Boutique gyms use retro Versa Climber for cardiovascular fitness

WEST HOLLYWOOD (KABC) -- Amy Schmeichel just tried Rise Nation for the first time. She is following a retro trend that has many climbing for their cardio. It's not a Stairmaster or Stepmill, but a Versa Climber.

"It's all in the legs. You have to keep tense in the core. It's all uphill. Constant uphill. And sprinting. Yeah, it was awesome," Schmeichel said.

"It has a better range of motions, and that's going to help people out who don't have a great range of motion right? So we can kind of progress into a greater range of motion and help with mobility," said Rise Nation's CEO Jason Walsh.

Plus, it turns your body into a calorie-burning machine.

Three reasons why anyone can do this: It's a move anyone can mimic. It's non-impact, but hard. You're going from a walk to sprint in seconds without hurting yourself.

"You do 100 percent of the work on a Versa Climber on these things. It's constant. There's no momentum. No way to cheat," Walsh said.

Gloveworx in Santa Monica uses it in their high-intensity interval training workouts. Sirens & Titans in Westwood offers it too.

Rise Nation steps up their concept with a visual arts, night club effect.

"Thirty-two climbers feeding off 32 bodies of energy is unheard of. It's crazy," Rise Nation instructor Jamie Franco said.

Franco uses the music to train her clients, to dash any ideas of boredom of doing repetitive motion.

Another point, exercising with your arms over your head creates a cardiovascular challenge and hits more muscle groups.

Beyond the Versa Climber, FitWall has climbed into markets in Los Angeles and Orange counties, offering interval training on ladders with cable systems, which can be used for strength training to cardio -- all in a one stop shop.

Fit Wall started in San Diego and now has gyms in Newport Beach and Calabasas.