Stairmaster Help
chelllsea124
Posts: 336 Member
I need help with the Stairmaster. I can stay on an elliptical, treadmil, or stationary bike for a decent amount of time, but when i get on the stairmaster i don't last more than 10 minutes. What is a good starting program for this? How can i increase my health and physical fitness to stay on this? Does anyone have a good "starting out" plan that they could suggest? Thanks in advance.
1
Replies
-
It's like a near death experience isn't it? Seriously though the only way to increase your stamina on it is to keep doing it. Eventually it will feel easier and you'll be able to add time and speed as tolerated. Don't be like the people I see in my gym who are basically doing an upper body workout on it by holding themselves up with their arms so no effort is required of their legs.5
-
I second what Melaniecn77 said, try not to hold on. I used to find it a nightmare but worked up to 4000 stairs in an hour, now working on speed. Juat keep at it, i found intervals work best (i did 500 stairs as fast as i could, then slowed down to around level 4/5 for 500 stairs)2
-
Thank y'all so much! This helps! I'm gonna keep pushing!1
-
The stair master is a *kitten*...but a GREAT workout. When I started I could only do 5 mins...kinda embarrassing but I decided to take a 2 min break & go another 5 mins & I kept on like that for a few weeks until I could do 30 mins without breaks. Now I can do 30-40 mins without any breaks & I have steadily increased the speed as well. I typically warm up for 3 mins on L3-4, then set it at L7 with intervals of L10-12 for short bursts (1-2 mins).
Just keep going, set it for 10 mins, take a breather then set it again for 10 mins pretty soon you'll be kicking all kinds of a.s.s on the stairs.1 -
That is exactly what I'm looking for. Thank you so much! When I first tried the stairmaster, I was seriously so naive I thought it would be easy. I could barely finish 5 minutes. Today I did 10 minutes with two small breaks in between! Hoping to get where you are!0
-
The Stairmaster is one of best pieces of "cardio" equipment at the gym because you really can't cheat using it, not even if you're holding yourself up w/your arms.
It's the only cardio equipment that I use at the gym. I've got my own spin bike and rower at home.
You have to walk those steps regardless and there is no "assistance" like there is w/the elliptical and there is more quad/glute involvement than w/the treadmill.
Only way to get better doing it is to do it regularly and put up the pace and duration little by little.
I can do 30 mins straight at a moderate pace but I prefer to break it up into 2 15 min sessions w/a 10 -15 min rest period instead in order to work a little harder during the shorter sessions.1 -
I've just started going on the Stair Master at the Gym. A few weeks ago I could only manage 4 minutes but last week I managed 11 minutes wahooo and thats just with toggling the levels up and down, however, I like @midnightsurfer idea of 500 stairs fast then 500 stairs slower pace so I'm going to try this today.
I have a fitbit so like to monitor my target zones, of all the classes of bodycoach workouts I've done only running/sprinting and the stair master really gives me a good workout where I go between peak HR and cardio HR throughout the workout.
Kel1 -
I struggle going over 10minutes too. I need to concentrate really hard on not falling on my face, or falling off the bottom. I also need to keep changing what I'm doing - a couple of minutes normal steps, a minute fast, a minute double stepping on each leg, a minute side stepping, a minute backwards, a couple of minutes alternating between "squat" walking and normal, rinse and repeat.... It makes time go faster, and makes my legs burn!2
-
Ok, so update. Last night I did 33 floors and 526 steps in 10 mins, which is awesome for me. I could barely complete 5 minutes when I first started. I took 2 small breaks during the 10 minutes and my heart rate got all the way up to 186... which was a little much for me, I think. So, I definitely pushed hard. Overall, I felt good after the fact. I'm going to keep pushing to see how much better I get over time. I really like how the stairmaster makes me push myself.
I have seen where people hold on and hunch over for dear life. I rested my wrists on the handles, without holding on. This forced me not to pull on my upper body weight.1 -
-
^^^ Great question! Following this thread. I've tried it twice for about 10-minutes each time and I fell off the second attempt (it ate the front of my shoe.... -_-) and I haven't been back on since. I know it's a great work out but I hate it and a fear of escalators doesn't really help LOL0
-
I've had that happen too, where the front of my shoe is eaten. I've realized that i have to look down at my feet the entire time I'm on the machine, which is kind of annoying, but whatever.
Getting down off that thing after 10 minutes of pure misery is difficult. i feel like i'm going to fall off!!!! LOL!0 -
Just please don't hold on....1
-
I usually do 50 minutes on the stairmill 1-2x per week. It rarely feels easy.3
-
-
LeanButNotMean44 wrote: »I usually do 50 minutes on the stairmill 1-2x per week. It rarely feels easy.
This is what I'm hopinh to get to! That's amazing!0 -
haha that's fine, I just wouldn't put any real pressure on your hands to take anything away from your legs. To be honest, its as much balancing as it is helping you along. I believe you will get the most out of it from walking normally. In the end, doing 30 minutes holding on for dear life, is going to give you more of a metabolic boost than 5 minutes without hands, but there is no comparison holding on vs. not holding on with equal time.
I would suggest even doing 1 mintue segments and slowly working up, using no hands at all, at a slow speed to build up. Take any rests you need.0 -
I love this machine and honestly credit it with helping to give me an *kitten*!
