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Elliptical or stair stepper?

S

SAWYER

Lifer
I am looking to get a new piece of exercise equipment to go with my treadmill. I will probably buy used off craigslist, which would you recommend?
 
why is this even a question

once you try the stair stepper you will realize that it is not just another treadmill

the stair stepper and rowing machines are amazing equipment that nothing else can replace
 
If you get an Elliptical, get something good. I have a cheap Sears thing at home and it wobbles horribly where the hub is in the rear. So with every step, it shifts 5 degrees left/right. IT is annoying as hell.

OK, I'll be the one that does what no one does around here (AND SHOULD).

What are your goals?
 
Have you tried both? Because of surgeries, my left knee cap doesn't track quite right. Can't do the stepper but have no problems with the elliptical.

2nd on getting quality if it's in your budget.
 
If you have bad knees then neither, recumbent bike. If not, stair stepper by a mile. Don't ever get an elliptical. That shit does nothing and I wouldn't even put it ahead of walking with arm/leg weights that women do.
 
I have nothing wrong with me and am capable of using any of the equipment, I just want some stuff at home for casual exercise. After I made this post I found out my sister has an elliptical she is going to give me. I am still going to look into a rower and a stair stepper
 
SAWYER said:
After I made this post I found out my sister has an elliptical she is going to give me
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they probably have some sort of benefit

the movement on them is just so weird and you feel like you are not doing much

the rower should not need any electronics so hopefully it will be cheap and then it would not cost much more to get it in addition to a stair master
 
SP33Demon said:
If you have bad knees then neither, recumbent bike. If not, stair stepper by a mile. Don't ever get an elliptical. That shit does nothing and I wouldn't even put it ahead of walking with arm/leg weights that women do.
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It does cardio....like it's supposed to. It's up to you to set the difficulty.
 
Zivic said:
step mill or a stair stepper? yes to the mill, no to the stepper
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after looking on google i would 2nd as far as i know

thought we were talking about the stair master

stair steppers might have some uses but i do not know enough about them
 
highland145 said:
It does cardio....like it's supposed to. It's up to you to set the difficulty.
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Hate to burst your bubble, but elliptical isn't real cardio in my book. Walking with weights is (try just a farmer's walk holding something that weighs just 40 lbs in both hands for a mile). Then again, I tend to be a little more hardcore about such things and agree with articles like:

An elliptical user will gladly tell you that the machine is "low impact," which is to say "easier on my knees than running." What they mean is "easier than actually working out." They're right - it's easy on your knees and everything else because it's less of a strain than walking. In the fitness world "low impact" is code for "an exercise for people who don't really want to exercise very hard."

Don't believe me? Look at the people who use the elliptical - they are either already skinny due to their eating disorder or they're fat. The fat people come in every night, ride the elliptical for an hour and never shed a single ounce. Never have I seen a seriously fit person or athlete get on an elliptical machine to workout. Treadmills, bikes and stair climbers - yes. Elliptical - no. Watch what fit people do - it's hard. It's not "low impact" at all.
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http://www.bradkanus.com/2012/08/people-we-hate-users-of-the-elliptical-machine.html

And

Put it this way...

Take 100 people and put them in a gym with 100 treadmills and 100 elliptical machines.

Tell them they have to exercise for 30 minutes at a hard pace, and they have the choice to use either the treadmill or the elliptical.

Guess where 90% of folks are going?

The elliptical!

Why?

Because it is human nature to take the EASY WAY out. And that is why elliptical machines are so busy at the gym and you rarely see anyone doing intervals on a treadmill or bodyweight circuits in the corner of the gym.

Often I see folks using the elliptical machine only to say they "worked out", but without getting any REAL work done. So if you are stuck at a fat loss plateau, and you've been counting on the elliptical machine to help you out, then forget it.

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
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http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/3-reasons-to-stop-using-the-elliptical-machine

This is the truth, you're not going to burn fat using an elliptical. Ok, correction: If you did it for 2 hours a day at very high intensity, you might (assuming you ate a normal amount of kcals/day). But nobody has 2 hours a day just for cardio. Do something high intensity that will actually force the body to burn fat outside of the gym that you can do in much less time.
 
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SP33Demon said:
This is the truth, you're not going to burn fat using an elliptical. Ok, correction: If you did it for 2 hours a day at very high intensity, you might (assuming you ate a normal amount of kcals/day). But nobody has 2 hours a day just for cardio. Do something high intensity that will actually force the body to burn fat outside of the gym that you can do in much less time.
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I don't know if I believe that or not.

I run around 30 miles a week, mostly on pavement with hills. From time to time I go use the ellipticals at the YMCA and every time I do they whip my ass. I can run at a decent pace for 60-70 minutes but I'm lucky to make it 30 on an elliptical. It gets my heart rate and breathing up which I'm pretty sure qualifies it as a cardio workout despite the fact that I'm not carrying Uncle Jethro's V12 block across a muddy soy bean field 🙂

Then again, I "run" on the elliptical. I suppose if you use it at a leasure like walking pace it isn't going to do much. The same could be said for any piece of equipment.
 
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Walking with weight is def legit. SEALs do it. It's called humping and it's hard as fuck if you are going over actual terrain, for a long distance.

I'd probably get a recumbent bike TBH. No stress on your joints, and you can do some killer interval training on it. I prefer them over a traditional elliptical bike because those seats just straight up suck.

Regular ellipticals are pretty much BS and it's like you're not even doing work.

I also second the Concept2, I almost bought one last year.
 
I like the elliptical because it's low-impact (easier on my knees), although my wife likes the stair-stepper because it kicks your rear & makes your legs look awesome.

Ended up buying an elliptical many years ago (MUCH lower price than the stair-steppers, at least at the time). It folds up, which is nice (ex. I have family in town, so I just tucked it away in the corner). I have a small TV & a Roku player with Netflix (has a wireless headphone jack on the remote control that I use with some wrap-around headphones) to keep me entertained while I use it. Very nice setup! Forces your whole body to work (arms + legs in a forced standing position), whereas it was much easier to loaf on my treadmill & stationary bike. I got rid of those & just have the elliptical now.
 
Kaido said:
I like the elliptical because it's low-impact (easier on my knees), although my wife likes the stair-stepper because it kicks your rear & makes your legs look awesome.

Ended up buying an elliptical many years ago (MUCH lower price than the stair-steppers, at least at the time). It folds up, which is nice (ex. I have family in town, so I just tucked it away in the corner). I have a small TV & a Roku player with Netflix (has a wireless headphone jack on the remote control that I use with some wrap-around headphones) to keep me entertained while I use it. Very nice setup! Forces your whole body to work (arms + legs in a forced standing position), whereas it was much easier to loaf on my treadmill & stationary bike. I got rid of those & just have the elliptical now.
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And how long are you going on an elliptical and at what pace? Have you tried a recumbent bike? That is probably less impact and higher intensity than an elliptical. Ellipticals aren't really working your "whole body" as much as you think, your legs are still doing the majority of the work - your arms are simply moving along with the handlebars.
 
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