Vancouver, WA, headquarters. This is a result of consolidation of the StairMaster and Star Trac companies, which are both owned by Michael Bruno.

Dustin Grosz, president of both Star Trac and StairMaster, discussed the consolidation when Star Trac recently announced it was shutting down its plant in California and moving production to its Land America plant in China. The StairMaster headquarters will house executive, administrative and customer service functions, such as finance, IT, human resources and accounting, for both StairMaster and Star Trac.

“We worked very quickly on where the best place would be to consolidate the business,” Grosz says. “One of the options that I started looking at [after taking over as Star Trac president in March] was consolidating the back end of Star Trac and StairMaster. This very quickly became apparent as a viable option.”

Grosz said earlier this month that Star Trac will continue to have its headquarters in Irvine for its marketing team, product development team, warehousing and shipping of goods, as well as a showroom.

Five executives from Star Trac are expected to move from Star Trac’s Irvine, CA, headquarters to Vancouver. The Columbia River Economic Development Council (CREDC), based in Vancouver, aided Star Trac with relocation costs by securing $100,000 from Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire’s strategic reserve fund.

CREDC also is working with the Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council by assisting StairMaster in recruiting employees for the new available jobs in Vancouver, says Jeanie Ashe, director of business recruitment for the CREDC.

Ashe says StairMaster executives, who already were located in Vancouver, had been traveling to and from Irvine. The relocation costs will aid those executives, Ashe says.

“They have a very talented workforce down in Irvine, and they didn’t want to lose key personnel,” Ashe says.

In a statement released by the CREDC, Grosz said that Vancouver, whose metro area includes Portland, OR, met the company’s needs.

“The Portland-Vancouver metro is the nation’s hub for outdoor and fitness equipment enthusiasts, which allows us to have access to the type of workforce we want to grow and shape our company,” Grosz said.

Beginning next Wednesday, June 1, the StairMaster headquarters will be in a 26,000-square-foot building that had housed Vancouver city employees, who will move to a new city hall building downtown. StairMaster had operated in a 10,000-square-foot building with about 23 employees.

Grosz told the Portland Business Journal that StairMaster exceeded its goal of $25 million in revenue by 12 percent over the past year. He also told the newspaper that he estimated Star Trac’s sales this year will be about 40 percent lower than the $175 million the company generated two years ago.

Written By: Stuart Goldman May 26, 2001

source: http://clubindustry.com/inside_manufacturers/star-trac-stairmaster-consolidating-washington-state-20110526/

I’ve worked out in gyms and clubs off and on for the past six years, the “off” times due to illness, too much else to do, or frustration. (Who hasn’t gotten frustrated when they can’t lose those last five pounds?) Sometimes I needed an extra push, and instead of giving myself that push, I’d quit. But I always felt worse not exercising, found that the hour of working out, three times a day, did something more than help me stay in shape physically. It made me feel good about myself—that I had will power, that I was in control of my brain and body. So, I’m back to it now, have been for almost a year, and once again, I’m at that place where I need the extra push. Blogging might do it. If I say I’m going to do it, actually post it, I certainly better, right?

So, this is where I am now. 5’6, 141 lbs. Female. Good shoulders (I work on that, my vanity) I’m stronger than many my age—I can lift heavy boxes, hike up a hill, twist open the tops of jars when someone hands one over with that look of, “Well, I can’t do it, maybe you can.” So, I’m sort of where I want to be. (I could lose five more pounds. I’d love to lose five more pounds.) But to stay here, strong-shouldered and all, I have to keep at it.

I workout three days a week, at a gym, using the machines I wish I owned. (I’m saving for a treadmill, almost there—Kings of Cardio are going to give me a good deal.) But for now it’s the gym—and fast walking on the off days. (Oh, and eating healthy food, although I can’t resist bagels with cream cheese or a dark chocolate candy bar. Hersey’s bittersweet!) First I stretch, loosing up my calf muscles by placing one foot a good step in front of the other, leaning forward, bouncing slightly. Then all the other stretches—you probably know them, for my back and lats and arms. Five minutes. I always want to shorten this time, get to the machines, but they say that’s a mistake. (Like they say to make sure you eat in the morning—it triggers your metabolism, gets it going, otherwise it’s slowing down, worrying it won’t get fuel. Sumo wrestlers don’t eat until right before they go to sleep at night. If they ate regular meals, or even snacked in between, they’d lose weight!)

