Stair climber and elliptical helps to improve the cardiovascular state of people. Both have similar functions but have a few differences. Here. I will explain the comparison of stair climber vs elliptical. They have low impacts on our body joints, so anyone can use them with a slight risk.
Stair climbers have stairs to walk upon it like a stair. The climbers have handrails to balance while doing exercise. On the other side, the elliptical has pedals like a bicycle to do workouts. Stair climbers target the lower body and elliptical targets the upper body.
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Stair Climber Vs Elliptical: What Is the Difference?
Though Stair climbers and Elliptical trainers are used in cardiovascular workout, they have a few differences. Below, I will present differences one by one to choose the best one depending on your demand.
What Is?
Stair Climber:
A stair climber is a machine created to do exercises that simulates the workouts that athletes carry out on stairs. This workout machine is used to do exercises that strengthen the legs, reduce the waist and tone the buttocks. Some come with ropes to incorporate arms into training.
While exercising on the stair climber, you have to balance by putting your hands on the handrails. The machine only works the legs, so it helps tone and develop the muscle tone of the glutes and legs, such as calves, hamstrings and quadriceps.
Elliptical:
The elliptical is the most popular cardio equipment for aerobic exercise sessions. It has two pedals to stand and two vertical bars to catch with hands while exercising. The resistance systems are magnetic and adjustable so that the force of pace can be adjusted.
It does not impact the joints, minimizing the risk of injury. So, it can be used in rehabilitation tasks, unusual athletes or the elderly. Caloric consumption is higher in ellipticals than in stationary bikes because the movement involves muscle mass.
Main Features
Stair Climber:
Stair Climber offers a wide range of features that makes it unique from other cardio trainers. Let’s see them.
- Design and outlook
Stair climber a base with a small stair that features curved or straight linear movements. Also, have built-in elastic straps to exercise the upper body. The handrail allows you to balance while climbing. So, you will never fall accidentally.
- Tracking display
The screen of a stair climber allows you to see the function and control them. It gives you precious information about your impact workouts. You can track burnt calories, steps, spend time and much more data.
- Capacity
Most stair climbers can hold 250 to 350 lbs of body weight easily. The handrails also provide good support to balance. While exercising, you can adjust the functions easily.
- Effects
Stair climbers are mainly used for lower body muscle workouts. Calves, foot, hamstring and glutes are trained well. The handrail provides a little upper body workout. Because, when you try to step up, you need to balance yourself using handrails.
Elliptical:
Elliptical trainers provide stunning features and health benefits. They are mentioned below:
- Flywheel
The flywheel is an iron disc that rotates faster than pedaling. Its weight is essential in the resistance that exerts and gives us greater comfort and fluidity in pedaling.
- Pedaling system
It is the one that transmits the force exerted on the pedals towards the flywheel. The pedaling system of elliptical cardio machines differs from the static or spinning bikes. For enjoying elliptical under desks, the Stamina 55-1602 Inmotion Elliptical is perfect.
- Monitor
It provides us with the information about the elliptical training: resistance, speed, calories burned, time, heart rate, etc. Most elliptical from the mid-range include several preset or configurable training programs from the monitor.
- Handlebar
It can be double, fixed or with both types. The double handlebar exercises the upper part of the body, making a movement similar to that done when skiing.
Upper Body Workout
Stair Climber:
Stair climbing has less impact on the upper body. When you climb stairs by holding the stair climber’s handrails, the hands and arms work a little bit. Also, pulling yourself on the stairs counts as an upper body workout.
Elliptical:
Elliptical provides an entire body workout. It tones not only the lower limbs but also upper limbs such as triceps, biceps, arms, shoulders, etc. When you are performing cardiovascular exercise on an elliptical, the upper body is involved in the session. For better results, make variations on workouts.
