The QuickGym / ROM machine provides a high intensity, short duration workout.
The QuickGym / ROM machine puts you through cardio performed at such an intense level that your body will spend the rest of the day expending energy to recover from the workout.
This is commonly referred to as EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) and it means that you consume a great deal more oxygen recovering from the exercise than you would have if you´d just done a steady-state workout like jogging or walking.
This means that you will be burning up to nine times more fat while sitting on the couch later that night than you would have if you´d spent an hour on the treadmill at a moderate pace.
High intensity training, also known as HIT training, has a number of benefits in addition to the reduction in training time.
First of all, this type of training is far superior to steady-state exercises when it comes to increasing your VO2 max, which is the maximum amount of oxygen you can uptake during exercise.
The explanation of the physiology behind the efficacy of the QuickGym / ROM machine is slightly technical and requires thorough reading to fully comprehend.
Time requirement for a cardio workout
The time required for an effective cardiovascular exercise depends on the degree of oxygen consumption during the workout.
The greater the amount of oxygen consumption during the workout, the shorter the required duration of a cardio workout.
In other words, the quality of the workout determines the time required. More muscle cells involved means higher oxygen consumption means less time required.
In fact the time requirement is exponentially less when the oxygen consumption increases in a linear fashion.
The QuickGym / ROM machine enables even totally out of shape people and seniors to achieve much higher oxygen consumption levels than with any other form of conventional exercise and therefore they can shorten their exercise periods while getting superior results.
The Myth of 20 to 45 Minutes
Most everyone believes (incorrectly so) in the myth that a cardio workout requires at least 20 to 45 minutes per day.
The truth is that if you want to improve strength, flexibility and cardio vascular endurance, that you must do slight damage to each of these systems by putting a slight overload on them.
- An overload on the muscles will create micro tears in the muscles that will cause the muscles to become stronger in the repair process.
- An overload on the tendons will create small damage by creating a very mild tendonitis and that will create more flexibility during the healing process of the tendonitis.
- An overload on the cardiovascular system is measured by way of total oxygen consumption during an exercise period. It can be low oxygen consumption during a long period of time or a very high oxygen consumption during a short period of time to reach the overload.
Increased Oxygen Consumption
An added advantage of a high oxygen consumption during a short time is that the length of time required for a cardiovascular workout becomes exponentially shorter with a linear increase of oxygen consumption.
Oxygen consumption is expressed in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (mlO2/kg/min).
With conventional forms of exercise it is nearly impossible for the untrained general public to reach the high levels of oxygen consumption required for a short and effective cardio workout.
With the QuickGym / ROM machine untrained individuals will easily reach the very high levels of oxygen consumption that require only minutes for an effective aerobic workout that yields the same or
better cardiovascular benefits than the conventional 20 to 45 minute aerobic workouts practiced by the general public.
To understand this, you need to read and understand the following lengthy technical explanation:
Time required for other workouts to achieve cardiovascular benefits
Walking at a pace of 3 miles per hour consumes a low 7mlO2/kg/min and therefore requires about 85 minutes for significant benefits to the cardiovascular system.
Sprinting at a pace of 15 miles per hour consumes a high 50 to 60mlO2/kg/min (this is a 4 minute mile pace) and therefore requires only 3 minutes for significant benefits to the cardiovascular system.
Following is a table showing different activities walking, jogging, running and their oxygen consumption rates and number of minutes required for a good cardio-vascular result.
1. Walking at 3 miles per hour 7mlO2/kg/min ´ 85 minutes
2. Jogging at 4miles per hour 14mlO2/kg/min ´ 35 minutes
3. Running at 5.5 miles per hour 21mlO2/kg/min ´ 18 minutes
4. Running at 6.5 miles per hour 28mlO2/kg/min ´ 12 minutes
5. Running at 8 miles per hour 35mlO2/kg/min ´ 8 minutes
6. Running at 9 miles per hour 42mlO2/kg/min ´ 6.5 minutes
7. Running at 15 miles per hour 60mlO2/kg/min ´ 3 minutes
The amount of oxygen consumed during any activity is determined by 4 factors:
1. Total muscle mass involved in the activity.
2. Range of motion of the muscles determines the percentage of muscle cells involved.
3. Number of repetitions of muscle movement per minute.
4. Resistance or workload worked against by the muscles.
Walking is very time consuming
Walking involves 25% of the body´s muscles and those muscles are working only through an average of 15% of their full range of motion. This means that only 25%x15%=3.75%, or less than 4% of the body´s total muscle cells are involved in oxygen consumption during walking.
