Fortis Fitness equipment Inc. was born out of Fortis Fitness gym which is inspired by and modeled after the finest athletic facilities in the world. The private athletic gyms which inspired Fortis Fitness have produced the most successful athletes on the planet. The goal of Fortis has always been to introduce anyone, regardless of experience to the most effective equipment, methods and ideas so successfully used by the world’s finest athletes. The original Fortis Fitness gym is located in Toronto, Canada.

Fortis Fitness Equipment began creating commercial gym equipment in 2013 for use in our own Fortis Fitness Gyms. All of our equipment was borne out of the necessity to create the greatest possible results for our members - from beginners to elite athletes. Since 2013 we have produced some of the most unique and effective commercial fitness equipment available. Along the way, we have registered numerous patents and trademarks. The LBRT (lower back relief and therapy) Pillow has been in development since 2015.  

The LBRT Pillow was created to provide immediate relief from chronic lower back pain and to provide a gentle, passive decompression of the lower lumbar spine. This part of the human spine is generally under the most load and stress. The need for lower back pain relief and the gentle stretching of the lower spine was great among the members of our gym who were constantly loading and compressing their backs when strength training.

In 2015, the owner of Fortis Fitness gym and Fortis Fitness Equipment and an active power lifter, suffered a very bad lower back injury while dead-lifting. He badly herniated his lower back L4-L5 vertebrae causing nerve damage as well. At 50 years old, he could barely walk, suffered terrible lower back pain, sciatica and numbness of his lower limbs. There seemed to no relief to this chronic pain even when sitting or laying down. Sleeping was very difficult and often impossible.

The earliest version of the LBRT Pillow was the only solution which allowed him to sleep and rest with no pain or discomfort. Further, the gentle decompression of the lower back which the pillow creates helped to completely heal up his lower back. All symptoms disappeared and a full recovery from this injury soon followed. Iterations of the pillow continued to evolve and it was constantly tested by other members of the gym with lower back pain. Over the years, the “couch” and “bed” versions of the pillow evolved to their current form. Our goal is to introduce the LBRT pillow to the general public, knowing how well it worked for our many gym members, strength athletes and others who have used it with great success.