Stair Stepper Madness

  If you’ve tried the stair stepper before and have had bad luck figuring it out – read my story.

It was daunting – the thought of using the stair stepper. I would see the machine every day in the gym, staring at me, calling me. I was terrified-until recently- to even attempt using the machine. It was far more comfortable to stick with the familiar elliptical machine that I’ve been using for over a year now. As I did my usual routine on the elliptical, that stair stepper would pop into my vision from the corner of my eye. It was watching me, sending me telepathic messages to “get on”. Finally, after months of this, I decided to give it a try. I lasted for about 5 minutes, if that. It was an awful experience. I thought that the machine would be fairly easy to use. I mean all you do is step, right? Well…sort of. While it is true that what you are doing is as simple as stepping, there is a rhythm that one needs to get into and it’s not as easy as it looks – at least it wasn’t for me. I definitely did not have the stair stepper rhythm or know how to find it. The steps kept slamming to the ground loudly and being that I had never been on the machine before I had no idea exactly what I was supposed to be doing. There was no indication on the machine as to whether or not the steps were supposed to go all the way down to the ground or not. It was only when I noticed that everyone in the gym was staring at me that I realized what a fool I was making of myself. I must have been doing it wrong, but I didn’t have the slightest idea how to do it right and I was far too embarrassed to ask anyone. That was enough to scare me away from the stair stepper for months. I didn’t want anything to do with it, although it kept calling me over. Most of the time I ignored it, but other times I toyed with the idea of getting on again, however, I was far too afraid of the embarrassment that I imagined would inevitably follow.

I suppose that I’m not the only person who has had such difficulty figuring out how to use a stair stepper. It’s one of the least used pieces of equipment in my gym. While there are always many people on the treadmills and often all of the elliptical machines are occupied, I rarely ever see more that 1 or perhaps 2 people using the stairs. And there is an entire wall of them in the gym!

Months went by without my feet coming anywhere near the stepper. And then it happened. I decided to give it another shot. I don’t know why I wanted to use the machine so badly. Perhaps because it’s something different. Perhaps because I thought that it might give me a better workout. Perhaps because I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. Whatever the reason, I got on. And again I made a fool of myself. As before the steps kept slamming to the ground. People turned to look at me. My face turned beet red. I wanted to get off of the machine and run as far from the gym as I could, but instead I forced myself to stay on and learn how the heck the thing works. I quickly messed with the settings and finally got situated to a level where I was able to prevent the steps from slapping. It took me a while, about 15 minutes, to really get into the workout and to begin to feel somewhat comfortable. During that first 15 minutes I couldn’t think about anything but how much I wanted to get off of that darn machine. It was uncomfortable and awkward and I felt like everyone was staring at me. I had no idea if I was using the machine correctly. The steps weren’t slapping onto the ground, but it just felt weird. Not too long after 15 minutes and I suddenly felt myself sink into a bit of a groove. It was as if my body had figured out the rhythm of the machine and all of a sudden it just made sense. I got a rush of endorphin and got the feeling that I used to have on the elliptical: this is the machine for me!

I’m writing this blog because from what I’ve found on the internet there doesn’t seem to be any detailed explanations of how to properly use the stair stepper. I feel like there should be more information out there on this neat machine because it can be very intimidating. I’m sure that there are many people who, like me, are too afraid to try it. Or perhaps you’ve tried it and also experienced the steps slamming to the ground causing far more attention than you’d ever want. Perhaps this negative experience has kept you from ever gaining the courage to get back on the steps of doom. Take it from someone who’s been there: TRY AGAIN. I am convinced that the only way that you can learn how to use this machine is to try it until you get it. You have to learn from your mistakes. It will probably be awkward at first, you may hate it and you may want to get off within the first 5 minutes – but trust me that if you can make it past the hard beginning it is well worth it. I’ve been going to the gym for a few years now and for some reason the stair stepper has been the scariest machine for me. It has been the most difficult for me to figure out, but has also been the most rewarding. I find that I get one of the best workouts I could hope for while stepping. It puts me in the ‘zone’, gets my endorphin pumping (literally! It’s such a wonderful feeling!), and makes me break out a sweat – the kind that is needed to burn that fat. This machine works your legs, butt, concentration and balance. I have never been on any machine that requires such concentration! You really need to focus in order to keep your balance – if you are using the machine correctly.

The proper way to use this machine is to keep your feet flat on the steps, stand up straight and step so that you are keeping the step from slapping the bottom as well as preventing it from rising too high. You want your steps to be relatively small. To truly get a full workout you should not be holding on to the rails. If you find that you have to hold on to them in order to stand straight then you need to decrease the level. Faster is not necessarily better. What is best is to challenge yourself to step without holding on while keeping those feet FLAT.  This will work muscles that you don’t normally work out on other machines in the gym and it will improve your balance.

Honestly the best way to learn how to use this machine is to try until you fall into that groove. Give yourself at least 3 separate tries and attempt to stay on for at least 15 minutes – it takes time to find the rhythm, but it’s like riding a bike – once you get it you’ve got it. Don’t be surprised if you can’t stay on for as long as you are able to on other machines – it’s challenging!