Last September, hundreds of local YMCA members and employees traveled to the Chesapeake Conference Center to decide what direction to take in obtaining new physical fitness devices at their center. Given the choice of five different equipment vendors, participants voted to let the YMCA and each other know what they wanted to see.

Over the weekend, the Suffolk YMCA got its new cardio equipment at the center. Gone are the old Stairmasters and Cross Trainers, replaced by Star Trec Pro Treadmills (equipped with fans), Precor EFX Elliptical Cross-Trainers, Precor Climbers, and Life Fitness Upright and Recumbent Bikes.

&uot;What we have here is what our members voted on,&uot; said fitness director Pam Burgess. &uot;This equipment fits the individual better. With the old equipment, we had several people saying, ‘I like this, but…’ Now everyone’s commenting on how much smoother these machines feel.&uot;

On the old Stair Master, exercisers had &uot;handrails&uot; on the side of the machines that they could use to hold themselves up as they stepped. That took weight off their legs, resulting in not getting the amount of muscle resistance the equipment could provide.

The new Climbers offer workers a new option. They have handlebar-like holds on the front, giving people the chance to put more weight on their legs, helping them work the lower body harder.

The Star Trec treadmills also have new features for exercisers. Not only do they have built-in fans to cool down walkers, participants can equip the machine to fit their own specifications. They enter their age, the time they would like to work out, and their speed. As they walk, the machine monitors their heart rate, and keeps it at the targeted speed. Two minutes before a session is offer, the machine slows down in order to give the walker a &uot;cool down&uot; period.