These 3.75% of all the body´s muscle cells will consume more oxygen if you walk faster (or jog or run) or if you walk uphill or if you carry two 50 pound suitcases while walking.
To get a high amount of oxygen consumption out of only 3.75% of your body´´s muscle cells those few cells will have to be extremely highly trained, such as in top athletes.
To get from A to B, walking is a very energy efficient activity and therefore does not consume large amounts of oxygen.
For a cardio workout you would like to engage in an energy wasting activity, an activity that needs a lot of energy to accomplish the task.
However, the problem is that most doctors keep recommending walking as their favorite exercise prescription and they don´t even expect their patients to follow their advice of spending 45 to 90 minutes a day walking.
They only keep recommending walking because it is advice that is immune to malpractice lawsuits.
As soon as doctors were to recommend anything more out of the ordinary they could be sued out of business by their colleagues in the legal profession with medical "experts" testifying in court against them.
If a person keels over during a 90 minute walk there will be no lawsuits.
The reason why people will not follow their doctors´ advice and why the doctors do not follow their own advice is because people will not do things that require a lot of time and have marginal results.
If doctors were to prescribe exercise that takes only 4 minutes per day they would be vastly more successful in getting their patients to do daily exercise.
Now the problem for the doctors would be to get their patients to sign a disclaimer for such good advice and they would have difficulty getting their patients to spend $14,615
toward their health for a QuickGym / ROM machine instead of spending a multiple of that amount toward their illnesses.
The Cleverly Engineered QuickGym / ROM machine
Through clever engineering the QuickGym / ROM machine enables even totally out of shape people and seniors to get significant aerobic benefits from a 4 minute workout,
because the QuickGym / ROM machine engages 44% of all your muscle cells in work performance.
Those 44% are 12 times as many cells as the 3.75% in walking or jogging. Even if those 44% are untrained cells of a 90 year old or totally out of shape people,
they will far exceed the oxygen consumption those people could otherwise get out of the 3.75% they could reach during walking.
Highly trained athletes on our QuickGym / ROM machine machine always want to quit after only 2 minutes in the workout because their highly trained muscle cells consume so much oxygen that it maxes out their cardio capacity very quickly.
These highly trained athletes are so overwhelmed that they believe that it is impossible for them to go another two minutes and finish the total 4 minutes if they are already exhausted at 2 minutes.
The QuickGym / ROM machine however will automatically reduce the workload when these athletes have reached their limit cardio capacity.
In fact the QuickGym / ROM machine will automatically adjust the workload every second during the 4 minute workout, exactly matching the user´s ability at every moment during the workout.
Its 85 pound flywheel has a centrifugal brake that applies more resistance to the flywheel the faster the flywheel spins.
The exercises done on the QuickGym / ROM machine make the flywheel spin, but elderly and unconditioned people cannot make the flywheel spin very fast before they meet the braking force that matches their low level of work capacity.
Highly trained athletes have enough strength to spin the flywheel very much faster before they also meet the braking force that matches their own ability to perform physical work.
When the highly trained athlete runs out of steam he will no longer have the strength to overcome the resistance of the centrifugal brake at high revolutions and the braking action will
automatically slow the flywheel down to lower revolutions at which the centrifugal brake will reduce the resistance to exactly match the diminished strength of the then drained athlete so he can finish the 4 minutes.
Weak people can finish the 4 minutes with much more ease than highly trained individuals but they get a much lower performance score at the end of the 4 minutes.
The QuickGym / ROM machine gives you a score at the end of the 4 minutes based on the average RPM (revolutions per minute) of the flywheel during the 4 minutes.
That score will gradually increase over weeks and months of using the QuickGym / ROM machine and the increase in the score reflects the improvement in your total physical condition.
The score reflects the improvement of the condition of the combination of your cardio system, your muscle strength and your flexibility.
When your total conditioning improves, the QuickGym / ROM machine 4 minute workout never gets easier.
It actually gets harder the more your total condition improves because you will be able to spin the flywheel faster and the centrifugal brake makes you work against higher resistance and you will get a higher QuickGym / ROM machine score.
