Tectrix Personal Climber User manual
Personal Climber
Owner’s Manual
Tectrix Fitness Equipment
68 Fairbanks
Irvine, California 92618
(800) 767-8082
(714) 380-8082
© 1997 Tectrix Fitness Equipment
Important Safety Instructions: Read and Save
1. Read all instructions before using this equipment.
2. DANGER: DISCONNECT FROM SUPPLY CIRCUIT BEFORE OPENING.
AVERTISSEMENT: DECONNECTEUR DU CIRCUIT D’ALIMENTATION AVANT D’OURVRIR.
3. Unplug all electrical appliances before cleaning and after use.
4. Close supervision is necessary when this equipment is used by or near children or disabled persons.
5. Use this equipment for the intended use as described in this manual.
6. Never operate equipment that has a damaged power cord or plug.
7. Never drop or insert any object into any opening on this equipment.
8. Do not use outdoors.
9. To disconnect, switch off power switch (just above power cord plug), then remove plug from outlet.
In the presence of power line “noise” such as fast transients, the equipment may require that power be
switched off and then back on again, to resume normal operation.
IMPORTANT GROUNDING INSTRUCTIONS
Warning:
Connect This Equipment to a Properly Grounded Outlet
ATTENTION -
BRANCHER CET EQUIPMENT UNE PRISE CORRECTEMENT RELIEÉ À LA TERRE
This equipment is for use only on a nominal 120-volt circuit and has a grounding outlet that looks like the
outlet illustrated in Figure A, below. This equipment must be grounded. No adapter should be used. It has
been supplied with a cord having an equipment grounding conductor and plug. This plug must be plugged
only into a properly installed grounded outlet. Failure to do so can result in the risk of electrical shock. Do
not modify the plug provided with this product—if it does not fit, have a qualified electrician install the
proper style outlet.
FIGURE A - Grounded Outlet
Parts of Personal Climber are covered by U.S. patent numbers: 4,938,474 and 4,949,993.
Tectrix is a registered trademark of Tectrix Fitness Equipment, Irvine California.
Personal Climber Owner’s Manual
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION 1
About This Book 1
CHAPTER 2 - ASSEMBLY AND SETUP 3
Assembly Overview 3
Unpacking the Personal Climber 3
Parts List 3
Assembling the Personal Climber 5
Leveling the Personal Climber 8
Plugging in the Personal Climber 8
Setting Options 8
Drive Cable Maintenance 9
CHAPTER 3 - LET’S CLIMB 11
Overview 11
Before You Start 11
Your Workout 12
Manual Mode 12
Using the Preset Programs 13
Step and Go Operation 14
The Workout Display 15
Workout Summary 16
CHAPTER 4 - ADVANCED WORKOUTS 17
Setting a Calorie Goal 17
Solo Racing 18
Fitness Test 18
Custom Program 20
Designing a Custom Program 20
Using a Custom Program 20
CHAPTER 5 - THE HEART RATE PROGRAM 23
CHAPTER 6 - TESTING THE PERSONAL CLIMBER 25
APPENDIX A - CLIMBER LEVEL TO SPEED CONVERSION 27
APPENDIX B - SPEED AND ENERGY CONVERSIONS 29
CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the Tectrix Personal Climber, the perfect climber for your home. Personal Climber’s
durability, ease of use, and flexible programming make it ideal for almost everyone’s home
exercise needs.
The Personal Climber’s features include:
•Simple to Use: Personal Climber’s console leads you through the simple steps to start a
workout. Or, just step on and start climbing.
•Continuous Performance Monitoring: The convenient, easy-to-read console shows the
progress of your workout—vertical speed, calories burned, and more.
•Built-in Workout Profiles: Three standard workouts offer combinations of calorie burning,
strength training, and endurance training to satisfy almost everyone.
•Calorie Goals: Tell Personal Climber how long you want to work out and how many
calories you want to burn, and it will set the optimum speed for you.
•Programmable: If you want a specific workout profile that’s not included in the standard
set, you can create your own.
•Optional Heart Rate Program: With its optional heart rate monitor, Personal Climber can
program a workout to reach and keep you at your optimal heart rate.
•Setup Mode: You can change Personal Climber’s display to match the way you want to
operate.
So, the Personal Climber is ideal for you, whatever fitness category you fit into:
•If you’ve never used a climber before, start with manual mode, setting the speed to match
what you’re capable of.
