So this was FIBO 2016

IN CASE I MIGHT BE YELLING AT YOU: THAT IS BECAUSE IT WAS SO LOUD AT FIBO. Thus, it was perfectly acceptable to yell at your opposite if you wanted to understand each other at least a bit. Especially when you had to settle for a language that isn’t the native language of any of the speakers. Well, by now I have become accustomed to speak quieter again. I only have flashbacks now and then. But what else was there to experience at this year’s FIBO, apart from hoarseness and tinnitus? aerobis recounts the FIBO for you.

Records are made to be broken

Maybe you can still remember last year when FIBO set a new record for the number of visitors? If not it doesn’t really matter anyways because this year FIBO set a new record yet again with 153.000 visitors, of which 83.000 were professional visitors (source: fibo.de). The number of exhibitors has also increased by more than 200 and was now a record of 960. This cements the special standing as the world’s biggest expo for fitness, wellness, and health. We were (obviously) right in the middle of it – as a Cologne-based company the FIBO is a home game for us. Additionally, we had so much fun the last times we were there that there would be something missing without FIBO.

Functional Training all around

To mix it all up a bit we changed the layout of our stand for this FIBO. This time you could see and try products on all four sides, divided by product category. The most crowded side was devoted to the revvll PRO. Since the revvll challenge was such a big success last year we thought we challenged the visitors again this time. The exercise, however, was different than last year. While you had to pull in 2015 you now had to push the rope over your head. The triceps of the brave competitors will certainly appreciate it ;) In case we do another challenge next year (and why wouldn’t we?) we might change the rules and don’t set a time limit. How about a race where you need to finish a certain amount of cycles and we measure the time you need? This could be fun and even more exciting. If you have any suggestions for the next revvll challenge please let us know in the comments below! We are open for (almost) everything.

What else did aerobis show?

Even though the revvll PRO took the center of attention again our other product lines also received great interest. Especially the Battle Ropes attracted a lot of attention, at least that is my personal impression. And despite the fact that we have them in our portfolio for several years now. It seems the challenging strength endurance training with the battling ropes has finally made it into the mainstream. And speaking of endurance training: the video we shot at FIBO for our Battle Jump Ropes, the 3 m long skipping rope-version of our Blackthorn Battle Ropes, has had the biggest impact on Facebook out of all of our posts during FIBO weekend. If you have seen it you will understand why ;) We didn’t only show well-known products, of course, we also had some news to show. One of the new products would be the aerobis Rucksack XL which offers more than enough space for all your functional training equipment with its carrying capacity of 50 l. The water-resistant material keeps your equipment dry even in bad weather and the padded bottom makes sure your delicate equipment like the revvll PRO is safe. For all of you that tend to have not enough space in their backpack the aerobis Rucksack XL presents a welcomed alternative and is definitely worth a look. The second new product we showed at FIBO for the first time ever: the alpha.bands. Sure, everybody knows powerbands. And there is hardly any kind of equipment that is as popular right now and so versatile. Whether you use it as a support for pull-ups or an additional resistance for bodyweight exercises like squats or push-ups – powerbands are much-loved training tools that let you better adjust your functional training to your own demands. But what do alpha.bands by aerobis do differently in comparison to regular powerbands? Quite a lot, actually! For once, the alpha.bands are significantly smaller and lighter than comparable powerbands without giving up any strength or resistance. All five resistances of the alpha.bands together weigh in at roughly 550g (1.1lb) while comparable powerbands weigh about 2000g (4.4lb) (in a set of 5 resistances). Additionally, the material is anti-bacterial, anti-allergic, and made in Germany. But more about the alpha.bands in a blog post coming shortly.

Ready for 2017!

Even though FIBO is really demanding and exhausting we had a lot of fun. We have met so many cool people and received so much positive feedback for our products and our philosophy. Although next FIBO should really be a little quieter acoustically we love to come back. Sportive greetings, Benjamin