PRIME Fitness USA is a company ready to prove itself. The PRIME brand may seem like a newcomer in commercial gym equipment, having just hit the market in October 2014. However, it is part of a proud legacy of innovative and well-known fitness technology.
The PRIME Story
PRIME was launched in 2014 by Specialty Fitness Systems (SFS). SFS was a company created by Specialty Fabrication and Powder Coating (SFPC), who since 2009 was the sole manufacturer for STRIVE, a leader in the strength training industry.
STRIVE is best known for their innovative cam technology, which provides users with a variety of resistance selections at different points within an individual exercise motion. With the resistance set at any of five options on the cam, users can pinpoint a workout onto a specific stretch of their muscle – helping greatly with spot muscle training, rehabilitation or just getting a total body workout faster.
In early 2014, SFPC acquired STRIVE’s cam technology and other patents and created SFS. Armed with the cam technology and a philosophy rooted in innovation, SFS launched PRIME. The new PRIME brand combines STRIVE’s cam technology with SFS’s innovation and manufacturing prowess to create three lines of selectorized machines: Evolution, Hybrid, and Legacy. Each machine boasts the aptly named SmartCam™ technology, and each selectorized machine includes easy weight changing with a pull & turn adjustment bar offering five-pound increments. PRIME also boasts a unique aesthetic, with modern features like perforated metal weight shields, metal frames and eye-catching green details.
A Robust Product Portfolio
Currently, PRIME offers 3 lines of selectorized strength training equipment, Evolution, Hybrid and Legacy. Each line offers a unique design while sharing unmatched functionality and durability.
The Evolution line by PRIME offers classic machines such as the Arm Curl and Chest Press, and includes a wide variety different machine options. The Evolution line also features a newly designed SmartCam, offering a more compact design with an increased strength curve. Perhaps the most unique feature of the Evolution line is its fully metal frame that provides a stark contrast to the tubular frames seen on most units on the market today. The design provides the stability and durability customers expect from PRIME, with a smaller vertical footprint and sleek visual appeal.
The Hybrid line by PRIME is a refreshing blend of innovation and performance. Hybrid units feature the original SmartCam, offering users five resistance options within each exercise motion – which offers an incredibly customizable workout in less time than traditional selectorized machines. With a sturdy all-metal construction, this line is as durable as it is unique. The PRIME Hybrid also features the easy-to-use add-on weight system, allowing users to add more weight with just the turn of a knob.
The Legacy line by PRIME is familiar to any STRIVE enthusiast. Like Hybrid, Legacy machines come equipped with the original SmartCam technology and feature a sturdy tubular design. Legacy units also offer customers an open or enclosed weight shield option. Currently, Legacy units are available in both selectorized and plate-loaded options.
Along with the selectorized equipment, PRIME also offers a complete line of plate-loaded units and a state-of-the-art functional trainer.
Rounding out the robust product portfolio is their PRIME Steel family of products highlighted by PRIME’s heavy-hitting rack products. PRIME Steel racks were designed with both the athlete and trainer in mind. Features like self-centering lock-in bench technology provides the lifter with the peace of mind that the bench is perfectly centered each and every time. PRIME Steel racks also feature a dedicated spotter entry/exit to the spotter platform, allowing safe and easy access in and out of the unit.
PRIME Partners With The Pittsburgh Steelers
“The acquisition of STRIVE’s cam technology is really what propelled the development of PRIME,” said Rod Griffin, President of SFS. “It provided us the opportunity to enhance the design and efficiency of the STRIVE cam that ultimately became our SmartCam technology, featured on the [PRIME] machines.” As an official provider of strength training equipment for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Melissa Griffin, CEO of SFS, has a long-term vision for expansion. “PRIME is positioned for vast growth opportunity. Our partnership with the Pittsburgh Steelers gives us invaluable real-time feedback and insight from professional athletes and strength coaches. That connection allows us to keep our finger on the pulse of trends and has already helped us develop new strength training equipment recently unveiled at IHRSA in 2015.”
Excellence That’s Made In The USA
PRIME’s unique, modern and industrial design underpins the stability, durability and quality that separate the equipment from its contemporaries. “With the design of the new PRIME lines, we wanted to create something that reflected the high quality and unique nature of the PRIME product,” said Melissa Griffin. When SFS designed PRIME equipment, usability was the critical goal. An example is the pull & turn add-on weight system that makes adjusting incremental weight effortless for users.
Along with the Evolution, Hybrid, and Legacy lines, PRIME also offers a variety of commercial gym products. PRIME’s state-of-the-art functional trainer features a dual weight stack system and adjustable arms that provide users with a nearly limitless number of exercise and workout options. The racks and rigs, arguably the most sturdy and durable units on the market today, are tested to the extreme by world-class athletes everyday – most notably in the weight room at the Pittsburgh Steelers training facility.
The team at SFS is proud that PRIME is one of the very few fitness equipment products made and manufactured solely in the United States. SFS manufactures all PRIME equipment at their newly renovated plant in Rouseville, PA. “Just like SFPC, it’s extremely important to us to keep all facets of the manufacturing and assembly of PRIME equipment here in the United States,” said Rod Griffin. “We are currently one of the very few fitness equipment companies who can say that. “Made in the USA” is important to us and we aim to do business in the communities in which we live and work.”