•You can push yourself by using the standard programs to increase strength and endurance.
•If you’re an advanced athlete and know your abilities and needs, you can custom-tailor the
exact workout you want.
About This Book
This book is for you, the Personal Climber owner. It contains assembly and setup information plus
complete details on using Personal Climber for your regular workout.
Besides this introduction, this book contains:
Chapter 2 - Assembly and Setup
Everything about getting the Personal Climber ready to use, from taking it out of its shipping crate
to setting its operation options.
Page 2Chapter 1 - Introduction
Chapter 3 - Let’s Climb
How to use the Personal Climber. Starting a workout, choosing a program, the console display,
and more.
Chapter 4 - Advanced Workouts
Using the calorie goal, racing, fitness test, and custom workout features.
Chapter 5 - The Heart Rate Program
How to use the optional heart rate control program.
Chapter 6 - Testing
How to make sure your Personal Climber is operating properly.
Appendix A
How Personal Climber’s level settings translate into climbing speeds.
Appendix B
Speed and energy conversion chart.
CHAPTER 2 - ASSEMBLY AND SETUP
This chapter describes how to unpack and assemble your Personal Climber, and how to use setup
mode to configure the climber for your situation.
Assembly Overview
It’s easy to assemble the Personal Climber—it will probably take about 30 minutes. You need
these common tools:
•3/16” Allen Wrench
•7/16” wrench or socket wrench and ratchet
•1/2” wrench
Here’s an overview of the steps in the assembly:
1. Unpack the Personal Climber and make sure you have all the parts.
2. Follow the detailed instructions to assemble the Personal Climber.
3. Place the Personal Climber where it will be used and level it.
4. Plug in the power cord.
Unpacking the Personal Climber
Use the 7/16”or ½” socket or wrench to remove the clamps and screws or tie straps holding the
chassis base to the pallet. Remove all parts from the shipping carton. Make sure you have all the
parts by checking against the parts list.
CAUTION: Do not stand the display console upright tube on its end! Lay it flat instead.
Standing it on end could damage the display ribbon cable.
Parts List
Your Personal Climber includes these parts:
Description Qty Part Number Item #
Base Unit 170310W or 70310B 1
Left Foot Assembly 1 70056 2
Right Foot Assembly 1 70057 3
Front Foot Assembly 1 70058 4
Display Upright Assembly 1 70360 5
Left Handrail 161089 or 61119 6
Right Handrail 161090 or 61120 7
Configuration Kit 1varies by country --
Hardware Kit 1 70362 --
Page 4Chapter 2 - Assembly and Setup
The Hardware Kit for the Personal Climber contains:
Description Qty Part Number Item #
5/16” x 2” Screw 4 41011 8
5/16” x 2.25” Screw 3 41050 9
5/16” Split Washer 7 43042 10
5/16” Nyloc Nut 3 42033 11
5/16” x 2.5” Button Cap Screw 2 41138 --
Bracket, Handrail Clamp 1 52078 12
#10 x 3/4” Phillips-head Screw 9 41009 --
The console and related materials for the Personal Climber are packed in the Configuration Kit
included with the unit. This box contains:
Description Qty Part Number
Warranty Card 1 03006
Owner’s Manual 1 03005
Service Manual 1 03071
Power Cord 1Varies with country (14007 for USA)
Personal Climber Display
Console 1Varies with language
Personal Climber Owner’s Manual Page 5
Assembling the Personal Climber
Attach the Feet to the Base
Carefully turn the base (1) upside down. Attach the left (2) and right (3) feet using three of the
5/16” by 2.25” screws (9) and washers (10), and one 5/16” nut (11). Attach the front foot using
two of the 5/16” by 2” screws (8) and washers (10). See Figure 1. Roll the base onto its feet.
Figure 1 - Attaching the Feet
Page 6Chapter 2 - Assembly and Setup
Attach the Display Upright
Attach the display
upright (5) to the
base (1) using two
5/16” by 2” screws
(8) and washers (10)
as shown in Figure
2. Be sure the ribbon
cable goes through
the slot, as shown,
and the display
console backplate is
facing toward the
base. Finger tighten
the screws; you will
finish tightening
them with a wrench
later, after installing
the handrails.
Attach the Display Console to the Display Upright
Remove the display console from the configuration kit. Attach the display ribbon cable from the
display upright to the connector on the back of the console. Make sure it fastens securely.
