People who choose to take elevators or escalators rather than climbing a few flights of stairs are missing out on an opportunity to improve their cardiovascular fitness and muscular strength. Stairs provide an opportunity for a vigorous workout, and stair stepper-type machines have became a staple of fitness centers.
History
Once stair-steppers were introduced to the American gym scene in the 1980s, they became one of the most popular exercise machines, according to "Time" magazine. In its first few years of existence, the stair-stepper lured more than 4 million users. It also inspired the invention of the elliptical trainer, which uses a combination of stepper and treadmill techniques. A more recently developed stepping machine, the StepMill, is a revolving staircase.
Calories Burned
Stair-steppers require a good deal of energy exertion and therefore are effective at burning calories. Harvard University reports that a person weighing 125 lbs. can burn 350 calories in 30 minutes on a stair-stepper. A person weighing more -- about 185 lbs. -- can burn 500 calories in the same amount of time.
Cardiovascular Fitness
Stair-steppers also provide effective cardiovascular workouts. Along with burning calories and helping keep your weight down, cardio workouts can help relieve stress, enhance your mood, release endorphins, improve your quality of sleep and reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes, notes MayoClinic.com. To maximize the cardiovascular benefits, you should focus on your exertion rate while working out on a stepper. Varying your rate of exertion between a 5 and a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10 will have your heart working harder and becoming stronger.
Sculpted Legs
Stair-steppers provide your legs with a strength-training workout. The upward climb strengthens, tones and sculpts your glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings and calves. "Fitness" magazine suggests adding intervals to your workout to increase the toning benefits. Try increasing the intensity or speed for a minute or two, then recovering for one minute at an easy pace. Repeat that process five to 10 times.
No Impact
Another benefit of the stair-stepper is that it is a nonimpact form of exercise. Movement that requires impact, such as running, can put stress on your joints, tendons and ligaments, possibly causing problems like shin splints and stress fractures. But a stair-stepper provides a powerful workout without that risk.
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