01
About the stairmaster
The steps move down as you climb, so you keep stepping up at the pace you choose. Because every step lifts your bodyweight, it raises heart rate quickly and trains the glutes, quads and calves along with the heart and lungs.
Equipment
Stairmaster
The Stairmaster is a rotating staircase. Climbing it is weight-bearing cardio that works the legs and glutes hard at relatively low speed.
Written by the GymStreak coaching teamUpdated
- Exercise
- 1
- Beginner
- 1
- Compound
- 1
02
How to train with it
Stand tall and use the rails only lightly for balance; leaning on them takes weight off your legs and makes the workout much easier than it looks on the display. Place your whole foot on each step. Start at a slow speed for 5 to 10 minutes and build time before speed.
03
Choosing exercises
Use the Stairmaster for steady cardio or short intervals. It combines well with lower-body strength days only if you keep it easy, since your legs will already be tired.
The stairmaster exercise
BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced
Free calculators
Free GymStreak calculators that go with stairmaster training.
Read more
Guides from the GymStreak blog on this topic.
- Is High-Intensity Cardio Better than Steady State Cardio? (HIIT vs. LISS/MISS)Why jog for 1 hour when 1 minute of HIIT gives you the same benefits? True or false? Let's look at research to end this whole HIIT vs LISS thing.6 min read
- Surprise, Walking Is A Great Cardio Activity TooThink you always need to exert 101% and sweat a ton for an effective cardio session? Think again. Here, discover why walking can be a great cardio activity.6 min read
- Does Doing Cardio for Weight Loss Work? (It’s Complicated)Doing cardio for weight loss doesn't always work out. Turns out, you may even gain weight! Find out why and what you could do about it here.6 min read
- Can Fasted Cardio Give You Better Fat Loss Results?Fasted cardio forces your body to tap into your fat reserves for energy — which means it'll help you lose fat faster, right? Hmm. Answers here.6 min read
Get a plan built around your goal
GymStreak's AI personal trainer builds a workout plan from your goal, schedule and equipment, shows every exercise with an animated demo and logs your sets.
