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September 24, 2007
If the latest breakthrough ergonomic gizmo on your favorite
elliptical-treadmill-cycle machine doesn't thrill you anymore, don't
reach for the Twinkies just yet. A new breed of wildly innovative
devices like nothing you've seen before is putting the fun back in
fitness. They combine flexibility, strength and core stability exercise
with aerobics -- and range from simple to head-scratchingly complex. The
quirky quartet below hits body parts you may not know you had,
delivering real fitness in a far-out, functional way you won't forget.
Go Climb a Rope
Viper and
Viper LT Rope Climbers:
First stationary rope-climbing machines.
Tough, exhausting and satisfying upper-body cardio, strength, stretching
and coordination workout. An ideal counterpart to lower body (treadmill
and bike) exercise and a good on-land trainer for swimmers, it hits
everything from the waist up -- arms, shoulders, back, core and hands --
as it stretches your muscles, straightens your spine and appears to have
a good effect on posture.
Simple to use: Pull
the 1 1/8 rope hand over hand, increasing resistance
for a strength emphasis or loosening it for aerobic.
Viper model, weighing 300 pounds, has you pulling
your own weight (or, with the help of
counterweights, less if you want) on a floating
seat; the simpler LT model (112 pounds) works on
resistance only. Both have an electronic monitor
that displays time and feet climbed. Can be used in
reverse (pulling up motion). Removable seat allows
working out while standing, sitting on an inflatable
ball or even in a wheelchair.
-- Roy M. Wallack |
