Stair Climber Benefits

If you have been to the gym, you would have seen a stair climber in the cardio section alongside the treadmill and cross trainer. If you talk to fitness experts they will tell you about its benefits, because to the untrained eye the movement on this fitness equipment might look unhelpful. The range of motion on the stair climber imitates the body's movement when climbing the stairs. This movement concentrates on the lower body and stimulates the hip, thigh and glute muscles. If you planning to burn some fats in the gym or for that matter at home, the stair climber machine is one of the best options available.

Workout

There are different fitness equipment that you could use for your cardiovascular exercises, but one of the best is the stair climber. You need to remember that for any cardio routine to be effective you need to do it for at least 30 - 40 minutes. If you can't exercise for this duration you need to slowly work yourself up to this mark. You could also try different workout routines like using the stair climber for 10 - 15 minutes on a high intensity setting and then take a 1 - 2 minute break before getting on for another 15 - 20 minute session. Another way to exercise using the stair stepper is to start your workout on a low intensity setting for 3 - 5 minutes and then increase the level for the next 12 - 15 minutes. End this routine with a high intensity setting for the last 10-15 minutes.

Benefits

• Using the stair climber, calories burned for a person weighing 200 lbs and using the machine for 30 minutes stand at around 320 calories. These figures are not conclusive, but give a fair idea about the effectiveness of this routine.
• If you want to work out the muscles in the lower body this is the best equipment as the range of motion requires the user to push the pedals down using the legs. This motion helps stimulate the hip and thigh muscles.
• This is a low impact exercise as the movement of the legs is supported by the pedals unlike other cardio exercise equipment like the treadmill. The treadmill is a high impact motion and can be little strenuous for the joints.
• The stair stepper helps workout multiple muscles at the same time. It will help you workout the hamstrings, glutes, quadriceps, and calves muscles in one smooth assisted movement.
• The stance on the stair stepper requires you to keep your spine erect while you move your legs. This will help you improve your posture and also strengthen your lower back muscles.
• One of the stair stepper benefits is that It increases the heart rate and is known to increase the metabolism rate of the body. Unlike popular belief the body does not stop burning fat when you finish the exercise, it will burn fat even after the workout by increasing the metabolism rate.
• This is the best equipment to tone your butt and this is one of the reasons behind it being popular with women as well as men. The constant up and down movement of the legs will stimulate the buttock muscles toning your butt in the process.
• There are several stair climbers which allow you workout at different settings like aerobic training for fat loss. It will also assist in your endurance training goals as it has the option to adjust the intensity level to the 'Hill' setting.