The Stairmaster Benefits – Introduction
Stairmaster Benefits: How This Cardio Workout Changes Your Body
Go to any gym, and you’ll be confronted by many different cardio machines.
Depending on the facility, you will see the following:
- treadmills,
- rowers,
- upright and recumbent bikes,
- air bikes,
- ellipticals, and even
- ski machines.
Faced with so many choices, it can be hard to know what to use.
The good news is that whatever cardio machine you train on, it will do you good.
You see, your body can’t tell the difference between using a bike or a treadmill.
So long as you work out long enough and hard enough, it will respond by getting fitter.
And all types of cardio burn calories and fat.
That said, some machines may offer slight advantages over others.
And, as your training time and energy are so valuable, it’s a good idea to choose the workout that best matches your need and fitness goals.
With all that in mind, in this article, we reveal the advantages and benefits of using a Stairmaster and how this popular cardio machine can change your body.
What is a Stairmaster, Anyway?
Stairmasters have been around for a long time.
Stairmaster is both a company name and a type of workout machine.
There are a few different models available, and you’ll find Stairmasters in commercial and home gyms.
One type of Stairmaster has a revolving staircase that looks like a short escalator.
With this machine, you walk up a never-ending flight of stairs.
You control your speed and can even take the steps two at a time for a more intense workout.
These machines are sometimes called step mills, stair climbers, StairMaster, or stair workout machines.
The other type of Stairmaster involves standing and pressing down on two independent platforms to mimic stair climbing.
This type of machine is often called a stepper or stair climber.
It doesn’t matter which type of Stairmaster you use, as they’re both similarly effective.
However, the escalator or step mill type, while bigger and usually more expensive, provides the most lifelike stair-climbing experience.
Stairmaster Benefits
There are several compelling reasons for making the Stairmaster part of your cardio workouts:
#1. Low-impact
While jogging and running are effective ways to transform your body, they put a lot of stress on your joints.
In fact, your feet hit the ground with an estimated force of eight times your body weight, all of which is directed up into your bones and joints.
All that force can cause discomfort and injury, especially in overweight individuals.
Stairmasters are low impact, so there is little or no injurious force to deal with.
As such, using a Stairmaster is less likely to cause joint pain or injuries.
#2. Weight-bearing
The Stairmaster is a weight-bearing activity, so it can help strengthen your muscles and bones.
Weight-bearing activities can help ward off age-related bone loss, called osteopenia.
It can also prevent osteoporosis, which is a medical condition characterized by weak, porous bones that are prone to fracture.
#3. Scalable and easy to use
While escalator-type Stairmasters can take a bit of getting used to, stair climbers, in general, are quite easy to use and require no special athletic skills.
In contrast, rowing machines must be used with the correct technique.
Otherwise, they’re not as effective and can even lead to injuries.
Proper rowing technique can take time to learn and master.
In addition, Stairmaster workouts can be scaled to suit most fitness levels, although the escalator type is more challenging and probably best for intermediate and advanced exercisers.
#4. An effective lower-body workout
Climbing stairs is a great way to strengthen and condition your lower body.
That’s why many athletes include stair climbing in their workouts.
Both male and female athletes can often be found running up stadium stairs to build fitness and improve their lower body conditioning.
Each step you take on a Stairmaster is like doing a single-leg squat or lunge, albeit somewhat easier.
All those steps add up, and your legs will receive a very effective workout.
#5. Challenging but fun
There is something quite novel about climbing on board a Stairmaster and then stomping up a never-ending flight of stairs.
It’s a challenging workout, but you can literally feel how rewarding it is from the burn in your thighs and butt and your elevated heart and breathing rate.
Using a Stairmaster is rarely easy, but that’s what makes it so effective.
There is a reason that Stairmaster machines are so popular and have been around for such a long time!
How Using a Stairmaster Can Change Your Body
Now you know the benefits of working out on a Stairmaster, let’s take a look at how your workouts will affect your body!
#6. Improved cardiovascular fitness
Using a Stairmaster will improve your cardiovascular fitness, which is your ability to take in, transport, and utilize oxygen and pertains to your heart, lungs, and blood vessels.
