Rowers, air bikes, ski machines, jump ropes, battle ropes and plyo boxes: tools for raising cardio fitness, one of the strongest predictors of long life.
This shelf holds cardio machines (rowing machines, air bikes and other ergometers, manual treadmills, ski machines) and simpler conditioning tools (jump ropes, battle ropes, slam balls, plyometric boxes, agility ladders).
Which machine you choose matters much less than using it regularly. Any of them can do easy, conversational 'zone 2' sessions and hard intervals, the two kinds of aerobic training that raise VO₂ max. Pick the one your joints tolerate, that you'll actually use, and that fits your space.
Controlled trials show aerobic training raises VO₂ max. In a meta-analysis of 28 trials in adults aged 18–45, both steady endurance training and high-intensity intervals gave large gains, with intervals slightly ahead. In cohort studies, each 1-MET step up in fitness is linked to about 13% lower all-cause mortality; that link is observational. There's little evidence for specific tools (weighted ropes, battle ropes, agility ladders) beyond general conditioning.
Across 33 cohort studies (about 103,000 people), each 1-MET higher fitness was associated with 13% lower all-cause mortality and 15% fewer heart and cardiovascular events. People below about 7.9 METs had the highest risk.
Across 28 controlled trials in healthy adults aged 18–45, both endurance training and high-intensity interval training produced large VO₂ max gains compared with no exercise. Intervals gave a small extra improvement (about 1.2 mL/kg/min).