The evolution of SportsArt's unique treadmill uprights started with the idea of curves to bring the display closer to the user. An initial, more structural look (1) was later downplayed to bring out an element of elegance and refinement (2) - aimed particularly at female consumers - and find user-friendly positions for the handlebar and display. The final direction of the design (3) refined the balance of form, structure and mechanics, resulting in the finished product (4).

Few cardiovascular machines I've tried successfully combine upper- and lower-body workouts. Those that work best usually simulate a real-life movement, such as cross-country skiing or climbing. Arms added to stationary bikes, steppers, treadmills and elliptical machines feel, to me, awkward and sometimes dangerous.

Why, I wondered, would SportsArt — a company increasingly known for innovative design in its exercise equipment — include those arms?

Then I tried them.

Their starting point felt just right: not too wide, not too far forward. The movement out and back was smooth and natural, without wrenching shoulders or back. Quicker than I could say "anaerobic threshold," I realized my bias against such machines had been misdirected. The problem wasn't the arm. It was the design.

Since SportsArt machines had caught my eye a few times this year, I'd asked David Littrell, director of design and product development, for an inside look at some of the company's developments. A visit to the company's U.S. office, in Woodinville, gave me a renewed appreciation for the thinking that helps make exercise easier — by making it easier.

In that elliptical machine, the 8300, the design puts arm handles within comfortable reach. The handles also are canted inward ever so slightly, allowing a natural wrist angle when gripping. For varying workouts and accommodating users of different sizes, stride length adjusts (from 17 to 26 inches) with a button built into the right handle; resistance changes with one in the left.

In SportsArt's 2100 rower, an infrared remote on the hand grip lets the user modify a workout without breaking rhythm. Footpads swivel to reduce stress on knees and ankles.

The 5100 recumbent bicycle also has infrared remote controls, in the hand grips at the sides of a friendly two-piece seat, which features adjustable back angles.

Such innovations may be essential for a company looking to stand out among better-known names like Precor and Lifefitness. Founded in 1977 and based in Taiwan, SportsArt once made equipment for Precor, Schwinn, Universal and Tunturi. In the early 1990s, emphasis shifted toward its own brand. (Locally, SportsArt equipment is carried by several Fitness Showcase shops; for other retailers, go to www.sportsartfitness.com or call 800-709-1400.)

Fitness news you can use At play, at risk The top eight injury-causing recreational activities among children 5 to 14 in the U.S. last year apparently were bicycling, basketball, football, roller sports, playgrounds, soccer, baseball/softball and trampolines. A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons found that hospital emergency rooms, doctor's offices and clinics treated an estimated 2.2 million children's bone fractures, dislocations and muscle injuries related to those activities. "Many injuries could be prevented if current safety guidelines and protective equipment were used," said the study's co-author, Dr. John Purvis. Injury-prevention fact sheets are available at www.aaos.org. Exercising independence Exercise may help prevent disability that affects activities of daily living in older adults and therefore their ability to remain independent, according to an 18-month study of 250 people 60 or older reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Participants in a walking program or weight-training program saw less disability from osteoarthritis of the knee (a leading cause of disability) than did a control group that did no exercise. "Our study suggests that a physical exercise program may be an effective strategy for increasing the active life expectancy of older adults," said researcher Brenda Penninx of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

A key challenge, Littrell said, is getting dealers and customers to take notice.

"The goal is to exceed their expectations, so when they get on a product, they're wowed by it."

That might seem like a lot to hope for with exercise equipment, but "wow" is actually a pretty good word for SportsArt's sleek line of treadmills, which catch the eye with an elegant optical illusion in the upright posts. From one angle it appears that a straight piece of metal is piercing an arcing one; from another angle, it looks like the posts are actually twisted metal. In fact, two straight pieces are welded to each side of the arc.

A lesser arcing tube brings the treadmill's front handlebar gently within reach, with contact heartrate sensors at each end. A two-tier panel displays workout details (including calculated target heart-rate zones) at an easy-to-read angle above and puts adjustment buttons at a lesser, easy-to-press angle below, just behind the handlebar.

With each machine I saw, my appreciation for detail grew. One of my favorite touches was also one of the smallest. To each side of the console in SportsArt's new 6310 treadmill are troughs wide enough for a CD Walkman and deep enough for a water bottle. And at the top of each is a small scalloped cutout, barely noticeable.

"That," Littrell said, "is so the water bottle won't roll around."

Molly Martin is assistant editor of Pacific Northwest magazine.

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