I Love the Stair Climber
Yes, I know. I’m a bit mad. But hear me out. I used to haaaaate the stairs. I would climb up there, with the fear of falling off and embarrassing or hurting myself. It made me so out of breath my chest cavity felt like it was closing up and that I had the lungs of a 20-a-day smoker with asthma. Now I jump on the machine with a spring in my step and set it to 60 minutes. I don’t just endure it, I genuinely, truly, legitimately enjoy it! (I swear!)
Nobody Likes Cardio
Let’s be real: nobody likes doing cardio, it’s a necessary evil as best. At worst it’s some form of torture, either for sins in a past life or some perceived punishment for overindulging.
It took me effort and time to move past this mindset and understand cardio is not the enemy. In fact, it’s actually a great opportunity to sweat out a stressful day, watch my favourite TV show on Netflix or blast my Spotify playlist at full volume. My cardio time is my ME-time – one hour of the day when no one can reach me. I don’t check my phone, I don’t chat, I don’t smile, I just get lost in my own little world. I reframed it to be a treat instead of a chore! That’s how the stair climber became my best friend and my favourite hour of the day.
Take the Shortest Route from A to B
Not only do I enjoy the stair climber for the break from reality, I have found many other reasons to appreciate this beast:
- It’s an incredibly effective workout: the stair climber will challenge your heart and lungs on a whole new level. It defines ‘cardiovascular’ – just check your heart rate when you’re on there!
- Energy use is higher than other forms of cardio: the stair climber burns energy! I never advocate exercising just for the calorie burn, but if your goal is fat loss then the stair climber will certainly help your journey. More so than walking on the treadmill, cycling or rowing (depending on intensity/effort).
- Sense of accomplishment: I started out doing 5 minutes because that’s all I could manage. I built it up incrementally, adding 30 seconds to each session and it feels amazing to be able to do an hour!
- Improved balance and coordination: I am SO clumsy. I used to have to hold on to the rails for dear life and stare at my feet the whole time. Now I can do fancy steps and no hands – great for conditioning your core.
- You get happy hormones: post workout happy is a thing! The endorphins (happy hormones) we get from exercise are the real deal.
- Functional fitness: it sounds obvious but it has real life applications! Going up stairs, climbing onto and off of things, other exercises in the gym – all became easier!
Start at Your Pace
I didn’t jump on the stair climber and bang out hour long workouts. I built up it up incrementally as my fitness, endurance and cardio health improved. I used to set the machine to level 3 and climb for 5 minutes. Next time I did 5 minutes and 30 seconds, then 6 minutes. Over weeks and months I continued to set myself micro goals and improve on my last workout. The only person I was competing with was myself. “Comparison is the thief of joy” – don’t worry about what the next person is doing, that isn’t going to help you. Focus on your goals, your ability and your improvements. It’s all about you, baby! 💖
Stair Climber Workout Tips
When I’m on the stair climber, I don’t just set the time and hope for the best, I have intent and goals. Any form of cardio requires mental as well as physical strength and endurance. These are my tips for making it a more enjoyable and successful workout:
- Set a minimum workout duration – I call it the “5 Minute Rule”. This really helps on the days I’m not feeling it or I’m tired. I tell myself I’ll just do 5 minutes of whatever I have planned. It’s win-win! This means if I do 5 minutes I have hit my goals, but inevitably I do more and feel awesome. It’s a great way to overcome the first and biggest hurdle – getting started.
- Mix it up – I don’t just keep the stair climber on one speed and trudge away. I increase and decrease the speed, I turn to the side and side step, I skip a step and do stair climber lunges. I do one minute of something fun then reduce the speed for 1 minute of recovery. It’s interval style training and is very effective, both physically and mentally!
- Listen to upbeat music – There is a science behind exercising to music! Fast paced or upbeat music lifts your mood, but it also has a faster beat. Have you ever noticed when you listen to music you can’t help move to the beat?
- Not every workout will be great – Some days it just isn’t there, and that’s ok! Maybe you slept poorly, had a rough day or didn’t eat enough to fuel your workout. If you have a less than perfect workout, congratulate yourself for trying and show up again next time. It is not a failure or reflection of your ability, worth or fitness – it’s a perfectly normal part of the process.
Conclusion & Disclaimer
The stair climber is effective, tough and incredibly rewarding. I personally recommend it but with some caveats – it has to be safe for your fitness level, health and goals. My workout is my own – I have exceptional cardio fitness and advise against trying to replicate my exact workout. I do, however, strongly recommend finding a version that works for you!
Always judge how you’re feeling and stop if you feel unwell, dizzy, nauseous or in pain. Check in with your GP if you have injuries or health conditions which may be aggravated by exercise.
Give it a try and let me know how you get on!