After the stretches, I head to the treadmill. I used to like the elliptical, and there’s nothing wrong with them, I’m just fonder, at the moment, of the treadmill. I can push myself harder, get up a full head of steam, so to speak. I work out on the treadmill for 33 minutes (I add a minute every week, that’s why I’m at 33 minutes, and my hour in the gym gets a might bit longer, too—but one minute a week makes it less noticeable, easier to do than you’d think.) I generally burn about 330 calories. I start off at a walk for 2 minutes, at an incline of 3% at 2.7 mph, then up the incline to 5%, and sped up to 3.7 mph, for three minutes, and then I increase the incline to 9%, at 4 miles per hour, for 25 minutes to get my heart beating. (Well, it’s already beating, but you know what I mean.) Then I lower the incline to 4% and slow down to 3.6 mph, for -3 minutes. (I’m no pro at all of this, so my terms are my own. Hope they make sense.)

Then it’s on the resistance training with the machines. (Might I ever really have a home gym? I’m hoping so. It’s my fantasy, turning my basement into a home gym. I always put on makeup to leave the house and fix my hair, which is plain nuts before a workout, but I can’t go out otherwise.)

At the leg press I set the weights at 134 pounds, so I’m pushing 268 lbs. I say push, but the workout is also about the control of the release motion. I do ten reps, three times, with a rest between them for 20 seconds. I started, last year, at 120 lbs on each side (total 240), so that’s how long it took to get here.

Next, hip-abduction, sitting back at an incline, pushing outwards with my thighs, set at 120 lbs. Ten reps, three times, that short 20 second rest in between. Then hip-adduction, the opposite of hip-abduction. I press inwards with my thighs, same weight levels. Once again, ten reps, three times. That seems to be pretty standard for most of the weight machines.

Then I workout my abdomen. This machine is not so much a machine but an angled bench that you can adjust. I lay on it with my head at the bottom, feet at the top and do sit ups. I can’t do three reps yet, just 10 sit ups, rest, then 7 more. I hold my hands near my head for momentum, though I’m not sure you’re supposed to do that.

Then there’s another machine for abs. This one you can’t adjust and it’s at a lower angle than the last one, with your abs lower, too, if that makes sense. On this I can do ten sit ups and three reps.

Next I use the compound Rower. I set the weights a little lower this last week because I hurt my shoulder at work. So, only at 70 lbs, pushing down 10 times, 3 reps.

For an aerobic workout before the free weights I use the step machine for about 10 minutes, which usually means I climb about 39 flights of stairs. (Great machine! Has workout stats—average heart beats, etc.)

I end with the free weights. 10 lbs in each hand, doing some arm exercises. Then I cool down with stretching and a warm shower, and make sure to drink some water.

That’s it. Kings of Cardio say that if I put this on their blog, maybe people will write in with their routines, and encourage me to keep up with mine. I’ll write back when I learn new things about exercising, or try a new machine. What’s your favorite?

Get your home gyms and treadmills tuned up and ready for the change of weather! Soon it will be cold in most parts of the country and nobody likes exercising outside in cold weather. At least most people that work for the Kings of Cardio, but then again, we get the nice and sunny weather of beautiful Los Angeles, CA.
For those of you who are not as weatherly blessed as we are here in Los Angeles, you must not stop running and walking just because it is starting to get dark earlier and colder by the day. The great thing about purchasing home gym equipment is that once you have it, your options remain open, and you can always go back outside once in a while to exercise during winter, but make life easier for yourself and get some home fitness equipment.

The most common excuse for not neing able to work out and exercise on a daily basis is “Well I just don’t have enough time in my day.” While for most of us this excuse holds merit, we fail to realize how important daily exercise really is towards our health and overall well being. With that said, you need to carve out that 30 minute time frame each and every day in order to maintain a fit amd healthy body. Home fitness equipment is so essential to those who do not have the luxury of taking 2 hours out of there day to go to the gym.  Having a treadmill or an elliptical, or any other piece of exercise equipment at home will make fitting the time to exercise in your daily routine that much easier.

If you are not really juiced up for this years NFL and NCAA Football seasons then there is something wrong with you! These guys are such great athletes and we take great pride in supplying them with the best fitness equipment known to man. If you want to find out how structurally sound an Elliptical Cross Trainer is, then put a 6’5, 310 lb. middle line-backer on it and if the fitness equipment remains quiet while in use, and does not rock back and forth, well, then you have found yourself a winner! Big, strong and sometimes fat people are really the best way to determine the strength and quality of gym equipment.

edit: Side note, if your name is Julie, and you are 5’5 and 130 lbs., it does not matter if the piece of cardio fitness equipment you are looking for can support the weight of a Giant, it just matters wheter or not the exercise bike, fitness stepper, home gym, treadmill, or elliptical is comfortable for you.  That is not to say that you should not be concerned over the structural integrity of the exercise equipment that you may potentially purchase, we are just saying the mechanical capacity (user weight capacity), is of no importance to you. Sports equipment and gym machinery will always support at least 150lbs, unless specified otherwise.

