Stair Climber vs Treadmill: Which Is Best For You?

The stair climber and treadmill are two of the most well-liked pieces of exercise equipment across gyms and houses. Each offer a wide range of workout options, from easier to grueling and muscle-building to cardio.

Some people swear by the stair climber while others only use the treadmill.

So which is healthier? In this text, we are going to break down the advantages of every and dive into the research to find out whether the stair climber or treadmill provides a greater workout.

Table of Contents:

• What Is A Stair Climber?
• What Is A Treadmill?
• Stair Climber vs Treadmill For Glutes
• Stairmaster vs Incline Treadmill For Weight Loss
• Stairmaster vs Treadmill: Which Burns More Calories?
• What Are The Price Differences?
• Comparing the Stair Climber vs Treadmill: A Summary
• FAQs

What Is A Stair Climber?

The stair climber, also known as Stairmaster or stair stepper, is a kind of exercise machine that simulates climbing stairs. The stair stepper was invented in 1983 by a trio of engineers in Oklahoma. The stair master was finally patented in 1987, which led to a boom in popularity and the creation of comparable machines.

The stair climber looks like a miniature staircase with individual steps that revolve up and down repeatedly. The machine user will stand on the steps and climb stairs, similar to you’ll on an actual staircase. Machines have multiple options to regulate speed and resistance levels to create different workouts.

The stairclimber is mostly used as a cardio workout for its ability to burn several calories. It could also construct strength within the lower body, including calves, quadriceps, hamstrings, and glute muscles.

Stair Stepper Muscles Worked

The essential muscles worked by the stair stepper are the lower body, including calves, quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. The hamstrings are activated when flexing the knees, while the calves, quads, and glutes are activated through the pushing motion of the steps.

It also works the hip flexors, activated when lifting the legs. Lastly, the stair climber also works the center and cardiovascular system. The exercise on a stair climber helps elevate the center rate, which keeps the center healthy and improves endurance. 

Stair Climber Calories Burned

Like several exercise, the precise variety of burned calories will rely upon several aspects. For a 30-minute workout, the Stairmaster will normally burn anywhere from 180 to 260 calories.

The speed setting is one major factor affecting what number of calories are burned, as moving faster can significantly increase the full calories burned. One other necessary note is that heavier people will typically burn more calories because they must carry more body weight, so greater energy is required.

For instance, a 175-pound man will burn more calories than a 130-pound man doing the identical workout. 

Advantages Of The Stairmaster

A Stairmaster workout is perhaps difficult, however the pain is well definitely worth the advantages. I’ll go over a few of my favorite perks here, but there are such a lot of of them, that we even did a complete article on it. For extra information on stairmaster perks, head to our article on 17 Advantages of the Stair Climber.

A number of the advantages of the stair master include:

• Cardiovascular Health: Like other exercises, the Stairmaster helps elevate the center rate, which helps improve cardiovascular endurance. 
• Burn Calories: Most stair stepper machines today have screens that display estimated calories burned, making it easy to trace. You’ll be able to burn more calories by increasing speed. 
• Strengthens Core: While the lower body muscles are the first focus of the stair stepper, the core is activated to assist stabilize and maintain posture. Strengthening the lower back and abdominals can assist avoid injury and forestall lower back pain. 
• Helps Bone Density: Identical to running on a treadmill, weight-bearing exercises help improve bone density and can assist prevent bone diseases like osteoporosis. 
• Stronger Lower Body: The stair stepper helps construct leg muscles, including quads, hamstrings, calves, and glutes. The stair stepper is particularly great for constructing muscle within the calves and glutes in comparison with running on a treadmill. 
• Low Impact: Stair climber machines provide low impact workouts, which implies they slowly elevate your heart rate and put less pressure in your joints than high-impact exercises. A stair climber machine requires you to push off your legs, whereas the treadmill has you landing in your legs with high impact onto hard surfaces. Over time, the stair stepper can strengthen joints and reduce joint pain, whereas treadmills put stress on them. 

Stair Stepper Cons

While there are several advantages of the Stairmaster, there are some minor negative points. 

