Centralized Fitness

Stair Stepper Reviews: Know the Facts:

Stair steppers are one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to tone the lower body, burn calories every day, and improve cardiovascular health. Many of these machines have pistons which can be set to several different resistance levels. The higher the resistance, the more difficult the workout experience will be. Interested in finding out which muscle groups you can work with stair steppers? Read on to find out.

How Many Calories Can I Burn?

Harvard Health Publications states that a regular stair stepper can burn from 180-266 calories in 30 minutes. One pound of body fat is roughly equivalent to 3,500 calories. You do the math!

General Aerobic Benefits:

With an aerobic stepper (all steppers are considered to be an aerobic exercise), you can experience loss of weight, immunity boost, lowered risk for disease, cardio health, and decreased blood pressure. These benefits can be experienced on full-size and mini stepper models.

Upper-Body Too!

Certain steppers come with resistance bands that attach to the base of the stepper machine. The bands are held in the arms during use, targeting upper body muscle groups during the same workout. This one by Sunny Health is special in that it is a “twist stepper”, which requires you to rotate your trunk while stepping.

Targeted Muscles:

1) Calves:

While the calves look as if they are made of one giant muscle, they are actually composed of two muscles known as the soleus and the gastrocnemeus. These muscles contact to create a “plantar flex” action that occurs when you raise your heel and keep the ball of your foot on the ground. Stair machines work these muscles every time you raise your leg for each step.

2) Hip Flexors:

The hip flexors are made up of two muscles called the psoas major and iliacus. The muscles start at the spine/hip region and travel down to the femur bone. Whenever you lift your leg while using a stair machine, these muscles get stimulated. The hip flexors don’t get enough attention in most exercise routines, but the stepper machine has you covered here.

3) Quadriceps:

The quadriceps, or “quads” are comprosed of four different muscles that all attach to the knee. The vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius and rectur femoris are the names of these muscles. Together, these “heads” extend your knee. Whenever you extend your leg to take another step, these muscles are used.

4) Hamstrings:

Just like the quadriceps, the hamstrings are a collection of different muscles. They include the semimembranosus, biceps femoris, and semitendinosus. They are located on the back of the upper leg and are stimulated when bending the knees during stepping.

5) Gluteal Muscles:

The glutes, otherwise known as the “butt” muscles, are very strong, particularly the gluteus maximus muscle which is the largest of them all. These muscles are used for stability of the hips and serve to extend the hips at the peak of each step. An exercise stepper can work these too.