Stairmaster HIIT workout: Stair climbing is one of the favorite exercises for soccer players and other athletes. Earlier, they were running on the steps in the stadiums, but now it is all changed. Stairmaster is the new machine that athletes use to build their legs. In this machine, the user climbs upward at different speeds, according to their fitness level.
Stairmaster HIIT workout will boost your leg exercise to a different level, and help you achieve toned legs in no time. Let’s check out the StairMaster HIIT exercise and the benefits of doing this workout.
Stairmaster HIIT workout
| Time | Level | Exercise | Felling |
| 0 – 2 | 5 | Stretch | Warm-Up |
| 2 – 4 | 7 | Standard Stair climbing | Gaining speed |
| 4 – 6 | 10 | Left Side Stair Climbing and skipping a step | moderate intensity |
| 6 – 8 | 10 | Right Side Stair Climbing and skipping a step | moderate intensity |
| 8 – 9 | 2 | Standard Stair climbing | recovery |
| 9 – 11 | 12 | Toe pointed stair climbing | moderate intensity |
| 11 – 12 | 15 | Toe pointed stair climbing | moderate intensity |
| 12 – 14 | 2 | Standard Stair climbing | recovery |
| 14 – 16 | 17 | Fast Stair Climbing | max |
| 16 – 17 | 2 | Standard Stair climbing | recovery |
| 17 – 20 | 17 | Fast Stair Climbing | max |
How Many Calories Can You Burn in a HIIT StairMaster workout?
StairMaster is a brutal machine, which is popular for its high challenging workout action, that can shed a couple of pounds in a few weeks.
According to this calorie burn calculator, an average person around 150 pounds, can burn 208 calories in 30 minutes of working out on a Stairmaster at low intensity.
By increasing the level at high intensity, the person can burn up to 373-420 calories in 30 minutes or 746-840 calories in an hour.
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20-minute Stairmaster HIIT workout
Level refers to the level on the Stairmaster machine, which goes from 1-20.
Stairmaster HIIT exercises
1. Standard Stair Climbing: Stand tall on the StairMaster machine, and begin moving forward on the stairs.
Keep your back straight, and avoid keeping your hands on the machine, at the beginning of the workout.
Note* Avoid doing exercise in a steeping position.
2. Left Side Stair Climbing and skipping step: This is the second variation of the StairMaster HIIT StairMaster workout, where you have to turn 90° to the left side. Your face will be facing the arm handle on the left side of the Stairmaster machine.
You will be moving forward by crisscrossing your left leg. The right leg can simply move upward. This exercise targets the core and abs areas too.
While doing this exercise, make sure to skip a step in between.
Skipping the step makes its targets the obliques, and sheds down the belly fat.
Keep the speed below moderate level. You have to give time to your body to adjust to the exercise.
3. Right Side Stair Climbing and skipping step:
It is similar to the previous exercise, only your left is in the top position and your right leg is at the bottom step. To move forward your right leg, you have to criss-cross, while skipping a step. This will engage your abs, and help you lose belly fat. To move the left leg, move towards to monitor direction while skipping one step.
Note* If you face a problem, like maintaining balance during the exercise, you can hope for the armrest on either side.
4. Toe pointed stair climbing:
In the variation, you are going to place only your toe on the stairs rather than your entire foot. While doing this exercise, make sure to push the stairs down to create additional tension in your legs. This will help you have faster, toned legs.
If you find difficulty, you can change its setting to below moderate.
5. Fast stairs climbing:
This is the last variation of stairs climbing that you can do on the stair master. The exercise technique is simple, you just move forward, at a high pace.
Avoid touching the armrest, and if you are using them, place your hands near the monitor.
This is the most difficult exercise of the entire series, as you’ll be using your entire leg muscles at high intensity. Your beat will be above 150, and you’ll be burning a huge amount of calories.
Related: Average Calves Size
StairMaster HIIT Workout Benefits
Doing any workout to make your body healthy and fit is beneficial. From the variety of workouts and machines at a gym, if you choose to include a StairMaster in your daily workout, you should know the benefits it will give to you.
- Easy Technique and faster results.
Climbing stairs is a simple technique, which people have been doing since the stairs were made. There is a special technique, you just lift your leg and move forward.
But when you are using a StairMaster for stair climbing in the gym, there is a drastic change.
Stairmaster allows you to adjust the resistance according to fitness level. If you are a beginner you can choose a moderate pace, but if you are advanced you can for an advanced level, with maximum speed.
2. Engage the lower body.
Stair climbing is a difficult exercise, as you’ll be engaging the largest muscle to lift your body up. Every muscle of your lower body from ankle to hip, is used in stair climbing.
It’s an effective way to bring calories, and build the leg muscles at the same time. As stair climbing targets – your glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves.
Thus, with a HIIT StairMaster workout, you can boost your strength and endurance in the lower body.
3. Increase core strength.
There is very little leg exercise, that targets your core. When you are exercising in a StairMaster, your core is also engaged to keep you balanced on the machine.
While lifting your legs to move forward in a stepping motion, your core is also working. This is one of the reasons many lifters couldn’t stand after a HIIT StairMaster workout.
The core engagement in your HIIT StairMaster workout can be increased, if you less rely on the machine for hand support, the higher your score will be engaged, Or the higher you’ll be training your core.
Stronger core muscles relieve lower back pain and help in improving your posture.
4. Improve cardiovascular health.
Apart from seeing fat loss and probably abs in your body, the HIIT StairMaster workout has also benefited your cardiovascular health. During the workout, your body experiences a high heart rate, for a high period. This acts as a strong agent to your heart, and thus your cardiovascular health boosts.
Running at high intensity on a flat surface is equal to stair climbing at mid-level.
If you go to an extreme level on the Stairmaster, you can quickly burn a high amount of calories in a very short amount of time.
5. Protect your joints.
Unlike other leg exercises, like squats where joints feel pressured, stair climbing is gentle on the joints. You only have to push your body weight, not any additional weight.
Also, this is a good way to add strength to your joints without lifting heavyweights.
6. Healthier bones
Climbing stairs helps in increasing bone mass. Bone mass is important, as humans get older, the bone mass starts decreasing. This is one reason why older people tend to experience more bone problems.
According to experts, climbing stairs also helps in reducing the risk of osteoporosis.
7. Stronger quadriceps
Quadriceps are a combination of four muscles, which are responsible for walking, running, standing, and sitting. Thus every step you climb on the Stairmaster you are getting one step closer to strengthening your quadriceps muscles.
8. Stronger hamstrings
Hamstrings are a combination of three muscles in the back of the thigh that work with the quads muscles. These muscles work similarly to quad muscles including lifting heavyweights. Climbing stairs also helps build strong hamstrings.
9. Stronger calves
Calves help you run, walk, jog and jump and also maintain balance during any exercise. Calves are used when climbing stairs on the Stairmaster. It is one of the few exercises, that tones calves muscles. It’s because as you move upward, each step to take, your calves muscles are used.
10. Stronger glutes
Stronger glutes can easily be achieved by doing a Stairmaster HIIT workout. With this workout, you can easily increase your glutes and make them grow faster.
