If you want to reach new levels of fitness, a stair stepper can help. Climbing on a stair stepper burns a large number of calories: about 238 calories for a 150-lb. person exercising for 30 minutes. Stair steppers also offer a vigorous cardiovascular workout and strengthen some major muscle groups.
Leg Muscles
If you've ever climbed up stadium steps, you have probably felt the muscles in your legs working hard. Stair steppers similarly offer a vigorous leg workout, which can be even more challenging than climbing actual stairs because you can adjust your speed, intensity and distance. Exercising on a stair stepper works your major leg muscles, including your calves, quadriceps and hamstrings. The quadriceps are located above the knee and are worked when you straighten your leg while stepping. The hamstrings, located along the upper, back sections of your legs, balance out the quadriceps and help bring your legs up to step. Your calves, in your lower legs behind your shin bones, help lift your heels and push you off the ground.
Gluteal Muscles
The gluteal muscles, on your back side above your legs, get worked during stair stepping. The glutes work by moving your thighs forward and backward, which is one of the main motions involved in stair stepping. Increasing the intensity on your stair stepper will work your glutes more. Exercising on a stair stepper can not only strengthen your glutes but also give your butt a more shapely, firm look as you burn off fat from your cardio workout, showing off the toned muscles underneath.
Hip Flexors
The hip flexors are a group of muscles that work by pulling the knee up. Hip flexors allow the legs to maintain fluid movements. Stair stepping works the hip flexors, as they are used to help pull the knees up to climb. As with the other muscles, the higher your intensity on the stair stepper, the harder you will work your hip flexors.
Considerations
There are a variety of stair steppers on the market, some of which include movable handlebars that work your arm muscles. Pushing and pulling the handlebars offers a workout for arm muscles such as the forearms, shoulders, biceps and triceps. Because you have to maintain your balance while moving your arms and stepping, stair steppers with moving handlebars also work the core muscles of your abs and back.
Cardiovascular Benefits
Exercising on a stair stepper offers an aerobic workout that strengthens the cardiovascular system, including the heart muscle. Regular stair stepping can help prevent conditions and diseases such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes, as well as help with weight control. Using a stair stepper also can boost your energy and elevate your mood, helping you feel better about yourself as well as look better.
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