Flying Through the Air with the Greatest of Ease?

Before we take a look at a study done on the Fitness Flyer and Airofit machines, I’ll add my two cents worth. I must admit, when I climbed into one of these flying machines, it was kind of fun. After the novelty wore off, I got down to the business of working out. At first, I found myself feeling a bit shaky, as the momentum of the hand levers and foot pedals increased in speed. The machine felt a bit wobbly and I began wondering if there were some sort of seat belt on the thing. After 30 minutes using different strides and placing my hands at high and low levels on the hand levers, I had worked up a mild sweat, but didn’t feel as though I’d thoroughly worked out. It felt like the momentum of the machine did most of the work for me.

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) commissioned a study by California State University, Northridge on the Fitness Flyer and Airofit machines, here’s a summary of what they found:

Both of the machines simulate the motion of a cross-country ski machine while the foot pedals are suspended from the frame and glide back and forth in opposition to the arm levers. Seven moderately fit men tested the machines performing the fundamental movements described by the manufacturers. Variations at 120 beats per minute included high and low resistance (on the Fitness Flyer), high and low hand placement, short and long strides, and leaning forward and backward (on the Airofit).

Results indicated that the long stride used significantly more calories per minute than the short stride on both machines. The Fitness Flyer has resistance settings and when set on high, there was an increase in the number of calories used over no resistance on the Fitness Flyer. However, even with the Fitness Flyer’s resistance set on high, there was virtually no difference between the two machines. This suggests that both the Fitness Flyer and Airofit would produce the same aerobic intensity at peak levels.

Neither manufacturer of the equipment make claims that their machines will improve muscular strength, just muscular tone. All the test subjects reported upper-body muscle recruitment during the forward and backward lean on the Airofit machine. The degree of upper body muscle recruitment on the Airofit was dependent on the subject’s height and size because the foot pedals and arm levers are not adjustable to accommodate height differences. Both the Fitness Flyer and Airofit machines worked the muscles at the hip and the front and back of the thighs.

The study leads ACE to the conclusion that "these machines are best suited for improving muscular endurance, not strength." In addition, "an already-regular exerciser with a goal to increase their aerobic capacity will most likely be limited by the Airofit and Fitness Flyer."

If you’d like to read the full study on the Fitness Flyer and Airofit machines, contact the American Council on Exercise at http://www.acefitness.org/. Request a copy of FitnessMatters, Vol. 3, No.3.