Soloflex: Birth of a Notion
The legendary fitness device muscled its way into popular culture via a 1983 infomercial featuring godling Scott Madsen
June 16, 2025
Though founded five years earlier by Jerry Wilson, its designer, the Soloflex fitness device became a household topic in 1983 thanks to a (for better or worse) groundbreaking infomercial starring luscious Scott Madsen.
The concept was to market a relatively compact device utilizing resistance rather than sheer weight to provide a full-body workout that could help one achieve Greek-ideal proportions at home.
If ever there were a million-dollar idea, this was it, especially in the increasingly fitness conscious ‘80s.
The infomercial, now so charmingly stilted, was remarkably effective, in part because the company bought placement across the 8,000 or so cable entities that existed at the time — often without having to pay, since the concept was so new. Wilson later confirmed many of the companies simply neglected to collect since they were also using the spots to fill their schedules.
The following year, 1984, Soloflex was knocking down $18M (more than $55M in 2025 dollars).
Though not Topic A past the ‘80s, Soloflex continued until April 29, 2023.
As for Madsen, he was the star of his own poster book and author of Peak Condition (1985). He did a promo tour that put him in touch with his many gay fans — some of whom reported he was shy, others of whom claimed he hated the gay attention.
The company hired Olympian Mitch Gaylord to straighten things up, and also used model Randy Potter.
In 2010, Madsen was sentenced for embezzling from his uncle’s mortgage company in Vancouver, Washington.
For years, there has been controversy over whether he is alive or dead; a man with his name and approximate age, also from the right area, did die in 2015 — but it would appear that Scott Severin Madsen, born in 1962, is alive, meaning he managed to outlive the usefulness of the product he helped make famous. ⚡️
😂 very straight and very much alive.