20 Minute StairMaster HIIT Workout
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Published Sep 02, 2016, Updated Dec 23, 2021
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Work up a sweat with this quick and effective 20 minute StairMaster HIIT workout! Your legs will be burning and your heart will be pumping.
I have a love/hate relationship with the StairMaster. It’s HARD and takes a lot of energy, but it’s also one of my favorite machines at the gym because you can work your backside while getting your cardio in and you don’t have to stay on the machine forever in order to work up a good sweat. I usually only do like 20-30 mins on the stairmaster before I’m in need a serious water break… especially if I’m doing intervals like the ones in this workout.
And don’t let the short time fool you. 20 minutes on the StairMaster is no joke, I don’t care what level you’re using! I should note that this is an advanced HIIT workout. You can easily modify the workout to meet your fitness level.
I know it’s holiday weekend, but here’s a quick stairmaster workout — just in case you have time to pop in to the gym for a quickie. If you do end up trying this workout, let me know in the comment section or on social media. I can’t wait to hear what you think of it!
20 Minute Stair Master HIIT Workout
Level refers to the level on the stairmaster machine, which goes from 1-20.
Benefits of the StairMaster
Climbing stairs is known to be one of the most effective cardio (and strength building workouts) you can do for several reasons:
- Stair climbing engages the body’s largest muscle groups to lift your body weight up, step after step, so you burn more calories than you would exercising on a flat surface.
- Stair climbing raises your heart rate immediately so with a 20 minute workout you’ll likely spend 19 minutes with an elevated heart rate. Perfect for maximizing your cardio benefits.
- Stair climbing requires more balance and strength than other cardio modalities. The act of maintaining your balance while stair-stepping engages core muscles and increases core muscle strength.
- You’re toning and sculpting your lower body (glutes, hamstrings, quads and calves) while getting a cardio workout at the same time. More bang for your workout buck!
- Using the stairmaster is better on your knees, because with “real” stairs you have to go up to the top and then back down. Descending stairs is considerably harder on your knees than climbing up because your muscles and connective tissues are being used as “brakes” to fight the effect of gravity, and you are hitting each step with more impact. With the stairmaster machine, you get all the benefits of climbing while avoiding the negative elements of descending.
(source)
Question for you – Do you love or hate the stairmaster?
Do you think you can do this HIIT work-out on the stairmill, too? I love the stairmill, not the stair stepper…
Oh yea, this workout is actually for the stairmill. At my gym it’s called the Stair Master. 🙂
I have a burning question about HIIT. I’ve been trying to get into it, and I’ve been doing a ton of research, so this may seem pretty darn silly but…
Do you manually change the levels on the stairmaster? Or can you program it? Let me link an image to the stairmaster I have at my gym.. (LA Fitness)
http://static.productreview.com.au/pr.products/62810_stairmaster_stepmill_7000pt.jpg
That’s the same stairmaster that I have at my gym and I haven’t found a way to program it so I just change the levels myself. I do think there is a interval setting though – maybe you could try that out.
What do you do for your strength training?
I switch up what I do for strength training. At the time I wrote this post I was following the Body For Life training program. Now I am doing an outdoor bootcamp and using the Tone It Up workouts for my strength training.
Just so you know- beans/legumes are pretty high in carbs, but they also have a lot of fiber – because of that fiber content, beans have a slower impact on your blood sugar than other high carb foods. This means they satisfy you and can help stabilize your blood sugar.
(they also have phytonutrients, in addition to protein)
I’m sure you already know all that- I just had to point out that beans can be a good part of diets too 🙂
That intensity level on isn’t really HIT. It’s too low. It’s just IT (Interval Training). If you’re really doing HIT, you would have to rest after about 20 seconds or so, you wouldn’t be able to continue at such a high level of intensity for more than 20 seconds. It’s supposed to be flat out!
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Hi,
Can somebody tell me please how many steps per minute corresponds for every level in the stair master machine?
Thank you
Ok dayyyymnn level 16 that’s no joke 💪🏻
Yeah I feel like something isn’t translating to the stepmill I use. I’d like to know what the steps-per-minute of this “HIIT” (is it really?) workout is. Like the “high intensity” intervals are very long for a HIIT workout, somethings not adding up. You’re doing 10, 12, 14, and 16 for 4 minutes, followed by a 1 minute rest? Not adding up.
Look around on the web for other stepmill hiit workouts. They make much more sense. I feel like she just guessed and threw some interval levels with some times and edited it all cute and people are supposed to eat it up.
For sure, has she used level 16 on a stepper? That’s fast. I can manage 12 at the moment and that near enough tries to kill me, couldn’t imagine doing 16 unless your mount Everest training.
Maybe all stair climbers are calibrated differently I do CrossFit and Pilates and cardio but don’t run marathons or anything I love this format!
16 level is def doable for a minute… doing it as I type drenched in sweat!!!
Woo! So glad to hear that, Alexa! Stair climbers are the best kind of brutal.
I LOVE it but, as you say it is hard. 20 usually, but sometimes, 30 mins. I do not touch the rails, ever. That is the balance part. Cheers.
You’ve got this! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, I appreciate it!