Crowdfund the Mega Bar, ‘the most versatile workout product’

Obidi Orakwusi was turned down by both of the jobs he applied for during the summer between his junior and senior years at the University of Maryland in 2011. So the Owings Mills resident got creative.

One, a fitness center, required that he be a certified personal trainer, which Orakwusi wasn’t. So, he started sketching on the back of the application.
The result became the Mega Bar, an exercise device more than halfway to its $12,000 Kickstarter goal.
The mountable device is highly versatile — it can be used for such workouts as pull-ups, presses and curls. Orakwusi looked at a friend of his for inspiration.
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“Usually every time we would go back to school, that would be it for him,” he said of busy schedules. “If my friend could still do everything he was doing at the gym with one product, what would that product do and how would that product function?”

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Since 2011, he’s been saving his work-study checks and putting time toward building a team and refining the bar’s design in his spare time. When the Kickstarter campaign went live earlier this month, it raked in $6,000 in pledges in just one week. It’s been a bit slower since then, but Orakwusi is still confident he’ll reach the goal.
Another thing he’s done since 2011? Ironically, he’s gotten his certification as a personal trainer.
“Nobody’s going to listen to me if I don’t have certification,” he said.
The Mega Bar is expected to ship in March and can be secured with at least a $100 pledge on Kickstarter.