The QuickGym / ROM machine Involves 12 times the muscle fibers
The QuickGym / ROM machine involves 12 times as many muscle cells as does walking or running.
Even very out of shape and weak people can get to very high oxygen consumption rates with the QuickGym / ROM machine because so very much more muscle cells are involved in oxygen metabolism while using the QuickGym / ROM machine.
It engages 55% of all your muscles through an average of 80% of their full range of motion. This means that 55% of 80% or 44% of all your muscle cells are involved in consuming oxygen.
That is 12 times as many muscle cells as the percentage of muscle cells involved in walking or running.
On the QuickGym / ROM machine the number of repetitions and the resistance/workload are always maximum for the user´s ability to perform work because the centrifugal brake on the
QuickGym / ROM machine´s flywheel regulates the resistance automatically to match the user´s diminishing strength during the workout.
The user´s strength determines how fast the flywheel spins, which in turn determines the number of repetitions per minute and the resistance/workload applied by the centrifugal brake.
Trained athletes get a tougher QuickGym / ROM machine Workout
Highly trained athletes can of course spin the flywheel extremely fast and therefore in 4 minutes will get cardio benefits that far exceed those of conventional aerobic workout routines
(except sprinters and competitive short distance runners who will get very high cardio benefit from their high intensity short distance activities).
Trained athletes will get a much higher performance score on the QuickGym / ROM machine and they will be more exhausted than totally out of shape people who get a low performance score.
The better shape people are in, the harder the 4 minute QuickGym / ROM machine workout is for them and the higher their performance score is at the end of the 4 minutes.
Aerobic Capacity
A person´s maximum aerobic capacity is measured as VO2max. This measurement expresses the maximum oxygen consumption a person is capable of during a maximum work demand.
This measurement expresses the combined effectiveness of function of the several individual components of the body´s cardio-vascular system comprising the following:
1. The effectiveness of oxygen transfer by the lungs into the blood.
2. The condition of the muscles that operate the lung breathing function.
3. The effectiveness to transfer CO2 out of the blood and to exhale it.
4. The ability of the heart to pump maximum volume of blood.
5. The condition of the blood vessels to transport the blood
6. The effectiveness to transfer oxygen and carbohydrates from the blood to the muscles
7. The effectiveness of transfer of CO2 from the muscles back into the blood.
Performance Score
The QuickGym / ROM machine machine gives a performance score at the end of the 4 minute workout and that score is a composite evaluation of the total work performed and therefore is a reflection of the average
VO2 measurement over the 4 minute period. When the QuickGym / ROM machine score increases, it is evidence that the combination of the 6 cardiovascular performance components listed above plus muscle strength and flexibility have improved.
You can see the gradual improvement of your health reflected in the gradual improvement of the QuickGym / ROM machine scores.
How Aerobic Capacity is Measured
The testing for this VO2max measurement is done in exercise physiology labs with a person hooked up with a facemask that allows the test subject to inhale a measured amount of fresh air while the exhaled air is captured and
sent through a device that measures the amount of CO2 exhaled. From the amount of CO2 exhaled the maximum oxygen consumption can be calculated during the activity.
The QuickGym / ROM machine does not measure VO2max, but it does create a score that reflects an increase of VO2max when the QuickGym / ROM machine score increases.
The QuickGym / ROM machine simply measures the total work performed during the 4 minute workout and expresses that into a score that reflects the ability of your body to perform work, which in turn is a direct reflection of the condition of your cardiovascular system.
The Merits of H.I.T. Exercise
The merits of short duration and high intensity training and high oxygen consuming exercise are being increasingly recognized by trainers of sports teams everywhere.
Our time has not yet come with the QuickGym / ROM machine because as yet too many so-called "exercise experts" are persisting with their mistaken beliefs.
The merits of H.I.T. have been recognized in several scientific studies. You can read a few of these studies on our
Articles and Studies page.
This is an often asked question by people who have never used the ROM.
People who have used the ROM just once for 4 minutes do not ask that question.
Most people are glad when the 4 minutes are over.
Doing more than 4 minutes has only marginally more benefit.
For fat loss there is some merit in doing an extra 1 minute stretching sessions at several hour intervals to re-stimulate muscle metabolism.
When eventually the desired body condition has been established with the ROM the frequency of use can even be reduced to only 4 minutes 4 days per week for maintenance only.
