Stair Steppers
What is a Stair Stepper?
Stair Stepper, as the name suggests is an exercising product built to simulate natural stair climbing. It is also known as Stair Climber. It is used for doing aerobic exercise similar to natural walking or running up and down the stairs minus the stress that hard surface can put on your legs and knees.
Stair stepper is an excellent workout tool for working on your lower body parts - legs, butts, thighs and calves with the facility of adjustable resistance to make your workout soft or hard. It is a proven way to build your cardiovascular fitness too.
It’s important to research the various Stair steppers available in the market before purchasing one. The price ranges from few hundred dollars to around $ 2000. The advanced stair climbers have more features built in their electronic console and also offers pre-programmed workouts for different heart rate and intensities.
There are basically two types of Stair Steppers - Dependent and Independent. In Dependent Stair Stepper, when one stepper is pressed down then the other one comes up. In Independent Stair Stepper, the two steps are independent of each other and thus using it gives you more natural feeling.
How to Choose a Stair Stepper
Electronic display of statistics - Buy a Stair stepper that displays the basic information such as time elapsed, calories burnt, number of steps and heart rate.
Safety and Sturdiness - The Stair stepper must be strong and balanced enough with non slippery foot rest and base so it won’t topple over.
Smooth Stepping Motion and Long Life - Choose hydraulic Stair Stepper as it provides better quality silent movement and is strong enough to last longer as there is less wear and tear.
Space - If you are short of space for your Stair stepper then you should definitely consider Mini Stair Stepper. These steppers don’t have the rails for hand support and there is only the leg pedal portion. They are portable and can be easily stored in a very less space.
Price - Strike the right balance between the price and the features. A typical basic Stair Stepper for your home usage should cost you few hundred dollars. Don’t buy a Stair Stepper which has too many features that you probably would never use.
Before using a Stair stepper, you must consult your physician if you have some heart and orthopedic related problems.
Using a Stair Stepper is easy enough to be included in your overall fitness schedule.
How to Use a Stair Stepper
Warm up and stretching exercises for 5-10 minutes are needed before using Stair Stepper. Use comfortable cotton and workout designed special fabric clothing to make you feel cool. Use of well cushioned athletic shoes is also recommended to make your workout with the Stair Stepper more comfortable.
After the initial warm up, you should use the Stair Stepper at a lower step frequency and increase the intensity slowly keeping your back straight without leaning too much forward.
Use your heels and not the toes alternately on the step to press the step down enough to keep the distances between your steps short. Don’t press the step to the bottom or allow it to come up to the extreme top position, in order to maintain a comfortable stair stepping rhythm.
Increase the resistance to make your step action a little harder and try other program settings on your electronic console.
In the first few sessions with the Stair Stepper, use it for 10-15 minutes maximum. Increase it slowly to half an hour after a few sessions.
Perform cool down to make your heart rate drop to normal.
