Time Trend – Gyrotonic Expansion System
reprint from Time – Carole Bula
Fitness buffs getting bored with StairMaster are discovering a new twist in exercise machines, the Gyrotonic Expansion System (GXS). Popular in Europe adn used in some 150 exercise adn dance studios in the U.S., the machine looks like a cross between a postmodern sculpture and a medieval torture rack. There are two parts – a 7 ft. pulley tower with leather straps for hands and feet and a moveable bench with two rotating disks attached to its edge. Together they work in sych to stretch, strengthen and increase range of motion. Gytotonics combines elements of Kundalini yoga, dance and Tai Chi, but it feels closes to synchronized swimming. Instead of linear back-and-forth movements, GXS offers more than a hundred variations, most of them circular and three-dimensional. Developed by a former Romanian ballet dancer, gyrotonics is popular among dancers and athletes, but is has also been used in Germany to help elderly patients with osteoporosis and spinal injuries. Mastering the machine isn’t easy or inexpensive: it typically requires six to 10 one-on-one lessons, at $45 to $75 an hour. A smaller, foldable home version will be introduced in two months (available on www.gyrotonic.com), with an instruction video. Target price: a measly $1,200. …view original articlePosted on: 01/08/2012, by : Jacqui
