When Kathy Porcell, owner of Elevation Pilates in Glens Falls had to replace the hardware on her Pilates equipment, she thought her only option was to go back to the Pilates equipment manufacturer for the double-ended and single-ended clips and snap hooks she uses each day in her fitness classes.

“I waited four weeks for the manufacturer to get the stainless steel clips in stock. And then I had to drive all the way to Queens for them!” After waiting for so long to get them, she knew it would probably take at least another week to have them shipped from downstate. Not to mention the additional cost of shipment. You see, the Pilates machine manufacturer outsources their clips, hooks and other hardware from wholesale suppliers. Chances are, they don’t keep a lot of clips, snaps or hooks in their stock. More likely, they don’t stock them at all.

Kathy had no idea that there was a wholesale and retail distributor of stainless steel hardware just minutes away from her own fitness studio in Glens Falls, NY. She could have saved herself at least a month of waiting, not to mention the additional time and expense of traveling to Queens.

Kathy won’t make that same mistake again. When it’s time to perform routine performance and maintenance checks on her specialized equipment, she’ll know exactly where to go to replace the all-important snaps and clips that make her Pilates equipment so versatile, allowing clients to work out each muscle group in the body.

It’s not just Pilates equipment that requires clips, snaps and quick release snaps. Think about the last time you were at the gym and you were changing the cables on the standing leg and arm apparatus. Or the seated rowing machine, the lat pulldown machine and the standing cable row.

If you have a personal trainer, he or she relies on the quick release clips and snaps that enable a swift change of equipment – say, changing out the wide grip bar to a smaller grip handle or bar.

By quickly changing the cable grips on a machine from the handle grips to another bar or handle, fitness buffs will work out an entirely different set of muscles, or work out the same muscles in a different way. And, by having the ability to make these changes quickly and efficiently, it allows the person training to maintain a higher level of intensity during the workout.

Nearly every machine in the gym uses hardware that Henssgen Hardware carries in a whole range of sizes and in different materials, from stainless to bronze to nickel plated to aluminum.

But don’t take my word for it. If you’re the owner or manager of a gym or fitness studio, it’s fast and easy to set up an account online at Henssgen Hardware. While you’re there, browse their catalog to learn more about their products and pricing.