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Reflected in the gears from a second machine, Corrine Wicken works out at a Quick Gym on the West Side. The company's four-minute workouts have fueled expansion in Albuquerque and elsewhere since its start in 2004. Wicken, an elementary school physical education teacher, says she has been using the gym for more than a year.

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The arrival of 2008 didn't prompt 59-year-old Bill Sweeney into a new resolution to exercise — he didn't need one.

Three times a week on his lunch break, Sweeney visits the Quick Gym at 7701 San Antonio Drive N.E. It takes four minutes.

Quick Gym — a growing phenomenon that started in Albuquerque — caters to a clientele that doesn't have time for exercise. Since opening its first gym in Albuquerque in 2004, the franchise has expanded to five locations locally, with two more in the process of opening. Nationwide, there are 25 Quick Gyms, says franchise founder Dwayne Victor.

Quick Gyms all feature one workout device, known as the Range of Motion machine. The machine has two different four-minute exercise options that focus on the full range of motion of arm and leg muscles.

The focus on muscle range, muscle mass and burning body fat is what makes it easy for people like Sweeney to stay fit without spending hours in the gym, devotees of the machine say.

Sweeney said he keeps a pair of tennis shoes and an extra shirt in his car so he can make impromptu trips to Quick Gym whenever he feels like it.

"I can do this in my lunch hour," he said. "It takes half an hour. I can change into my shirt, do my 8-minute workout and get back to work in 30 minutes."

Sweeney said he likes the amount of privacy and personal attention he can get at a Quick Gym.

"I don't like going to a regular gym at all," he said. "This is great because you just come in, work out, and out you go."

Victor says Quick Gym is the first company to commercialize the ROM machines, which cost about $15,000 each. Until then the machines had been mainly for home use.

Victor said three months after he opened the first gym in Albuquerque, it became clear there was a big demand.

"We just had one machine then. We really haven't done any advertising. It's really word-of-mouth. We plan on having eight Quick Gyms in the Albuquerque area. We plan on opening one in Los Lunas and in Rio Rancho."

Victor said most Quick Gyms have anywhere from two to four exercise machines. That might seem like a small number, he said, but at four to eight minutes per workout session, it's sufficient to meet the demand.

Customer Nancy Aslam said what she likes about Quick Gym is the speedy in-and-out process.

"Even if there's a person on every machine, the most you have to wait is four minutes," she said. "It's quick and it's over."

Aslam said she joined Quick Gym because she was tired of doing free weights for two hours every other day.

"I can tell a big difference just in the way I feel," she said. "I had lots of problems with my shoulder and lots of problems with my hip, and they're gone. I have a much bigger range of motion now."

But can a four-minute workout replace a more conventional exercise regime? Jim Lezeau, a personal training director at Defined Fitness, said Quick Gym can offer limited benefits.

"I think it's an OK start for people," he said. "I don't know how much you can get out of eight minutes of exercise."

Customers like Aslam and Sweeney say they are pleased with Quick Gym's services and the difference they have seen in their bodies.

Aslam said the personal attention the Quick Gym staff gives her is one of the reasons she keeps going back.

"I can ask stuff about nutrition, and they take the time to explain how something works," she said. "When you first come in they do a body fat analysis and check you every month."

Quick Gym manager Jason Lange said Aslam has impressed him with her dedication and the way she hasn't let her legally blind status deter her from working out.

"She was skeptical at first," he said. "I remember when she first came in. She said, `I need to do this, but I just can't see.' "

Lange said he enjoys working at Quick Gym because he gets to know the customer on a personal basis and help them with their body and nutrition problems.

"As wonderful as the machine is, it's only about a third of the wellness puzzle," he said. "You still have to eat properly, get good nutrition and get enough rest."

The demographic at a Quick Gym is pretty diverse, Lange said. But what his customers have in common is a limited amount of time to spend.

"We have the moms that are busy and bring their kids," he said. "And the business people who are here in the middle of their jaunt. We have employees from other companies that come in before or after work and some senior citizens. We have some families that come in actually — parents and little kids — and it's neat to see the kids work out with them."