Cooper's research shows that 15 points a week increases life expectancy an average of 5 years (?), and 30-35 points a week ups it to 9 years (?). I know when he first started pushing aerobic exercise, people thought they could not get enough. So, yes, he put a ceiling on it.

As far as the Airdyne goes, I love it. I cannot jog due to lower back and hip birth defects, so the Airdyne has been a good choice for me, and you can pick one up on Craig's List or a garage sale pretty cheap. Plus, mine has been very reliable. If I work my endurance up to 30 minutes 3x a week on the Airdyne, with a workload of 3.0, it gets 35 points total.

It is just nice to be able to bend over and tie my shoes without sucking wind, and being able to be fit enough to enjoy life.

Here is the "old" chart that does not include the Airdyne rubric:

http://cooperaerobics.com/Downloads...nts-System.aspx