Detroit Native Develops, Introduces Fitness Product

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Derek Mikulski, a fitness professional, entrepreneur, and Detroit native, Wednesday unveiled a new fitness tool to develop better balance, core strength, and coordination.

The ActivMotion Bar – Glimpse Edition is a hollow, 4-foot, 4.5-pound bar partially filled with ball bearings that move when exercising. As users try to keep it stable, they challenge balance and engage core muscles. A window cut into the center of the bar allows users to see the ball bearings, increasing focus and brain engagement.

“As athletes and non-athletes begin to age into their 30s and beyond, the loss of balance, body awareness, and overall brain-muscle communication increases dramatically, often negatively impacting performance in life and sport,” says Mikulski. “Our new Glimpse Bar will help people of all ages and fitness levels improve balance, cognitive health, and core strength in ways that no other fitness products can.”

Mikulski first developed the standard ActivMotion Bar in 2014 for his personal training clients. The new Glimpse Bar offers a visual assessment of balance and stability during exercise, which helps users determine progress.

A study conducted in 2015 at the University of Michigan Human Movement and Innovation Lab showed that as a result of the constantly shifting weighted ball bearings, ActivMotion Bars engage muscles of the core nearly twice as much as similar fitness tools such as medicine balls and standard weighted bars.

The ActivMotion Bar, which is designed and manufactured in the Detroit area, is sold across the U.S. and in 22 other countries. The Glimpse Bar was slated to launch via a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign on Wednesday.