Why Multi-Directional Training is ‘Next Up’ in the Strength Category

Torque Fitness® sees the future of strength training in equipment that supports unrestricted movement and establishes cohesive, multipurpose gym floors

We often conceptualize movement as going from point A to point B, but in reality, it’s far messier than that. Commuters weave through crowded sidewalks on their way to work. Athletes rarely run straight down midfield toward the end zone or goal. Admit it, every time you take a trip to the grocery store, you have to turn back for something you forgot at least once.

Torque Fitness, the equipment manufacturer known for its push sleds, builds equipment for how people actually move, not the way they think they do. With a novel launch that makes push sled exercise possible on any surface and in any direction, the brand helps consumers improve their true, everyday functionality.

“The body was never designed to move in a single plane — the fitness industry just built machines that did,” said Sarah Dettinger Schmitt, VP of Marketing, Torque Fitness. “Push, pull, squat and repeat. It works, but it’s an incomplete picture. Real movement is lateral, rotational and unpredictable. You don’t absorb a hit or change direction in a straight line.”

As more consumers begin to realize the benefits that come from flexible movement, gym owners are recognizing related perks as well. No matter which side you’re on, Torque’s sleds promise to take you forward. 

What’s Driving the Shift

Consumers are seeking more equipment that supports unrestricted, real-world movement as they recognize the practical benefits it provides. This demand, like many of the trends shaping our world today, has social media to thank for its momentum. 

“People know more now,” Schmitt said. “They’ve watched elite training on social media, they’ve done functional sport events and they understand what ‘functional’ actually means beyond the marketing. The bar has moved.” 

As consumers experience these benefits — trotting to work or pushing their cart through the store with greater ease — intrigue demand only builds. 

“Mainstream gym members want to feel athletic — not just look like they work out,” Schmitt went on. “They want training that builds something transferable.”

Schmitt also argues there’s a mental benefit that comes from using free-moving machines over those that operate on a fixed-path or isolate singular muscles. It’s an often overlooked, yet powerful emotional payoff many consumers chase. 

“There’s also a psychological component that I think gets underestimated,” she said. “There’s a real difference in how someone feels after a session that demands coordination and awareness versus one that just demands effort. That feeling drives retention.”

Enter the TANK®

Torque addressed all these consumer appeals when it launched the TANK M3 in February, 2025. The M3 features a center wheel that allows users to push in any direction. Its magnetic resistance technology also makes it drivable on any surface. 

“The three-wheeled design and all-surface capability mean you’re not locked into a lane,” Schmitt explained. “You can drive lateral patterns, work diagonal pushes, run curves and build change-of-direction work into the same session. That opens up a completely different stimulus — you’re recruiting stabilizers, building spatial awareness and training coordination that straight-line sled work simply can’t touch.”

This differs from the traditional sleds more commonly found in gyms. 

“Traditional sleds are effective, but they’re linear by nature,” said Schmitt. “You push forward, pull back and the movement is dictated by whatever’s in front of you. The M3 breaks that constraint.”

The M3 also unlocks additional possibilities from the operator perspective. The machine’s versatility naturally makes it applicable to a wider range of workouts, allowing operators to leverage their spaces more efficiently. 

“It means more programming from a single piece,” Schmitt said. “The M3 expands what a coach can build and how the floor gets used. When every square foot has a cost attached to it, that versatility matters.”

Building for the Future

Schmitt expects this blend of flexibility and high-impact potential to play a major role in modern gym design. 

“The best floors I’ve seen have stopped treating performance and accessibility as competing goals, because they’re not,” Schmitt said. “A well-designed space can serve a competitive athlete and a first-time member in the same footprint.”

Along with the M3, that philosophy prompted the brand to launch its All Access Cable Station, which features three pulleys and includes wheelchair accessibility. 

“It’s wheelchair accessible, not as a workaround, but by design,” Schmitt said. “It’s ADA compliance and performance capability in the same unit. That opens programming to populations most equipment has historically excluded without giving anything up.”

Forward-thinking facilities will also aim to feature more integrated, utilitarian training ecosystems that permit a seamless flow of exercise. In such environments, coaches and members worry less about what’s available on the floor and avoid wasted time trying to piece workouts together. 

“When cable, sled, cardio and modular training are designed to work together, the floor becomes greater than its parts,” Schmitt said. “Coaches can build seamless programming. Members navigate intuitively. Operators get a space that has an identity.”

With more launches planned for the second half of 2026, Torque remains committed to delivering that while maintaining its focus on real movement. 

“Torque is built for where this goes,” Schmitt added. “Everything we’ve developed — the TANK platform, the X-CREATE functional ecosystem, the products coming in the back half of this year — is oriented around one belief: that training should be free, dynamic and built for how humans actually move. That’s not a trend position; that’s why the company exists.”