Conquer Vertical Climber Fitness Climbing Machine review

Product Description

Climb aboard the Conquer Vertical Climber and get a complete body workout! It has a sleek silver finish, is super stable with four rubber non slip pads and has ergonomic grip handles. The climber provides a low impact but high intensity workout every session. If space is at a premium, it’s easy to fold the climber and store it in a corner until your next training session.

Features:

Low-impact comprehensive aerobic/anaerobic workout
Excellent aerobic workout to burn calories and fat
Low impact muscle toning
Durable steel construction
Folds for easy storage

Alright, the climber arrived even a tick earlier than predicted. FEDEX put in on the porch out of the rain. The box was relatively unscathed and had the usual road grime and handling marks. There was only one small puncture that did not affect the contents.

On opening, I could see that some settling had occurred. Two of the foam shipping blocks showed evidence of one or more solid stops somewhere between the manufacturer and me. One of the tabs for connecting the large base to the main frame was bent. A few taps with a hammer finessed an adequate flat.

The parts list did not exactly match what was provided - three small pull rings and one large. Other reviewers noted the same. This proved minor and is not an issue (from what I can tell, all of the pull rings could be the same size).

The IKEA style assembly instructions were sufficient although I suggest laying things out on the floor to orient before beginning. You may have to wrestle the cable over the pulley but it’s more a logical effort than one of strength – let one sliding piece go up a bit and you will have the slack required to slip the cable into place. Keep this in mind when you move the climber (and you will have to move it even if you built in place).

Should you use the provided “tools” ala IKEA, you might find assembly tedious. While the provided tools will work, and I appreciate their inclusion, I’ve done similar assembly enough to know what can happen. As I am retired and have soft hands, I used my own tools. Thus, there were no pinches or abrasions as most assuredly would have occurred while tightening nyloc nuts with a short, punched wrench.

Assembly complete, I noted a difference between what I have and what is illustrated in the accompanying literature. The cover shows the completed item. On the cover the rear frame is missing a lug to retain the connecting bar when folded. In other illustrations this lug is prominent. This may have been due to other versions but the difference does not affect the end use.

This missing lug will have an effect should I have to move the climber again but the unit will not fold flat even if the lug had been there. My plan was to stage the unit against a wall out of the way but I’ll just leave it in place for now. Moving the unit is awkward but not difficult.

My first impression using the climber was not favorable. An illustration showing correct body and arm positions would have been helpful. I adjusted the upper bars a couple of times and settled for one that accommodated me best – one arm extended, the other to an L shape. The first couple of cycles bottomed the pedals against the base but that smooths out after a few repetitions and experience. Another reviewer added some foam at the base for this reason.

Second impression: Better. After some time on the climber I could tell there would be more aerobic effect than first imagined and I broke sweat in fairly short order. I felt it most in the lower ends of the lats and top of the traps [latissimus dorsi and trapezius muscles] and less so anywhere else, more effort was required than in the first attempts. With additional use I felt it in the inside of my knees [vastus medialus, I think...]. As some wag remarked, "Your mileage may vary."