Home Climbers’ Fitness Options
Forget workout fatigue, that tired but smug after-exercise glow. These days, you can get tired just awaiting a turn at your health club’s stair-climbing machine.
Long lines to use these exercise machines are typical but understandable. In as little as 20 minutes, you can improve both heart health and muscle tone. But there is a time limit on how long you can use the machines imposed at some gyms.
Now comes the boom in home stair-climbing machines. A dozen or so manufacturers are offering versions for home use, some selling for less than $100 and others with price tags of $3,000 or more.
But does higher cost mean better quality? And how can consumers separate frill features from necessities?
There are no hard-and-fast rules about how much to spend. But don’t buy too low, advised Dr. Bob Goldman, an osteopathic physician who directs the nonprofit High Technology Fitness Research Institute in Chicago. He has evaluated numerous climbing machines designed for health club and home use.
“If you spend less than $400 on a home stair-climbing unit, you will end up with a unit that won’t last very long,” said Goldman. But others say that minimum is too low; some advise consumers to invest at least $2,000.
Whatever the cost, stability is one of the most important features for such machines, experts agree. “When you stand on the machine,” Goldman said, “be sure it is stable before you buy.”
“Look for a machine that allows a natural stair-climbing posture,” added Michael Hoffman, spokesman for Life Fitness Inc., a stair-climbing machine manufacturer.
“Look for feedback features,” said Goldman. Some machines, for example, can compute your actual effort versus your goal effort. Computer displays can also tell users the number of flights climbed, the duration of exercise and the total calories expended. (But calorie expenditure shouldn’t be taken as gospel, Goldman said, noting that the figures are based on norms.)
The most popular feedback features among exercisers are computations of calories expended, floors climbed or miles walked, said Rich Hansen, spokesman for the StairMaster climbing machine.
Once you’ve found your dream machine, plan to use it at least 20 minutes three times a week, Goldman said. Maintaining good form is vital to achieve the best results, Goldman said. “Don’t lean too far forward. Keep your body in a natural stair climbing mode.”
Done properly, stair-climbing is a good, overall workout, Goldman said. “It’s a good way to burn calories as well as tone the lower body, especially the hamstrings (back of thigh muscles) and buttocks.”
How you step depends on your goal, Goldman added. “Shorter, rapid steps are safer. But long, slow steps train more muscles. You should see the effects of muscle building in three or four weeks.”