Flash water bottles well worth weight
TWO Gold Coast men have come up with a cool way to combine exercise and hydration.
Wumbells are a drink bottle and weights combination with extra exercise equipment add-ons.
The brainchild of entrepreneurial fitness fanatic Mark Szedzielarz and artist and designer Hayden Bone, Wumbells evolved from their love for outdoor workouts and preference for taking bottles to the gym, circuit training in the park, at the beach and bush walking.
Wumbells comprise an activated carbon filter to refill the drink bottle with water on the go.
Weights can be screwed to the bottle in 125g or 250g increments, to a maximum of about 2kg.
Wumbells also have a sliced fruit infuser which can also be used for ice and tea.
A campaign through crowd-funding site Kickstarter to launch the product will start early next month.
They hope to tap into a market worth about $100 million a year, which has seen global consumption of bottled water increase 10 per cent each year.
They are seeking upwards of $50,000 to start manufacturing. The bottles sell from $US39.99 for a standard size to $US129 for a platinum model. Customised products for personal trainers also will be available.
Wumbells are made from dual-layer, vacuum-sealed, top-grade stainless steel.
They hold about 600ml of liquid. Other winning features include glow-in-thedark accessories, customisable rubber bumpers and colours and an optional screw-in pedometer.
Mr Szedzielarz said use of the bottles would reduce plastic in the environment.
Eight million tonnes of plastic waste is in our oceans and breaks down and enters the food chain.
Mr Bone said the mates and business partners designed Wumbells to be “strong enough for boot camps” and with the aim of encouraging greater health and fitness.
“Our motto is: ‘ Be smart. Be alive. Get out there.’ We believe the device has genuine health benefits. It’s more than just a gimmick,” he said.
“Wumbells enable people to rehydrate as they exercise while, with the weights, their muscles work harder for improved cardiovascular exercise and kilojoule burn.
“We consider it the Swiss Army knife of fitness equipment.”
He said there are plans to expand and add extra features if the product is a success.