How to Use a Stairmaster

Working out is a great way to stay in shape and it's generally very healthy for you. Cardiovascular workouts help with reducing fat and maintaining a healthy lifestyle as long as your diet is in shape. Using the Stairmaster is great for a cardio workout. Using the Stairmaster can seem difficult, but with the right steps and right preparation, you will be able to start walking up stairs in no time!

Steps

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Before starting your workout on the Stairmaster, make sure you have your water bottle and anything else you might need, like a hair tie or towel. Make sure to tie your shoes to avoid tripping.^{[1]XResearch source}
Before starting any sort of exercise, perform a warm-up and do some stretching to minimize the risk of getting injured. Since the Stairmaster involves working your legs, you should stretch the legs at least to avoid any risk of injury. Dynamic stretches work the best because it doesn’t loosen the leg muscles too much while still providing the benefit of avoiding injury. You should specifically stretch the thighs and glutes because those muscles will be utilized the most.^{[2]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source}
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Know the console. The Stairmaster will have two big buttons, one green and one red. The green button is the Quick Start button and the red button is the Stop button. There will also be an up and down button which is used to set the intensity, up for higher, down for lower.^{[3]XResearch source}
- The Stairmaster includes many pre-programmed workouts you can select if desired.
- You can also set a certain amount of time on the Stairmaster by punching in the time desired.
Most Stairmaster machines have assisted steps on the side to make it easier to mount the machine. Make sure to use those assists to properly mount the Stairmaster and avoid slipping off the bottom few steps of the Stairmaster. There are also handles on the side which you can use to assist yourself on to the machine.
After using the assists and mounting the machine, make sure to use the handles on the side to rest your arms on and keep balance while performing the workout. Press the big green button or select your desired workout and start stepping. It will start out very slow, but you can use the up and down buttons mentioned before to set your desired intensity.
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Keep your form. A very important part of using the Stairmaster, as a matter of fact doing any sort of exercise, is to maintain your form. This will make sure that you avoid any sort of injuries and that you get the most benefit out of your workout. One thing to remember is to take long, natural strides to mimic the motion of actually walking up stairs. This will help to work out the glutes and thighs with a full range of motion.^{[4]XResearch source}
- Keep your entire foot on the steps to avoid injury.
As you continue your workout, try to increase the intensity and pick up the pace. This will assure you get the best workout you can and it will cause you to challenge yourself as you progress with the workout. You can increase the intensity little by little every time you use the Stairmaster to work out, which will start to improve your cardiovascular system.
You can try stepping on the machine backwards. This will allow you to work your quadriceps. Make sure to be careful since you will be facing backwards. It is recommended that you don’t do side steps because it is easier to lose balance when stepping this way.^{[5]XResearch source}
When reaching the end of the workout, it is ideal to cool off to bring your heartbeat back to your normal rate. To do this, you can just slow the intensity down on the Stairmaster and step for a few minutes while your heart rate lowers back towards its normal rate.^{[6]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source}
Make sure to watch your step when you dismount from the Stairmaster. Use the assists on the side to get down to avoid slipping and getting hurt. Use the handles as well to maintain your balance when dismounting the machine.
When you are done using the Stairmaster, it is ideal to stretch afterwards to avoid injury and loosen the muscles since it may have tightened up while using the machine. You can do the specific stretches for glutes, thighs, and quads along with an entire body stretching routine.
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Reenergize. Make sure to drink water after your workout because the Stairmaster can be draining and dehydrate you. Along with water, it is ideal to eat something that is nutritious to recover properly from the workout.
- Try to consume something with electrolytes to replenish minerals lost while sweating during the workout.

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Tips

Practice interval training by alternating between fast and slow intervals to achieve greater results.
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Reading on the Stairmaster can be distracting and you could lose balance so try to avoid it.
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Monitor to see if your heart rate goes back to its normal pace in shorter periods to see if your performance is improving.
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Warnings

It is easy to lose focus and you can miss a step and trip, so make sure you’re mentally prepared to perform the workout.
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The Stairmaster is a moving machine, so it is easy to get injured if you don’t maintain the proper form while performing the workout.
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