Soloflex refers to both the Soloflex exercise machine and to Soloflex, Inc., the company that created and produces it. Instead of pulleys, the Soloflex used an elastomer Weightstrap made of heavy-duty rubber to create variable resistance. The company started out as Bucksteel Mfg in

Roswell, New Mexico Roswell () is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County, New Mexico, Chaves County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,422 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fi ...

, in a small plant on the old

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base south of town. It is now based in

Hillsboro, Oregon Hillsboro ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County, Oregon, Washington County. Situated in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city hosts many High tech, high-te ...

History

Soloflex, Inc. was established in 1978 by Jerry Wilson. The idea behind the weight straps came from Jerry's days flying small airplanes. The resistance on the plane's controls came from the

bungee cord file:Bungee Cord PICT6882a.jpg, Bungee cords equipped with metal hooks A bungee cord (sometimes spelled bungie; also known as a shock cord or an ocky strap) is an elastomer, elastic cord composed of one or more elastic strands forming a core, usua ...

. Jerry used this idea to create the Weightstraps that provide enough resistance to equal large amounts of free weight. In 1980, the company relocated to

. After the move to

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, Bucksteel changed its name to Soloflex. The company then used model Scott Madsen in an infomercial to promote their product. By 1984, the company's sales had grown to $18 million annually. Over time, several additions to the machine were made, such as butterfly attachments and leg extensions. The newest product addition is the Soloflex Whole Body Vibration (WBV) Platform. Vibrating while you are lifting weights is thought to magnify the conditioning effects to help promote faster muscle growth.

Products

Soloflex home gym machines use an elastic element to provide resistance. The product also comes with an instructional

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. Soloflex's WBV Platform made news in July 2007 for a

Consumer Reports Consumer Reports (CR), formerly Consumers Union (CU), is an American nonprofit consumer organization dedicated to independent product testing, investigative journalism, consumer-oriented research, public education, and consumer advocacy. Founded ...

review that demonstrated it had been using claims from research that may not apply to their machine. "At press time, even the research on its Website involved competitors' products and lab machines. Some research suggests that certain vibrating machines might help improve strength and balance, but our experts said it's unclear whether the Soloflex would. Its vibration levels differ from those studied." Soloflex disputed the article's comments on burning calories, but did not comment on other claims. As of April 29, 2023, the Soloflex website was shut down and an email sent from the company confirmed they are shutting down operations

References

Weight training equipment Exercise equipment Exercise equipment companies Companies based in Hillsboro, Oregon Manufacturing companies established in 1978 1978 establishments in New Mexico {{product-stub

History

Products

See also

References