{"id":48585,"date":"2016-03-29T11:15:44","date_gmt":"2016-03-29T15:15:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=48585"},"modified":"2016-07-14T16:03:36","modified_gmt":"2016-07-14T20:03:36","slug":"stairmaster-workout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/stairmaster-workout\/","title":{"rendered":"Work Your Butt: The 20-Minute StairMaster Workout"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Work
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Climbing a StairMaster isn\u2019t your average low-impact routine. You can score serious fitness gains from step training. According to Brent Bareham, NASM certified personal trainer and owner of Lion and Luxe<\/a> personal training studio in Rochester, NY, there are two main benefits. The first: \u201cAn increased range of motion in the hips and knees \u00ad\u2014\u00a0something runners<\/a> usually lack \u00ad\u2014 which results in greater muscle activation in the glutes and thighs.\u201d The second: Core activation. Not to mention, you\u2019ll minimize impact. \u201cThe step mill offers a great high-intensity, low-impact alternative to the treadmill, elliptical, rower or stationary bike,\u201d Bareham says.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 5 Moves for Your Butt, Hips and Thighs<\/a><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re worried about tumbling off the machine, don\u2019t fret. As long as you use proper form and work at a comfortably hard speed, you should be fine, says Bareham. Stronger abs and<\/em> a more toned butt<\/a> with just a few steps? Count. Us. In.<\/p>\n

Step Up for Your Health<\/strong><\/h3>\n

No matter how in shape you are, climbing up a flight of stairs (or walking on a step mill for three minutes) always feels way harder than, say, jogging on the treadmill<\/a> for the same amount of time. What gives? Bareham says it\u2019s because you\u2019re putting your muscles through that increased range of motion. \u201cYou primarily use your glutes and quads to propel yourself forward on a treadmill, which is what you\u2019re using on a step mill,\u201d he says. \u201cBut the degree to which those muscles are being used is dramatically increased because as soon as you step up a stair, your knee and hip motion expands.\u201d It\u2019s just like curling a dumbbell \u2014 rather than going 10 degrees, you move 120 and get a totally different experience.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 3 Quick HIIT Workouts for Beginners<\/a><\/p>\n

Plus, you\u2019re literally lifting the amount that you weigh up to the next step over and over again. That\u2019s why you\u2019re able to walk around all day fairly easily, but as soon as you climb two flights of stairs, you might feel a little out of breath and are probably very aware that you\u2019re putting in some effort.<\/p>\n

Dos and Don\u2019ts While Stepping<\/strong><\/h3>\n

That all makes sense \u2014 but there\u2019s just one problem. The StairMaster can get boring<\/em>. (And no, that\u2019s not a good reason to catch up on US Weekly <\/em>while stepping \u2014 distracting yourself can be dangerous.) To keep from feeling like you\u2019re climbing a staircase to nowhere, Bareham suggests mixing up your steps and focusing on your heart rate instead of speed. \u201c[The stair mill] doesn\u2019t have to be rolling super fast for you to hit your targeted heart rate zone<\/a>, which makes it easier to switch it up by walking sideways, backward, or taking two steps at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How Old Is Your Heart? Try This Calculator to Find Out<\/a><\/p>\n

As for form, Bareham says the biggest mistake he sees is people leaning their weight on the bars. This turns the machine \u201cfrom an awesome cardio workout to a postural nightmare,\u201d says Bareham. \u201cYour spine moves out of a safe, neutral position and you move the weight to your back<\/a> and arms,\u201d he says. Instead, focus on keeping your abs tight, back straight, and arms off the bars (so you can pump them back and forth).<\/p>\n

And don\u2019t forget about your lower body. If you\u2019re \u201ctiptoeing\u201d your way up the stairs like you\u2019re sneaking in after curfew, you\u2019re doing it wrong, says Bareham. \u201cIf the ball of your foot is all that\u2019s touching the stair, you\u2019re not making the most of the movement and<\/em> you\u2019re placing unnecessary stress on your knees,\u201d he says. So be sure to drive through your heel to maximize your glute and thigh activation.<\/p>\n

Your 20-Minute StairMaster Workout<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This 20-minute HIIT workout from Bareham will keep your brain, balance and footwork on point. First time going backwards and sideways on a stair mill? Keep your hands close to the rails for safety. When you get to the lateral portions, cross one leg over the other as you step up to the next stair.<\/p>\n

\"Work
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Intimidated by those stair climber machines? We\u2019ve got a quick and effective StairMaster workout to tone your butt, hips and thighs. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,24,6],"tags":[288,289,341,343,100],"class_list":["post-48585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cardio","category-exercise","category-fitness","tag-cardio","tag-exercise","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2exercise","tag-workout"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48585"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48585\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}