It’s the machine people love to hate or hate to love: the stair stepper. Picture yourself high above the rest of the exercising crowd, left-right-lefting, sweating, trying not to lean all your weight on the rails. You’re working hard!
The stair stepper offers a killer cardio and lower body strength workout in no time. Using different stepping styles targets different muscles, and changing the speed gets your heart pumping.
Sure, you can use a pre-programmed workout on the machine. They’re great, too. But if you like being in total control, here’s an easy-to-remember, challenging routine for you.
The 20-Minute Workout
Warm up at a slow pace for 2 minutes.
Perform three rounds of the following moves. In between each round, take 2 minutes for active recovery (your slow pace from warm up).
| No. | Exercise | How-To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 min fast paced | Climb the stairs at a quicker pace for one minute | |
| 2 | 1 min hip extensions | As you step up with your front leg, kick your back leg up behind you, squeezing your glutes. Repeat this movement as you continue climbing for one minute. | |
| 3 | 1 min left leg | Turn to your left side, and climb the steps sideways for one minute. | |
| 4 | 1 min right leg | Turn to your right side, and climb the steps sideways for one minute. |