Lower Body Workout
Stair Climber:
Stair climber’s workouts are aimed at the lower part of our body. The section of our body that works most strongly are the areas below the waist. The leg muscles, backsides, tummy and lower back are the muscular areas that carry the intensity level of the exercise. In addition to muscle strength, intense cardiovascular work is performed.
Elliptical:
Workout elliptical is similar to walking, while on stationary bikes, it is pedaling. The hips and legs are designed for walking, running and jumping, but not for doing circles. The elliptical motion is closer to the action of walking than the circular motion of an exercise bike. When performing an elliptical movement, the muscles of the hips and legs are better used. Elliptical machines also exercise your arms and upper body, not just your legs.
Cardio Workouts
Stair Climber:
Slow climb, double step, side step, sprint and back step are the cardio workouts that are usually done in stair climbers. Each exercise can be done for 25 seconds to 2 minutes per session. The repetitive sessions on the climbers ensure great cardio exercise.
Elliptical:
The cardio machine allows you to do high-intensity workouts that strengthens your heart, muscles and respiratory system. Forward and backward running on the elliptical is the best cardio workout to stay fit. It can be done for 10 to 20 minutes each session. You can do core crusher, rock hard leg, cellulite smacking, etc., on an elliptical.
Calorie Burning
Stair Climber:
Workouts on Stair Climber must burn calories. You can burn about 800 to 820 calories per hour in a stair climber. With intense workout, aerobic exercise modality and cardio exercises, you can burn up to 1000 calories in an hour which is enough.
Elliptical:
Elliptical has a flywheel and foot pedals that help to speed up workouts. If you spend 1 hour on an elliptical, you can lose up to 900 calories in an hour. With high interval training on ellipticals, up to 1200 calories can be burnt.
Pros
Stair Climber:
- It shows all health parameters and heart rate reading through the console.
- Burn enough calories in an hour.
- Regular use of climbers strengthens lower limbs.
- Fewer risks even on the long-time workout.
- Reduce back pain, major muscle pain, etc., by toning core muscles.
Elliptical:
- Boost cardio health by exercising the upper and lower body.
- Adjustable intensity provides comfortable and user-need performance.
- Burn more calories than other exercise trainers.
- Shows all health parameters on an LCD.
Cons
Stair Climber:
- No upper limbs workout.
- Not suitable for chronic back pain patients.
Elliptical:
- Workout strength is very poor, cannot be used for a long time continuously.
- Expensive and difficult to afford for middle class people.
- Develop monotonous with inclined settings.
Cost and Durability
Stair Climber:
If you have already decided to buy a stair climber, make sure it is something of quality. There are inexpensive options with good value for money. You can find good stair climbers in the 100 to 300 dollars range. Most of them are durable. Just operate them carefully as directed on the manual.
Elliptical:
Elliptical machines are a little bit expensive. Because, the elliptical has a high-end flywheel, console, foot pedals, handle and sturdy base. The cost of an elliptical can be 200 dollars to 10 thousand dollars. But effective than other cardio trainers. If your budget is tight, you can get a good elliptical Under 500.
Stair Climber Vs Elliptical: Which One Is Right for You?
In the comparison of Stair Climber Vs Elliptical, elliptical is better though it is expensive. The elliptical trainer’s calorie burn speed is faster than stair climbers. Stair climbers only focus on the lower body, but you can focus on the upper and lower body with an elliptical. Keeping a balance on stair climbers is slightly challenging. Also, you cannot lean your body while exercising on the elliptical. Both are good. If you want consistent output from workouts, you should go for the elliptical.
Conclusion
Which is better: stair climber vs elliptical? Both trainers focus on cardio workouts. If you want a full-body workout and fast calorie burning, elliptical is recommended for you. But an elliptical is more expensive than stair climbers. You can only do low-body workouts with a stair climber. Also, it burns fewer calories than an elliptical.
Both elliptical and stair climbers have a low impact on the body. While using stair climbers, you must keep the balance with handrails. Their function seems the same but elliptical is one step ahead in cardio workouts and performance.