However,  most of the people that call the Kings of Cardio, are not small and skinny, in fact, for the most part, they are big and heavy. In order for exercise equipment and gym gear to work safe and effectively, it must be sturdy enough to withstand continuous usage over time by people of all shapes and sizes. For these two reasons, we make sure that we provide our customers with the highest quality fitness equipment on earth and in return they love us for it! We hope…

The Kings of Cardio are surveying the American public in order to find out which manufacturer produces the highest quality fitness equipment. It is very simple, which pieces of fitness equipmet are your favorites, and why? Our staff is comprised of professionals from across the world that specialize in health and fitness. We are very interested in what are the most popular pieces of exercise equipment in the fitness industry today. Recently, treadmill sales have been eclipsed by elliptical sales, so we are guessing that the majority of responses will be geared towards, and favoring, elliptical cross-trainers over treadmills, exercise bikes, and other forms of fitness equipment. Keep in mind that elliptical cross trainers provides users with the same cardio benefits of treadmills, but ellipticals do not beat up your knees, ankles, and hips like treads. For that reason, ellipticals are now more popular than treadmills, for the first time ever.

Meanwhile…the San Diego Super Chargers are on TV and playing against the once mighty Oakland Raiders. These guys are in amazing shape! Their stamina and endurance is phenomenal to say the least. Back in the day, offensive and defensive lineman were pretty heavy and now they all have 6-Packs! How times have changed…. the NFl today has defensive ends who run 4.3 40yd. dashes! That is insane. I wonder what speed they use when they exercise on treadmills and other fitness equipment. On the sidelines of the games, exercise bikes are the most popular pieces of cardio fitness gym equipment and stationary upright bikes are used by players to reduce cramping.

What a great game, these guys could run forever, they do not get tired. If only all American’s had to go through such grueling physical training as professional foorball players in the NFL, our country would not be so fat and overweight, while our health problems would be reduced drastically. The reason the Unites States of America has so many unhealthy people is because we do not exercise enough. It is plain and simple, what you put in, is what you get out. If you spend all of your free time eating, drinking and relaxing, then your body will reflect that. Your confidence and physical appearance with deteriorate faster than Bear Stearns. So please do your part and exercise for at least 30 minutes per day. Your health and happiness are counting on you!

As you probably already know, aerobic exercise such as walking helps you control your weight. But did you also know that just one session of walking you can lower your blood sugar by 20 to 30%? Diabetic or not, many people these days are coming closer and closer to having high blood sugar levels, by a combination of not eating healthy and not exercising. Tips for keeping your blood sugars in a good range while exercising are to eat something 30 minutes before your walk (so your numbers don’t drop to low with your increased metabolism), check you blood sugar levels before and after every walk (to prevent drops), and walk at least every other day. One a routine habit is introduced to your system, your sugar levels will start to stay at a healthy level. Just remember, once you take just one day off, it can take months to get back on the saddle!

Being a type 1 diabetic myself, I understand first hand how important it is to make exercise a routine part of your day. Did you know that both type 1 and type 2 diabetics who exercise daily for 9 months, their glucose metabolism (the body’s ability to process blood sugar) improved 87%, and their fasting glucose (a marker of diabetes risk) decreased significantly?This can be as easy as taking a 15-minute walk everyday, even starting at 5-10 minutes sessions and working your way up. I find taking a short stroll through the neighborhood after dinner a great way to boost my mood, energy, and overall metabolism. Another trick I’ve found is always looking for a way to add a few extra steps into your day… be it not using the nearest restroom at the office, and using another one on a different floor, climbing the stairs to get there. Or instead of taking that 10-minute coffee break, substitute it for a short walk outside. Once you learn tackle short walks in your everyday, it’s even easier to work up to more intensive workouts, such as cycling, stair climbing, weights, and cardio. Not only are these great for lowing your blood sugars, but your blood pressure as well! The best way to keep track of your new workouts is to keep a 30-Day Planner. Try writing down your daily walking progress, as well as your blood-sugar readings before and after each workout to see how certain exercises affect your numbers. At the end of the week, see how well you’ve done with walking and controlling your sugars, and plan your routine for the week ahead. I promise, it will only get easier from there as you begin to test your body, strength, and overall health. You’ll be amazed how much better you feel in just a month!

Somehow people have turned against building muscle mass and as far as I can remember, there have not been any reputable athletes that have not endorsed lifting weights. Go and pump some iron today. Weight lifting will increase your muscle mass, tone your body and make your clothes feel tighter when you put them on, if you are a true weight lifting machine then you know what I am talking about. Add weight lifting to any cardio routine and it will dramatically increase your overall results from exercising. If you want to look sweet, fell good and be a champ, then you have to mix up your home gym exercise routines and not just walk on the treadmill for a mile or so. That is for wimps and simps!