Stair Climber Workouts (Killer HIIT Cardio & Glute Focus)

A killer cardio burn is an effective weight loss workout because of a high-intensity routine that activates your core muscles, glutes, inner thighs, quadriceps, and hamstrings.

If you seek to burn more calories, repeat this workout as many times as you wish, but be careful not to enter the overtraining stage described above.

Here is the entire workout:

• Start with 60 seconds of skipping up one stair with moderate effort. This is about 5-6 RPE (rated perceived exertion).
• Follow up with 30 seconds per side step-up (this is primarily to target your glutes). This should be done with an easy effort of 2-4 RPE.
• Next, you should do 30 seconds per side sideways (lateral leg lifts) step-ups on every other stair. This should be done with an easy effort of 3-4 RPE.
• The last thing to do is 60 seconds backward, stepping at an easy 3-4 RPE effort.

Stair climber booty blast is an interval-focused stair climber workout that targets the quads, glutes, core, thighs, and hamstring muscles (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus).

However, you will need a resistance band to complete this workout since you have to loop it around your ankles.

You can repeat this workout multiple times but don't overtrain since that will evoke negative effects.

Here is the entire workout:

• The first thing you should do is 60 seconds of box walks. It would help if you stepped wide to the corner of each star while keeping the resistance band tension the entire time at a moderate effort of 6-7 RPE.
• The next thing you should do is 30 seconds of three-quarter squat walks. This should be done with moderate effort of 6-7 RPE. Ensure you are holding on to the handlebars to achieve extra balance.
• Perform 30 seconds of kickbacks on each side with a moderate effort of 6-7 RPE. Ensure not to exaggerate the movement so you overarch your lumbar spine. You must alternate lifting one leg a few inches behind you so you can feel the resistance band tension. This will evoke burning effects in your quad muscles.
• The last thing you should do is cross-overs for 30 seconds at an easy effort of 3-4 RPE. Corss-overs are similar to kickbacks, but you must lift your leg to the side and back. The main difference is that you shouldn't lift the leg directly behind your body but at a 45-degree angle.

Related Articles:

• How To Build a Bigger Butt
• How to Get a Jiggly Butt
• Butt Ups Workouts Uncovered

3. Booty Pump Cardio Sesh

Booty pump cardio sesh workout is a simple, quick stair climber routine that targets the hamstrings, core, and glutes and significantly raises your heart rate. 

Like with the previous two workouts, be careful with overall volume not to enter the overtraining syndrome.

Here is the entire workout:

• Crossovers for 30 seconds on each side with 3-4 RPE efforts.
• Walking for 30 seconds with a very easy effort of 2-3 RPE.
• Side steps for 30 seconds on each side. This should be done with an easy measure of 3-4 RPE.
• Walking for 30 seconds with a very easy effort of 2-3 RPE.
• Kickbacks on each side for 30 seconds with the moderate effort of 6-7 RPE. Hold the top position for 1 or 2 seconds to add the intensity.
• Walking for 60 seconds with a very easy effort of 2-3 RPE.

Engaging in a StairMaster hiit workout like the HIIT cardio stair climber circuit is a high-intensity interval-based training designed to burn calories and increase difficulty.

It will target the same muscles as before but will raise your heart rate the most out of all workouts listed.

Here is the entire HIIT workout:

• Jogging for 30 seconds up the stairs with a moderate effort of 4-5 RPE.
• Walking for 30 seconds with the easy effort of 2-3 RPE.
• Running up the stairs for 15 seconds with a moderate effort of 6-7 RPE.
• Walking for 60 seconds with the easy effort of 2-3 RPE.
• Sprinting up the stairs for 15 seconds at the max effort of 9-10 RPE.

Related: Best Fat Burning HIIT Workouts

5. Stairclimber Cardio Squat Circuit

A stair climber cardio squat circuit is a glute-focused training session. Here is the entire squat circuit workout:

• Kickbacks for 60 seconds with the moderate effort of 4-5 RPE.
• Squat walks for 60 seconds with a moderate effort of 5-6 RPE.
• Box walks for 60 seconds with a moderate effort of 4-5 RPE.

Also Read: Best Stair Climber Machines

Stair climbing is one of the hardest cardio exercises you can do in the gym.

It is much harder than running, cardiorespiratory-wise, and will quickly improve your maximum oxygen consumption [3].

It will help you build your heart and lungs, making them better and more effective for each following session.

If you perform at least two sessions per week of aerobic exercise, your cardiovascular health will improve.

Strengthens Muscles

Using the stair climber, you will easily strengthen lower body muscles such as the quads, hams, and glutes.

In addition, you will also target stabilizer muscles such as your inner thighs and abdominal muscles.

Core muscles you will target include rectus abdominis, transversus abdominis, obliquus internus, and externus.

A stair climber will burn as many calories as you want.

However, staying on the machine for a while with the right pace and intensity would be best to burn the most significant amount of calories.

This type of workout has been shown to burn between 180 and 250 calories in 30 minutes.

However, if you increase the speed and intensity, you can easily burn more calories.

Less Time for More Fitness

The stair climber machine is also excellent for those looking for high-intensity workouts in a short period.

Business owners and people with busy schedules will benefit from a 15-minute high-intensity stair climber routine that will improve their cardiovascular health and get them going for the rest of the week.

Ramping up the intensity can burn more calories by increasing oxygen consumption.

Fifteen to thirty minutes are enough for these sessions to experience maximal cardiac benefits.

"When you hear the word cardio your thoughts might drift to the drudgery of a treadmill or elliptical. Cardio in lifting circles is often thought of as a dirty word, but improving your cardio has a wide range of benefits including improved conditioning and recovery from resistance training."

- Shane McLean, Certified Personal Trainer

Climbing stairs is not as naive as it seems because it requires substantial work from stabilizer muscles.

If you have weak stabilizer muscles, you will hardly be able to remain your body in a balanced position during any complex activity.

bing stairs, you force the gluteus medius, inner thighs, and abdominal muscles to help stabilize the movement.

The inner thighs and gluteus medius support the frontal plane, while most abdominal muscles help stabilize the body in the sagittal plane.

Flexibility and Versatility

A simple stair-climbing workout will exercise your posterior chain muscles and increase flexibility.

This will also add to the versatility of your workouts since you won't need to run or walk all the time for your cardio workout.

In addition, the muscles that will improve flexibility include the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus.

Stair climbing is considered a functional movement since it is multi-joint, requires a substantial amount of cardiorespiratory fitness, and activates large muscle groups.

Functional movements are excellent for keeping your body healthy and always have the most significant carryover to real-life situations.

The opposite is true of isolation exercises, which are great for building and isolating certain muscle groups but do not boost overall body functionality [4].

How Often Should You Use a Stair Climber?

It depends on your goal of how often you should use a stair climber.

If your main goal is to lose weight or increase aerobic capacity, then three weekly workouts represent a bare minimum.

In addition, if you want to add versatility to your lower body workouts, then two stair climber sessions will be enough.

Start with 5-minute sessions if you are a beginner, and progress to the 15-minute workout in three weeks.

This will ensure you don't overtrain immediately in the beginning and achieve the most significant progress possible.