5 Undeniable Benefits of the Stairmaster

A Stairmaster workout has became on of my favorite types of steady state cardio since I discovered the machine at my college gym. Fun fact – I once had a bit of a disagreement with a girl over a machine because they were so popular lol. The stairmaster is essentially just walking up stairs but you stay in one place. You can set the speed to increase the intensity of the workout. If you have ever been curious about the big machine at your gym here are some benefits of the Stairmaster that should encourage you to give it a try.

My Top 5 Favorite Benefits of the Stairmaster

1. Low impact cardio

While using the stairmaster you are not pounding on your joints like running, jump roping, etc. If you have bad joints or just prefer low impact cardio. You can set your speed to control the intensity. Obviously the faster you go the more intense the workout becomes. While the workout is low impact, you are also putting pressure on your bones and joints and can help maintain bone density.

2. Burn lots of calories

Since climbing stairs is a somewhat large range of motion for your legs you are going to be working harder to keep your balance and stay upright. I would say I burn about the same amount of calories as I would running for the same period of time.

3. It is easy to read a book while climbing

This is silly, and maybe personal to me, but I love to read while on the Stairmaster. I bring my kindle, put on brown noise in my earpods to drown out other sounds and my own breathing and read. It is very easy to read since my kindle sits at a good eye level. No way I could read while running on the treadmill. Since your eyes have something to look at it makes the time fly by. If you are a book worm like me you should give this a try!

4. Bonus lower body work

Its no secret you are using your legs to get you up the stairs. I like to be super intentional about using my glutes to take me through the movement. I like to hinge at the waist slightly, keep some bend in my knees and think about engaging my glutes.

5. Awesome cardiovascular benefits

The cardiovascular benefits of the stairmaster are great. Gone are the days of getting embarrassed after rushing up one flight of stairs and being completely out of breathe. Repeated stairmaster use will so wonders for your aerobic capacity.

 

The stairmaster is a difficult workout. Don’t get discouraged if you can only last 5 minutes your first try. Keep coming back and make a goal of adding some time each time.