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His invention is a weight that can be used to tone your arms while you walk.
"Swing Weights enable one to achieve a full-body workout while walking. The design tones the triceps and arms and engages the upper body muscles," Kugielsky said.
The weights, which are 1.5 pounds each, are designed for people of all fitness levels, he said.
The idea for Swing Weights first came to Kugielsky in 2008, while he was in his senior year of Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia.
Kugielsky, who has been active his whole life, had what he called an "ah-ha" moment.
He was working on his final exam and using a pair of wood clamps. "I remember an interesting force being applied to my arms. I was swinging them in a walking motion. I wondered why there wasn't a fitness product that utilizes the natural swinging motion of your arms as you walk."
He explained that with traditional walking weights, users hold the weight in their hand like a dumbbell. This relies on a squeezing motion of the hand to carry the weight, which he said, can (potentially) raise one's blood pressure.
To contrast, Swing Weights have a wrist support that suspends the weight six inches below the hand "in a configuration that doesn't rely on squeezing."
The user controls the intensity of the workout. The level of the workout can be changed "by simply walking faster or pumping ones arms harder," said Kugielsky, who is now 30 and lives in Montclair, N.J.
Getting his idea off the ground involved a lot of work -- from making many cold calls to presenting his product to companies.
In total, he invested over $20,000 in Swing Weights, which took eight years to develop.
Kugielesky, who works as a vice president of sales and marketing, is now at work on developing a type of standing desk that is set to launch around the holiday season.
His advice for those who may have an idea for a new product? Be persistent. "The only person who can make something happen is you. You need to keep pushing and have a never quit attitude," he said.
"Everyone has that pipe dream of creating that big thing. I wanted to see this through, to give it its fair chance for success."
Swing Weights sell for $24.95 and can be purchased at www.swingweights.com or on Amazon.com. For more information, click here.
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