University of Cincinnati grad's IncludeFitness aims to provide 'equal access to health'

Ryan Eder's vision started more than a decade ago. He saw a man in a wheelchair struggling to work out at the gym. Eder, a Liberty Township native, found many fitness clubs don't offer equipment accessible to people of different abilities. He said he joined a wheelchair football league, worked with local paraplegics and quadriplegics to find out what they needed -- and what they wanted. "They want to work out the same place everyone else works out," Eder said. That idea became his senior thesis at the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning.  In 2007, Eder's design won the People’s Choice Award and Best of Show Award at the International Design and Excellence Awards. And next year, it could be coming to a gym near you as IncludeFitness. Eder said he's making a line of equipment accessible to all ages and abilities. IncludeFitness also blends innovations in technology to help people of all abilities push their limits to have their best workout. Users will be able to use that data to customize their workouts. "Not just are you getting stronger, but we can look at it from a velocity, force, power, tempo, range of motion.  And, look at it on each individual muscle group and compare that to larger macro trends across demographics and across different facilities," he said. The equipment should start shipping early next year. Some have already preordered, Eder said, including customers in pediatric care, aging care, neurological rehabilitation and traditional orthopedics.