Industrial - Bachelors

r/2 Multipress

When did gym equipment have to become mundane, bulky, and complicated? The r/2 design revises this dilemma and seeks to elevate the health and fitness experience in upper body resistance and weight training. A carefully considered aesthetic blended with optimal angular adjustments allow the user to smoothly experience three different movements in just one design.

Gabriel Lamarre

“A sad soul can kill you quicker, far quicker than a germ”

(John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America, 1962)

Healthy body, healthy being

There is a very strong link between your physical health and your mental health. In today’s fast pace living, finding time to seamlessly integrate exercise into your daily routine can be challenging. By the time this hurdle has been cleared, you may find yourself in a mundane gym environment, lacking excitement innovation. You may even find yourself daunted by the sheer amount of confusing, bulky, plastic coated pieces of equipment that may or may not even accommodate true human movement and many body shapes and sizes….. depressing right? For this reason, designers should take delicate steps to in gym equipment design. A critical approach to these products can have an ongoing effect on how one experiences their time in a fitness environment, and further deepen the crucial link between their mental and physical wellbeing. The r/2 not only looks at this, but also focusses on merging multiple types of equipment into one elegant piece.

Optimizing space, time, and experience in upper body fitness

The three movements that this design targets are the chest press, where the lower to mid pectoral muscles are most greatly stimulated, the incline press, targeting upper pectorals, and finally an overhead press, where the lateral and anterior deltoids are most targeted, with secondary usage of the triceps in all. How does one know what and how they may be correctly performing such movements in accordance to what they would like to target? That is where the usage of a colour coding system plays a vital part. To the right you will see a small display powered by LED lights. These lights are lit on the different muscle groups depending on the angle setting the user has selected. This should highlight which handles and what muscles should be targeted depending on what the user desires to train.

A practical approach to upper body resistance training

Through two discretely hidden cables throughout the frame, the user may perform any adjustment from the comfort of the seated position. Whether it be angle adjustment to perform a different movement, or seat height to accommodate for a range of users, it can all be done from two tactile levers under the front of the seat pad. Visibly marked orange numbers also help to indicate seat height if the user becomes accustomed to a certain setting and prefers to set this before taking a seat. There are two footrests also designed to encourage “leg drive”, a manoeuvre often performed in the strenuous and difficult remaining repetitions of a particularly difficult set, most often seen in hypertrophy training. The arms are designed to converge when performing the movement, something found to optimally squeeze and target the muscle of choice.

Gabriel Lamarre

Gabriel greatly enjoys learning about new and different manufacturing technologies, materials, and the varying ways that they can be used. He particularly enjoys working with timber due to the large variety, aesthetic, sustainability, and workability. 3D printing also interests Gabriel greatly as it opens up many manufacturing and prototyping possibilities. He is currently dipping his toes into many areas of design to develop his skills and interests broadly. Being a keen learner that is ready to take on any advice definitely helps!