Meet Todd Gates of M-Core FTS

June 10, 2009

Today we would like to introduce Todd Gates, the President of M-Core FTS in Lindenhurst, New York. M-Core FTS is a gym equipment vendor.

Tell us a bit about your company?
M-Core FTS was started in 2006 and we are a functional training fitness equipment company. We sell functional training equipment to professional teams, colleges, health and fitness clubs, physical therapy clinics, personal training studios and independent personal trainers. Our product line consists of a functional training station, plyo tops, m-core bar, exercise bands and ankle cuffs.

Tell us a little about your background?
I am a former collegiate and professional athlete. I went to school at University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. After my playing career I became a strength and conditioning coach. I have been a strength and conditioning coach for 11 years and I worked at Boston College, UMass Boston and Rutgers University where I invented the training station.

What made you want to develop a new product?
The development of my product came out of frustration and necessity while working at Rutgers University. First, I am not a fan of weight bearing exercises on a physio ball because the ball will burst which could seriously injure somebody. Second, I would be training a 6’10 basketball player and a 5’3 gymnast and trying to get them in the right body position on a bench was difficult. I would end up stacking plates on the ground or on the bench to raise the height of the athlete or bench in order to get them in the right body position. This was time consuming and not an ideal way to train them. I said to myself “there has got to be a better way”. I needed a unit that adjusted vertically and horizontally so it adjusted to the height of my athletes. This is when I came up with the idea of the M-Core TS.

What is the single biggest mistake you see people make in the gym?
The single biggest mistake I see people make at the gym is their workouts are too long. People who workout think working out for long periods is good which isn’t true. Most people workout over an hour and the body can only handle weight training for an hour. After an hour the body releases the hormone cortisol which breaks down muscle tissue and puts the body in a catabolic state. So less is more and more is less when it comes to spending time lifting weights at the gym.

What’s your favorite piece of equipment in a gym?
My favorite piece of equipment at the gym besides the M-Core TS is a platform rack. The platform rack allows you to perform every free weight and bodyweight exercise imaginable. If you come to a gym that’s where I will be training most of the time.

What are the trends you see in the health and wellness industry?
The health and fitness industry is moving away from machines and going towards functional training. The term functional training is definitely overused. What is functional? Basically most movements that utilize free weights and mimic movement patterns we use in real life is functional. Functional training doesn’t mean balancing on a bosu ball holding a kettle bell and performing a single leg RDL. A squat is functional, a dead lift is functional as well as a standing DB military press.

How many gyms are currently using your product? Our product is in approximately 150 gyms across the country and all over the world.