La Jolla-based Activbody has reason to celebrate. The fitness technology company’s flagship product, Activ5, is now available at the Apple Store in University Town Center and online.
The Westfield UTC store is one of 300 Apple Stores across the U.S. and Canada that are featuring Activ5, a wireless-enabled fitness device designed to make exercise fun, convenient, safe, and measurable.
“We are tremendously excited that a company with the prestige of Apple is a fan of our product,” said Activbody CEO Dan Stevenson.
Activ5 relies on a concept that is well known in physical therapy circles — low impact, isometric exercise. The body remains in a static position while the target muscle is strengthened.
Stevenson said that Activ5 is designed for a broad market that encompasses home exercise and personal fitness as well as professional athletes, athletic trainers, and physical therapists.
With a companion training app, Activ5 users can “access and track their activity from over a hundred personalized, short duration workouts and exercises,” said Stevenson.
Activ5 can be used to perform five-minute isometrics-based exercises in seated, standing, and advanced yoga and pilates positions.
Mobility is a key selling point, enabling “on the go” professionals who are already fit to maintain their workout regimen when they travel or are at the office.
Professional sports teams are another market. Currently, the Pittsburgh Steelers are incorporating Activ5 into their fitness and strength training routine.
“The Steelers are using it as their exercise protocol to completely exhaust the muscle,” Stevenson said. Activ5 is being featured at this year’s training camp and will be introduced to the entire Steelers’ organization.
Because isometric exercise is considered safe, physical therapists can use Activ5 to help their clients recover and rehabilitate after injury. According to the Mayo Clinic, isometric exercises are often recommended for arthritis and rotator cuff injuries.
The safety factor is also appealing to parents. “They introduce Activ5 to their children,” he said. It’s an easy sell because “kids are so used to using their phones for games these days.”
Over the past 20 years, the world has become increasingly data-driven. Now, with the introduction of “smart” software-based exercise devices, this mentality has spread to the fitness industry.
Independent studies conducted with Activ5 over a six-week period have shown, on average, an increase in strength of 30 percent with just 15 minutes of daily exercise.
In October, Activbody moved to its La Jolla headquarters, where Stevenson leads a team of 10 employees.
Participating Apple Stores, like the one at Westfield UTC, are also featuring an iPad that accompanies the device. Customers can receive a brief in-store demonstration that includes how to hold the device and calibrate it to their strength.
Activ5 also recently announced an Apple Watch app that can be used for exercise and heart rate tracking and calculating energy burned.
Activ5 sells for $129.95 at the UTC Apple Store. For more information, visit activbody.com.
