Stair-Climbing

[Ashtar]

I've read in several endurance conditioning guides about how effective stair climbing can be. Difficulty increased by going faster, or taking more steps at a time, or by wearing a weighted vest or carrying dumbbells in a farmer's walk or maybe a sandbag between the hands or something.

Since stairs aren't always accessible, what have people's experiences been with stairclimbing machines? Do they go fast enough? What about stuff like the Bowflex Treadclimber? It looks like an overpriced PoS but I wonder if you set it on it's highest speed/strength setting and then wore progressive weighted vests and other body weights if it wouldn't be challenging enough?

[linkrjh]

I've read in several endurance conditioning guides about how effective stair climbing can be. Difficulty increased by going faster, or taking more steps at a time, or by wearing a weighted vest or carrying dumbbells in a farmer's walk or maybe a sandbag between the hands or something.

Since stairs aren't always accessible, what have people's experiences been with stairclimbing machines? Do they go fast enough? What about stuff like the Bowflex Treadclimber? It looks like an overpriced PoS but I wonder if you set it on it's highest speed/strength setting and then wore progressive weighted vests and other body weights if it wouldn't be challenging enough?

On an elliptical, bike, rower, treadmill, pretty much any cardio machine I can do 30 minutes at full power no problem at all. On a stair stepper I can only do like 15 minutes at not-full power. They rock.

[compleks]

Whatever.

[Ashtar]

That treadmill must not go very fast then, plus the speed on stairclimbers vary too...

[linkrjh]

That treadmill must not go very fast then, plus the speed on stairclimbers vary too...

Maybe I'm just used to running stuff more, but seriously the stair stepper kills me whereas the other stuff does not. I always put up resistance and speed to max on everything (except speed on the treadmill, I just do at a 6 minute mile pace), but the stair stepper I had at like 15/20 and it tore me up.

[Chase]

Compared to the other cardio machines the stair stepper is fucking HARDCORE

[Ashtar]

Some treadmills can go up to 9mph or something I think, I don't think maintaining that for 30min is easy. The minimum setting for stairmasters can be pretty easy too. How the max or min settings for either compare in difficulty's going to measure on which brand of which you're looking at. Especially since many treadmills are inclined, and many exercise bikes have gear simulators.

Of course, measuring simply the speed of a treadmill versus the speed of a stairmaster (be it horizantal, diagonal or vertical) then the stairmaster's going to win for difficulty.