• Not A Full Body Workout: The stairmaster truly focuses on the lower body, which could be good or bad. Should you are on the lookout for more of a complete body workout, the treadmill or other machines is perhaps higher. 
• Possible Injury: This machine could be tough to make use of, especially at higher speeds. Start slowly and work your way as much as avoid injuries corresponding to tendonitis, muscle strains, or overuse injuries. 
• Can Be Difficult: Despite having different speed options, the stair stepper has far less variability than running on a treadmill. Beginners may struggle to finish five minutes on the bottom setting of a stair stepper, whereas, on a treadmill, they’ll discover a manageable speed. 

What Is A Treadmill?

A treadmill is a kind of cardio equipment with a moving belt on a flat surface created to simulate outdoor running or walking. It’s the most well-liked piece of home exercise equipment and the most well-liked cardio machine in gyms.

The earliest types of treadmills were created as types of punishment until 1913, when the primary US patent for a treadmill training machine was issued. They’re now used for cardiovascular exercises, including walking and running.

Treadmills have evolved with technology and today include quite a few features corresponding to targeted heart rates and various resistance levels, including an incline option. 

Treadmill Muscles Worked

The treadmill works the body very similarly to the stair stepper, with each primarily affecting the lower muscle groups, including the hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, and glutes.

You’ll be able to specifically goal the calves and glutes more by doing an incline treadmill workout corresponding to incline walking. The treadmill also works secondary muscles within the core, including the abdominals and lower back muscles.

Running will goal the abdominal muscles more, so try increasing speed to assist attain a six-pack. The shoulders, back, and arms are also minorly activated, primarily acting as stabilizing muscles. 

Calories Burned During A Treadmill Workout

As we mentioned above, the quantity of calories burned will vary from individual to individual since it is determined by several aspects. All things considered equal, running outdoors or on a treadmill is the most effective and best technique to burn calories.

A study compared the energy expended in calories from various fitness machines, including each the treadmill and the stair stepper machine.

The treadmill produced the very best energy expenditure, meaning it burned probably the most calories in comparison with the stair climber and other machines. The treadmill also produced the very best heart rate, with the stair climber second¹.

On average, the everyday person can burn anywhere from 150-300 calories in a single hour walking on a treadmill, with speed being a significant factor, amongst others. When running, you may burn closer to 550-700 calories per hour. Studies have shown that running burns more calories than walking, resulting in significantly greater weight reduction over six years².

For a 150-pound person, walking on a treadmill at a brisk pace of three.5 mph will burn roughly 258 calories an hour. Running at a 10-minute mile pace of 6pmh will burn roughly 680 calories per hour in the identical 150-pound individual.

Advantages Of The Treadmill

Along with the calories burned, the treadmill has other advantages over the stair stepper.

One study found that running is simpler than stair-climbing for sports-related effects. They found that aerobic capability measured in VO2 max increased by 12% on the stair stepper in comparison with a 16% increase from running.

The running group also decreased their run time by 11% in comparison with only 8% within the stair stepper group, which shows the treadmill is healthier for running performance results than the stair stepper³.

Other advantages include: 

• Convenience: Treadmills are extremely convenient to make use of, making it possible to walk or run at any time of day, no matter weather. This is particularly helpful for individuals who live in climates that aren’t ideal for running, including freezing cold or extreme heat. They could be found at any gym or fitness center or easily purchased for an at-home gym.
• Number of Workouts: Treadmills offer a much wider range of possible workouts than a stair stepper. Treadmills have a much greater range of speed settings, making them more customizable and safer. They also can have incline options, interval training programs, and other training programs to pick from. For instance, you may go for a HIIT treadmill workout or you could find a treadmill workout for weight reduction.
• Improves Heart Health: All types of exercise profit overall heart health, and the treadmill is amongst the most effective. Treadmills offer low-intensity aerobic exercise and technology to measure heart rate. Hitting a goal heart rate zone and maintaining constant heart rates helps strengthen the center muscles and lower blood pressure, decreasing the chance of heart disease. Alternatively, stair steppers are typically very high-intensity. 
• Can Improve Mental Health: We all know that each one exercise is nice for relieving stress and overall mental health, but running is maybe the most effective. You’ve likely heard of “runners high,” a euphoric feeling that happens in runners attributable to the discharge of endorphins. Studies have shown that just 10 minutes of moderate-intensity running release endorphins and enhance arousal

  levels⁴.

