YR Fitness Founder & Chief Designer
– George Yang

Hi, I am George Yang.

I am an athlete. I am a designer. I am the founder of YR Fitness.

Since 1997, I build machines for those who value engineering over marketing.

To understand the machine, you must understand the man behind it.

Here is my official bio.

The card above tells you what I’ve done. But it doesn't tell you why.

Here is my story.

Start from 1991

In 1991, I was not a founder. I was a technician. I fixed gym machines for China’s National Athletes Team.

When you repair a machine, you see the truth.

I saw that even the world’s "best" brands had flaws—weak welds, bad angles, and designs that ignored the human body. I didn’t just fix them; I trained with them to feel exactly where they failed.

In 1997, I stopped fixing other people’s mistakes. I decided to build my own standard. I founded Yangrui Fitness in Beijing, naming the company after my son.

Note on our name: From Yangrui to Yanre, to YR Fitness. The name has evolved as we grew, but the machines are still built by the same hands, to the same standard.

About Manufacturing

I am honest about where I come from. China.

China is the world's factory. But many Chinese suppliers follow a specific rule: cut the price to win the order.

To cut the price, they cut the steel. They use 1.5mm or 2.0mm pipes. They use cheap plastic pulleys. They copy the look of Western brands but ignore the engineering. They win the sale today, but their machines fail in 2 years.

I refused to join that race.

When I started YR Fitness, I made a bet. I bet that gym owners were tired of "cheap." I bet you wanted equipment that lasted 10+ years, not 2.

About Materials

I don't compromise on materials. This is the difference between a product and a tool.

We use Q235 qualified steel. In our factory, the minimum thickness is 3mm. Most of our competitors think this is a waste of money. I think it is the foundation of safety. When a 120kg athlete is pushing a leg press, the frame should not shake. It should be solid.

We use 30CrMnSiA steel for our barbells. We use POM cams and pulleys. POM is expensive. It is low-friction. It makes the motion feel like silk. We use Japan-imported wire cables that can hold 1400kg.

Why? Because I train on these machines myself. If it isn't smooth enough for me, I won't put my name on it.

About Design

My design philosophy is clean and minimalist.

I don't like fluff. I don't like extra plastic covers that hide bad welds.

Design is not just what it looks like. Design is how it works.

Take our 73 Series. It was the first in the world to use independent, converging, and diverging movement paths. We finished that design in 2006.

That was 6 years before many global brands caught up.

We don't copy. We engineer.

About Being "Small"

Be honest: we are not a giant international company.

And that is exactly why we are a better choice for your business.

A giant company is like a large ship. It cannot turn quickly. If you want a custom handle or a specific color for your brand, they will tell you "No" or ask you to buy a thousand sets.

We are flexible.

If you want to customize a single handle, our minimum order quantity is one set. One.

Because we are a factory of craftsmen, not just a warehouse of boxes. We treat your gym like a unique project, not a shipping number.

Many of our distributors also sell the world's most famous brands. They come to us because we offer the same quality, but at a much lower cost due to china manufacturing capabilities.

And we always act as a partner, not a boss.

About Long Game

In this industry, most suppliers race to the bottom on price. They win the order today, but you lose tomorrow. I see the same 3 failures over and over:

• Shaky Structures. They use 1.5mm steel to save a few dollars. In a busy gym, those machines shake and bend. I refuse to use anything under 3mm. A machine should be an asset, not a safety risk.
• Blind Copying. They copy how a machine looks, but they don't understand how it moves. If the biomechanics are wrong, your members get injured.
• Zero Support. Low-margin brands can’t afford to keep spare parts. When a cable snaps 3 years later, they stop answering your emails. Your expensive machine becomes scrap metal.

I refuse to work that way.

Last week, a client who bought from me 6 years ago called me. He didn't need a new machine—just some small wearing parts to keep his floor running. I didn't tell him to buy a new one. I sent him the parts immediately.

At YR Fitness, we build for your 10th year, not just your 1st day.

You will get long-term service because we want to be part of your business success. We have powered 34,950+ projects in 110 countries. From the Chinese Navy's submarines to high-end clubs in New York, our machines are still working.

I am not interested in being famous. I am interested in being accurate. We are the engineering behind the industry’s biggest names.

Final Words

I always say this to my customers: "We make products with heart, and we make products with standard."

• Heart means I care about the person using the machine. I want you to be safe. I want you to feel the muscle burn in the right place.
• Standard means I don't lower my standards to save costs. ISO 20957 is just our starting point. We aim much higher.

Most suppliers will tell you what you want to hear to get your money.

I will tell you the truth:

I will tell you that quality costs more than "cheap."

I will tell you that maintenance is minimal, but not zero.

I will tell you that we aren't the biggest, but we are the most dedicated in China.

I am not here to sell you iron. I am here to help you build a profitable, professional gym that members love.

Welcome to YR Fitness, my friend. 👏

George Yang

Founder & Chief Designer

YR Fitness