The Nautilus Group Introduces New Nautilus Heart Rate Monitor

VANCOUVER, Wash.--(BW HealthWire)--Aug. 1, 2002-- The Nautilus® Group (NYSE:NLS - News), a leading marketer, developer, and manufacturer of branded health and fitness products, today announced the introduction of the Zone Trainer(TM), a revolutionary line of heart rate monitors that automatically track and display heart rate intensity as a percentage of maximum heart rate.

Conventional heart rate monitors display only "beats per minute." Most heart rate training guidelines, however, provide a range for percentages of maximum heart rate -- called the "target zone" -- within which the user should exercise. While many elite athletes are aware of the relation of beats per minute to the target zone, novices and more casual athletes may not be able to gauge their progress simply by looking at beats per minute.

Zone Trainer(TM) heart rate monitors are easy to use. The user simply enters age, weight and gender and the computer calculates maximum heart rate. The monitor can measure and display both the beats per minute and the percentage of maximum heart rate -- allowing users to correlate their beats per minute with the intensity of their training.

The Zone Trainer(TM) will be particularly useful in classes where the instructor encourages the tracking of heart rate zones. Participants will not have to take their concentration away from the workout in order to program, read and understand their monitor. In addition, all models of the Zone Trainer(TM) are water-resistant and can be used while swimming.

"Sophisticated heart rate training is not intuitive," said Kevin Lamar, President of The Nautilus Group. "Nautilus is the first company to offer a monitor that combines both the percentage of maximum heart rate and beats per minute. The Zone Trainer(TM) eliminates the guesswork and enables the user to focus on the workout and make it easy to understand how to train effectively."

Three different Zone Trainer(TM) models -- the ZT100, 200 and 300 -- are being released. The ZT100, the most basic model, will display intensity percentage and current heart rate. The ZT200 allows the user to pre-define target zones and the ZT300 tracks calories burned.

The Nautilus Group will be displaying the new Zone Trainer(TM) line of heart rate monitors at the Health and Fitness Business show in Denver, CO, from August 1 to August 3, at booth #604.

About The Nautilus Group

The Nautilus Group, Inc. (formerly Direct Focus, Inc.) is a leading marketer, developer, and manufacturer of branded health and fitness products sold under such well-known names as Nautilus, Bowflex, Schwinn and StairMaster. The Company currently markets its Bowflex home fitness equipment and Nautilus Sleep Systems through its direct-marketing channel, using an effective combination of television commercials, infomercials, response mailings, the Internet, and inbound/outbound call centers. The Company sells its Nautilus, Schwinn and StairMaster commercial fitness equipment through its sales force and selected dealers to health clubs, government agencies, hotels, corporate fitness centers, colleges, universities, and assisted living facilities. The Nautilus Group also markets and sells a complete line of consumer fitness equipment, under its Nautilus, Schwinn and StairMaster brands, through a network of specialty dealers, distributors, and retailers worldwide. The Company is headquartered in Vancouver, Washington. The Nautilus Group is located on the Web at www.nautilusgroup.com.

From time to time, The Nautilus Group may issue forward-looking statements relating to its products and services, including statements regarding its Bowflex, Nautilus, Schwinn Fitness, and StairMaster businesses. Factors that could affect The Nautilus Group's actual results include its reliance on a limited product line, fluctuations in advertising rates, market acceptance of its existing and future products, growth management challenges including the growth resulting from the acquisition of the assets of Schwinn Fitness in September 2001 and StairMaster in February 2002, a decline in consumer spending due to unfavorable economic conditions, government regulatory action, its ability to effectively identify and negotiate any future strategic acquisitions, its ability to integrate the StairMaster business and any other acquired businesses into its operations, unpredictable events and circumstances relating to international operations including its use of foreign manufacturers, and general economic conditions. Please refer to our reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, for a further discussion of these risks and uncertainties. We also caution you not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. We undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date they were made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

     The Nautilus Group, Inc.
     Jean Suffin, Public Relations, 303/545-1432
               or
     StreetConnect
     Michael Newman, Investor Relations, 206/320-1231