HOME GYM

Business Times - 15 Jun 2002

Personal fitness and de-stressing have, of late, become a priority for Singaporeans. And at a time when instant recipes like slimming pills are under a cloud, exercise machines are the best bet. SAMUEL EE has some tips for shaping up in the comfort and safety of your home

IT'LL be a sad, sad day when you look in the mirror and realise your love handles have turned into love humps. But because Slim 10 has become a dirty word, what else is there to do? Well, if the people who sell fitness equipment in Singapore are correct, you will make yourself happy immediately by going out and buying an exercise machine.

Whether you end up using it regularly or not isn't clear. But what is clear is that despite the tough economy, the home fitness equipment market is growing at about 20 to 30 per cent a year.

After all, growing affluence and a greater awareness of the benefits of exercise - thanks partly to government promotion of a healthy lifestyle - will help to make personal fitness a priority, says Adrian Wee, managing director of Dynaforce, a key player in the local health equipment market.

'One in five Singaporeans have some form of fitness equipment,' says Mr Wee, who expects the consumer market to grow 20 per cent this year.

Over at Aibi, the trend is confirmed. Aibi claims to be the largest fitness retail chain in Singapore with three-quarters of the home fitness market. 'We are experiencing a growth of over 20 per cent from the previous year and we are expecting an annual growth rate of at least 30 per cent for this coming year,' says Pauline Kwek, Aibi's marketing manager.

'Singaporeans are growing more affluent and health-conscious, as well as getting more strapped for time. So the demand for home exercise equipment is definitely growing,' she says.

Most of Aibi's customers just want to de-stress, says Ms Kwek. These people, who range from 30-somethings to those over 50 years of age, usually get so caught up with work that when they get home, they need an outlet for the stress and that's where the exercise machines come in, she explains.

'Our customers come from all walks of life,' says Ms Kwek. 'But usually, different outlets have different clients.'

For example, Aibi's Suntec City showroom sees more young professionals walking in, while its Woodlands and Jurong outlets get older heartlanders. But generally, those in their 40s prefer to exercise at home, says Dynaforce's Mr Wee. 'They don't want to be seen in the gym,' he explains.

Those who do go to the gyms are usually the younger, trendier and better-educated set, says Mr Wee. The bulk of Dynaforce's business is commercial. It supplies most of its exercise equipment to hotels and other corporate clients. It also manages 12 corporate gyms in Singapore.

'The gym is popular with most people because they prefer to exercise in comfort,' says Mr Wee. 'They like the aircon, the showers and the towels.'

It is this fact that leads Dynaforce, which carries the well-known Life Fitness range of machines, to believe gym membership here will continue to rise in the next couple of years.

All this is good news for the players in the fitness equipment market, estimated at about $50 million to $60 million a year. The consumer market accounts for up to three-quarters of this and its bestseller is the treadmill. Dynaforce says that in terms of volume, it sells the most of this type of machine to home users. Models costing between $2,000 and $3,000 are popular.

Over at Aibi, the treadmill is also a firm favourite, especially the foldable motorised versions costing from $1,288 to $3,000. United Lifestyle, which does some consumer business through references from its corporate clients, also find the treadmill sells best. Marketing manager Adrian Mok says models from about $3,000 onwards are popular.

Other consumer equipment players such as Good Health Distributors - which sells Weider machines among others - and Beyond Fitness also appear to report the same trends. One source who did not want to be named said the treadmill and home gym, such as single and multi-station weight machines, are the models of choice. Apparently, motorised treadmills starting from $2,000 are often chosen.

But the elliptical cross-trainer is powering ahead quickly, said Aibi's Ms Kwek. Her company stocks models costing from $699 made-in-Taiwan ones to $8,000 state-of-the-art Life Fitness specimens.

'The cross-trainer started getting popular last year,' she says. 'It gives a total body workout and it is the most low-impact, which is good for people with knee problems.'

More importantly, however, the cross-trainer's appeal has risen with the recent introduction of more affordable models.

Experts agree with the benefits of the cross-trainer. If faced with having to get only one cardiovascular exercise machine for the home, Dr Tan Jee Lim, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Changi General Hospital, would pick a cross-trainer of any type.

'The advantage is that it trains both upper and lower limbs and the torso,' says Dr Tan. 'It also allows the athlete to even out his wear such that he avoids overuse of one area too quickly.'

That's not to say the treadmill isn't a good choice. 'The big advantage of jogging indoors is that it is low impact and you can control the variables, for example, the slope and speed,' he says. 'In the more advanced models, you can also get an estimate of your calories burnt and the heart rate achieved. But a big minus is that it is monotonous and you risk falling off a rolling platform during fatigue.'

One fan of the treadmill is Harold Thng. The 48-year-old regional director has a Life Fitness treadmill and a Parabody multi-station weight machine at home. He uses the treadmill for 20 minutes daily and pumps iron three times a week, concentrating on the shoulders and stomach.

'I love to run,' confesses the Aibi customer. But because his kneecaps were damaged due to excessive running when he was younger, he now uses the treadmill with its cushioned surface.

Another Aibi customer, a young professional, also has more than one machine - a treadmill, a stationary bicycle and a cross-trainer, all of which she uses during the course of the week.
'I like to give my workout some variety, so I switch between the treadmill and the bike daily - just to work out the different sets of muscles,' she explains.

But not all owners of home fitness equipment appear to be as motivated. 'The equipment often become expensive clothes hangers because less than 10 per cent use them regularly,' estimates Dynaforce's Mr Wee, who relies on his company's after-sales figures as an indication.

'For the first three months, most people use it regularly, about three times a week. After six months, it becomes once a week. After 12 months, it's zero!'

Take 20-something lawyer D Wong, for example. He says he bought a weight bench two years ago because he thought he could work on his thighs and calves at the same time as his pecs. But after a few months of bench presses, Mr Wong got bored with exercising in his bedroom and it's now competing for floor space with the massage chair he's just bought.

Dynaforce's Mr Wee believes most of the equipment purchases are as gifts or impulse buys. Someone suddenly thinks he or she looks fat or is told about a high cholesterol count. And they eventually give up on the machine because they realise it just isn't part of their lifestyle.

Aibi's Ms Kwek disagrees with Mr Wee's figure and says the majority of her customers - about 70 percent - use their machines regularly. But she stresses that buying the right equipment for your needs is the key to continued use. 'Some invest in a machine only to discover later that it's too strenuous or aggravates a condition. More importantly, you must like it.'

Copyright © 2002 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.