Elliptical Vs. Stair Climber

For those interested in low-impact exercise that burns fat and increases cardiovascular health, stair climbers and elliptical exercise machines are options to consider. While both provide aerobic workouts by targeting muscles in the lower body, elliptical machines provide constant resistance through your entire stride while lightly working the arms. Thus, they tend to burn more calories in the same amount of time as compared with stair climbers. According to Dr. Terry Simpson's Aerobic Exercise Comparison, stair climbers do not yield as high a level of aerobic workout, as they involve less fluid motion, making it harder to find a rhythm.

Function

Stair climbers are two basic types. One design uses rotating steps, providing a kind of "never-ending" staircase. The other uses footpads that move independently from each other, providing resistance as you step. Both types work the hamstrings, glutes, quadriceps and calves. Ellipticals consist of footpads attached to rails that rotate in the shape of an oval. This design, unlike the stair climbers, gives constant resistance at every point in the stride. It also permits users to pedal backwards, allowing for greater variation in workout programs.

Effects

"Popular Mechanics" reports that elliptical machines emulate the natural path of your feet when you run or walk, causing full hip rotations and leg extensions that utilize all the muscles in the leg. This, combined with the fact that they also engage the arms, enables them to burn more calories on average than stair climbers. According to Makeoverfitness, ellipticals can burn approximately 400 to 500 calories in a half an hour. Compare this to the 300 to 500 burned on a stair climber after a full hour.

Benefits And Drawbacks

Stair climbers that use the footpad design allow the individual to determine the length of the stride. As such, they are a one-size-fits-all machine. In contrast, ellipticals have a fixed stride length. This is beneficial when using an elliptical that's the right size for you, as it forces you to articulate the full motion. On a stair stepper, it can be easy to "cheat" by taking abbreviated steps. However, using an elliptical machine that's too small for you forces you to abbreviate your motion.

Technique

When using either machine, keep your feet flat on the pedals, your shoulders back, your back straight, your stomach muscles tight and your head up. The Exercise Goals website recommends against leaning on the rails when using a stair climber. This can be easy to do unconsciously as the rails do not actively engage the arms. Allowing the rails to support your weight gives your legs less work to do, truncating the exercise's calorie-burning ability.

Warning

Some practitioners use weights in conjunction with stair climbers to compensate for the fact that the exercise doesn't work the arms. According to the Fit Day website, this makes it more difficult for users to balance themselves while performing an already strenuous activity, increasing the risk of injury. When using ellipticals, never work out on a machine whose stride is too long as this can cause injury from over extension. As a rule of thumb, if you can't keep both feet flat for the entirety of the stride, the machine is too large.