The general ROM exercise routine is to do a 4 minute upper body workout one day and a 4 minute lower body workout the next day, or do both upper and lower body workouts the same day and skip the next day.
Muscles need 48 hour rest for recovery. Doing both upper and lower body ROM workouts every day is overdoing it for most people, it interferes with muscle recovery and can even result in strength loss.
The QuickGym ROM machine has been manufactured and sold here in Southern California since 1990.
When we were able to manufacture more ROM machines than we sold in Southern California we slowly added limited advertising in nationwide magazines.
In November 2002 we moved into larger manufacturing facilities and were able to increase manufacturing.
Since then we have increased our national advertising budget as well and sales have increased accordingly.
KEEP THE DUST OFF IT, DON´T LUBRICATE THE CHAINS. 90% of machines go to private homes and 10% to commercial use.
So far commercial machines dating back to 1993 have racked up over 160,000 uses and still humming along without need of repair.
We have most likely sent out 150 to 200 replacement parts since 1993 (the machines before 1993 were only 62 in number and a different design and we have sent out 6 parts for those.
The QuickGym ROM machine combines all
3 aspects of a complete and well rounded exercise regimen, cardio training, resistance training, flexibility training, and no other exercise equipment or method of exercise does that.
And then the QuickGym ROM machine does all of that in only 4 minutes per day and no other method of exercise can do that either.
Let us compare some of the more popular forms of exercise with:
4 minute cross-training on the QuickGym ROM machine:
First again a list of the results (cardio, muscle, flexibility) from a single 4 minute QuickGym ROM machine exercise:
1. The results are equal to those of 20 to 45 minutes aerobic exercises for conditioning of the cardio-vascular and respiratory system.
2. The results are equal to those of 20 to 45 minutes resistance training for muscle toning and strength of all the body´s major muscle groups.
3. The results are equal to those of 20 minutes of conventional stretching exercises for flexibility of all major muscles, tendons and joints.
Overall evaluation: Extremely time efficient. Requires only a few minutes of initial instruction. Non-impact exercise. Total cross-training in 4 minutes per day.
Walking 85 minutes, jogging 35 minutes or running for 20 minutes:
1. No results for flexibility. Actual damage to joints and connective tissue from too much repetitive movement and impact
2. Good results for toning and strengthening in leg muscles but through only short ranges of motion.
3. Good results for heart, lungs and a small range of motion in leg muscles.
Overall evaluation: Not very time efficient and no flexibility results. Loss of upper body muscle as a result of jogging or running (look at the emaciated upper bodies of long distance runners or long distance bicyclists)
Yoga and Pilates:
1. Good results for flexibility.
2. Good results for toning and strengthening of all major muscle groups.
3. Some results for respiratory system because of breathing routines.
Overall evaluation: Very time consuming.
Yoga has meditative aspects to it that cannot be expected from a 4 minute QuickGym ROM machine exercise.
Pilates is currently the chic exercise du jour.
Both Yoga and Pilates require substantial instruction.
Moderate cardio benefits. Extra aerobic exercises should be added to get good overall cross training results.
Weight training with free weights or weight lifting machines
1. Limited and often adverse results for flexibility.
2. Good results for muscle toning and strengthening of the muscles that are used, but only through the ranges of motion used during the exercise.
3. Limited aerobic results if repetitions are frequent and without pauses.
Overall evaluation: Should be supplemented with stretching and aerobic exercises to get good overall cross training results.
Swimming
1. Good results for flexibility of the muscles and ranges of motions used in the different types of swimming strokes.
2. Good results for muscle toning and strengthening of the muscles used.
3. Good cardio results depending on the intensity and duration.
Overall evaluation: Good all-round cross-training results.
One should alternate between various different swim strokes to condition as many different muscle groups as possible and try to use as large a range of motion of those strokes to maximize flexibility.
Not remotely as time efficient as the 4 minute QuickGym ROM machine exercise but definitely one of the best exercises for general health maintenance and improvement.
Bicycling
1. A little more results for flexibility than walking and running. Non-impact exercise and therefore better than running for joints and tendons.
2. Good results for toning and strengthening in leg muscles.
3. Good results for heart, lungs and leg muscle metabolism.
Overall evaluation: Not very time efficient Upper body muscles will atrophy if not supplemented with upper body strength training (see upper bodies of long distance bicyclists).