The Student Recreation and Wellness Center has a new workout machine unlike any other traditional fitness machine.

The machine — with its numerous bands, straps, ropes and bars — has everything to do with functional training, said Benjamin Cope, recreation program coordinator. Functional training is basically using one’s own body weight in place of traditional weights.

“Our new machine is a functional training station and the company that makes it is called PurMotion,” Cope said. “Twenty years ago, a high school coach would just throw his athletes in a weight room and say ‘do your thing.’ But now there is sport-specific training, which means training an athlete with motions specific to their position. Like, you wouldn’t train a quarterback like you would a wide receiver.”

Cope said functional training is becoming popular, so when he saw the PurMotion machine at a National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association conference, the machine caught his eye.

“The machine was $9,500, and we found it in our budget to make the purchase,” Cope said.

In late July, a master trainer came to main campus to do a workshop on the PurMotion machine. The recreation center’s personal trainers and supervisors participated in the eight-hour workshop.

“It looks like it’s not that hard, but it just kills you,” Cope said.

The PurMotion machine gives the body full range of motion when working out, Cope said. A traditional weight machine keeps the body in one locked position and only engages a group of muscles at one time.

“The bands are called SKYFIT trainers,” Cope said. “They have elbow harnesses which allow your hands and forearms to be eliminated from your workout. You can achieve a full-body workout with this machine because you are engaging all your muscles at once, which increases your heart rate and improves your metabolism.”

Students are able to sign up for a free orientation on how to use the machine. During the orientation, students will receive one-on-one time with a trainer and will learn how to use the entire machine.

Senior physical education major, Kayla Wilson, said she took the workshop and found the PurMotion machine to be fun and thought it was a great purchase.

“I love the machine,” Wilson said. “It is a great workout in itself, for example if you do circuit training. It’s a lot of your own body resistance, which I am more fond of than using weights.”

Because of her background, Wilson said the machine wasn’t hard to learn, but she thinks other students should learn about it before they use it.

“I would recommend that students learn how to use it before they just jump on,” Wilson said. “It is very different than the normal workout for most individuals. There is a lot of equipment available on this machine and most of it isn’t common knowledge to the average student.”

Wilson said she believes the new piece of equipment will be popular this year.

“We realize the machine will be popular for the first few months when the students get back,” Cope said, “so we are going to monitor the students to make sure they are using it safely and correctly.”

The PurMotion machine is first come, first serve and does not have a time limit. However, Cope said he doesn’t think anyone could last much longer than 35 minutes.

Contact Summer Kent Stater reporter Erika Kerr at [email protected].