So, you’re ready to get in shape, expand your home gym setup, and burn some major calories?
The best home workout equipment will help you do all three. The stepper machine is a piece of home gym equipment that has some major benefits for building strength and burning fat. The stair stepper machine provides a low-impact workout that is suitable for most adults of all fitness levels. The stepper machine’s benefits are many but first, what is a stepper machine, and why does it make the best home workout equipment?
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What Is a Stepper Machine?
The stepper machine, Stairmaster, or stair stepper, is an exercise machine that mimics the movement of walking up a flight of continuous stairs. Stepper machines are typically made of plastic and metal material and feature two pedals (or steps) that move with your feet and legs as if you were walking up a flight of stairs. There are many different types of stepper machines, each with its own benefits.
Most stepper machine home workout equipment comes with the option of varying the speed and intensity of your stepping workout. Some stair stepper machine home workout equipment features handlebars that move simultaneously with your legs. These types of stepping machines allow you to work both your legs and arms at the same time.
Stair Stepper Machine Benefits
The stair stepper machine is the best home workout equipment for an effective exercise regime. Below are 8 stepper machine benefits and why you’ll want to make a stepper machine the next addition to your home gym.
It’s Low Impact
A stepper machine is a form of low-impact exercise that’s perfect for people of all fitness levels or those who suffer from joint problems. Low impact exercise is any exercise that doesn’t put an insinuating amount of pressure or impact on your joints or muscles.
For example, running is a high-impact exercise that mostly impacts the joints in your feet, ankles, and knees. When your feet hit the ground while running, the shockwaves from that impact jar your joints. For those with foot or knee problems, running can further damage their joints and cause them pain.
The stepper machine does not require you to put the impact on your joints as your foot does not leave the foot pedal as you exercise. For people who can’t perform high-impact exercises like running, the stair stepper machine is an effective exercise alternative.
Improves Cardio
The stair stepper machine provides a cardio workout that elevates your heart rate and improves your cardio fitness.
Cardio exercise is any form of exercise that gets your heart pumping and blood circulating through your body. Examples of cardio exercises include running, jumping, dancing, and brisk walking.
Effective forms of cardio exercise elevate your heart rate for an extended period. During this period, your heart works harder to circulate the blood and oxygen throughout your body. Each time you perform cardio exercise, you improve your cardio endurance.
Your heart health is one of the main benefits of regular exercise. More people die each year of heart disease than other diseases. Regular cardio exercise can decrease your risk of heart disease, among many other health risks.
Builds Leg Strength
Any form of resistance exercise helps to stimulate muscle growth and in turn build strength. The stair stepper machine is one of the best home workout equipment for strengthening and toning the muscles in your legs, especially your quads and glutes.
Walking upstairs creates resistance for your leg muscles which stimulates muscle growth. You’ll work your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calf muscles within the same workout.
Building muscle creates the strong, lean, and toned legs most gym-goers strive for. Because most stair stepper machine home workout equipment features the option to vary intensity, you’re able to change your resistance.
As you become fitter, you can increase your resistance, therefore building more lean muscle in your legs. And the best part is that you don’t have to do a single squat.
Burns Fat
Fat loss requires you to be in a calorie deficit or burn more calories than you take in. You can achieve a calorie deficit by either eating fewer calories, burning more calories through exercise, or a combination of both. Exercise, especially cardio exercise, burns a large number of calories in a short period of time.
A stepper machine is home workout equipment that combines both cardio and resistance training to burn fat and help you lose weight over time. The number of calories you burn depends on your weight, sex, intensity, and duration of your workout.
On average, a normal weight person could burn anywhere from 162 to 243 calories per 30-minutes on a stair stepper. Combined with a low-calorie diet and regular exercise routine, the stair stepper machine benefits your weight loss goals.
It’s Compact
Many stair stepper machine varieties are compact in size, making them easy to place in your home or home gym space. The most compact stair stepper machines are small enough to store under your bed when not in use.
The size of your home gym equipment will greatly impact how feasible it is for your use.
Big and bulky workout machines won’t work for you if you live in a small space.
Stair stepper machines often take up less space than other larger pieces of home gym equipment. Be sure to measure the space in your home before purchasing your stair stepper machine to ensure it will fit where you’re going to use it.
You Can Use Your Arms
Unlike running on a treadmill, working out on a stair stepper machine allows you to use your arms. When you’re running, your arms need to be free to help propel your body forward.
The stair stepper machine is much more concentrated on working your lower body. Meaning, that your upper body stays still while your legs do all the work.
While working out on a stair stepper machine, it’s possible for you to work your arm muscles simultaneously. You can do this by holding dumbbells and performing a variety of upper body exercises (like dumbbell press-ups or bicep curls) while using your stepper machine.
Some stair stepper machines feature arm handles that move with your stair-stepping movement and allow you to work your arms at the same time. Essentially, a stair stepper machine allows you to get a full-body workout.
You Can Perform HIIT
HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, involves doing a short burst of exercise at your maximum level of exertion, followed by a brief rest period. A typical HIIT workout could look like 1 minute of effort, followed by 30 seconds of rest. The cycle will be repeated for the remainder of your workout (typically 20-30-minutes).
HIIT is a popular form of cardio that burns fat and increases your cardiac endurance. You can perform a HIIT workout using your stepper machine by varying your levels of intensity or speed.
A stair stepper machine HIIT workout could include 1 minute of sprinting on your stair stepper (or stepping as quickly as possible for one minute) followed by a short rest. Or you could choose to increase the resistance level on your stair stepper machine for your work interval.
It Helps Boost Your Metabolism
Exercise increases your calorie burn both while you’re working out and for a short period afterward. Strength training or resistance training has the longest after-burn effect because they stimulate muscle growth.
What this means is that anytime you do resistance exercise, your body burns more energy afterward to repair the muscle damage. During this period of recovery, your body builds your muscles stronger, therefore increasing your muscle tone.
Because the stair stepper machine is both cardio and resistance training, you receive this afterburn benefit on your metabolism. Additionally, the muscle tissue itself is metabolically active, meaning it burns calories even while you’re at rest.
The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn daily. The stair stepper machine helps you build muscle in your legs; therefore, it can help to increase your metabolism.
Is the Stair Stepper Machine Worth It?
The stair stepper machine is multifunction home workout equipment that can increase your physical fitness.
A stepper machine is worth the purchase if you are looking for a low-impact exercise machine that allows you to build strength and cardio endurance. A stepper machine is suitable for all people of different physical fitness levels and may be especially beneficial for those with joint problems.
With a stepping machine, you can burn calories, boost your metabolism, improve your heart health, increase your leg strength, and lose weight. It’s one of the best home gym equipment for smaller spaces and can be easily stored (depending on the type of stepper machine you purchase).
If you’re ready to improve your fitness and get your stepping on, the stepper machine is a smart choice.
Lazar Sretenović, an IFBB and REPs Level 3 certified trainer, specializes in personalized fitness programs encompassing weight lifting, EMS, and endurance training. With a focus on tailored nutrition and holistic well-being, Lazar Sretenović guides clients through transformative health journeys, emphasizing safety and individual goals.