Riding on success: Santa monica company makes inroads into the exercise equipment industry by joining with reebok to use the sports apparel giant's marketing Life Portal BR

Riding on success: Santa monica company makes inroads into the exercise equipment industry by joining with reebok to use the sports apparel giant's marketing

As a young man Umbert Ciccolella remembers being just "one biscuit away" from turning into a roly-poly butterball. Then, a friend turned him on to aerobic exercise 20 years ago. His life has never been the same.

A true believer in the benefits of working out, the West Virginia native whose parents emigrated from Italy became a certified fitness instructor.

But later it was, his interest in exercise equipment that led him to form his own company in 1995, now called Reebok Fitness Associates and tucked away on a quiet street in Santa Monica.

At the time, Ciccolella was the manager of Main Street Fitness and Dance Studio in Santa Monica, which was one of the first clubs in the area to offer spinning classes using Schwinn-made stationary bicycles.

"I realized (spinning) was a great program with lots of potential, but the cycle was not very club friendly," Ciccolella said. "It was a high maintenance piece of equipment."

Different type of bike

So Ciccolella hired a bike designer, Steve Potts, who helped him create a one-wheel stationary bike that was belt rather than chain driven and didn't require as much maintenance.(Continue Reading)

Riding on success: Santa monica company makes inroads into the exercise equipment industry by joining with reebok to use the sports apparel giant's marketing
Riding on success: Santa monica company makes inroads into the exercise equipment industry by joining with reebok to use the sports apparel giant's marketing ...(Continue Reading)

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Your mission Shape and tone every muscle in your lower body while burning off flab. Continually moving among five different cardio machines gives this low-intensity workout (ideal for days when y(Continue Reading)

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