I just did today for the first time in 10 years. It's a great work out, but I always feel like I am going to eat shit, especially when I have it set to intervals where it speeds up and slows down randomly.
Edit - this is the stairmill thing I'm talking about.
Why not try some cardio without a machine? Kettlebells, suspension trainer, med ball, and a step?
I do bootcamp, metabolic conditioning and turbo kickbox 3-4x a week so twice a week I like doing a machine for pure cardio so I can READ ALL THE POSTS!
Ah. Don't blame you. In that case, I prefer either the spin bike, so I can make up my own intervals, or the step mill.
I do the step mill. That thing is a fucker. I run half marathons and the way I huff and puff on that thing you'd think it was my first time working out EVER.
The step mill is my favorite cardio. And like daisybuchannan said, use the handrails for balance and don't put your weight on them. I always wonder what people think they're accomplishing when they are slumped over barely using their legs.
There are workouts you can do too. Wide steps, every other step, sideways each side, kick your leg back each step (I saw someone with the best butt doing this and when I did it, my butt was really sore!), backwards. Doing a workout is so much more interesting than just plain stairs.
I've done the sideways thing, but what is this kick back leg thing?? I'm going to need video because I am the klutz of all klutzes and don't even want to know what I'd look like trying this with no direction
I prefer the stairmaster over the step hill thing anyday for one reason and one reson only - I can't trip and fall on the stairmaster. I have seen people bite it on the stair hill thingy.
The step mills are literally about 2 feet away from a half wall separating the workout floor from a one story drop off directly onto the granite entry of my gym. I'm always a little afraid that I am going to stumble back and fall two stories down and die off of the stair master.
I've done the sideways thing, but what is this kick back leg thing?? I'm going to need video because I am the klutz of all klutzes and don't even want to know what I'd look like trying this with no direction