Attach the display console to the console backplate using four of the #10 Phillips-head screws.
Figure 2 - Attaching the Display Upright
Personal Climber Owner’s Manual Page 7
Attach the Handrails
Slip the left (6) and right (7) handrails over the plugs on the top of the rear feet. They will probably
fit tightly; if necessary, use a spray cleaner as a lubricant. Rotate the handrails into the clamp
bracket at the top of the display console upright (5). Slip the handrail clamp bracket (12) behind
the handrails, as shown in Figure 3. Line up the holes and attach the bracket and handrails to the
display upright using two 5/16” by 2” screws (8) and nuts (11).
You should now use a wrench to finish tightening the screws at the bottom of the display console
upright. See Figure 2.
Attach the Optional Water Bottle Holder
If you have the optional water bottle holder, attach it to the console back plate using three #10
Phillips-head screws.
Important: If you don’t use the water bottle holder, you must still put the three screws in the open
holes to protect the electronics on the back of the console from the environment.
Figure 3 - Attaching the Handrails
Page 8Chapter 2 - Assembly and Setup
Plug in the Display Cable
Lay the Personal Climber on its right side. Take the lower end of the display ribbon cable (the one
you routed through the slot in the base when attaching the display upright). Fold around the motor
and plug it into the connector on the power board.
Leveling the Personal Climber
Move the climber to where you’ll use it. Press on either side of the front foot to see if you can rock
it from side to side. If you can, or if it is not level, raise or lower the glides on the front foot until
the climber is stable. Then, tighten the lock nuts on the front foot.
Plugging in the Personal Climber
The Personal Climber has both power in and power out sockets. You can plug a Personal Climber
into either a wall outlet or the power out socket on another Personal Climber. Using the correct
cord, plug one end into the “in” socket and the other end into the wall or another Personal Climber.
If you have daisy-chain power cords, you can connect up to 10 climbers using the same 10 amp
outlet.
Setting Options
Personal Climber offers an easy-to-access setup menu to let you match the climber’s display and
options to your needs. To set the options:
1. Enter Setup Mode by turning the climber off, then holding down the Switch Display key
while turning it back on.
2. For each of the following settings, use the up and down arrows to choose the value you
want, then press Enter to move on to the next option.
•Full Setup or Step and Go: If you choose “Step and Go,” you can get on the
Personal Climber and start climbing, without entering any workout information. The
default is “Full Setup.”
When you choose “step and go” operation, the Personal Climber
automatically uses the settings from your last workout. You can override
these with new choices if you want.
•Beep On or Off: Should the console keys beep when pressed? Choose On or Off.
•USA Readout or International (“Intl”): The USA readout uses feet for distance and
pounds for weight. The International readout uses meters and kilos.
3. When you’re done setting options, press the Clear key twice to save your settings and
leave setup mode.
If you decide not to change the settings, turn the climber off without leaving setup mode.
All settings keep their previous values.
Personal Climber Owner’s Manual Page 9
Drive Cable Maintenance
With proper maintenance, your Tectrix Personal Climber will provide you with years of trouble-
free exercise. Routine maintenance is essential to not only preserve the life of the equipment, but
also to avoid any possibility of personal injury. Particular attention should be given to the condition
of the Personal Climber drive cables. These cables will eventually wear out. We recommend drive
cables be inspected regularly for signs of wear and replaced every 6 to 8 months with Tectrix-
supplied replacement cables. Failure to perform drive cable maintenance procedures could lead
to cable damage and serious injury.
CHAPTER 3 - LET’S CLIMB
So far, we’ve discussed what you need to do to get the Personal Climber ready to use. This chapter
describes how to use it: what each member of your family can do to get the most out of his or her
Personal Climber workouts.
Overview
This is how you work out on Personal Climber:
1. Get on.
2. Set how long you want to work out.
3. Set your weight.
4. Select manual mode, a preset program, or one of the advanced workouts.
5. If you want, adjust the climbing speed.
6. Start climbing!
During your workout, watch your progress on the console; you can change your climbing speed at
any time. When you’re done, Personal Climber shows the total statistics for your workout.
This chapter tells you more about manual mode, the preset programs, “step and go” operation, and
the Personal Climber workout display. Advanced workout options are described in Chapter 4; the
heart rate control program is covered in Chapter 5. The heart rate control program is available only
if you have the optional heart rate monitor.
