Our story actually began in the US military, as strange as that might seem. The research was first conducted while trying to solve a completely different problem for the U.S. Air Force.

The Backstory: Upon deployment of its first F-16 fighter jets, the Air Force found that many of its fighter pilots were experiencing incidents of g-force blackout: a condition that causes temporary vision loss. This type of aircraft turns very quickly, putting greater g-force on the pilot, and thus putting him in danger. To find a solution, the Air Force commissioned Dr. Ronald L. Wiley, a respected cardiopulmonary physiologist, to research the problem and, hopefully, find a solution.

Multiple experiments were conducted, and countless hypotheses disproved, but one particular experiment yielded some unexpected data. As part of one of his experiments, Dr. Wiley had pilots grab a steel rod as hard as they could while experiencing g-force under flight conditions.

While poring over the subsequent data, Dr. Wiley became intrigued by the health histories of two particular pilots, each who were considered “pre-hypertensive” prior to his battery of experiments, yet were back to normal levels at the completion of the experiments. Believing there must have been a link somewhere in his research, he made it his life’s goal to find the link.

After years of research, Dr. Wiley drew a correlation between the steel rod and the reduction he had measured. The grip, he determined, simulated an isometric exercise. Over time, and after much trial and error, Dr. Wiley developed the computer-controlled handgrip exercise device that we now affectionately call the Zona Plus! The Zona Plus uses biofeedback to design personalized exercise sessions, customized for each user, by calibrating to what we call “maximum voluntary contraction.” Each session is unique. Each session is effective. And each session is conducted with the user in mind.