Want a brutal cardio workout that also works your upper body? The French Fitness ski exercise machine delivers right from your home gym.
This SkiErg alternative mimics the motion of Nordic skiing using air resistance and trust me when I tell you that it torches your lats, arms, core, and lungs!
It’s excellent for fat loss and conditioning and a low impact way to get an intense workout without pounding your joints.
But is it worth adding to your garage gym? Let’s find out!
Unboxing
Table of Contents
- 1 Unboxing
- 2 Specs
- 3 What Is The French Fitness Ski Exercise Machine?
- 4 Who Is The French Fitness Ski Exercise Machine Best For?
- 5 Top Benefits Of The French Fitness Ski Exercise Machine
- 6 Best Features Of The French Fitness Ski Exercise Machine
- 7 French Fitness Ski Exercise Machine Pros & Cons
- 8 French Fitness Ski Exercise Machine Price
- 9 French Fitness Discount Code
- 10 French Fitness Ski Exercise Machine Alternatives
- 11 My Hands-On Experience With The French Fitness Ski Exercise Machine
- 12 Final Verdict: Is The French Fitness Ski Exercise Machine Worth It?
- 13 FAQ: French Fitness Ski Exercise Machine
- 14 French Fitness Ski Exercise Machine
This is one of the easiest builds I’ve ever put together when it comes to fitness equipment.
It’s basically a flywheel connected to a tower with handles on top.
And a base that stabilizes the vertical pieces.
This can also be mounted to a wall for stability but since I have the floor stand, I don’t need to mount it.
Specs
- Dimensions: 51.9″L x 23.6″W x 84.2″H
- Resistance: Air resistance
- Flywheel & damper: 10 air resistance settings
- Display: Tracks speed, time, distance, and calories
- Floor stand: Made out of wood, lined with grip tape
- Handles: Ergonomic with bottom hand support
- Warranty: Frame (lifetime), parts (10 years), labor (1 year)
What Is The French Fitness Ski Exercise Machine?
The French Fitness Ski exercise machine is a cardio machine that replicates cross country skiing.
There’s two handles at the top that I pull down and back to mimic the double pole pushing motion skiers use.
These handles are connected to a flywheel with air resistance so the harder I pull, the harder the resistance gets.
Unlike most lower body dominant cardio machines, I’m using my upper body to work on explosiveness, core stability, and conditioning at the same time.
ALSO CHECKOUT: Another one of my favorite low impact machines is the Assault Bike Pro X
Who Is The French Fitness Ski Exercise Machine Best For?
✅ Ideal For
- Home gym owners looking for high intensity cardio
- People who prefer low impact exercise that’s easy on the joints
- CrossFit and Hyrox athletes
- Athletes with lower body injuries who want to maintain conditioning
- Those who train for fat loss and like HIIT training
❌ Not For
- Basement gyms with low ceilings
- People with severe shoulder injuries or shoulder mobility issues
- Those looking for lower body dominant cardio equipment (treadmill, bikes)
Top Benefits Of The French Fitness Ski Exercise Machine
Compact Footprint
Don’t get me wrong, this machine is not small but most of its size is vertical so it doesn’t take up much floor space.
The floor stand is a little over 4 feet long which is smaller than most treadmills I’ve had in my garage gym.
The floor stand is made out of wood and connects to the tower with two metal poles for stability.
I like that the stand is lined with tape because this workout makes me sweat like crazy, so I can see my clumsy self slipping on a bare piece of wood.
On the back, there’s a pair of wheels that make it easy to move around.
The machine weighs 119 lbs but using the wheels makes it feel like 20 lbs.
Conditioning
If you thought you needed your legs to get a great cardio workout, you’re wrong!
The lung burn I get from just pulling my arms down against air resistance is intense.
And that’s because this gets my entire body involved. Lats, core, arms, and hips are all firing at the same time.
Sometimes I do it one arm at a time. I can’t go as intense as doing it two-handed but I can really feel my core working.
Stable
The floor stand works surprisingly well to stabilize the entire unit.
And trust me I’ve pulled hard and out of control on purpose to see if it would wobble but it doesn’t.
If I wanted to, I could remove the floor stand and mount the ski machine to my wall.
There’s a couple holes on the metal piece at the top where I screw on a bracket and mount it on the wall.
I prefer having the wheels so I can move the unit around.
Low Impact
I don’t like running because I get bored quickly and because of the pounding my knees and ankles take.
The ski machine gets my heart rate going fast and my joints don’t scream at me afterwards.
RELATED: Polar H10 Heart Rate Sensor Review
Best Features Of The French Fitness Ski Exercise Machine
Flywheel With Adjustable Resistance Damper
The ski machine gives me resistance through a flywheel so it has blades that move through air.
It’s similar to how a rowing machine works but I’m working out vertically not horizontally.
On the front of the flywheel, there’s a damper that lets me control how much air I let into it.
It’s numbered 1 through 10 with 10 being the most air I let in.
What’s unique about using air resistance is that the harder I pull the handles, the tougher the workout gets.
So the workout is based on my effort level. To put it in simple terms, I’ll never outgrow this machine.