Before You Start
To get the most out of a Personal Climber workout, be sure to follow these general exercise rules:
•Check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program.
•Wear comfortable workout clothing.
•Drink plenty of water or other fluids before, during, and after exercising.
•Stay loose and relaxed while working out.
•Maintain a balanced, upright posture while climbing.
•If you start to hurt, stop climbing.
Page 12 Chapter 3 - Let’s Climb
When climbing, you should have a smooth, stair-climbing action. The pedals should not hit the
floor at the bottom of each stroke, or their upper limit at the top of the stroke. If they do, either
climb faster or adjust the Personal Climber’s speed setting as described later in this chapter. Find a
speed and technique that’s comfortable for you; this could be short, quick steps or long slow steps.
Many people prefer to climb at the top of the stroke, keeping the pedals high without hitting the
upper stop.
Use the handrails only for balance; putting your weight on your arms keeps you from getting the
full benefit of your workout.
Your Workout
There are two basic ways to use Personal Climber: in manual mode or using one of the preset
workout programs. The following sections tell you how to use each of these modes, as well as how
to use the Personal Climber’s “step and go” feature.
Personal Climber’s advanced workout options are described in Chapter 4, and the heart rate
control program is covered in Chapter 5.
Manual Mode
In manual mode, you tell Personal Climber how long you want to climb; you can adjust your
climbing speed at any time during the workout. Follow these steps:
1. Get on your Personal Climber.
If your Personal Climber is set for “step and go” operation, press the Manual key
before you get on Personal Climber, set the length and weight as described, then start
climbing.
2. The display will show the length of your last workout in the “Speed” field, and the light
next to “Time” at the right of the console will flash. You can change the workout length
using the up and down arrow keys. Press Enter.
1. The light next to
“Weight” now flashes,
and the console shows the
last weight entered. You
can use the arrow keys to
change this to your
correct weight. The
Personal Climber uses
this to calculate how
many calories you burn
during your workout, so
be sure to allow for your
clothing and shoes. In general, add about five pounds to your base weight to get an
accurate reading. Press Enter.
Personal Climber Owner’s Manual Page 13
2. The light next to “Program” now flashes. Press the Manual program key.
3. Start climbing! If the speed is too fast or slow, press the up or down arrow key to adjust it
until you’re comfortable.
While you’re climbing, the console shows your progress and statistics about your workout. For
details about these displays, see the section “The Workout Display,” later in this chapter.
You can raise or lower your climbing speed at any time by pressing the up and down arrows. Pick
a speed that gives you a comfortable workout without causing pain. If you feel like you’re straining
to keep up, decrease the level until you can match it easily.
You can also change from manual mode to one of the programmed workouts during your
workout. Just press the key for the program you want, then follow the instructions later in
this chapter.
If you need to pause during a workout, the climber will remember your workout information. To
reset the climber so you can start a new workout, press Clear twice.
When you finish, you see a workout summary giving the total distance you climbed, calories
burned, and more. See “The Workout Display,” later in this chapter, for a description.
Using the Preset Programs
Personal Climber includes three basic workout profiles you can choose from. These profiles vary
the climber speed at set intervals to maximize either fat burning, strength training, or endurance
building.
The graphs on the program keys show a “profile” of each workout. The higher bars indicate faster
climbing. Each program begins with a warm-up and ends with a cool-down period; as you can see,
the middle sections vary according to the type of workout.
1. Get on the Personal Climber.
If your Personal Climber is set for “step and go” operation, press one of the program
keys before you get on Personal Climber, set the length and weight as described, then
start climbing.
2. The display will show the length of your last workout in the “Speed” field, and the light
next to “Time” at the right of the console will flash. You can change the workout length
using the up and down arrow keys. Press Enter.
When you change the length of a program, Personal Climber intelligently adjust the
program’s profile to match your setting. For the fat burning and strength programs, it adds
or removes repetitions of the center section; for the endurance program, it increases or
decreases the length of the center section. The warm-up and cool-down periods stay the
same. If you set the workout length to five minutes, you’ll do just the warm-up and cool-
down.
Page 14 Chapter 3 - Let’s Climb
1. The light next to “Weight” now flashes, and the console shows the last weight entered.
You can use the arrow keys to change this to your correct weight. The Personal Climber
uses this to calculate how many calories you burn during your workout, so be sure to
allow for your clothing and shoes. In general, add about five pounds to your base weight to
get an accurate reading.
