Started in 2003, The Human Trainer and Astone Fitness were created by International Certified Trainer and Semi-Pro athlete Darren Shane, who partnered with a friend to enter the portable fitness equipment market. As an athlete and fitness professional, Darren recognized that many of his clients were finding it difficult to keep up with their workouts at home and on their own time and schedule. With Astone Fitness came the opportunity to fill a need and demand for fitness products that could help people get and stay fit, anywhere. Their flagship product, Ripcords resistance bands, was launched via infomercial in 2004, and Ripcords quickly became the leader in the resistance band category.