The stair stepper is a popular choice for an indoor cardiovascular workout. This machine offers a low-impact exercise option that burns calories quickly and targets the lower body -- hips, thighs and gluteus muscles. However, if you want to avoid building muscle mass in those areas, other indoor exercise machines may offer a better option for you.
Stair Stepper
The stair stepper is designed for indoor cardiovascular exercise. The main functional component of the machine is the stairs -- usually a set of two small platforms -- on which you raise and lower your feet to simulate walking up a flight of stairs. You can modify the levels of the machine to provide more or less resistance, thus giving a variety of exertion levels. The design of the machine allows for movement sufficient to reach high levels of exertion and has the advantage of being low-impact, since the feet stay on the platforms and there is no foot strike against the surface.
Weight Loss
A 1996 study published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" found that stair stepper exercise machines were an effective way to lose weight. Users of these machines, on the average, burn about 700 calories per hour. According to The Mayo Clinic, you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you consume to lose one pound. So a one-hour workout five days a week on the stair stepper could help you lose one pound a week.
Muscles Worked
The stair stepper uses primarily the quadriceps and the gluteus muscles. Repeatedly lifting your legs burns calories and serves as a strength-training exercise. All that lifting strengthens and tones muscles and could also build muscle mass. So, if you use the stair stepper regularly, it could increase the size of your thighs and hips.
Alternatives
If you're looking for an indoor cardiovascular workout that has less chance of enlarging your hips and thighs, go for the elliptical machine or the treadmill. According to the "Journal of the American Medical Association," the treadmill may burn more calories than the stair stepper, and while it also works the quadriceps and the gluteus muscles, it may be less likely to build mass. Elliptical machines offer a low-impact option but may not burn calories as quickly.
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