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Everyone knows they need to build more cardio into their fitness routines, but not everyone likes running. Or rowing. Or ellipticals. Or cycling. Though it’s easy to dismiss cardio-dodgers as weak-willed, there are real reasons other than simply not wanting to for avoiding the most common forms of cardio exercise. First and foremost, most popular cardio workouts (and the machines that perpetuate them) aren’t easy on the joints. This is where the popularity of vertical climbers grew from. Professional athletes and celebrities in need of a quick shred (that’s easy on the joints) started turning to the climbing machine as a cardio workout that’s repeatable, unlikely to cause injury, and spreads the load across your whole body. Interested? Here are the best vertical climbers for your money.
What Are Vertical Climbers?
Vertical climbers are cardio-focused exercise machines that have earned serious popularity in recent years. They’re known for delivering the rare combination of full-body and low-impact cardio work.
If you’re someone with joint pain or frequently have recovery periods between bouts of extreme energy use (an athletic competition of some kind), vertical climbers are an excellent option, as their best attribute is the ability to recruit nearly the entire body for high-intensity cardio work without stressing the joints.
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The Best Vertical Climbers for Your Money
Versaclimber Home Model
Best overall
Do you regularly find yourself confused by the Peloton hype? Wondering why everyone is using apps to work out these days? The VersaClimber is probably your best bet.
In lieu of technology, VersaClimbers are just good, old-fashioned, well-made machines. It comes with a rudimentary workout tracking screen and variably height footholds and handles. Both boring and extremely handy, the handrails on either side of the machine are VersaClimbers’ most unique feature. They ensure that, should you have a slight tweak or injury you’re rehabbing, you can still use the climber’s bottom half unabated. With other climbers, you’d simply be out of luck and in need of another exercise.
As is typical with machine climbers, resistance level is fixed and based on your body weight, so expect early workouts to be more difficult and gradually become more manageable (which is when you extend said workouts or pick up the pace).
There’s an optional wall mount available for purchase if you’re at all worried about stability, an optional heart rate monitor for the real nerds out there, and the machine supports users up to 350 lbs.
MaxiClimber Vertical Climber
If you’re interested in trying vertical climbers but are less interested in forking over more than $1,000, MaxiClimber is your best bet. Typically available for $300 or less, MaxiClimbers are bare-bones machines that nail the basics—pushing and pulling weight up and down, alternating sides of the body, is really difficult.
Best budget option
If you’re interested in trying vertical climbers but are less interested in forking over more than $1,000, MaxiClimber is your best bet. Typically available for $300 or less, MaxiClimbers are bare-bones machines that nail the basics—pushing and pulling weight up and down, alternating sides of the body, is really difficult.
The resistance level is dependent on your body weight, so workout difficulty is determined by duration and speed rather than raising or lowering resistance (unless you were to wear extremely heavy clothes for one session or something particularly weird like that).
The MaxiClimber also folds up for relatively quick and easy storage as well, which can’t be said for many of the vertical climbers on the market. On that note, the machine weighs less than 40 pounds, making it (rather easily) the lightest on this list. This is a feather in its portability cap, but more of a thorn in the side for durability. The machine just doesn’t feel like it’s going to last three or five years under regular use. But hey, it’s a budget machine for a reason.
CLMBR Connected 02
Best Connected
Think of CLMBR as the Peloton of vertical climbers. There are something like 150 classes to choose from, with more released on a weekly cadence. The machine is sleeker than its competition, too, and doesn’t take up much floor space. If you’re someone who struggles with programming workouts or staying consistent with fitness, CLMBR’s built-in programs and challenges may be valuable. The machine effectively gamifies fitness with features like these, plus secondary bits like progress tracking and competitions through your user profile. Plus, unlike many budget options (which CLMBR definitely is not), the machine comes with a full-year limited warranty at purchase.
Another, quieter bonus: CLMBRs are known to produce significantly less sound than most vertical climbers, which can cause quite a racket.
Sole Fitness CC81
Best Hybrid Machine
Sole Fitness’ vertical climber shares more DNA with a traditional elliptical than most. The footholds are fixed lower on the machine and don’t rise to the heights of a standard vertical climber, which means it does sacrifice some range of motion. What do you get in return? For one, it’s one of the few vertical climbers that supports a wide range of resistance levels and allows you to dramatically shift the handle height to the user. The device is largely made of solid steel, which is a nice change of pace from the heavy plastic builds many home fitness tools are built with.
The machine does not support Bluetooth connectivity but it does have a slot for a tablet plug-in, so if you wish to follow a class or program not found on the device natively, you can.
Sportsroyals Stair Stepper Climber
Best Small Space Option
Most vertical climbers have a relatively small footprint, especially when compared to treadmills, ellipticals, or rowing machines. Sportsroyals budget friendly climber takes is the most compact of this compact fitness machine class. It takes about 10 seconds to convert the machine from workout mode to shove-it-in-the-corner-and-forget-about-it mode. When shoved in a corner, it takes up a tiny 30”x16”x9” sliver of space, which is about the same real estate a mid-sized mini fridge takes up. It’s even small enough to toss in the trunk of a car.
