Toorx ski ergometers

Why choose Toorx ski ergometers?

Toorx is an Italian fitness brand that built its name on machines put together more solidly than their position in the market would suggest. That is exactly what this category needs. A ski ergometer has to deal with an unusual kind of load: you pull from above your head downwards, which means a sharp tug lands on the top of the frame with every stroke, while the machine itself must not rock or creep across the floor. The ski trainers Toorx offers here belong to the Professional line, so they are built for daily use by people of very different strength, not for three sessions a week by one person.

What makes this brand interesting in this category is that it puts two resistance systems side by side. Almost every ski ergometer on the market is purely air braked, and that system has one big advantage: the harder you pull, the more resistance you get, so you never have to adjust a setting and the machine suits a strong and a light user within the same session. Toorx offers that version, but it places a second one next to it in which air and magnetic resistance are combined. With that you can put a base level underneath the air resistance, and that is the difference between a machine that purely mirrors your effort and a machine on which you can hold an agreed load. For anyone working in blocks and intervals, or guiding someone who is building back up after an injury, that is not a detail.

Toorx also has something here that changes the exercise itself: a platform for ski cross. Without the platform you train upright and purely vertically; with it you move sideways while pulling and your hips, glutes and legs join the movement. It is an addition and not a replacement, because the ski trainer remains the machine the pulling comes from. Also take a look at the other fitness equipment from Toorx.

The Toorx ski ergometer range

Three items, and they complement each other rather than being alternatives to each other. This is how it is built up.

• Professional ski trainer with air resistance: the classic version, where a fan wheel moves air and all of the resistance comes from your own pulling power. There is no setting and nothing to adjust during the session: pull harder and it gets heavier, ease off and the resistance drops with you. That makes it suitable for a place where different people use it one after another, because nobody has to change anything.
• Professional ski trainer with air and magnetic resistance: the same standing pull, but with an adjustable base level underneath the air resistance. You decide in advance how heavy the stroke is at minimum, and the air still does its work on top of that. This is the version for dosed training: a fixed load per interval, or deliberately very light during recovery work.
• Platform for ski cross: a raised surface you set up under the trainer that lets you move sideways while you pull. The exercise then reaches further than the upper body: your hips, glutes and legs come into play and your balance is involved too. Intended as an extension to a ski trainer you already own or buy alongside it.
• Professional build rather than home build: all three are designed for intensive use and for users of very different weight and strength. You see it in the frame, in how stable the machine stays during the stroke and in how it holds its ground when someone really hangs into it. You mostly notice it in what does not happen: no creeping, no rattling, no frame that flexes along.
• What you arrange yourself: a ski ergometer rarely arrives alone. A sturdy floor mat keeps the pressure off your floor and dampens the sound reaching the room below, and anyone training in zones wants a heart rate monitor with a chest strap, because your hands move constantly here and a reading through the grip is not an option.

Which Toorx ski ergometer suits you?

With three items the question is not which model is best, but how much grip you want on the resistance and whether you want to widen the movement.

You already have a rowing machine and want something next to it: then this is a genuine addition and not a second version of the same thing. Rowing pulls horizontally and takes most of its power from your legs; skiing pulls vertically and puts the work in your back, shoulders and core. Both work your heart without you landing on anything, so you can alternate them without loading your knees twice. Have a look at the rowing machines you already know for comparison.

You do not want to set anything: take the air braked version. It adapts to your strength by itself, so you step on and go. That is also the better choice if people of very different strength use it one after another at home or at work, because there is no wrong setting left standing.

You train with intervals and heart rate zones: choose the combined air and magnetic version. With a base level underneath you can complete a block at an agreed load instead of the resistance falling away as soon as you tire and start pulling more slowly. That keeps your blocks comparable to each other, which is exactly what zone training needs.

You are putting the machine in a physiotherapy practice or a rehab room: the combined version is the logical choice there too. Recovery work calls for a light load that stays predictable, and that is precisely what a purely air braked machine cannot guarantee, because one over-enthusiastic stroke immediately gives a heavy stroke back. An adjustable base level keeps the build-up in your own hands.

You want your hips and legs involved: then the platform for ski cross belongs in your order. You keep making the same pulling movement, but you step and move sideways with it, so the exercise shifts from upper body to almost the whole body. Do count on needing more clear width around the machine than with a trainer on its own.

You have a sloping roof or a low basement: measure first, and be strict with yourself. This movement starts with your hands above your head, so the clear height above the machine decides whether this category works for you at all. If you are short of height, a machine that keeps you low is the more realistic option and you are better off looking at ellipticals.

What should you look for when buying Toorx ski ergometers?

Clear height above the machine

This is the first practical limit, not the space on the floor. The movement starts with your arms stretched above your head, and the handles have to sit some way higher than your own reach. Stand in the exact spot where the machine will go, stretch your arms up and see what is left, and do that under a sloping roof at the point where you will actually be standing. Measure before you order, because this is the one factor in this category you cannot solve afterwards.

Air braked or air plus magnetic

This is where the real choice sits with Toorx. A purely air braked machine gives resistance in proportion to your own stroke: pulling hard is heavy, pulling lightly is light, and you never have to adjust anything. That is comfortable and it works well for free training and for places with many different users. The combined version adds an adjustable magnetic base underneath, so the stroke stays heavy even when your pace drops. If you mainly want to train freely, take the air braked one; if you work with fixed blocks, a progression plan or recovery after an injury, the combined version is worth it.