Ergonomic Handles
The handles look like duck feet and are easy to hold on to.
My palm rests on the handle pinky side down so I don’t need to grip it tightly to make it work.
Each handle automatically retracts to the top so there’s no resistance on the way up, just on the downward pull.
Remember, this mimics cross country skiing so there’s no need for resistance on the way up.
And believe me, that’s all you need to get a kick ass workout!
Pulley & Cord System
Both handles have 180 degrees of side to side movement so regardless of how I move my arms, the motion is unrestricted.
The cords are braided and travel from the pulleys all the way down to the flywheel.
And each cord works independently so I can works both arms at the same time or pull each one at a time.
I find that when I do the alternating technique it really hits the sides of my core.
Performance Monitor
The monitor tracks time, distance, strokes, and calories burned.
Most of the time, I just start “skiing” and do it until I’m gassed but the machine also has built-in interval programs that you can follow.
French Fitness Ski Exercise Machine Pros & Cons
Pros
- Small footprint: Doesn’t take up a lot of space since most of the machine is vertical
- Conditioning: Great for HIIT and endurance training
- Joint friendly: Super low impact workout that can be done by most people
- Calorie scorcher: This burns A LOT of calories in a short amount of time
- Adaptable: The machine matches my intensity level so the harder I go, the more tortorous the workout gets
- Stability: Extremely stable even when going really hard
Cons
- Cost: Ski machines are specialized and come with a big investment and it’s the same with all brands that sell them
- Technique: Requires a little bit of a learning curve to learn the technique but it’s not hard to learn
- Height: May not be a good fit for people with short ceilings
French Fitness Ski Exercise Machine Price
The French Fitness ski machine is priced competitively based on similar machines in the market (most are priced around $1000)
So I’m not shocked when I see the $1099 price point especially since it’s commercial grade quality.
Plus it comes with a lifetime warranty on the frame and 10 years on parts.
French Fitness Discount Code
And you know whenever I can, I hook my readers up with discounts…
So I’m gonna show you how to get a 5% discount so you don’t pay full price.
Just click the red button below to reveal the most up to date French Fitness coupon code…
French Fitness Ski Exercise Machine Alternatives
Concept2 SkiErg
Concept2 SkiErg is the gold standard when it comes to skiing machines.
They’re made in American and they’ve made a name for themselves when it comes to quality and tracking.
It comes with a limited 5 year warranty on the frame parts and 2 year warranty on other parts.
Torque Relentless Ripper
The Torque Relentless Ripper mounts to walls or weight racks so it doesn’t take up any floor space.
Instead of a flywheel with air resistance, it has 10 levels of magnetic resistance.
It comes with a digital monitor to track progress.
Rogue Echo SKI
The Rogue Echo Ski can be attached directly to a weight rack or be used independently with a floor stand.
Rogue made this one with overbuilt turf tires to move it around anywhere.
If you’re interested in the rack attachment, it uses a quick release lever so it’s not time consuming and not permanent like wall attached machines.
My Hands-On Experience With The French Fitness Ski Exercise Machine
This thing is brutal.
Seems like it would be easy but after going at it for 30 seconds, I’m gasping for air… every single time.
Unlike running, it’s super low impact and doesn’t cause me any joint pain once I’m done or the next day.
And the best part about it, is that I’ll never outgrow it because the harder I go at it, the harder it gets.
Final Verdict: Is The French Fitness Ski Exercise Machine Worth It?
Yes, it’s worth it for the person looking for:
- High intensity conditioning
- Low impact cardio
- Upper body endurance training
- A compact cardio machine
But if you prefer doing cardio where your legs are moving, a bike, treadmill, or rowing machine may be a better fit.
The bottom line is that the French Fitness ski exercise machine delivers a brutal cardio workout and upper body endurance training while taking up very little space so it’s a great addition for a home gym.
FAQ: French Fitness Ski Exercise Machine
What muscles does the French Fitness ski machine work?
It his the lats, triceps, shoulders, core, and the legs assist with stability.
Are ski exercise machines better than a rowing machine?x
Neither one is better than the other, they have different purposes. A rowing machine is leg driven and involves the upper body too. And in my experience, requires better technique than the ski machine so you don’t hurt your lower back. The ski machine is more about core endurance and upper body pulling endurance.
Can beginners use a ski exercise machine?
Yes. Good thing about the ski exercise machine is that it’s driven by the user. I can start easy to perfect my technique and as I get better, I can go hard and the machine matches my intensity.
Is this good exercise for fat loss?
Yes. It’s a high intensity workout so it’s going to burn lots of calories.
Is air resistance better than magnetic resistance?
Air resistance adjusts automatically to your effort level so it’s more responsive to your workout. Magnetic resistance is less dynamic but it is quieter than a flywheel.
French Fitness Ski Exercise Machine
Shredded Dad is a home gym equipment reviewer and fitness equipment expert specializing in hands-on testing of strength and conditioning equipment.
His work has been featured by leading fitness brands and quoted by major media outlets including Yahoo Health, GQ, AskMen, LifeWire, Wales Online, and others.
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