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Larry Westfall
and the
Total Gym Story
The 700 Club
CBN.com–
The Beginnings of the
Total Gym-
In 1974 Tom Campanaro worked at an exercise equipment
company that produced a low-end version of a gravity
training device. |
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It used an
individual’s body weight as resistance. That year he and
partners Dale McMurray and
Larry Westfall
founded the
Total Gym Company. When they did, the benefit of
exercise was barely a blip in the public consciousness. The
machine that Tom, then a competitive bodybuilder, developed
with his partners encouraged “functional exercise,” a
technique that recreates the movements we perform every day
with and against gravity. The machine engages all muscle
groups, allowing more than 200 functional exercises on 10
calibrated levels of incline resistance, which includes full
range of motion, upper and lower body stretching and
strengthening exercises, and comprehensive aerobics. They say
Total Gym is safe and effective, easy to use, and facilitates
the five key components of exercise: cardiovascular endurance
(aerobics), muscular strength, muscular endurance,
flexibility, and body composition.
Amid a booming
fitness craze in the early '80s, the partners began soliciting
specialty dealers, forging relationships with 200 stores that
exclusively sold fitness equipment. In 1981 alone, the three
partners attended 210 conventions across the U.S. They
recruited and trained more than 350 people and dispatched them
to conduct in-store demonstrations on the Total Gym. Through
this channel and by attending trade shows, Total Gym sold
36,000 machines in 1984.
The year 1987
brought a strategic shift in Total Gym’s target market when
the company discovered that a significant number of sales were
to physical therapists who knew the benefits of functional
exercise.
The company was
renamed Engineering Fitness International Corporation (EFI
Sports Medicine). After years of touting the benefits of
functional exercise, the medical community finally caught on.
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Enter
Chuck Norris
The real breakthrough came with the venture into infomercials
and a deal with American Telecast. Chuck Norris, a Total Gym
user for more than 20 years, sealed the deal when he agreed to
be the company spokesman. Having Norris as spokesman thrilled
Larry, who says he has always been into fitness and the
martial arts. A long-time fan of Norris, Larry has enjoyed
working with Norris.
Today more than
one million units have been sold worldwide; one billion
dollars worth of Total Gyms have been sold through the
infomercial and retail stores in more than 85 countries.
Resource for Rehab
Reaching farther
than the rehabilitation and consumer markets, Total Gym has
been used by the USA Olympic Gold Medalist Men’s Volleyball
Team and Track & Field Gold Medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee for
rehabilitation and strength training following a leg injury.
EFI Sports
Medicine products are also used by hospitals, athletic
trainers, and sports medicine facilities throughout the
country, which recognize it as the most effective tool for
functional rehabilitation, strength and sports-specific
training, injury prevention, and overall conditioning. Today,
EFI provides a wide array of functional equipment to more than
14,000 clinics, schools, hospitals, athletic training centers,
and health clubs.
Bringing
God into the Mix
When they founded
Total Gym in 1974, Larry was searching for a purpose. He soon
realized that he had to bring the Lord into his life. A strong
believer, he wanted not only to help himself, but to serve
others. Larry says his role is usually behind the scenes,
while Tom is the face people know. |
