A former NFL star who won the Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers is hoping to score a touchdown in the fitness industry with a new self-spotting, free weight training system.

Brady Poppinga, who spent eight years in the NFL as a linebacker and tasted Super Bowl glory with the Packers in 2010, has invented a power rack featuring a ‘quad-lock’ breaking system. Described as having the safety of a Smith machine and the versatility of free weights, Poppinga’s XPT rack currently features in a US Equinox gym and a number of universities.

The product is manufactured by Tough Stuff Fitness and is being distributed in the UK by David Shaw’s Rubicon Fitness, where Poppinga hopes the equipment can make a major impact.

“I’ve always dabbled with lifting as my dad ran a recreation centre when I was a kid, but I’d always struggled to find the range of motion afforded by free weights, without the risk of getting injured,” Poppinga told Health Club Management at LIW 2015.

“It took me around a year to create the initial prototype and what we have produced now is a hybrid which offers the best of both worlds. The XPT is perfect for explosive movement, as it most closely mimics the way you play.”

Leisure Opportunities and Health Club Management will be on hand throughout LIW 2015, live reporting on the latest developments throughout the conference and posting them straight to our websites. Head of news Jak Phillips will also be live-tweeting from the event, follow him on Twitter by clicking here.