Stairmaster Muscle Group
Written by Ben Bunting: BA, PGCert. (Sport & Exercise Nutrition) // British Army Physical Training Instructor // S&C Coach.
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If you're looking to target specific muscle groups during your Stairmaster workout, you've come to the right place.
There are many benefits to using a stairmaster. For starters, you can exercise your hamstrings, glutes, calves, and lower body with a 15-minute workout.
To increase your workout's intensity, add resistance bands or kettlebells.
I like using the stairmaster for active recovery, in addition the ones in my local gym have integrated TV and apps so you can watch Youtube, listen to digital radio go on social media etc to take some of the boredom away.
Quadriceps: The main muscles targeted on a Stairmaster are the quadriceps, which are located on the front of your thighs.
They are responsible for extending your knees and propelling you up the stairs.
This guide will break down the muscles worked on a Stairmaster, helping you understand the benefits and effectiveness of this exercise machine.
What's a StairMaster?
StairMasters are stationary fitness machines that have rotating steps similar to treadmills. They allow the user to ascend at their own pace and duration. It is a great way to get a good cardio workout while toning the lower body muscles.
- Quadriceps
- Hamstrings
- Calves
- Glutes
Here are some health benefits that you can get from using a StairMaster. It might be worth it to climb aboard for your next workout.
Does the Stairmaster Build Muscle?
They are cardio machines that can help improve your cardiovascular health.
They can also be an excellent addition to workouts that focus on the glutes or lower body. This is because they still stimulate the muscles as you have to lift your own body weight in order to climb the stairs.
However, a stair-stepper is unlikely to help you build muscle, particularly if your level of fitness is higher than that of a beginner.
Which Muscles are Activated by the Stairmaster?
Most people who use stair climbers to lose weight do so because they are cardio machines. What muscle or muscles does the stair stepper use?
Stair steppers are also called stair climbers, step machines or stair steppers. They do more than work our cardiovascular system.
This is a list that includes the primary, secondary and stabilizing muscles used when using a stair-stepper.
Quadriceps
The main muscles targeted on a Stairmaster are the quadriceps, which are located on the front of your thighs. They are responsible for extending your knees and propelling you up the stairs.
The Stairmaster is a great exercise machine for targeting and strengthening your quadriceps.
As you step up and down on the stairs, your quadriceps are engaged to extend your knees and propel you upwards.
This constant contraction and extension of the quadriceps muscles help to build strength and endurance in this muscle group.
So, if you're looking to tone and strengthen your thighs, the Stairmaster is a fantastic choice.
Hamstrings
The back of your thighs, known as the hamstrings, are activated as you push off the steps and extend your hips. This helps to balance out the work being done by your quadriceps.
Strengthening your hamstrings is important for overall lower body strength and stability.
The Stairmaster provides a great workout for these muscles, helping to tone and strengthen them.
Stair climbing has been shown to strengthen the hamstrings, a group of muscles located in the back of the thigh.
Your hamstrings help bend your knee, extend your hip, and straighten your leg. These muscles are essential for walking, running, and sitting.
The stairmaster works the hamstring muscles as well as the quadriceps, calf muscles, and glutes.
Its exercise routines challenge these muscles while you lift your heels on each step and generate force to propel yourself up the next step.
This workout also strengthens your back muscles, which play a major role in keeping your spine upright and aligned.
Stair climbing is a low-impact form of resistance training. It targets lower body muscles without causing stress on the joints.
With the right exercise program, you can use the StairMaster for high-intensity interval training or low-intensity steady-state cardio.
It is important to vary your workouts and keep challenging yourself. If you are starting out, you may want to increase your resistance levels a little at a time.
Glutes
Your gluteal muscles, including the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus, are also engaged during a Stairmaster workout.
These muscles help to stabilize your hips and provide power for climbing stairs.
As you step up and down on the Stairmaster, your gluteal muscles are activated to help propel you upwards.
This not only helps to tone and strengthen your glutes, but it also improves your overall lower body strength and stability. [1]
So, if you're looking to sculpt your backside and improve your athletic performance, the Stairmaster is a great choice for targeting your gluteal muscles.
Calves
The calf muscles, including the gastrocnemius and soleus, are involved in the Stairmaster workout as they help to push off the steps and lift your body weight.
As you push off the steps and lift your body weight, your calf muscles, including the gastrocnemius and soleus, are engaged.
This helps to tone and strengthen these muscles, giving you more power and stability in your lower body.
Core
Your core muscles, including the abdominals and lower back muscles, play a role in stabilizing your body and maintaining proper posture while using the Stairmaster.
