Healthtrax Fitness & Wellness Center of Care New England is the first gym in United States to bring equipment from milon Industries GmbH, the world’s first equipment manufacturer to offer fully electronic fitness gear. With smart card technology, the equipment allows clients of all ages to complete a full body workout in 17.5 minutes.

Designed by German engineers, $200,000 worth of equipment was introduced to members on Sept. 6 and unveiled to the public yesterday. Mayor Scott Avedisian stopped by to try the new equipment, while members praised it.

“It’s a complete workout,” said Cranston resident Thomas Fratini, who has been a client there for more than three years. “It’s fast. You could spend a lot of at the time but with this you can get a lot done in a short period of time, even if you do it twice.”

Bob Sassi of West Warwick said he enjoys the equipment. He is undergoing cancer treatment and believes the machinery is convenient.

“I’m on a chemo pill so it’s very helpful for me,” Sassi said. “It’s the best exercise around.”

West Warwick resident Polly Ervanian, who has been a member for five years and is celebrating her birthday today, agreed. She said it provides her with energy.

“It’s invigorating and you really feel empowered,” she said. “It’s not tedious. You get it over with and go on your merry way.”

Al Castelli, Sr. of Warwick, who is also celebrating his birthday today, feels the same. He has been working out there for 14 years.

“It’s great because each machine adjusts to your abilities and there’s a record being kept of it,” he said.

His friend, Warwick resident Chris Petit has been a member for more than 12 years. He, too, likes the equipment.

“Every machine exercises a different muscle group,” he said. “And the staff is excellent. They are very friendly and helpful and keep the place really clean.”

Of course, staff members said they were thrilled that clients are benefiting from the equipment. Employees give each client a smart card, which operates through a computer chip and stores their individual program settings and sets every machine precisely to provide the ease of moving through a personalized workout while simultaneously creating a performance record for personal trainers to refer to.

Chuck Henley, Vice President of Operations for Healthtrax, said he has been in the industry for more than 17 years and called the equipment a “game-changer.” “With the smart card technology, convenience and safety factors are elevated,” he said. “If you are on some type of medication where you should not do a specific machine, it locks so you can’t use it. Anyone can use this equipment from an 18-year-old body builder to an 80-year-old man with arthritis.”

Further, a clear tube filled with water is located in the center of the circuit. The water creates bubbles, which change color, indicating when it is time for a client to move on to another machine.

The equipment consists of 12 machines that work all of the major muscle groups as well as the cardiovascular system. It includes eight exercises such as leg extensions; leg curls; compound row machine; chest press; abdominal crunch; lower back extensions; plus such as cardio exercise on a total body elliptical and a leg elliptical.

Bob Stauble, Chief Administrative Officer of Healthtrax, has a background in fitness and said milon impresses him. He finds the biomechanics to be “excellent” and likes the fact that the machines remember personalized settings.

“With most other health clubs, members just jump on a piece of equipment and do whatever the settings or weight are set at, where this molds to you and also remembers how many reps you did,” he said. “For the person who is intimidated by the gym, this is perfect because it’s less intimidating and you’re not advertising how much weight you’re using. It’s a workout like you’ve never felt.”

Another option he enjoys is that advanced clients, who perform the circuit twice for a 35-minute workout, can program the equipment so they are able to lift 200 pounds but put down 300.

“It’s really unique,” he said. “I think only one other gym offers that similar feature.”

David Pickering, the Co-Managing Director of milon U.S., said the machinery is physiologically sound and has been tested at universities around the world. Moreover, he said it is being used at six major markets, including commercial health club industries; physical therapy centers; hospitals; on-sight corporate fitness centers; colleges and universities; as well as municipal organizations, as firefighters and police officers exercise on it.

“Physical fitness is critical for their jobs and it’s important for them to get a good workout and get right back to work,” Pickering said. “It’s also good for student athletes and professional sport teams, such as soccer and Olympic athletes from all over Europe.”

Hans Eschenbacher, Managing Director of milon U.S., said the soccer team Schalke 04 soccer uses it, as does body builder Matthias Herzog, who is a national, European, and world champion. Eschenbacher said he was the first customer to use the equipment in 1987 when he opened a fitness club in Germany.

“We had a close relationship to the inventors and helped them develop and adjust the system,” he said. “I’m proud that the equipment is in the U.S. now. My fatherland is Germany but my motherland is here.”

Healthtrax and milon are synergistic partners and believe that they are doing more than just supplying fitness products and services. Rather, they view themselves as solution providers for the fitness and health minded consumer.

Domenic Delmonico, the Vice President of Health Plan and PHO Network Management for Care New England, said, “The partnership is very important to us and the equipment is a new frontier in how people train. It’s quiet and maximizes the effectiveness.”

Hours of operation at Healthtrax are Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fees are customized as some insurance companies help offset the costs.

Since 1979, Healthtrax has been a premier operator of fitness centers. Visit www.healthtrax.com and click on Warwick location for a free workout.

milon industries GmbH manufactures premium training systems for gyms, physical therapy clinics and other health facilities. Based at Emersacker in Augsburg, it was founded in 1970 as “miha Machine Manufacturing” and renamed in 2008. The company is currently one of Europe’s leading providers of fitness equipment and is operates in 17 countries. milon was honored with the “FIBO Innovation Award” in 2008, 2009 and 2010. The company has additionally received awards from the bodyLIFE Awards for its fitness equipment with Medial Device Act certification. For more information, find us at www.milon.com.