New Motion Machines

Last month I introduced IRON MAN readers to New Motion Machines, full-range training devices that will revolutionize muscle training. Now it’s time to delve deeper into this breakthrough and talk with inventor and developer Kurt Edeker, D.C.

DG: Dr. Kurt, before we get started talking about New Motion Machines, I want to ask you about something that’s puzzled me for a long time. Why do chiropractic doctors more often go by their first name while M.D.’s always go by their last name?

KE: Ha. I love it. It may be a mixture of things. I believe that chiropractic doctors, on the whole, want and deserve the respect that the medical profession gets. At the same time we as professionals are distinct and separate from the M.D.s.

Ours is truly a hands-on healing profession, whereas medicine can be totally hands-off. Chiropractic really looks at what we can do to remove or reduce interference with people’s nerve systems so they can not only heal optimally but also perform to a higher standard in all areas of life. Chiropractic is pretty simple at its core; if your brain and body are plugged in and communicating 100 percent, you function better by every measure than you would if you were undergoing even a slight disconnection or interference. Your spine controls many of those connections.

I think the “Dr. First Name” conveys our depth of knowledge and level of education while maintaining a very human touch.

DG: Glad we cleared that up. Now let’s talk about your fitness background and why you got interested in developing a new weight-training machine.

KE: To be honest with you, comic books started it all when I was about 10. My wife Vanessa is even more of a comic book geek than I. When the book Pumping Iron came out, I thought I could actually become a superhero, or at least look like one. I was 15. I’ve been addicted to the gym ever since.

I started training in the martial arts when I was in my early 20s, eventually achieving a black belt. I have studied various styles since then. I was introduced to chiropractic via the martial arts. My studies at Palmer Chiropractic College gave me a world-class education on the human body and how it works. I earned my D.C. in 1996.

I was working out in the basement gym of a YMCA, doing biceps, and it dawned on me: There had to be a better way to work the biceps than all of those different exercises to hit the stretch, midrange and contraction portions of the muscle.

DG: New Motion Machines represent a totally new concept in resistance machines. What’s so different about your design?

KE: It’s founded on the fact that certain muscles and muscle groups cross and move two joints. The most obvious are the biceps, triceps, quadriceps and hamstrings. We have developed and patented a mechanism that will actually move both involved joints through their range of motion when you contract the targeted muscle.

For example, biceps cross the elbow and the shoulder. That’s why you’ve had to do biceps curls in different positions to work the entire muscle properly: incline dumbbell curls for the stretch portion, standing or preacher curls to hit the midrange and overhead cable or concentration curls for a full contraction. With either free weights or cables you lose resistance during certain parts of the movement. With all movements, even on the machines now available, you’re only moving the elbow, and the shoulder is fixed. IRON MAN has been talking about that important principle, Positions off Flexion [developed by editor in chief Steve Holman], for years.

On New Motion Machines you can do one movement and go from true full extension to true full contraction with full resistance all in one move. When you contract your biceps, the patented mechanism guides your elbow and shoulder through their range of motion so the biceps moves from full extension to full contraction with full resistance through the entire movement. That creates an amazing contraction and effectively supplies more work per repetition.

The same principle applies to the triceps, quadriceps and hamstrings. The feel of the machines is unique and will blow your mind. We’re really going to shake things up in the training world.

DG: How long have you been working on New Motion Machines?

KE: I had that little revelation in the basement gym in 1999, but it kind of got pushed to the back of my mind. About five years ago I decided to get serious. I’m really a hands-on kind of guy, so my son Dominick and I went around Austin scrounging parts that we thought might help us out—real junk.

Like many great inventions, it all happened in a garage. I still couldn’t make it work when Dominick said something only a nine-year-old would say, and it triggered that flash where everything came together.

DG: What did he say?

KE: We were trying to do the biceps movement first. I knew that we needed to have a two-axis system, but I just couldn’t get it to work. I kept getting a triceps press/extension–type movement, and the resistance was totally screwed up.

Dominick was helping hold parts and cut wood. I was getting really frustrated when he said, “Why don’t you turn it around backwards?” Hmm. I looked. I thought. We twisted one part and crossed the cables, and it worked. That caused a domino effect of change, and we got the thing to work exactly as I knew it could. Of course Dominick is laying claim to a healthy chunk of the invention.

DG: Getting a patent is a slow process. What kinds of issues did you encounter during product development?

KE: The patent was huge. If you have insomnia, start reading patents. We had a tough time finding a production facility when we were ready. We found Austin Mac FAB right here in our own backyard. Mr. Kahn, Brian MacAnulty, Noe Juarez and the crew down there have been great at turning my very crude prototype into cutting-edge equipment that’s going to change the way the world trains.

