Rising to New Heights

Reconceiving the elliptical introduced an entirely new way to work out by combining resistance and rise with the footpath.

Our customers notice a lot of similarities between the elliptical and the Ascent Trainer. Both offer a great, low- or no-impact workout that is easy on the joints. The Ascent Trainer also shares the elliptical footpath and incorporates resistance for a tougher workout. They are the same size, and the suspension frame occupies the same space on the floor. They both deliver a great-feeling workout that taxes the body in all the right ways and none of the wrong ones.

But there is a difference. The Ascent Trainer adds another element to the workout, and that’s where things get really interesting (or challenging).

The Ascent Trainer allows users to adjust the height of their ellipse by adding incline or rise to their path of motion. That means someone can go from a walk to a jaunt up stadium stairs—all with just the touch of a button. The same person could still ramp up their resistance, too.

Why add both rise and resistance? Yes, both features add an element of difficulty to the workout. However, they each do it in a unique way and, therefore, add unique challenge. The resistance incorporates more muscle activity, turning a traditional cardio session into a cardio/strength blend. The incline or rise also activates quads, hamstrings and core muscles that are not typically engaged in a walking, elliptical or even a running workout. In essence, the Ascent Trainer allows users to train harder and train more muscles than a traditional elliptical can—all without sacrificing the comfort that an elliptical workout ensures.

The Ascent Trainer gives the body the variety it craves without leaving too much to chance. A lot of equipment manufacturers talk about incorporating user-defined motion to deliver this workout versatility. That certainly is an option, but it is one that puts a lot of responsibility on users, who have to consciously monitor their paths of motion to ensure that they maintain the workouts they think they want. If they daydream or lose focus, their workout could revert to something simpler, something less challenging, and ultimately something less effective. That squanders their time and delays results.

That is why the Ascent Trainer brings flexibility to the movement pattern without relying on a user-defined path of motion. That distinction is critical. The Ascent Trainer’s versatility enables users to vary their exercise workout-to-workout or even moment to moment, but it also ensures a level of consistency that would be lost if the motion were totally user-defined. Individuals do not have to focus on maintaining a climb or a certain stride length. They cannot default to a less strenuous, almost passive path. The Ascent Trainer lets them adjust their movement pattern and then maintain it as long as they like or recreate it over and over again. Users can focus on their effort and output and not on the shape of their ellipse.