Press Enter.
2. The light next to
“Program” now flashes.
Press the key for the
program you want.
3. Start climbing!
While you’re climbing, the console shows your progress and statistics about your workout. For
details about these displays, see the section “The Workout Display,” later in this chapter.
The Personal Climber starts at the default level for the program. You can raise or lower the level
while you’re climbing. This adjusts the entire program up or down the same number of levels. If
you’re interested in exactly how the level settings translate to vertical speed, see Appendix A. Pick
a setting that gives you a comfortable workout without causing pain at the hardest parts of the
program. If you feel like you’re straining to keep up, decrease the level until you can match it
easily.
If you need to pause during a workout, the climber will remember your workout information. To
reset the climber so you can start a new workout, press Clear twice.
When you finish, you see a workout summary giving the total distance you climbed, calories
burned, and more. See “The Workout Display,” below, for a description.
Step and Go Operation
If you are the only person who uses your Personal Climber, and you generally use the same
workout information, you may want to set the climber for “step and go” operation. When a climber
is set to step and go, you just get on and start climbing—the Personal Climber automatically
remembers your workout length, weight, and type of workout (manual or program) from your
previous session.
You can set your Personal Climber to step and go operation in Setup Mode, as described
in Chapter 2.
In step and go operation, the Personal Climber still asks you to confirm your target heart rate when
you’re using the heart rate program (see Chapter 5), and asks you for the pacer speed for an
individual race (see Chapter 4).
Personal Climber Owner’s Manual Page 15
To change your workout type or other information while the climber is set to step and go, press the
key for the workout type before you get on the Personal Climber. It will then prompt you for the
rest of the workout information.
The Workout Display
During your workout, the Personal Climber console keeps you continuously updated about your
progress. The Progress Indicators at the top of the console and the Workout Graph in the middle
give you different views of your workout.
•The three Progress Indicators show six categories of information. At the beginning of a
workout the three top categories are shown. Pressing the Switch Display button at the
right of the fields switches between categories; the lights over and under each field indicate
which information is currently displayed. If you hold down Switch Display for half a
second, the fields will alternate between categories every five seconds.
The top three categories are:
Elapsed Time How long you’ve climbed so far.
Calories Burned The number of calories you’ve burned in this workout.
This is based on the distance you’ve climbed and the
weight you entered at the start of the workout. If you
don’t enter an accurate weight, the calorie number will not
be correct.
Speed Your current vertical speed in feet per minute or meters
per minute. If your speed doesn’t look very impressive,
remember that each foot of climb is roughly equal to ten
feet of running distance.
Page 16 Chapter 3 - Let’s Climb
The three bottom categories are:
Heart Rate or Level If you have the heart rate monitor option, this is your
current heart rate in beats per minute. Without a heart
rate monitor, this shows the level setting for the climber.
In manual mode, this is your vertical speed; in a program,
this is the base setting for the program—your climbing
speed depends on where you are in the program.
Distance Climbed In feet or meters. Each foot of climb is roughly equivalent
to ten feet of running over level ground.
Calories/Hour How fast you’re burning calories—the number of calories
you’ll burn in an hour-long workout if you maintain your
current pace for the entire time.
•The Workout Graph in the middle of the console uses columns of lights to show the
progress of your workout. In manual mode, each column represents 1/15th of your workout
and shows the highest speed you reached in that period; each light is equal to ten feet per
second.
In a program, the Workout Graph shows a detailed view of the current portion of your
workout: each column of lights represents a 15 second segment, so the entire display
covers 225 seconds (a little under four minutes). The height of the columns shows the
relative speed; the blinking column is where you are right now. As you go through your
workout, the blinking column moves slowly from left to right; when it reaches the right-
most column, your workout is almost over. For example:
nOnnnnnn
nOnnnnnn
nnnnnOnnnnnnn
nnnnnOnnnnnnn
nnnnnnnOnnnnnnn
nnnnnnnOnnnnnnn
The blinking column (shown as empty circles) indicates the workout is approximately half
over. The speed will stay the same for the next 90 seconds (six columns), then decrease.
Workout Summary
After your workout, the Progress Indicators show “End,” then alternate between the upper and
lower sets of values (described above), so you can see the totals for your workout. The values will
display for the time-out period set for your Personal Climber, or you can press Clear to clear the
display and start a new workout.
Table of contents
