COTTAGE GROVE, Wis. (October 20, 2009) – There’s no doubt that Suspension Elliptical™ trainers are gaining in popularity among fitness consumers. The ability to vary workouts and target different muscle groups all while mimicking your natural movement is a distinct advantage over traditional fixed-stride elliptical trainers. However, Suspension Elliptical trainers can be prohibitive for some consumers due to their sheer size and cost. Vision Fitness is tackling this challenge by introducing the S7100, a smaller, more economical Suspension Elliptical trainer that offers many of the same features and benefits of the larger-sized versions.

The S7100 (MSRP: $2,699 to $2,999) measures 61.5” L x 30” W x 65” H, making it one of the most space-friendly Suspension Elliptical trainers available. But don’t let its size or value price fool you. The S7100 is a scaled-down version of Vision Fitness’s very popular S7200HRT, which was introduced to the market last year to rave reviews and widespread consumer acceptance.

“After the successful launch of the Vision Fitness® S7200HRT, we saw an opportunity to develop a more compact, lower-cost version,” said Peter Sell, director of product development for Johnson Health Tech. “The S7100 opens our Suspension Elliptical trainer platform to a much broader audience.”

So, what exactly is a Suspension Elliptical trainer? The most obvious difference between a traditional elliptical trainer and a Suspension Elliptical trainer is the pedal arms. A Suspension Elliptical trainer, as the name suggests, has pedal arms that are suspended off of the ground—the arms do not roll up and down tracks. Since there are no wheels or tracks, there is less rolling resistance or friction. This results in a more comfortable elliptical motion, while reducing unwanted noise and wear-and-tear on the equipment.

The S7100 is unique because of its PerfectStride™ system, which is exclusive to Vision Fitness. PerfectStride technology offers the ideal combination of biomechanical and ergonomic features: pivoting footplates, a natural elliptical foot path, a stride length that automatically adjusts with incline changes, and small pedal spacing that results in proper knee and hip alignment. These features make the S7100 extremely comfortable for users of all shapes and sizes. To top it off, this trainer offers 20 levels of incline (18 to 37%) and both forward and backward pedaling to keep workouts varied and challenging.

There are a number of other features that make the S7100 one of the most feature-rich ellipticals for the price, including:

Low Step-Up Height – A low 8.5-inch step-up height provides easy on-and-off access, as do the convenient rear hand grips and out-of-the-way front-drive system.

Multi-Position Hand Grips – The dual-action arms keep users in a proper upright position, while the multi-position grips fit any user, allow different muscle emphasis and add variety to the workout.

Two Console Options – Choose from two console options:
Deluxe – This console option comes with an LCD display with a scrolling message bar, 20 levels of resistance and eight workout programs.
Premier – This option includes the LCD display with three additional feedback windows, 20 resistance levels and 18 different programs, including: five Custom programs, three HRT® programs, five classic programs and four Sculptor programs, which are exclusive to Vision Fitness and are designed specifically for the PerfectStride system.

SPRINT 8 – Both consoles come with the SPRINT 8® anaerobic workout program, which is medically proven to provide the most effective workout one can achieve in 20 minutes.

Contact and Telemetric Heart Rate Monitoring – In addition to contact grips, the S7100 Premier comes with a telemetric heart rate monitor and chest strap for wireless monitoring of heart rate activity.

Accessory Tray – There is a place for everything, including a water bottle, cell phone or TV remote; it also comes with an integrated reading rack.

For more information about the S7100 Suspension Elliptical™ Trainer from Vision Fitness, visit www.VisionFitness.com or call 1-800-335-4348.

About Vision Fitness
Vision Fitness, which began as a division of Trek® Bicycle Company, is the premier specialty fitness brand of Johnson Health Tech, the fourth largest fitness equipment manufacturer in the world. In addition to Vision, Johnson is home to some of the most respected brands in the fitness industry, including: Matrix, AFG, Horizon and LIVESTRONG. The company manufactures a wide assortment of fitness equipment for both commercial and residential use, including treadmills, elliptical trainers, exercise bikes and strength training equipment.