NordicTrack is a type of aerobic exercise equipment. Its movements were designed to resemble the biomechanics of cross-country skiing. The NordicTrack company is now owned by Icon. Variations of the original machine are marketed in infomercials. Jillian Michaels of "The Biggest Loser" is a spokesperson for the product.
History
Edward Pauls of Chaska, Minnesota, was an avid cross-country skier. he studied mechanical engineering at the University of Wisconsin and worked as a ski binding and boot designer for a firm called Rosemount Inc. Rosemount's closing in 1969 prompted Pauls to focus on his own creations. He designed and patented an outrigger ski that was used by disabled skiers. The inspiration for the NordicTrack came on a cold, wet training day. Conditions were uncomfortable, and Pauls wondered if he could create an at-home training device for competitive Nordic skiers such as his daughter Terri.
Function
The cross country ski trainer needed to mimic the actions of a wooden ski moving against the friction of the snow. Pauls simulated these movements by developing a patented flywheel and one-way clutch mechanism. He created the cross country training device in his garage.
Time Frame
As orders from his friends poured in, Pauls turned his part-time gig into a full-time business. He opened a manufacturing plant, and his wife quit her schoolteacher job, to become the company's business manager. In the 1980s, the CML Group bought the company, with Pauls continuing as the company's chairman and his wife assuming the role of senior vice president.
In the 1990s, CML decided to diversify and created the aerobic cross trainer, which combined the lower-body movements of stair climbing with the upper-body movements of cross-country skiing.
Warnings
The company suffered a major setback in 1996 when it presented a weight loss study that was scrutinized by the Federal Trade Commission. The so-called study claimed people could lose 18 pounds in 12 weeks by following a thrice-weekly 20-minute NordicTrack workout. The word "study" was, unfortunately, a misnomer. The results were based on self-reported accounts. Other problems ensued. A competitor accused NordicTrack of patent infringement, and there were reports of damaged machines. NordicTrack filed for bankruptcy in November of 1998 and was purchased by Icon in December of that year.
Significance
Pauls and his wife first marketed the NordicTrack in ski magazines. This was, however, the 1970s, before the word "aerobics" became a household term. The couple decided to embark on a full-fledged ad campaign to target the general public. Ads were placed in the "Smithsonian" and "Scientific American," describing the NordicTrack as "the world's best aerobic exerciser." Then, when fitness research became more sophisticated, those words might have been the kiss of death. The Federal Trade Commission, as well as fitness organizations such as the American Council on Exercise and the American College of Sports Medicine, now keep a close watch on claims by exercise equipment manufacturers. Making false claims can force a company into bankruptcy.
Member Comments