The ARX machine at the NeuroFitness Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
As far as weightlifting equipment goes, there are few things more intimidating than an ARX, a massive, towering piece of machinery that offers a unique and futuristic take on strength training.
While the way most people train hasn’t changed in years (“lift heavy weights, set them down, repeat”), the ARX is different, adding a new element of precision technology to the mix.
Once you get past that initial intimidation factor and begin to see the thoughtful innovations the ARX offers, the brilliance of the machine’s design really shines through.
Recently I had the chance to test myself on an ARX machine located at the NeuroFitness Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Here are my impressions.
Precision Weightlifting with ARX in Michigan
Equipped with a small tablet-style computer to track and guide your workouts, the ARX machine is able to fully monitor and adjust the amount of resistance you’re giving, adapting on-the-fly to make your workouts more efficient.
After just a few short sets of cable presses and rows on the ARX, I was definitely feeling it; along with the massive rush of adrenaline that came from furiously attempting to improve my numbers before the timer ran out.
Because the ARX calculates your ideal weight for each rep., workouts are more efficient — and that definitely seemed to be the case for me as I felt spent after just a few minutes of working out.
The NeuroFitness website boasts of one case study in which a woman was able to drop over 16 pounds of fat and gain nearly 3 pounds of muscle working out about 6 minutes a week for roughly 10 months.
Considering how I felt after my session, I could definitely see that as a realistic possibility (and I’ve been lifting weights fairly seriously for over 10 years).
Other Features of the ARX System
In addition to the amazing ability to maximize the efficiency of your workout, the ARX is also capable of tracking your results both daily and over time in a extremely precise way, which makes it ideal for serious athletes.
It gives the user a suggested recovery time after each session, calculates how much force you’re capable of generating from each position including squats, rows, presses and more, and challenges you to stay in a “green zone” during which you are able to achieve maximum performance based on your current level of stress, force applied and other rhythmic factors.
Most weightlifting routines (including mine over the years) involve a lot of guesswork as to how much weight to pick up or sling across each barbell, but the ARX represents the potential for a whole new style of “smartlifting” in which that guesswork is completely removed from the equation.
Quite frankly with the immense popularity of football and other sports that rely so much on weightlifting and strength training results it’s a wonder that such advanced systems haven’t been installed in every professional gym in America by now.
NeuroFitness Detroit and Ann Arbor Founder David McCullar doing reps on the ARX machine.
I was able to test the machine at the new NeuroFitness Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan (along with a flotation tank session and a peek at the center’s new cryotherapy/recovery equipment; more on that in a future article), and the NeuroFitness Detroit center also features an ARX machine.
For more information or to make an appointment in Ann Arbor or Detroit, Michigan, you can check out the NeuroFitness website by clicking here.
In the meantime, check out the video below featuring ‘The Bulletproof Diet’ author and “biohacker” extraordinaire Dave Asprey for more on what the machine is capable of, and why it should definitely be on your radar screen.
Special thanks to David McCullar of NeuroFitness Ann Arbor for letting me check out this revolutionary piece of fitness equipment.
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About Nick Meyer