Just keep turning up girl- build up slowly at your own pace and the endurance will come.2 -
haha that's fine, I just wouldn't put any real pressure on your hands to take anything away from your legs. To be honest, its as much balancing as it is helping you along. I believe you will get the most out of it from walking normally. In the end, doing 30 minutes holding on for dear life, is going to give you more of a metabolic boost than 5 minutes without hands, but there is no comparison holding on vs. not holding on with equal time.
I would suggest even doing 1 mintue segments and slowly working up, using no hands at all, at a slow speed to build up. Take any rests you need.
This helps so much. Thank you! It always sucks when you have no level of physical fitness and you want to start. I don't know if I'm pushing myself too hard or not enough, ya know?0 -
-
chelseahatch24 wrote: »haha that's fine, I just wouldn't put any real pressure on your hands to take anything away from your legs. To be honest, its as much balancing as it is helping you along. I believe you will get the most out of it from walking normally. In the end, doing 30 minutes holding on for dear life, is going to give you more of a metabolic boost than 5 minutes without hands, but there is no comparison holding on vs. not holding on with equal time.
I would suggest even doing 1 mintue segments and slowly working up, using no hands at all, at a slow speed to build up. Take any rests you need.
This helps so much. Thank you! It always sucks when you have no level of physical fitness and you want to start. I don't know if I'm pushing myself too hard or not enough, ya know?
You can even pracatice by walking on a treadmill at a big incline without holding on, that might help with getting the leg power to be able to hold it for longer. Never had experience doing this, but a similar lunging type movement and you can change speed more easily.0 -
chelseahatch24 wrote: »haha that's fine, I just wouldn't put any real pressure on your hands to take anything away from your legs. To be honest, its as much balancing as it is helping you along. I believe you will get the most out of it from walking normally. In the end, doing 30 minutes holding on for dear life, is going to give you more of a metabolic boost than 5 minutes without hands, but there is no comparison holding on vs. not holding on with equal time.
I would suggest even doing 1 mintue segments and slowly working up, using no hands at all, at a slow speed to build up. Take any rests you need.
This helps so much. Thank you! It always sucks when you have no level of physical fitness and you want to start. I don't know if I'm pushing myself too hard or not enough, ya know?
You can even pracatice by walking on a treadmill at a big incline without holding on, that might help with getting the leg power to be able to hold it for longer. Never had experience doing this, but a similar lunging type movement and you can change speed more easily.
I have the leg power, I lack the heart rate0 -
I love the stairmaster...I can do it for quite a bit of time, but I am very cautious of the levels. Currently, I go at a regular pace for 2 minutes, then speed up the pace and skip a step for 1 minute. I do this for a total of 15-20 minutes on leg days. I hope to get fancy like the other folks on the stairmaster at my gym and climb sideways.1
-
It's my fave cardio machine also. Like everyone else I thought WHAT THE H*** IS WRONG WITH ME?! when I couldn't do more than 5 or 10 minutes the first few times I tried. I've persisted for the last 5 months and was recently able to do a full 60 minutes at a good pace. Next step: increasing my speed. I try not to hold on, I see some people literally holding themselves up on the handles - I try not to until I'm about to face plant then I grab on frantically!! I'm clumsy to start with - I don't need to entertain the rest of the gym by making a complete fool of myself
1 -
chelseahatch24 wrote: »
MFPs "bleep"0 -
Does anyone know if the stairmaster builds muscle? I have been doing it for3 weeks now and notice a difference. I usually do 30 mins starting at 7 and ending at level 50
-
burnthefatnicole wrote: »Does anyone know if the stairmaster builds muscle? I have been doing it for3 weeks now and notice a difference. I usually do 30 mins starting at 7 and ending at level 5
If you start any new activity, the body has to adapt to the specific demands of that activity. The stairmaster (stepmill) movement requires a certain amount of muscle strength to perform optimally.
So.....someone just starting out on the stairmaster can experience a noticeable increase in muscle strength and perhaps even a small increase in muscle mass. However, this is short-term adaptation that will stop once you are fully habituated to the movement.
Climbing stairs is an interesting blend of cardio power and muscle strength. I have to go down (and up) 7 flights of stairs totaling 45 steps from the fitness floor to the boiler room on a regular basis--numerous times a day sometimes. I have found that if I run longer and faster runs it makes going up the stairs easier--but I get a similar effect from doing heavy squats.
1 -
I always get confused with the step machines - I know there's one that I think is called the StairMaster that you push down on while upright to simulate walking on steps. I love this machine and can do it endlessly and FAST (I used to listen to Prodigy while stepping to the beat) It looks like this
The Stair Climber on the other hand is hell on wheels. Or steps. It's this monstrosity and I find it brutal and cruel.
0 -
I always get confused with the step machines - I know there's one that I think is called the StairMaster that you push down on while upright to simulate walking on steps. I love this machine and can do it endlessly and FAST (I used to listen to Prodigy while stepping to the beat) It looks like this
The Stair Climber on the other hand is hell on wheels. Or steps. It's this monstrosity and I find it brutal and cruel.
"The Stair Climber" is the one I was originally referring to... which is most definitely brutal and cruel.1 -
I only use the stairmaster when I have been a bad boy... and for interval training... it's probably the best machine at the gym... don't be afraid to hit the stop button and take advantage of the 2 minute rest it gives you... set floor goals... given it has been a couple months since you first posted... how are the gains?0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 424 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions