A stair climber is an excellent piece of fitness equipment to consider adding to your home gym. It is essentially a never-ending escalator with stairs that revolve around the machine. To perform the workout itself, all you need to do is climb the stairs. The machine is also equipped with a railing for the user to hold onto should they need to.
The simplicity of this machine is a major reason why many people add this piece of equipment to their commercial or home gyms. There isn’t much of a learning curve, and you’ll find that while it may seem daunting at first, you’ll learn how to use it quickly.
Here’s some amazing health benefits a stair master can offer:
If your primary goal of working out is losing weight, then a stair machine should definitely be on your must-have list of gym equipment. A single 30-minute stair mill session can burn anywhere between 180-260 calories. This is comparable to intense cardio workouts such as running, rowing, and cycling.
While you’ll burn more calories at a faster pace, it’s a good idea to start at a comfortable pace and incrementally work your way up.
A stair climber providers more than just a cardio workout. It also targets several muscle groups so that you can tone your muscles while getting an amazing cardio workout.
A stair climber will help tone and strengthen these muscles:
While a step mill won’t replace weight training, this is a great way to get tone, fit legs and a stronger lower body. Plus, you’ll get an awesome core workout as well since pumping your legs so vigorously will strengthen your core muscles.
Many people don’t realize that a stair climber is ideal for those who have knee or other joint issues. While people are often advised against using treadmills because your legs and knees are heavily impacted on the machine this is not the case for a stair machine. Climbing up stairs places far less stress on your joints, making it a great workout for people who suffer from knee pain and even those who suffer from osteoarthritis.
Osteoporosis is a serious health complication that tends to develop more often in older individuals. It can lead to the following problems:
The good news is that you can drastically reduce your chances of developing osteoporosis later in life simply by climbing stairs. Climbing a stair master can help increase bone mass. This is important since you naturally lose bone mass as you age.
As we mentioned previously a stair-climber machine is a great low-impact exercise, so it’s a good choice if you suffer from back issues. In fact, some research has indicated that the step machine was a useful tool to relieve low-back pain because it’s so effective at activating the glute muscles, which helps to take pressure off your back. Since weak glutes are the catalyst to many aches and pains in the double strengthen these muscles can have a very positive long-term effect on your body.
Since good posture is necessary to use a stair climber, this is a great machine to use if you’re looking to improve your posture. Good posture requires you to engage your core which you’ll need to do when using this machine.
When using a step machine be mindful of your posture and ensure your core is engaged. Hold the handrails with a light grip and refrain from leaning or putting too much pressure on them. If you do this, you’ll increase your core strength with every step, which not only keeps your posture intact but also helps to prevent or alleviate chronic back pain.