• Air walkers, also known as air gliders, are exercise machines that provide a great way to get a full-body, calorie-burning, low-impact aerobic workout at home.
  • Though they might look a little unorthodox, air walkers offer an easy method for keeping fit, even if you only have 10 to 15 minutes a day for exercise.
  • Our top pick, the Sunny Health & Fitness Air Walk Trainer, isn’t just the best overall but also our favorite budget model; it’s smooth, easy to assemble, compact, and economical.

When someone gave me an air walker, I tried it and wondered, how in the world is this exercise? All I’m doing is swinging my feet. After about 10 minutes of nonstop striding, however, I broke a sweat and realized that continuing for another 10 to 20 minutes at a brisk clip would constitute a decent full-body aerobic workout. Air walkers – especially those with built-in resistance – provide low-impact exercise for your leg, arm, and abdominal muscles.

Think of an air walker as the elliptical trainer’s low-tech, less glamorous, space- and money-saving cousin. On an air walker, you keep your legs mostly straight as you move them back and forth (or even side to side on some models) as opposed to bending and straightening them like on an elliptical. Also, air gliders are smaller and more economical, making them convenient, portable home exercise equipment that doesn’t need electricity.

The air walker workout

An air walker is powered by your body’s motion and weight, so you control its speed and your workout’s intensity -the faster, harder, and wider (or higher) you stride, the more intense the workout.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends adults have “at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity.” With the air walker, you’ll get aerobic and weight-bearing exercise – important for bone density – that’s easy on your joints and ears (i.e., quiet enough for watching television, listening to podcasts, etc.).

From experience, I can say that striding on an air walker definitely raises the heart rate, burns calories, tones muscles, stretches legs and hips, engages the core, and tests a person’s balance and coordination. Exercising on an air walker consistently helps you lose weight and strengthen muscles without bulking up.

How to shop for an air walker

  • Size: You want one that accommodates your stride length and weight. Many models fold up for easy storage but if you plan on keeping it set up, make sure it fits your allotted open space.
  • Frame: One that's strong, stable, and durable in build, yet smooth and fluid in motion is ideal.
  • Resistance: Some models come with adjustable levels of resistance while others offer no resistance. My air walker has no built-in resistance but I simply tie TheraBand resistance bands around the moving bars connecting the handles to the pedals in order to create resistance.
  • Versatility: In addition to moving front to back, the foot pedals of some models move side to side for additional exercises.

Air walkers are also fairly low-maintenance. Just check for loose screws and oil the joints occasionally to keep them functioning properly.

As with any health and exercise product, follow the instructions and practice safe use. If you have any health-related concerns, consult a medical professional before using.

Here are the best air walkers:

Updated on 8/14/2020 by Rick Stella: Updated the section on how to shop for an air walker, added links to relevant Insider Reviews fitness coverage, checked the availability of each recommended product, and updated the prices and links where necessary.

The best overall

The Sunny Health & Fitness Air Walk Trainer is not only top-rated, but it's also the best-priced model for striding your way to cardiorespiratory fitness.

Believe it or not, the Sunny Health & Fitness Air Walk Trainer is also the lowest priced model on our list of top picks. Use this budget-friendly yet high-performing equipment to tone your muscles and get a full-body, low-impact cardio-aerobic workout. In addition to exercising your legs and arms, this model works your abdominal muscles as you maintain an upright posture while gliding.

Unlike most air walker models, the Sunny Health & Fitness Air Walker Trainer has a vertically adjustable abdominal pad for support and comfort. The pad is able to be removed for more room, allowing you to instead use your abdominals even more for stability and endurance.

It has a sturdy steel frame, oversized nonslip footpads/pedals, and an LCD monitor that conveniently displays workout information like time, count, total distance, and calories burned. People weighing up to 225 pounds can stretch their calf-, thigh- and gluteal muscles with the 30-inch stride length.

When not being used, the space-saving Sunny Health & Fitness Air Walk Trainer folds down to half its open length (from 29 inches to 15 inches) for a small footprint and easy storage.

This walker offers a smooth, quiet operation, and allows you to start off in a slow walk to warm up before progressing to a faster run - all in one continuous movement. Made for all ages, this model is popular with former runners and people up to their 80s because it's gentle on the ankles, knees, and back.

Pros: Smooth operation, compact body, easy assembly, great price

Cons: Only moderately intensive, no resistance, flimsy for some

The best basic air walker

Foto: Source: Amazon

For people who want a no-frills yet effective air walker, the Gazelle Edge is the way to go - dependable, glides smoothly, and provides a good workout.