This makes the stairmaster an essential part of any workout regimen, helping improve performance when doing other activities such as running or walking up real stairs.
Furthermore, climbing requires great power from lower body and leg muscles; climbing on the stairmaster builds strength in these muscles so you'll soon be able to navigate up and down stairs more effortlessly as fitness improves.
The Benefits of Exercising the Lower Body
You need strong hips and legs to power through workouts, walk up flights of stairs or 'taking a knee' when on patrol carrying colossal weight on your back.
Benefits of exercising your lower body include increased muscle strength, reduced risk of injury, and better balance. Not withstanding a reduction of potential stress fractures.
Lower-body exercises can be divided into two distinct categories: push movements (driving through your feet to push away from an object or the floor) and pull movements (contracting (squeezing) your tendons to pull your leg back towards the body).
Most workouts incorporate both components; lunges are an example of such an exercise which targets both glutes and quadriceps at once as well as your hamstrings in back legs.
Start building a lower-body strength training routine by beginning with compound bilateral exercises like squats, lunges and hip hinges to target glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings.
Add single joint and unilateral exercises targeting hip abductors/adductors as well as calves.
Try also adding in-water workouts like swimming or rowing as low-impact high intensity cardiovascular sessions that work your lower body.
Additionally jumping jacks provide another cardiovascular workout while improving balance as well as strength of lower body.
Further Stairmaster Benefits
Here are the additional benefits of step machines.
Improved Cardiovascular Health
You are constantly moving on a stair-climber. This can improve your cardiovascular health, by strengthening your heart and increasing lung capacity. [2]
A strong heart and lungs are important for preventing and managing cardiovascular diseases. Stair climbers are a good component of fitness programs that improve health parameters such as cholesterol.
Fat Loss Support
The Stairmaster is a cardio machine and can help you lose weight by burning more calories. [3]
They can also improve your fat metabolic rate by increasing the number mitochondria in your muscles cells. This will improve the body's ability to use fat for energy.
Researchers have found that not holding on to the handrails while climbing stairs can increase the metabolic demand and help you lose weight faster.
Improved Muscle Tone
Stair climbers can be used to tone and build muscles in your lower body. The reason for this is that stair climbers provide some resistance, even if it's limited. You have to lift your own body weight to climb the stairs.
It is also possible to add an additional muscular stimulus by adjusting the speed. This will impact the duration of the muscle contractions.
Reduce Impact on Your Joints
A Stairmaster is a good alternative to running for people who experience joint pain when doing high-impact exercises.
If you have a knee or an ankle injury, you should consult your doctor or physiotherapist about whether stair climbing would be the best exercise for you.
Stronger Bones
You may not be aware that using the Stairmaster to build stronger bones can actually help. As we climb stairs or do any other weight-bearing exercise, our bodies respond to this stimulus by building stronger and healthier bones.
Weight bearing exercise increases bone mass by allowing osteoblasts to adapt to the stress of additional stimuli. This extra bone mass is important for building strong, dense and healthy bones.
Conclusion
Climbing on a stairmaster provides a full-body workout, targeting nearly every muscle in your legs and butt.
Climbing will strengthen and tone quads, hamstrings, calves as you build strength and endurance - not to mention burning off calories quickly for weight loss!
Not only can stairmaster use tone and shape your lower body, but it will also strengthen both heart and lungs through high intensity cardio workouts like stair climbing which increases heart rate and blood pressure, making lungs stronger which allows more oxygen to reach tissues within your body.
The stairmaster is one of the best ways to work your body, and when combined with other lower-body exercises can provide a comprehensive fitness routine.
Consider including lunges, squats, and bodyweight rows into your routine as part of an efficient fitness program.
References:
[1] Neto, W. K., Soares, E. G., Vieira, T. L., Aguiar, R., Chola, T. A., Sampaio, V. L., & Gama, E. F. (2020). Gluteus Maximus Activation during Common Strength and Hypertrophy Exercises: A Systematic Review. Journal of sports science & medicine, 19(1), 195–203 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7039033/
[2] TEH, KONG CHUAN; AZIZ, ABDUL RASHID. Heart rate, oxygen uptake, and energy cost of ascending and descending the stairs. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: April 2002 - Volume 34 - Issue 4 - p 695-699. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11932581/
[3] Halsey, L. G., Watkins, D. A., & Duggan, B. M. (2012). The energy expenditure of stair climbing one step and two steps at a time: estimations from measures of heart rate. PloS one, 7(12), e51213. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0051213.