Is The Stair Stepper A Good Workout?

Featured

Posted on by

There are loads of different exercise machines out there and choosing the right one for your workout can be tough. Whether or not the stair stepper is a good workout for you will depend on your goals and how easily you can stay motivated to use the machine over the longer term.

What muscles does a stair stepper work?

The stair stepper won’t give you an upper body workout. What the stepper will do is give you lower body a solid workout. Your calves, quads, gluts and hip flexors will be exercised by this machine meaning this equipment is great for toning legs and buttocks. An elliptical trainer would also work the quadriceps on the front of the thighs, but a stair stepper will only start to act on this group of muscles once you start getting to the higher intensity level of exercise. Of course depending on how much effort you put in the stair stepper can also work your heart muscles.

Is a stair stepper good for cardio?

A stair stepper will get your heart rate up and give you a good cardio workout. The problem with this machine is that you are not using your upper body at the same time. Exercise machines that use upper and lower body tend to provide better cardio workouts in as neither upper or lower body is over stressed. With a stair stepper your legs take a mauling. The result is that after 30 minutes of exercise you feel less exhausted coming off an elliptical where you have worked your heart rate up to a constant 120 bpm than you would having come off a stepper with the same results.

How many calories does a stair stepper burn?

I am 180lbs and various calculators suggest that with vigorous use of a stair stepper I might burn 386 calories in a 30 minute period, this compares with an elliptical where I might be expected to burn 600 calories in a 30 minute period.

The truth is most of the calculators and formulas for working out calorie burn are pretty hit and miss as they really require detail such as your sex, weight and age on an individual basis and then use generalisations on exercise intensity to make the calculations. What we can say is that if calorie burning is your goal then other types of equipment such as treadmills, bikes and elliptical trainers are usually considered better burners.

However, you can maximise your calorie burn on a stair stepper by either exercising at 65% of your max heart rate, this will put you in a fat burning zone which experts believe will allow you to burn 300 calories in 30 minutes or by using interval training techniques to get more from your workout.

Is a Stair Stepper Good For Weight Loss?

As we have discussed earlier a stair stepper will give you a cardio workout and can help you burn calories but if I had to choose an exercise machine to lose weight the stepper wouldn’t be it. The main reason I would opt for a different machine is that achieving a consistent workout program on a stepper is difficult, in short, it hurts to much. An elliptical burns more calories at less stressful levels so would probably be the best way to go.

What type of workout are stair steppers good for?

To conclude, a stair stepper can give you a good workout depending on your goals. If you are motivated to primarily lose weight other machines are more effective but you can get some good benefits from a stepper. If you are looking for a cardio workout other machines are easier to use and stay motivated to use over a period of time. If you are looking to tone up your legs and rear then the stepper is an excellent choice and will contribute to a cardio and weight loss workout program at the same time.

 

Stair Stepper Vs Elliptical Trainer

Posted on by

Both elliptical trainers and stair steppers are common pieces of gym equipment these days. Both items of equipment offer a low impact cardio workout and to the naked eye are very similar to each other. This often begs the question which is better?

How they are used

Both items are easy to use but the elliptical requires a little more co-ordination. A stair stepper is essentially a never ending, rotating staircase. How do you use a stair stepper? The user simply climbs the stairs for as long as their workout lasts. Side handles are provided for balance. Most individuals have come across stairs before so using this type of machine comes naturally. Alternatively stair steppers may feature footplates that travel up and down under user motion rather than a revolving staircase. This type of stair stepper will also have side handles for balance.

An elliptical features footpads that travel elliptically under operator pressure and poles that are operated by the arms and shoulders. The poles and footpads are operated in synch with each other to provide a full body workout.

The margins of difference are minimal but on the basis of having to have upper and lower body co-ordination until the user is adept at using the elliptical, the stair stepper is easier to use for the first timer in general.

Joints

Both types of machine are low impact machines, at no time will both feet be off the ground, this means that wear or impact on ankle, knee and hip joints is lower than with high impact activities such as running on a treadmill or skipping.

Although both activities are low impact it is believed that steppers are a higher level of impact than ellipticals. On a stepper you are required to lift your legs and push down, on an elliptical no lifting is necessary and the action is smoother.

Small amounts of impact are considered beneficial in most cases because the impact promotes bone and cartilage growth, however if you do suffer from knee problems you will get less pain using an elliptical machine.

Muscles

Stepper exercise machines only exercise muscles in the lower half of the body whereas an elliptical trainer exercises upper and lower body. A stepper is particularly useful for exercising calves, thighs, hips and gluts leading to great tone in the legs. An elliptical will exercise the front of the thighs, hips and gluts as well as providing exercise to arms, shoulders and upper chest.

The stepper exercisers found in the gym will provide a more intense leg and lower body workout than the elliptical but the elliptical will give a more balanced workout at what feels like a lower intensity.

Calorie Burning

Both these exercise machines burn calories but the elliptical is far more effective. Calorie burn is relative to the individual, so for a 180lb individual exercising for 30 minutes the Health Status Calculator suggests that a stair stepper would burn 286 calories and an elliptical trainer would burn 456 calories. This result is not hugely surprising given that the stepper only utilises the lower body whereas the elliptical is a full body workout.

Something to carefully consider if you are choosing to use one of these machines is that the stair stepper workout is intense with a capital “I”. Even if you use both machines for the same length of time the elliptical will burn more calories and leave you feeling far less exhausted as the burden of exercise has been spread over your whole body. The knock on affect of this is that it is easier to use an elliptical for longer periods and to remain motivated over periods of months.

Cost

A good quality home gym stepper is likely to cost $1300 and upwards. There are a few cheaper models, notably mini steppers, but you have to question whether they are truly robust enough for the task and whether they will exercise your body in the same way as these more expensive models.

For $1300 you can buy a very high quality home elliptical machine. Unlike steppers, there is a huge range of choice in ellipticals from $500 upwards so the $1300 mark represents the premium level.

In conclusion, whichever machine you choose you will get a low impact cardio workout. If you want toned legs the stepper is for you. If you are looking for an overall body workout and to burn lots of calories to lose weight then opt for an elliptical machine workout. If cost is a concern then the elliptical offers the best potential to get a quality machine at a reasonable price.