The Bowflex TreadClimber -- which occasionally appears with the logo of Bowflex's parent company, Nautlius -- is a hybrid between a treadmill and a stair stepper. The treadbelt is divided straight down the middle, so each foot has its own independent, half-size treadmill called a treadle. The TreadClimber provides all the benefits you'd get from any other cardio machine, along with a few pros befitting its unusual design.
Aerobic Exercise
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults should get 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise every week, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise. That works out to 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days, or 15 minutes of vigorous exercise. Just stepping onto the TreadClimber doesn't automatically provide the benefits of regular aerobic exercise, but if you use it regularly and with intensity, you will reap the benefits: Reduced risk of diseases that include type 2 diabetes or stroke; a stronger heart, lower LDL cholesterol and a stronger immune system.
Versatility
The Bowflex TreadClimber has three operating modes: Treadmill mode, in which the two independent treadles sync to act as if you were walking on a normal treadmill; stair stepper mode, in which the treadle belts don't run, but the treadles move up and down like stair-stepper pedals; and a so-called elliptical or TreadClimber mode, in which both features operate at once. The treadles move up and down like stair-stepper pedals and the treadle belts run at the same time. The end result is rather like walking in wet sand, and can take some getting used to. Bottom line: With so many workout options in a single machine, the TreadClimber might keep you interested longer than a less-versatile machine.
Weight Loss
How many calories you burn while using the TreadClimber varies according to a number of factors, including how long and hard you work out, how much you weigh, and how much of that body weight is muscle. According to Harvard Health Publications, if you weigh 185 lbs. you can burn more than 500 calories per hour on a stair stepper, and 400 mph at a brisk 4-mph walk, the top speed for the middle-of-the-line TC5000 TreadClimber when in treadmill mode. If your TreadClimber model allows you to lock the treadles in "treadmill mode" at an incline, you will burn even more calories walking at the same speed. Those calories burned translate to weight lost; for every 3,500 calories you burn more than you take in, you lose about 1 lb. of body fat.
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