Noise, and let us be honest about it

An air braked machine makes noticeably more noise than a magnetically braked elliptical, and that belongs in your decision. You are moving air and you hear it, most of all during a powerful stroke, and it rises and falls with your pace instead of staying a constant hum. In a garage or a commercial space that is a non-issue; in a flat with a sleeping child behind the wall it is not. A sturdy mat from the mats range dampens the vibration reaching the floor, but you will keep hearing the air itself. If you want to train quietly, this is not the machine, and a magnetically braked alternative is frankly the better choice.

Platform or no platform

The platform changes the exercise, so decide on it deliberately and not as an afterthought. Without it you train upright and vertically, with your back, shoulders and core doing the work. With it you move sideways and your hips, glutes and legs come in, which makes the session harder and asks more of your coordination. It is therefore an addition to a ski trainer and not a substitute for one: you cannot train on it without the trainer, and you need extra clear width for it.

Who uses it and how often

A ski ergometer is rarely a first purchase and is usually a machine for a gym, a practice or a serious home gym. That is also where the professional build from Toorx pays for itself: the frame has to absorb the tug at the top and stay planted under users of very different weight, day after day. If several people use it one after another, look at how quickly you can switch users, because that is precisely where the two versions differ.

Our advice: measure the clear height in the spot where the machine will go first, because that decides whether this category is an option for you at all. Then choose on the way you train: if you mostly train freely and by feel, the air braked version is exactly enough, and if you train in blocks, in zones or to a progression plan after an injury, the combined air and magnetic version earns its place because you keep the load in your own hands. Only consider the platform once you know the pulling movement and want to bring your hips and legs in. And count on the noise: put a sturdy mat underneath and do not place the machine against the thinnest wall in the house.

Who are Toorx ski ergometers suitable for?

• The rower who misses upper body work: you are used to pulling horizontally with mainly your legs, and here you pull vertically with mainly your back and shoulders. The two complement each other without you owning the same machine twice.
• Anyone who has to spare their knees: you never land on anything and never absorb an impact, so you can reach a high heart rate without the pounding of running or jumping. For people with knee complaints this is often the only machine on which they can still go genuinely hard.
• The physiotherapy practice or rehab room: with the combined air and magnetic version you can set a light, predictable load and build up step by step. That is finer work than a purely air braked machine allows.
• The gym with changing users: the air braked version needs no setting at all, so a light and a heavy user can follow each other without anyone adjusting a thing. The frame is built for that frequency as well.
• The home gym with a real training room: you have height, you have a floor that can take something and you do not mind noise. Then you get professional build here without being tied to studio prices.
• Anyone who wants to train functionally and widely: with the platform for ski cross the exercise goes sideways and hips, glutes and legs join in. That is interesting for athletes who want to combine coordination and core work in a single movement.

Less suitable if you live in a flat where noise is an issue, or if your room has a sloping roof or a ceiling under two and a half metres. Anyone who mainly wants to load their legs is also looking in the wrong corner here: stair climbers or a regular elliptical make more sense, because a ski ergometer deliberately puts the work above your hips. And if this is your first piece of cardio equipment and you want it to do everything, you are usually wiser starting with a machine you can put anywhere regardless of ceiling height.

Need help choosing?

Would you like to buy a Toorx ski ergometer but are you not quite sure which resistance, which height or which setup suits your space? We are happy to help. You can reach our fitness specialists by phone on +31 85 773 00 57, send an email or visit our fitness store in Volkel, the Netherlands.

Frequently asked questions about Toorx ski ergometers

What is the difference between air braked and air plus magnetic?

With air resistance the counter-pressure comes from air moved by a fan wheel, and it increases with your own power: pulling hard is heavy, pulling lightly is light. You therefore never have to adjust a setting and the machine is immediately right for anyone who steps onto it. In the combined version there is magnetic resistance underneath that you set yourself, so there is a base load that stays in place even when your pace drops. In practice you notice that mostly during intervals and recovery work: you can complete a block at an agreed load instead of the resistance sinking along with your fatigue. If you simply want to train freely, air braked is entirely enough.

How much height do I need?

More than you would think, because the movement starts with your arms stretched above your head and the handles hang higher still. Stand in the spot where the machine will go, reach up and see how much room is left; under a sloping roof do that at the point where you will actually be standing and not in the middle of the room. Floor area is rarely the problem here, clear height almost always is. If you are short of height, choose a machine that keeps your hands low. Measuring before you order saves you a return shipment.

Does a Toorx ski ergometer make a lot of noise?

An air braked machine makes noticeably more noise than a magnetically braked elliptical, and we are not going to dress that up. You are moving air and you hear it as a rushing sound that rises and falls with your pace, loudest during a powerful stroke. In a garage, a shed or a training room that is no problem; in a flat above neighbours or next to a bedroom it can be. A sturdy floor mat dampens the vibration reaching the floor, but the sound of the air itself remains. If quiet is a hard requirement, a magnetically braked machine fits your situation better.

Do I still need this if I already have a rowing machine?

They are two different workouts, so there is more overlap in appearance than in use. Rowing is a horizontal movement in which most of the work comes from your legs and you are seated; skiing is a vertical movement in which you stand and your back, shoulders, core and arms do the work. What they share is that you never land on anything, so you can alternate the two machines without loading your knees extra. For someone who already rows, a ski ergometer is therefore an addition and not a duplicate.

What does the ski cross platform add?

Without the platform you stand still and pull purely vertically, so the work sits above your hips. With it you move sideways while pulling, which brings your hips, glutes and legs into the exercise and involves your balance. It is an addition to a ski trainer and not a replacement: the platform provides no resistance of its own, so you need the trainer with it. Count on some extra clear width as well, because you are no longer moving on a single spot.