Treadmill Cons

While the treadmill offers several great advantages, a couple of minor negatives exist. 

• Space Requirement and Cost: Treadmills could be quite large, often requiring a big space or room. 
• Tough On Joints: Although running on a treadmill is healthier than running outdoors, treadmill workouts still put stress on the joints. While treadmills attempt to limit impact, the constant foot strikes to the bottom may cause joint damage within the knees and ankles. A stair stepper is a lower-impact option. If you’ve prior injuries, it’s best to seek the advice of a healthcare skilled before using them. 
• Can Be Boring: The very best part about walking or running outdoors is taking within the scenery, something that doesn’t apply to treadmills. Some people can get bored by the repetitiveness of treadmills and lack of engagement, especially at lower speeds. Many gym machines have built-in audio or video screens to look at television while exercising. 

Stair Climber vs Treadmill For Glutes

The gluteus maximus, or glutes, are the most important muscle within the body. They’re situated within the buttocks and play an important role in hip extension, thigh abduction, and external rotation of the hips.

While constructing the glutes is crucial for having a robust core and legs, it also plays a big part in balancing the physique. Using the incline feature on treadmills significantly increases the strain on the glutes, however the stair stepper is simpler at constructing muscle.

One Redditor backed this up in a thread in regards to the Stairmaster for cardio, saying:

“The Stairmaster is unquestionably more taxing in your legs, more anaerobic. I normally go for about 30-45 minutes on the Stairmaster. The ten minutes are the toughest, just push through after which it’s going to get easier.” (source)

Further, within the study I discussed above that checked out various exercise machines, additionally they measured lactate concentration, which indicates the quantity of lactic acid. The quantity of lactic acid will increase the more strenuous a workout is. Of all of the machines, the stair stepper had the very best lactic acid concentration, showing it worked the muscle the most effective¹.

A separate study compared several different exercises’ impacts on gluteus maximus activation levels. Of all of the exercises, the step-up and its variations (lateral, diagonal, and crossover step-up) had the very best level of glute activation, above squats, hip thrusts, deadlifts, and others⁵.

These studies show that the stair climber is simpler at constructing muscle, specifically within the glutes. Keen on adding a stair climber to your property gym? Take a look at these 9 Best Stair Steppers!

Stairmaster vs Incline Treadmill For Weight Loss

Relating to weight reduction, the incline treadmill is the higher option in comparison with the Stairmaster, and running on the treadmill burns probably the most calories.

One study compared fat oxidation levels on the treadmill, elliptical, and rowing ergometer. The outcomes showed that fat oxidation was significantly higher within the treadmill group⁶. Although this study didn’t use the stair stepper within the experiment, loads of research shows that running on the treadmill is the most effective cardio exercise option for weight reduction.

The opposite study referenced above that compared stair climbing to running on a treadmill produced very similar results for aerobic capability and run time, with the info supporting stair climbing as an efficient alternative to running³.

A vital thing to notice is that stair steppers could be used at very high intensities, which may significantly increase weight reduction in comparison with lower speeds.

I personally prefer high-intensity Stairmaster workouts for weight reduction, but that is due to stress running puts on my knees. Other people like walking at an incline on the treadmill to take the pressure off their joints, corresponding to this Redditor

“I incline walk on a treadmill for an hour once I know I should work out but I’m just not feeling like exercising. It gets me off the couch. It gets me into the gym. I gets my heart rate up. Nevertheless it’s not so exhausting that I am unable to handle it once I’m drained. In keeping with my Fitbit I burn as much incline walking for an hour as I’d running a medium speed for 45 minutes. So it’s price it for me. But I do think the incline does amazing things for my butt. The take away is, do the exercise that feels right in your body when it feels right. Even when you’re just incline walking for a short while, it’s higher than not understanding in any respect. I find it’s an awesome “break day” workout.” (source)

Each pieces of kit could be very effective at weight reduction when used properly, but when you’re going to run, the treadmill is probably the most efficient for weight reduction. The takeaway, as our Reddit friend said, is that the most effective option for weight reduction is whatever type of exercise you’ll do consistently.

