7 Solid Reasons To Use A
STAIRMASTER
To Scorch Calories
(And 2 Not To)
- Updated September 20, 2021
People will always look upon climbing stairs as an awesome form of cardio, and the world is not short on people advising you to take the stairs at work or to your apartment.
But let’s face it, do you really want to show up to your meeting with a red face and sweaty armpits..?
Enter, the Stairmaster.
Even today, walking up a flight of stairs is still a great cardiovascular workout, and you can easily incorporate it into your workout regimen using a Stairmaster.
Here are 7 reasons to use a Stairmaster.
1. Torch a ton of calories
Let’s just start by calling a Stairmaster what it is, a monster that breathes fire down your neck and apparently melts your fat away!
Because that’s exactly what it does.
A mere 30 minute workout on the Stairmaster can help you burn close to 300 calories.
Pair that with the right diet and lifting routine, and you could well be on your way to the coveted Instagram transformation post, in a matter of months.
In fact, an avid Stairmaster enthusiast, Brittany (pictured below) lost 90 lbs by just walking up the stairmaster!
Remember, you can adjust the speed of the steps based on your comfort level, so every time you feel like the climb is getting too easy, just turn it up a notch.
2. Booty Gains!
You might think that performing super heavy squats and hip thrusts are the only way to a getting a bubble butt, but that is not necessarily true (although you should try them, they are absolutely grueling, you will love it!).
You can also use a Stairmaster to tone and lift up your glutes.
The Gluteus Maximus is one of the most functional lower body muscles, especially when it comes to stepping.
A half-hour on the Stairmaster might just be the kick in the butt your butt needs to be worthy of the peach emoji status.
For best results though, I would still recommend combining cardio on the stairmaster with a good leg training routine.
3. Calves for days
What booty is to women, calves are to men.
Gone are the days when benching two plates was the benchmark for graduating from a noob to an intermediate gym bro.
Because of slow-twitch muscle fibers in the soleus muscle of your calf, calves can be annoyingly difficult to grow, but the Stairmaster can help.
While using a Stairmaster, if you step forward on the ball of your foot, leaving the rest of it hanging off the step, you can put a lot of stress on your calves.
This movement helps target the slow-twitch muscle fibers in the calves, which will eventually force your calves to grow.
What this means is, while you’re just doing your weekly cardio, you get the added benefits of training your calves simultaneously.
Just be careful, and watch where you step.
4. A stairmaster is just as good as regular stairs for your heart, but not nearly as hard on your knees
Have you ever noticed how you end up sweating and out of breath after climbing a flight of stairs?
That’s because climbing stairs puts a lot of stress on your cardiovascular system.
And that’s just what a Stairmaster does, it gives you an endless flight of stairs, but without the hassle of climbing down, which puts undue pressure on your knees.
Cardio on the Stairmaster rapidly raises your heartbeat and gets your blood pumping.
This is great for your heart since it’s a muscle and working it out would only make it stronger.
You also take deeper breaths, expanding the capacity of your lungs and increasing your blood oxygen levels.
The Stairmaster provides a simple and efficient solution to keep on top of your cardio.
4. Say goodbye to your chicken legs after 20 minutes on the Stairmaster a day.
All of us have that one friend whose workout routine has every day as chest day and every leg day turns out to be a rest day.
Don’t be that friend.
Your lower body deserves as much attention as your upper body, if not more.
Not only does it help you attain a more well-rounded physique but also releases huge amounts of testosterone, which adds up to muscle gain in your upper body too.
If squats and lunges are not your thing, you can always move on to the trusted Stairmaster.
Working out on the Stairmaster helps you work your quads, hams, calves, and glutes all in one motion.
You wouldn’t necessarily gain pounds of muscle working out on the Stairmaster, but it will help prevent the dreaded “chicken legs” and provide functional strength to your lower body and core too.
5. Supplements Knee Strength
Walking on the stairmaster everyday will iron out any imbalances in the muscle tone in your legs.
What this means is, that your posture will improve, and if there was any undue pressure on your knees due to poor posture, it will now dissipate since you have corrected your posture.
A Stairmaster can be slightly tricky though because when it comes to knees, if you have weak knees then it might not be the best idea.
But if you do not have any pre-existing issues, you can definitely use a Stairmaster to supplement your knee strength, and my advice is that you should.
Keeping your knees healthy is a gift for your future body.
6. WFH (Workout from home)
If you get anxious working out in front of a room full of people, especially when half of them look like Gymshark models, but don’t have the space and resources to set up a home gym either, a Stairmaster can help you hit two birds with one stone.
You won’t need a ton of space to store one and you can work out in the privacy of your own home.
The cost is a definite sore spot, and it is not something I’m oblivious to, but if you can manage that, then this is as good as it gets.
Of course, you need to make sure you know how to choose a stairmaster, first.
In case you already have access to a Stairmaster but don’t know how to use one, you need to first curate a Stairmaster workout to actually see results.
As you can already see there are plenty of reasons why you should get on a Stairmaster.
Now let’s take a look at the other side of the coin and see when a Stairmaster might not be the right choice for you.
You should not buy a stairmaster if you have:
1. Knee pain
Climbing on a Stairmaster requires a lot of effort and puts a considerable amount of pressure on your lower body, especially your knees.
If you have pre-existing knee injuries, working out on a Stairmaster might aggravate them.
It would be best to consult a physical therapist or doctor before using one.
2. Back issues or heart issues
After a few minutes on the Stairmaster, a lot of people get fatigued and slouch forward, exposing their backs to a lot of pressure.
Depending on your form, using a Stairmaster might also put a significant amount of undue stress on your lower back.
If you have a weak back or pre-existing back issues, improper form might worsen your condition.
Similarly, people with heart issues should not use a Stairmaster either, as it is very taxing on the cardiovascular system and can lead to serious medical issues.
Conclusion
All right, you’ve been through the whole article, so here’s the bottom line.
If you’re part of the minority that have actual knee and back problems, get yourself checked out by a physician before using the stairmaster to make sure you don’t make things worse.
However, if you CAN get on a stairmaster and any of the 7 benefits of using it make sense for your goals, don’t delay your goals, get on one immediately, and better yourself.
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