Stair Stepper vs Elliptical

The weighing machine in your bedroom shows that you are overweight, the pretty black dress which you got for yourself to wear it on your first date doesn't fit you anymore. You are desperate to lose those excess pounds. You read in the health magazines that stair steppers are good for you when you want to lose some of those extra flabs. In another magazine, you read that the elliptical machine trainer, is the best machine for you to lose weight. Now you are confused. There is a huge argument going on in your head, stair stepper vs elliptical. To clear your confusion, here are some points of advantages and disadvantages of both a stair stepper and an elliptical.

The Comparison

Both stair stepper and elliptical trainers are popular cardiovascular exercise machines, which help you to burn all those extra calories in your body. These machines are common in gyms as well as in the households. However, both these cardiovascular workout machines have their own advantages and disadvantages over each other. So, now let's see, what is the difference between elliptical and stair stepper on the basis of the following points:

• Impact on the Body Joints: The reason why people use a stair stepper or an elliptical for exercising is, to reduce the impact that cardio activity puts on the joints. Walking and running are good cardio activities, but both of them involve lifting up the feet from the ground and stepping down. This creates a force that must be absorbed by the feet and legs. On the stair stepper and the elliptical, our feet are planted on pedals all the time, hence, both have low joint impact. But the former causes more stress on the joints, as we have to bend our knees more during the stepping action.
• Use of the Muscles: The elliptical trainers have pedals that move in a circular motion like cycling and running at the same time. This works all our major leg muscles. This machine also has arm handles, which you can use for your arm muscles. Coming to elliptical vs stair stepper, the latter causes much strain on our leg muscles, as instead of moving it forward and backwards, our legs keep moving in an up and down motion which is more strenuous. Also, the stair stepper does not have any arm handles, so, you cannot work on your arm muscles.
• Reducing Weight: Since, the elliptical trainer involves easier workout for the legs as well as the arm muscles, we can exercise longer, thus, burning more calories using an elliptical rather than a stair stepper.
• Size of the Machines: When it comes to size of the machines, stair stepper has an advantage over the elliptical trainers. Both come in various sizes but unlike the elliptical, you get mini stair steppers, which are equally efficient as the large sized ones. You can fit them in small spaces, carry them along with you when you travel, and store them anywhere. But, that's not the case with elliptical trainers. You cannot store them away or carry them along with you when you travel.
• Cost of the Machines: Now, let's learn about their prices. Elliptical machines are cheaper as compared to the stair steppers. So, if your budget is low then it is better that you go and buy an elliptical.

Now that you have gone through the debate, I believe you have already come to a judgment as to which machine will find a place in your home gym or which machine will you prefer to work out on when you go to the gym. So, go burn those calories and look great in that pretty black dress and make heads turn.