You’ve probably already seen people exercising on it or maybe you use it yourself. The so-called Stairmaster is designed in a similar way to the treadmill, since you can seemingly continue to run endlessly – but upwards. The movement sequence is based on the usual climbing stairs. FITBOOK spoke to experts about the «Electric Gym Steps».
FITBOOK has with Prof. Dr. Stephen Geisler (aka the fitness prof – including professor for fitness and health at the IST University in Düsseldorf and lecturer for Olympic weightlifting) asked. In his opinion, the Stairmaster is a «very useful cardio device». It is very functional, since you have to climb stairs in everyday life.
And if you’re thinking, «then you can climb normal stairs just as well» – you’re right, of course. The fitness pro also admits that running up and down five floors ten times at a slow pace would be just as effective as climbing the Stairmaster.
According to the fitness pro, the Stairmaster is «not a god-given invention, but it is certainly a good, functional solution among the cardio machines in the gym».
Many arguments per staircase
Whether on the device or in the stairwell: Climbing stairs stimulates the circulation and burns plenty of calories, depending on the speed and height of the individual steps even more than jogging. It is therefore ideal for weight loss and to improve endurance.
Also interesting: Who should absolutely avoid climbing stairs!
Difference to normal stairs
There are a few differences, however. And you can benefit from them when training on the Stairmaster. «The Stairmaster has higher steps than most normal stairs,» says physiotherapist Andre Scholz (owner of Physion, Frankfurt am Main). In addition to endurance training, the device should also be ideal for HIIT.
What is not possible on the normal stairs: take a breather in between or slow down more and more. The stairmaster gives you the pace. Depending on how hard you want to push yourself, the pace can of course also be quite high.
Who put it on a lush bootie, So if you have a lush rear end, Scholz thinks it is better to do squats, lunges and deadlifts. But wait a minute, most of it can also be done on the Stairmaster.
StairMaster is the brand name of a fitness company that (also, but not only) sells the currently popular stair climber. Some say «electric gym stairs to it», meanwhile Stairmaster has established itself for this in common parlance.
Variations for maximum effect on the Stairmaster
In order to address different muscles, it makes sense to vary the movement sequences. This makes the training more effective – and also more entertaining.
• Skip a step
As on the normal stairs, if you take two steps at a time. As a result, you will logically have to take bigger steps. The next increase: increase the pace!
• Climb up sideways
Stand sideways in front of the device to climb the stairs almost at right angles. Always step slightly crossed to find space for both feet on the steps. This is followed by the same game with the other side. When training sideways stairs, it is advisable to start at a moderate pace in order to practice foot coordination and not to stumble.
• Kickbacks
Next challenge: tensely stretch the leg that is currently stretching backwards. That really kicks ass!
As you can see, there are no limits to creativity. So feel free to try something out.