When you work out on a Stairmaster, your muscles demand more oxygen, and your cardiovascular system steps up (no pun intended!) to meet your body’s needs.
Over time, your cardiovascular system will become stronger and more efficient, so you can a) workout out for longer and b) workout harder.
Improved cardiovascular fitness is also inextricably linked to better health and should lower your risk of:
- Heart disease
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- High blood pressure
- Pulmonary illnesses
#7. Improved lower body endurance and muscle tone
Using a Stairmaster provides your legs with a great workout.
The muscles involved in working out on a Stairmaster include:
- Quadriceps
- Hamstrings
- Gluteus maximus
- Abductors
- Adductors
- Gastrocnemius
- Soleus
- Core
While using a Stairmaster probably won’t increase your muscle size much, it will tone and condition all these muscles.
Your leg endurance will also improve, so your muscles won’t fatigue as quickly and should recover faster between workouts.
#8. A better posterior (rear)
A good-looking butt is one of fitness fashion’s must-haves.
While exercises like squats and lunges are great for building your glutes, step-ups can be similarly effective.
Because using a Stairmaster is the same as doing an endless series of step-ups, it stands to reason that this machine is a very effective backside builder and shaper.
You can maximize the glute-training effect of the Stairmaster by taking big steps, taking two steps at a time, and driving your weight down through your heels.
Combined with a regular dose of lower body strength training, the Stairmaster could give you the derriere you’ve always dreamed of!
#9. Fat loss and weight control
Like all forms of cardio, using a Stairmaster burns calories.
How many will depend on several factors, including your weight, gender, and how hard and long you work out.
However, you could burn as many as 600 calories or more per hour.
Combined with a calorie-controlled diet, using a Stairmaster could help you lose weight or maintain your current weight.
However, if you overeat, even long Stairmaster workouts will only reduce weight gain instead of helping you lose weight.
#10. Better posture
Posture is the alignment of your joints, and it can be good or bad.
When your posture is good, it takes very little muscular effort to maintain it, and your joints are in a position that minimizes stress, wear, and tear.
In contrast, poor posture puts much more stress on your muscles and joints and can lead to more wear and tear, as well as muscle tension and pain.
Poor posture also makes you look older and can even make you look overweight as your abdomen may protrude outward, even if you are otherwise quite slim.
While you CAN slouch over the console of a Stairmaster, your workout will be far more effective if you stand up tall, look straight ahead, pull your shoulders down and back, and engage your core.
You’ll also burn more calories as more muscles are engaged.
Working out in good posture should improve your posture outside of the gym.
#11. Improved mood and better mental health
Exercise isn’t just good for your body; it’s good for your mind, too.
Given how interconnected the mind and body are and how prevalent mental health issues have become, it’s good to know that exercise is good for your entire body and not just your muscles.
Regular workouts, including those using a Stairmaster, have been shown to have many positive mental effects, including:
- Reduced stress and anxiety
- More positive mindset
- Increased mental toughness
- Improved self-esteem
- Increased creativity
- Improved problem-solving ability
Stairmaster Benefits and Effects – Wrapping Up
Stairmasters come in a few shapes and sizes, but they all provide a fun and effective cardio and lower body workout.
Using a Stairmaster will help you tone up, get fit, burn fat, and lose weight.
They are also as good for your brain as for your body.
No Stairmaster?
No problem!
Find yourself some stairs and then walk or run up and down them to get the same workout.
Use the stairs at a mall, your place of work, or even a multi-level car park.
You may even find a suitable set of stairs on the street or in your local park.
Combine stair climbing with bodyweight exercises like push-ups, lunges, and squats for a full-body workout that burns calories like a blast furnace.
Or, strap on a backpack or weighted vest for a more intense exercise experience.
Whether you climb real stairs or use a Stairmaster at home or in a gym, this low-impact exercise is a great way to get and stay in shape.
What’s Next
Do you wonder which muscles stair climber machines work?
We’ve got some answers!
Be sure to see this article:
What Muscles Do Stair Climbers Work + Stepper Benefits
It will take you on a deeper dive into the muscles used by stair-climbing exercise machines.
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