This KC-created handheld home gym just became the highest-funded fitness product ever on Kickstarter

The OYO Nova Gym passed a massive crowdfunding milestone Saturday morning — raising $1.6 million in pre-sales for the Kansas City company and becoming the most-funded fitness product in Kickstarter history.

And OYO’s campaign still has a month to go.

OYO Fitness team: Nick Bolton, fitness director; Paul Francis, founder and CEO; Sonya Andrews, art director; Graham Ripple, chief operations officer; Marcus Sy, manufacturing director (not pictured)

“The OYO team has worked hard to develop fitness devices that fit in anyone’s lifestyle,” said Paul Francis, founder, inventor and CEO of OYO Fitness. “These stunning results of our Kickstarter campaign show the consumer is looking for better fitness solutions, and I think we have them.”

After launching April 28, the OYO Nova Gym blew past its funding goal of $30,000 in less than an hour. By Saturday morning — less than two weeks later — the product had more than 10,000 backers: another record-breaker for OYO.

Click here to check out the OYO Nova Gym’s Kickstarter page.

Building upon the success of Francis’ original OYO Personal Gym, the Nova Gym offers higher resistance with the same patented SpiraFlex resistance technology used by NASA astronauts for almost 10 years in space.

Its 40 pounds of resistance duplicates the benefits of weights, without the weight, in all planes of movement, according to the company. It’s a full gym that fits in the hands, providing more than 100 exercises for chest, back, arms, core and legs — yet weighs less than 2.5 pounds and folds up to go anywhere.

Click here to learn more about OYO Fitness.

The award-winning SpiraFlex technology built into the new product — developed by Francis for NASA astronauts to counteract muscle loss during long-duration expeditions in microgravity on the International Space Station — is fundamental to users’ success, said Dr. Leroy Chiao.

Paul Francis, OYO Fitness

“Think how much your body would atrophy if you laid in bed for six months, that is what happens to us if we don’t strength train in space,” said Chiao, a former NASA Commander. “After six months in space using SpiraFlex technology I returned stronger than before I left.”

Francis also licensed SpiraFlex technology to Nautilus Inc. and helped develop the Bowflex Revolution home gym, which is one of the best-selling home gyms of all time.

Click here to read about Paul Francis induction into the Space Technology Hall of Fame.

In addition to the NOVA Gym, all backers of the campaign will receive “Stretch Goals” that include: an invitation to train with OYO Fitness Director Nick Bolton, a breathable mesh carrying bag, a printed exercise deck with instructions on how to perform each exercise and an exercise towel.

Additional Stretch Goals, such as color choice, are being added as the campaign continues to exceeds all records, Francis said.