For years athletes jogged up and down steps in their stadiums to develop cardiovascular endurance and leg strength. Even now, the stair climber is one of the most popular pieces of cardio equipment at the gym because it delivers a high-intensity workout that burns calories quickly. The stair climber is hard to stick with for man than a few minutes at a time due to its high intensity. Even if you are in great shape you may struggle on the stair machine. Using stair climbers for fitness can offer you several benefits, including:
- Strengthening your lower body muscles helps you lose weight
- Improving cardiorespiratory function
- Strengthening your core muscles
- Increasing bone density
- Preventing diabetes Helping manage arthritis pain
- Reducing stress levels on joints
- Controlling asthma symptoms
- Improving balance
- Providing low impact exercise to protect joints from injury
Stair climbing helps strengthen every muscle in your legs and buttocks while also improving flexibility in your hips and thighs. This results in improved stamina as well as better coordination and balance. Plus stair climbing is a great way to boost your metabolism, burn calories and lose weight.
Stair Climbing Offers Intense Cardio
Stair climbers offer an intense aerobic exercise that works the large muscles in your lower body as well as provides results for other muscle groups in your upper body such as arms, shoulders, and back. Stair climbing also strengthens the heart and the lungs. Stronger lungs allow you to breathe in more oxygen. Stair climber benefits include:
Better heart health
Stair climbing helps strengthen the heart over time, which increases its ability to pump blood efficiently around the body. This improves oxygen circulation throughout the body resulting in improved function of all major organs including brain performance. Improved heart efficiency also means you can work out longer and harder before fatigue sets it since your muscles are getting more oxygen with each beat of the heart; this reduces recovery times between stair climbing workouts.
Increased calorie burn
Stair climbers are considered one of the most effective pieces of cardio equipment for burning calories. A person who weighs 150 pounds can expect to burn approximately 400 calories in a 30-minute stair climber workout session; this number increases if the person is heavier or exercises at a higher intensity level. Stair machines are steeper than most hills since you are climbing straight up. Even moving slowly, the Stairmaster is more difficult than treadmill workouts.
Healthier Bones
Weight-bearing exercises, such as climbing stairs can help reduce your risk for osteoporosis, and treat it if you already have it. Bones are living tissue, and climbing stairs helps increase bone mass. This is important as you get older. Climbing stairs requires more work from your bones than walking on flat ground. This causes the bone to adapt by gaining strength and mass, which helps slow the condition of bone loss that is caused by osteoporosis.
Toned, sculpted lower body
Using stair climbers helps shape and tone the muscles in your glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves. These muscle groups tend to be some of the biggest and strongest on the body so developing them through regular stair climbing will improve overall athleticism and reduce your risk for injuries when participating in other activities. The steep incline requires lots of power from the legs and requires stability from core muscles. Stronger core muscles help improve posture and prevent lower back pain and reduce the risk of injury. Expect a noticeable difference in your core strength and all of your major leg muscles (hamstrings, calves, and quads even after a month or so.)
Improved endurance
As you continue using stair climbers over time, your muscles will become stronger and more efficient at using oxygen. This results in improved stamina and endurance which means stair climbing workouts can be longer or harder without getting tired as quickly. Month to month you will see significant improvement in your conditioning.
Weight loss
Stair climbers are one of the best pieces of cardio equipment to use if you want to lose weight, burn fat, and tone up all over your body. The stair climber works for several muscle groups simultaneously so it increases metabolism while burning calories more efficiently than other types of workout equipment like treadmills or elliptical machines do; this makes stair climbers an effective way for men women alike who need better cardiovascular health. You could burn up to 820 calories per hour, however many of us won’t last that long. It is safe and attainable to lose 1-2 pounds per week. Stick to filling and nutritious foods because weight loss is heavily dependent on your diet. In one month you could lose 6-8 pounds.
Conclusion
The stair climber is hard to stick with for more than a few minutes at a time due to its high intensity. Even if you are in great shape you may struggle on the stair machine which can offer you numerous benefits. If you need a more tailored approach to this workout, book an appointment with us today! Our team of experts will help get your mind and body ready so that when the day comes, you feel confident enough to use the Stairmaster without any worries or concerns. We have experience helping people master their fitness goals through our knowledge of physiology and psychology combined with years of training experience. You too could be one of these superstars by following the same plan.