Jacobs Ladder

The Jacobs Ladder is one of the most recognizable pieces of cardio equipment in the fitness industry — a non-motorized, self-paced climbing machine invented and patented by Steve Nichols in 1994. Nichols developed the machine after his own knee and back injuries left him searching for a full-body cardio workout that didn't pound his joints, and he named it after the Biblical ladder to heaven. The mechanics are simple but effective: rungs are mounted on a continuous belt angled at roughly 40 degrees, and a waist belt tethers the user to the ladder. Climb faster and the rungs move faster; slow down and the machine slows with you, so workout intensity is entirely self-regulated rather than set by a motor or display.