We all know the advice to take the stairs rather than the elevator. Climbing stairs may improve your overall well-being, get in shape, and lose weight. Take full advantage of such an exercise by purchasing a stair stepper.
A stair stepper or a stair climber is an incredible exercise machine. It’s beneficial to your cardio workout and strength training. The machine is easy to use and maintain. Stair climbing is low-impact, which is a plus. People of different fitness levels can burn more calories with such a piece of equipment.
What Does the StairMaster Do?
In short, a StairMaster is fitness equipment that mimics the real stairs. The steps are rotating like those of a treadmill. But instead of running, you need to climb stairs in one spot. A sportsman climbs the stairs at the desired speed and pace. Make sure you feel quite comfortable with the workload.
Most stair climbers come with a screen to track your heart rate, pace, time, etc. You could listen to your fave songs or watch movies while exercising.
What Does the Stair Stepper Work?
StairMaster is a great cardio machine with an endless flight of stairs. The climbing workout is beneficial for weight loss and muscle strength purposes. Besides, the equipment is good to tone your lower-body muscles. These include hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes, and calves.
Let’s check stair climber benefits to find out why such a machine is a great piece when building your home gym. Both a rookie user and an expert runner can do well out of the gear.
Stair Stepper Benefits You Should Consider
1. Tone Your Muscles
Stair climber workouts are advantageous for your lower body. Use the stair climber to train your hips, thighs, abs, and glutes. This type of equipment provides a range of resistance levels to warm up your muscles.
The exercise machine allows performing a wide array of motions to hit various muscle groups. It’s excellent to hit the zones where body fat tends to accumulate the most (like hips and belly). Long-term training with repetitive motions is effective to build a slim body.
2. Strengthen Your Core
Climbing stairs are great not only for leg muscles but for abs too. Standing upright is the main position on the stepper. Every step should engage your core muscles to strengthen your abs and lower back. That’s a nice addition to your core workouts that you can perform with resistance bands or a stability ball.
3. Strengthen Your Joints and Bones
Climbing stairs are deemed as a weight-bearing workout. As the machine provides solid resistance against gravity while performing. Such movement enhances the density of your bones.
Stair climber workouts are low impact. That’s why people of all ages can try such training. Set up appropriate speed to avoid excessive workload.
4. Lose Weight
Stair stepper training is a cardio killer workout, hands down. It’s a real calorie burner. The gear helps to knock off fat and form a lean body shape.
Climbing stairs are more efficient than plain walking. Every 10 steps on the machine are equal to 38 steps on the ground. You’re able to burn up to 300 calories per 30 minutes on the stepper. An hour of working out leads to losing 600 calories, which is an impressive weight loss!
5. Foster VO2 Max
Vo2 Max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body is able to consume. Improving this characteristic refers to the time you can perform high-intensity exercises. Low oxygen intake limits your ability to work out. The more you can consume it, the longer you’ll exercise.
During climbing the flight of stairs, your heart and lungs are working hard to provide your body with enough oxygen. This helps to maintain the training aptly. A regular stair climber workout improves your VO2 Max index. The more you exercise, the more endurance you’ll gain.
6. Low-Impact Exercise
Stair climb workouts are friendly to your joints and bones. The machine provides little pounding unlike lifting free weights. Users with weak ankles and knees can use such a piece of equipment to get in shape.
7. Great Real Stairs Alternative
As we mentioned, a stair stepper mimics actual stairs. But in the case of a workout, the exercise gear is even more beneficial. When you’re using real stairs, you need to go downstairs then. Besides, gravity creates more impact on every step you make when coming down.
A stair-climbing machine features a never-ending stripe of stairs. You perform repetitive motions by climbing up only. Thus, you have no such problems with the gear. Your joints are safe from wear and tear.
Another thing is that actual stairs can’t provide as many resistance levels as a piece of gym equipment does. A stair climber allows performing greater motions hitting a wide range of muscle groups. As well as target various fitness goals – fat loss, muscle gain and strength.
8. Prolong Happy Longevity
Stair climber workout routine features excellent health benefits. After the exercise, your heart rate will normalize as well as your blood pressure. And such a fitness routine helps to reduce cholesterol levels.
Regular stair climbing promotes healthy aging. Besides, taking steps improves your cardiovascular health. The exercise activates your muscles and warms up the body.
Using Stair Stepper: Before and After
Such superb stair climber benefits lead to great outcomes. Regular exercising helps to get in shape and form the desired body. It’s advantageous to develop your coordination and balance. Even a non-professional runner will feel the difference after using such top-notch equipment.
Here’s a list of results you may obtain with the trainer:
- you feel refreshed and energized, there’s less fatigue left;
- your cardiovascular health is improved;
- you strengthen your leg muscles;
- your durability is increased;
- you lose weight;
- you tone your muscles.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Use StairMaster Machines?
Stair steppers are easy to use. Modern machines are user-friendly. A StairMaster is a cardio machine with a stripe of stairs that go up. There can be such extra features as handrails and a monitor. The screen is designed to track your progress as well as provide some entertainment. Watch movies or listen to music by connecting via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
How Much is a Stairmaster?
The price range is pretty wide. The cost depends on the manufacturer and the features it provides. Mini steppers come from $50 to $600. A stepping elliptical machine goes around $400-$600. While a StairMaster costs around $3,000 – $5,000. Small machines are great for little-space home gyms. Bulky step machines are pricey but they provide a greater range of movement.
What Burns More Calories: StairMaster or Elliptical?
If you’re looking for a supreme fat burner, no wonder why you’re considering a StairMaster. Both StairMaster and Elliptical is a great way to hit your cardio routines. So which machine is better?
Now let’s do some math. 30 minutes on an elliptical burn about 335 calories. A workout on a StairMaster burns around 223 calories. While a treadmill helps to lose about 300 calories. In a nutshell, an elliptical stepper could be more efficient but the difference is not significant. That’s why you can consider either StairMaster or Elliptical to improve your balance, core, and legs.
Benefits of Stair Stepper Revealed
A stair climber workout is a tremendous way to get in shape. Such a cardio machine is an excellent addition to your home gym essentials. Track your score and improve your state of health with a stepping machine.
There’s a wide range of equipment available on the market. Mini steppers and spacious elliptical machines provide various workout benefits. You could also consider an under desk elliptical to burn calories while working.