The New Exercise Machine Everyone's Raving About

Hollywood stars swear by it. The hippest group exercise class in LA uses it for workouts. Even Dsquared2’s got it in its Milan headquarters. Here, our new fitness BFF – the Versaclimber

How do you know a piece of gym equipment is pretty legit? When A-listers rely on it (Emily Blunt and Matt Damon got their badass physiques for their roles in action movies The Edge of Tomorrow and Jason Bourne because of it); when it is the machine that Rise Nation – LA’s coolest and most IG-worthy group fitness outpost right now – endorses for its killer interval-training-style workouts; and when it’s got the stamp of approval from even the fashion set.

Rise Nation's 30-minute Climb & Extreme classes are taught in a nightclub-like studio complete with neon lights that are synchronised with instructors' playlists.

That magical contraption is the Versaclimber, a previously underrated 2m tall vertical climber that is tilted at a gentle 75-degree angle and comes equipped with moveable handgrips and pedals. Why it’s great? It requires no effort to figure out (all you need to do is get on and climb away) and because it is momentum-neutral, your body has to do all the work, which means you get a great cardio fix in the least amount of time. “The Versaclimber burns more calories than anything else out there,” says Rise Nation founder and celebrity trainer Jason Walsh, whose signature 30-minute Climb and Extreme classes are taught in a super hip and unique nightclub-like setting. “It allows greater range of motion, utilising push and pull movements that work the shoulders, torso, hips and legs,” he explains.

The latest to hop on that bandwagon are Dsquared2 founders Dean and Dan Caten (fun fact: the twins are no strangers to Walsh’s classes at Rise Nation), who have specially ordered and flown in Versaclimbers for Ceresio 7, an expansive state-of-the-art gym and spa in the Italian brand’s swanky Milan headquarters. The best part: its doors open to the public this month.

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