Stairmaster

Execution

1. Warm up for 3-5 minutes at a slow pace to let the knees and hips warm up before speeding up.
2. Step evenly through each stroke, pressing the whole foot down rather than just the toes, and stop before the pedal reaches the floor so the legs stay loaded.
3. Stand tall, brace the belly lightly, and rest the hands on the rails only for balance, not to take your weight.
4. Keep the resistance at a level where you can still say a short sentence, rather than pushing the speed past what you can handle and leaning on the rails to compensate.
5. Aim for 15-20 minutes of continuous stepping in the main block, not counting the 3-5 minute warm-up and the 3-5 minutes of slow stepping at the end; if you need the rails to keep up, drop the speed rather than adding time.
6. Cool down for 3-5 minutes at a slow pace before stepping off.
7. Chest pain, dizziness or unusual breathlessness means stopping right away and seeing a doctor.

Quick cues

• Step with the whole foot, not just toes.
• Stand tall, hands just for balance.
• A short sentence out, or ease off.
• Do not lean your weight on the rails.
• Step steady, like real stairs.

Common faults

• Fault: Leaning the whole body onto the rails to take load off the legs

  Fix: Drop the speed to a level where you do not need to lean, then rebuild it slowly.

• Fault: Pedaling with just the toes, the heels never touching the step

  Fix: Think about pressing the whole foot down on every step, slowing the pace if you need to.

• Fault: Hunching forward toward the handrails

  Fix: Stand tall with the eyes on the console rather than down at the steps.

• Fault: Ramping the pace up too fast right from the start

  Fix: Raise it in small steps every 1-2 minutes and hold steady if you feel out of breath.