The StairMaster and elliptical trainer are two pieces of cardio equipment found in most fitness centers and health clubs. Because they put less of an impact on the joints, particularly the knees, stair machines and elliptical trainers are popular alternatives to higher-impact activities such as running. The number of calories burned during each activity depends on your weight and intensity level.
StairMaster and Stair Climbers
StairMaster is the brand name for a line of stair climbing machines, although it is not the only brand to fall into this genre of exercise equipment. Stair climbers -- sometimes called stair steppers -- mimic the motion of climbing several flights of stairs in your home or office building. These machines come in several varieties; some actually look like a miniature flight of stairs that rotates around on a belt, similar to how a belt works on a treadmill. Other stair climbers have smaller steps on which you place your feet and only require you to move your legs up and down without actually changing the step on which they rest.
Elliptical Trainers
Elliptical trainer is the generic name for a piece of exercise equipment that loosely mimics a jogging motion. When you climb on to an elliptical trainer, you place your feet into slots that are attached to rails. Your feet move in back and forth -- and depending on your specified settings, up and down.
StairMaster Calorie Burn
The average 150-lb. person can expect to burn 477 calories using a StairMaster -- or comparable stair climber -- for one hour. However, this is only the baseline measurement. If you weigh more than 150 lbs., say 175 lbs, you'll burn 556 calories after an hour on the StairMaster; if you weigh less, for example, 125 lbs., you'll burn 398 calories in that same amount of time.
Other factors -- such as the speed at which you climb or the resistance level of the machine -- also impact your total number of calories burned. StairMaster machines offer resistance levels from zero to 20, zero being the easiest. Working out at level zero will burn significantly fewer calories than working out at level 20. Additionally, climbing four flights of stairs every minute will burn more calories than climbing just two flights.
Elliptical Trainer Calorie Burn
In general, the elliptical trainer offers a higher rate of calorie-burn than a stair climber. A 150-lb. person who spends an hour on the elliptical burns 774 calories, while a 175-lb. person burns 903 calories and a 125-lb. person burns 645 calories in that same amount of time.
Again, speed and resistance level alter this baseline calorie-burn. Set your elliptical trainer at level 10 resistance and you'll burn far more calories than if you set it to a resistance level of three. And just as you'll burn more calories the faster you run, you'll also burn more calories as you increase your speed on the elliptical trainer.
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