I’ve also never worked at this business level before. My wife, Vanessa, and a gentleman named Rick Johnson have been invaluable in forming the actual company and business plan. It’s been a real team effort. Even my daughter, Kyra Moon, and little son Hendrix have been big helps. My sister Kyra built our excellent Web site, and my whole family has been a huge support.

DG: The first time I went to your fabrication facility, I got to use your original prototype. Talk about about how you built that first machine.

KE: You actually used the second proof-of-concept prototype. The first one was really ugly and had only one side. We must have torn that thing apart 100 times to get the mechanism to work the way I wanted.

The prototype you were on was my first crude attempt to make a mock-up of a functional piece of equipment. I’m not a welder or machinist and had to use what we could find and work with. We had to tear that one apart a thousand times. But, hey, the thing works exactly the way it should. It proved to me that the thing was going to change the training world.

Many people laughed at our bike parts, zip ties, rope and two-by-fours, but when I brought it in to Austin Mac FAB, I could see the wheels turning in Brian’s and Noe’s heads—they got it. They’ve had faith in the project since day one.

DG: I laughed when you told me about scavenging behind the bicycle shop to fish out discarded parts. I was quite impressed, though, by how perfectly the prototype—fashioned out of two-by-fours, rope and spare bike parts—worked. It was great. That brings me to the training advantage that the machines give the average weightlifting enthusiast. Can hardcore bodybuilders who have been training for years expect dramatic changes?

KE: Yes. Physiology shows us you can expect better results with fewer sets in less time. Notice I did not say less work. Essentially, you’re doing more work in a single repetition than has ever been possible.

When you contract the targeted muscle on New Motion Machines, you move and activate both joints, both attachments, the entire muscle structure and all neurology from both ends—in motion with resistance. Physiology and research show that will produce better muscle mass, strength, speed, fat loss, functional movement—that is, sports performance, or tone—endurance and injury prevention: whatever you wish to train for.

So, yes, Dave, everyone from fitness moms and weekend warriors to pro athletes can expect results. One good session on the machine will prove it.

DG: What other pieces do you plan to add to the New Motion Machines line, and how soon can we expect them?

KE: We started with four pieces because they’ll be the best way for people to learn the new technology. They’re all simple to use, but we want everyone to know what they can do.

We do have plans to cover the entire body plus some very sports-specific machines. We even have one in concept just for fun. Right now that’s classified information.

DG: You just unveiled your product line to the iron world at the New Motion Machines NPC Texas Shredder Classic. Thanks again for your support, by the way. How did the event go for you, and what was the reaction from people who tried your machines?

KE: The event was awesome. It’s been a while since I’ve been around that crowd. The amount of training, diet and discipline that go into this sport are truly amazing. Few people outside the sport realize that. Bodybuilding has always been a testing and proving ground for new techniques and equipment. That’s why we debuted at the Texas Shredder.

The reaction and feedback from everyone were great. Reactions proceeded from curiosity (the line has a different look), to slight confusion (the machines move differently) to Ah-ha! (the workout feels different). If you want better results, you have to do something different. Without exception everyone who tried the equipment liked it. It was kind of like watching you on it for the first time. What was your honest reaction?

DG: To say it felt different would be a good start. It was kind of strange to feel the same resistance from starting at the stretch position of the curl all the way through to the fully contracted position with the biceps fully flexed at both the elbow and shoulder joints. I did only a few submaximal sets, and my biceps were sore the full length of the muscle belly the next day. Where can people go to try the New Motion line, and when do you project that they’ll be able to find the equipment in gyms across the country?

KE: The Texas Shredder was literally the first time we had New Motion Machines in public. We’re here in Austin, Texas, and hitting the market. As of today showings of the equipment are by appointment only. Gym owners can contact us via our Web site. It will give them tons of information, but there’s no substitute for the training experience.

DG: That’s for sure.

KE: Everyone can expect New Motion Machines to be at the most progressive gyms and fitness centers around the country within the next year. Readers who want to keep up with us or bring us to their gym owners’ attention can do so on our Web site.

DG: How can people get more information on New Motion Machines or order them? Do you have both commercial- and home-quality pieces?

KE: We’ll have in-depth articles on each machine and how it interacts with the Positions-of-Flexion muscle-training principles in future issues of IRON MAN.

You can find all of our information online at www.NewMotionMachines.com, and a handful of videos on YouTube explain the machines and movements. Contact us for a personal or corporate showing or for information about any aspect of the equipment or our company. [For more on POF, visit www.X-Rep.com.] IM