Should you are available in the market for a treadmill that may help support your weight reduction goals, try our article on the 7 Best Incline Treadmills.

Stairmaster vs Treadmill: Which Burns More Calories?

As I touched on above, the variety of calories someone burns will vary based on aspects like age, weight, level of fitness, and metabolism.

Studies show that when all other aspects are the identical, the treadmill is more efficient at calorie burning than the Stairmaster. A big think about determining the variety of calories burned is the intensity, and stair steppers require high intensity to burn calories.

Alternatively, you may burn tons of of calories by performing low-intensity steady-state training, LISS, on the treadmill. Treadmills offer several different programs and options that may burn calories no matter speed or intensity. The stair stepper is an awesome technique to burn calories, but overall the treadmill is healthier.

One other great technique to increase your weight reduction is by performing high-intensity interval training (HIIT). HIIT is a kind of intense workout routine that alternates between a slower pace and intense effort periods.

What Are the Price Differences?

While treadmills and stair stepper machines could be expensive, they needs to be considered an investment in your health.

When discussing how much a treadmill costs, treadmills are typically priced between $500 and $3,000 for the most important, most costly options. Nowadays, there are several smaller and cheaper options under $500, with some foldable options as low-cost as $100.

Stair stepper machines, alternatively, are relatively expensive, with the common machine costing between $2,500 to $3,500 or higher. Like treadmills, there are cheaper options which can be much smaller and cheaper.

Should you are on the lookout for an awesome budget option for stair steppers, I like to recommend Sunny Health- SF-E3919. This machine has a heavy-duty steel frame that holds as much as 260 kilos. With pulse-sensing grips, dynamic handlebars, and eight levels of magnetic resistance, this stair climber ensures you get a superb workout in.

And for more great stair climber options, try our article on the 9 Best Stair Steppers For All Budgets!

As for treadmills, the treadmill shouldn’t be only cheaper but additionally more efficient at burning calories than stair steppers. Top-of-the-line budget-friendly options is the Horizon Fitness T101. This foldable option has a max speed of 12 mph and comes with a lifetime warranty on the frame and motor.

On the lookout for more treadmill options? We have got tons! Take a look at our articles on the ten Best Folding Treadmills or for something different, these 9 Best Manual Treadmills.

Comparing the Stair Climber vs Treadmill: A Summary

We just went over a ton of knowledge on two awesome pieces of workout equipment! Should you’re still trying to make a decision which is healthier for you, you need to use the next table to match them side by side.

FAQs

These are a number of the most typical questions we get related to the stair climber and treadmill. 

Why is the Stairmaster so hard?

The Stairmaster requires strength and endurance of the lower body, combined with the balance requirements and high intensity, making it difficult for several users. Try starting slow on the bottom setting to get used to the machine to avoid injuries. 

Is stair master higher than running?

This answer is determined by your goal – the stair stepper is healthier for constructing overall lower body strength while running is healthier for burning calories. 

How long is a superb stair climber workout?

A beginner may only do a 10-20 minute workout, but a more advanced user can do 30-60 minutes or more. 

Is it higher to do stair climber slow or fast?

This is determined by the user’s ability and experience. A more experienced user may use it at the highest speed, but it will probably even be very effective at slower speeds. 

Does walking on an incline construct glutes?

Yes, elevating a treadmill or walking on an incline will help construct glutes. Walking on an incline prompts the glutes since the incline puts resistance on the body. 

Is the stair climber a full body workout?

No, the stair climber is primarily a lower-body workout. It also works the core barely, but there may be little to no upper body work. 

Does treadmill or stair climber construct more muscle?

The stair climber builds more muscle, specifically the calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, and glutes. 

Stairmaster vs Treadmill: Which is healthier?

The Stairmaster and treadmill are two of the most well-liked workout machines, and each have several advantages.

In case your goal is to burn calories and shed body fat, the treadmill is the higher option. Should you wish to construct lower body strength and improve physical performance, the stair stepper is the higher option. Using an incline treadmill can assist put more strain on the calves and glutes in comparison with a daily treadmill, however the Stairmaster is best for constructing the glutes.

Each are implausible pieces of kit and help burn calories efficiently, so the most effective option really just is determined by your fitness goals.