The story behind Isophit had very personal beginnings…

When I was 19 years old, I was a collegiate volleyball player studying Fitness Lifestyle Management at George Brown College in Toronto. While there, I noticed through my course work that I was becoming hypertensive so I spoke to my physician and my blood pressure was subsequently measured at 150 over 100 mmHg, which is much higher than it should have been for someone at my age and level of physical fitness. As both of my grandparents on my mother’s side died prematurely from massive heart attacks (grandfather at age 45, grandmother at age 68), and with my increasing knowledge of the subject matter from my studies at college, I was well aware of the importance of cardiovascular health and needed to figure out what to do to give myself the best possible chance at a long and healthy life.

At that time, it was a long held belief within the medical and exercise communities that isometric exercise was contraindicated for all blood pressure related issues, as it was believed to raise blood pressure. Without questioning the status quo, I accepted this as fact, and for the next 15 years, I followed this advice and stopped all forms of isometric exercise within my own training regimen. In parallel, however, I continued to prescribe isometric exercises to my non-hypertensive personal training clients, as a corrective strategy for enhancing muscular function, and I consistently witnessed exceptional training results.

In 2008, when I heard about the conclusions of a McMaster University study that claimed isometric exercise lowered blood pressure as well as, if not better than, a single pharmaceutical agent, I became intrigued by the results and wanted to learn more. More importantly this research pointed to the fact that this was a known response to isometric exercise since 1969, when a researcher commissioned by the US Air Force, Dr. Ronald Wiley, discovered the “Isometric Phenomenon.”  In his research, Dr. Wiley noticed that isometric exercise caused a significant reduction of blood pressure in prehypertensive fighter pilots. This discovery, in my opinion, is one of the greatest discoveries of modern time, and it has changed my life dramatically for the better.

Armed with this new information about the potential benefits of isometric exercise for dealing with my high blood pressure, I started to incorporate isometrics back into my own training regimen. Within just a couple of weeks, I noticed a significant reduction in my blood pressure readings (down to 115 over 70 mmHg), as well as a marked increase in my muscular strength and endurance, and a noticeable reduction in the joint pain that I had been experiencing from a lifetime of competitive athletics (and injuries). This was completely eye-opening for me, as for years I had exercised almost everyday with some level of discomfort and now it was gone in a matter of weeks as a result of isometrics. From that point on, I tried to gather as much scientific information as I could on the subject and increased my use of isometrics in both my own personal training, as well as that of my clients. To this day, I am still amazed by its effectiveness.

At the end of 2008, two of my clients randomly complained on separate occasions that they couldn’t perform their prescribed isometric exercises because there was no “wall” space available in the gyms where they normally worked out. Later that afternoon, when I was sitting in the tub, I had my eureka moment...  I needed to create an exercise machine where people could easily and effectively perform isometric-based exercises in a gym or studio setting, and the concept of Isophit was born. 

The next day, I began working on conceptual designs and after years of meticulous research and development, and numerous prototypes and revisions, the Isophit Strength Training System was finally ready to be shared with the world. 

I am proud to bring this exercise methodology to you and I sincerely hope that you’ll find it as life changing as I have. I look forward to hearing about the amazing results you are able to achieve, both personally and professionally, throughout your lifetime.