What Does a StairMaster Do to Your Legs & Butt?
Stair climbing is a fantastic cardiovascular exercise that can also tone the butt and legs. StairMaster training will sculpt beautiful legs and firm glutes.
Stair climbing is a fantastic cardiovascular exercise that can also tone the butt and legs. Like many other aerobic exercises, using a StairMaster requires regular practice to increase both endurance and leg strength gradually. But, from the first workout, StairMaster training will sculpt beautiful legs and firm the glutes.
The StairMaster for a Shapely Butt
The primary muscle of the butt is called the gluteus maximus (glutes). You can feel this muscle whenever you put one hand in a back pocket. The gluteus muscles are used to extend the hip, particularly when the upper leg moves more than 15 degrees past the pelvis.
An example of glute work is running: The glutes must contract to extend the leg to the rear. To activate these muscles maximally, start with the hip flexed and move to a complete extension. This is the movement that happens when climbing stairs. The knee is flexed when a foot is placed on the step. As the leg straightens, it moves into a full extension in preparation for taking the next step up.
According to research published in the June 2016 Strength and Conditioning Journal, the glutes are essential muscles, and if they're weak, it can result in lower back or knee trouble. The study recommends stair climbing as one of the most effective ways to build a strong butt.
When beginning a StairMaster routine, the butt muscles will strengthen and develop, making someone think their butt is growing larger. But, as stair climbing burns the fat off, and a healthy eating plan is followed, the butt will lift and firm, becoming shapelier instead of larger.
Read more: The Three Best Butt Exercises to Lift, Tone & Shape
StairMaster Exercise for Beautiful Legs
There are several leg muscles, and stair climbing will exercise and develop all of them. The muscles trained, besides the gluteus maximus, are the quadriceps at the front of the thigh, the hamstrings at the back of the thigh and the calf muscles of the lower leg.
The quadriceps help push the body up and straighten the leg to go up a step, next the hamstrings contract to bend the leg and help lift it up to the following step. The calf muscles push the foot off the step.
A study in the May 2013 PM & R The Journal of Injury, Function, and Rehabilitation, concluded that stair climbing develops leg strength that can decrease pain and improve leg function in people experiencing the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis.
In the same way that the butt muscles will be lifted and shaped, the legs will become tighter and shapelier. Unfortunately, this can give the impression that the thighs are getting bigger instead of slimming down. Eating a healthy diet and exercising are crucial steps to stripping away the fat and revealing the beautiful legs that step exercise can develop.
Improve Bone Density
According to an article published on the National Osteoporosis Foundation website, high-impact exercises, including stair climbing, provide significant benefits for bone health. You can ward off osteoporosis and osteopenia with regular workouts on a stair case, step mill or StairMaster.
StairMaster Training Burns Calories
For all the benefits using the StairMaster can have on the muscles of the legs, one of the best ways the StairMaster can improve the appearance of legs, butt and the rest of your body, is by burning up excess body fat. The heavier you are, the more calories youuse during a half-hour stair climb session: A 125 pound person could burn about 180 calories, while someone weighing 180 pounds may burn around 266.
Read more: Exercises That Will Burn 500 Calories