https://exercise.com/companies/mini-gym

Mini-Gym

Year Founded: 1968

About

  • Overview
  • Awards
  • Endorsements

Mini-Gym Clients

Some of the groups that have purchased Mini-Gym equipment include the:

  • Miami Dolphins
  • New York Jets
  • Buffalo Bills
  • Detroit Lions
  • New Orleans Saints
  • Indianapolis Colts
  • Oakland Raiders
  • Brigham Young University
  • Kansas State
  • Southern Methodist University
  • Oklahoma State
  • Ohio State
  • University of Nebraska

Mini-Gym Products

Mini-Gym offers five main products, plus they offer accessories for their machines. There are some products that offer different variations to the same machine.

The base products offered by Mini-Gym are:

  • Achiever
  • Leaper
  • Little Leaper
  • Swim Bench
  • Mini Gym

Achiever

The Achiever is a isokinetic system that can be either purchased as a free standing device that bolts to the floor or as a wall mounted device. This product was specifically developed for the sports and injury rehabilitation field.

This device automatically records and stores muscle testing, analysis and repeat exercising. Caregivers don’t have to worry about checking a patient's range of motion, the internal computer does it for them.

According to Mini-Gym, the reason that this piece of equipment is the better choice for patients is that it works more than just the weakest point of the person's injury. Think about it this way. When a person is injured and they weight train, they are only able to pick up the heaviest weight the weakest part of their body will accommodate, in this case the injured part.

With the Achiever’s string gauge, the weight applied to the gauge is exactly as much as the pounds per inch applied by the person exercising. For example, at a persons weakest point, they may only be able to “lift” 2 pounds of weight, but when they get past their injury to work a different part of their arm, they may be able to lift 20 pounds of weight. The string gauge automatically changes weight to accommodate the ability of the patient.

Leaper

According to Mini-Gym, the Leaper, which was developed in the late 60s, has changed the face of basketball workouts. The Leaper focuses on the power variations that occur through the different motions performed during sports.

The idea of isokinetic resistance applies here much as it does in the above example. Someone is stronger when their arms are fully extended than when the arms are bent. However, when lifting weights, you are limited by the weakest point of your arm and you never work the strongest part of your arm to its fullest ability.

The Leaper offers exercise motions that are repeatedly used in sports situations, especially basketball. According to Mini-Gym, the use of their leaper helped teams in the 70s become faster and stronger and changed the way that basketball was played.

Little Leaper

The Little Leaper is half of a regular Leaper. This device only has the string gauge portion of the Leaper, which some say allows you to use the product at home. According to Mini-Gym, when you purchase Leaper Pads to go with the Leaper you can simulate the same exercise available on the Leaper.

The downside here is that this device has to be secured to the floor or a wall. It weighs about 40 pounds and you are going to be exerting several hundred pounds per inch, hopefully, during use, so most people don’t have a place in their home that can accommodate this type of use.

Swim Bench

The Swim Bench, as the name implies, is designed for swimmers. The Swim Bench allows swimmer to exercise at their direct rate of input so that at their strongest point of movement, usually the downward pull, they are pulling the most amount of weight.

When a Swim Bench is used for training, the athlete sees benefits faster because they aren’t exercising based on their weakest muscle point. The Swim Bench can be used to train any swim stroke. In addition, it can be used to train the legs for improved kicking strength.

Mini-Gym

The Mini-Gym is also a device that is small enough for the home. Again, like the Little Leaper, the Mini-Gym must be attached to a stable surface that can resist workouts. The Mini-Gym will record all of the reps you have done in a workout. In addition, you can see how much weight you are moving and at what points of your movement you are achieving that weight.

Accessories

In the accessories section, you will find additional items to help you train for specific sports as well as extra support brackets, straps, bridle handles, rotation handles and so on.

For sports specific workouts, you will find:

  • Strapped football
  • Softball with rope hoop
  • Baseball with rope hoop
  • Basketball strapped
  • Golf handle, which can be used for batting or tennis

Using these specific devices will ensure that you practice the range of motions most commonly used for these sports and develop the muscle groups that you are focusing on fast.

Mini-Gym Product Cost

For the larger gym devices, you have to call Mini-Gym in order to get a quote. Part of the reason for this is because you can add extensions onto the gym sets to increase the types of exercises that can be performed on them.

The Swim Bench starts at $1290 plus $150 shipping. You will find the instructions for putting this set together online. In addition, the accessories for the swim bench start at $125 plus shipping.

The Little Leaper with pads is $1195. On the website they don’t say how much the Little Leaper is alone and they don’t mention the cost of shipping and handling.

The Mini Gym is $295 without the LCD screen to tell you what and how you are doing plus $20 shipping. The Mini Gym with LCD costs $495 plus $20 shipping.

Mini-Gym Benefits

The biggest benefit offered by Mini-Gym’s products that they all allow you to achieve heavier resistance on the areas of your body that can handle it. What’s more, you don’t have to adjust anything during the workout; the machines automatically gauge your own application and meet that force with the appropriate amount of weight.

As you get tired and aren’t able to work as hard, the resistance lightens to meet your abilities. As you get stronger, the resistance strengthens.

Mini-Gym is clear that these machines aren’t meant to build big bulky bodies. They work on creating endurance and allowing the body’s natural ability to determine how much work that they do.

Compare Mini-Gym options with the workout plan finder and supplement finder now! 

Mini-Gym