Although less fancy than the high-end Gazelle Supreme, the Gazelle Edge still does the job. It delivers a cardio-aerobic, total-body workout that burns calories and tones muscles while being easy on the joints - not to mention, fun. This basic model doesn't have any resistance, but it does have a patented, dual-action split suspension that provides a complete range of motion and smooth, fluid movement.

The Gazelle Edge is great for people new to gliders and walkers, yet still accommodates more challenging exercises. It allows users to increase intensity as they please and can handle both interval training workouts and power sprint routines.

As an owner of a Gazelle Edge owner, I like that it's able to accommodate both quick and light workouts, as well as intense cardio burning sessions. During my time with the Edge, the machine developed a bit of a squeak, however, a little WD-40 helped it get back to gliding along quietly.

The Gazelle Edge has a durable 1.5-inch rolled steel frame, foam-covered handlebars, extra-wide non-skid foot platforms, and a computer that tracks speed, distance, time, and calories burned. It has a maximum weight capacity of 250 pounds (the more heavy-duty, slightly more expensive model with a maximum weight capacity of 300 pounds is the Gazelle Freestyle). And, this walker folds up for storage.

Pros: Smooth, stable, and durable

Cons: No resistance, squeaks

The best for outdoors

Foto: Source: Stamina

Enjoy a breath of fresh air while exercising alfresco on the durable and smooth Stamina Outdoor Fitness Strider.

I first tried an outdoor walker in a nearby park, thinking it was a just playground ride. As corny as this sounds, I found myself meditatively gliding while gazing toward a lake and listening to sounds of nature - and then felt the burn when I climbed off after about 10 minutes. So. the Stamina Outdoor Fitness Strider isn't merely a playground toy but a bona fide piece of exercise equipment that delivers a great low-impact, cardio-aerobic workout.

Designed to be set up and used outside, the Stamina Outdoor Fitness Strider has a large, heavy-gauge steel frame covered with a durable paint that protects it from UV rays and resists rust, chipping, and corrosion in non-salt water environments.

The stable Stamina Outdoor Fitness Strider glides smoothly. It has dual-action handlebars so you can tone and strengthen your upper and lower body simultaneously; it also has stationary handgrips to hold while focusing on the lower body only. Its frame is contoured for comfort and it has large textured pedals for different foot sizes. This sturdy 109-pound walker can accommodate users weighing up to 300 pounds and is easy to assemble.

One of the Stamina Outdoor Fitness Strider's best features is the option of exercising outdoors. In fact, mixing up the routine and going outside for fresh air provide more motivation for working out. The paint's vibrant green color fits in well with the outdoors, too.

Although this strider doesn't have any built-in resistance, you can increase its intensity by varying your foot position.

Pros: Provides freedom and motivation to exercise outdoors, sturdy, smooth

Cons: No resistance, screws can develop rust

The best high-end air walker

Foto: Source: Amazon

The Gazelle Supreme is a well-known, top-of-the-line air walker with hydraulic resistance, versatility, and advanced technology.

Many people have become familiar with air walkers because of the man in the photo above: fitness trainer Tony Little. You'd see him pitch Gazelle gliders on TV infomercials in the odd hours. While as-seen-on-TV products tend to be gimmicky, the Gazelle has stood the test of time - and is still going strong.

The most deluxe model in the current Gazelle lineup, the Gazelle Supreme, has many features that enhance workouts. It features hydraulic resistance pistons, a patented dual pivot system for a large range of motion and independent movement of the legs, and Soft Glide technology which makes striding smooth and reduces the impact on joints.

It also has grip pulse monitors and a computer that tracks your heart rate, calories burned, distance, time, and speed, to keep you informed of your progress. This model even comes with three workout DVDs ("Total Body Workout," "Tony Little's Quick Shape Workout," and "Tony Little's Ultimate Body & Mind Workout") with helpful exercise tips and demonstrations from Tony Little, himself.

You can do 10 different exercises, including variations on gliding (basic, wide, low, high, forward push and power), body positions (leaning forward or leaning back), and arm movements in order to target, tone, and stretch specific muscles. The hydraulic pistons offer a lot of resistance, too. A downside, however, is that you can't adjust the level of resistance - it's either all (pistons engaged) or none (pistons disengaged).

The Gazelle Supreme's stable frame, high-density foam handlebars, and extra-wide non-skid foot platforms with shock-absorbing rubber inserts make people feel secure. Its maximum weight capacity is 300 pounds, yet it folds up for easy storage. Numerous users note that the frame squeaks, but this annoyance is easily remedied with WD-40 lubricant spray.

Pros: Stable, intense workout with pistons/resistance

Cons: Squeaky, assembly instructions a bit confusing for some