maratoolStep Mill
How to do the step mill
- To begin, step onto the stepmill and select the desired option from the menu. You can choose a manual setting, or you can select a program to run. Typically, you can enter your age and weight to estimate the amount of calories burned during exercise. Use caution so that you don't trip as you climb the stairs. It is recommended that you maintain your grip on the handles so that you don't fall.
- Stepmills offer convenience, cardiovascular benefits, and usually have less impact than running outside while offering a similar rate of calories burned. They are typically much harder than other cardio equipment. A 150 lb person will typically burn over 300 calories in 30 minutes, compared to about 175 calories walking.
Muscles worked
The repetitive work falls on the quadriceps across the front of the thigh, which straighten the knee and, just as importantly, control it on the way back down.
Holding a sustainable output for minutes at a time is a different demand from a heavy set, which is why fatigue here shows up as a gradual fade rather than a rep you suddenly cannot finish.
Other muscle groups are involved too: the calves control the ankle and hold the heel position; the glutes finish hip extension; the hamstrings assist hip extension and slow the knee down.
Every exercise for:QuadricepsCalvesGlutesHamstrings
How this movement works
It is filed under cardio. The work is continuous and paced rather than counted in sets, so progress shows up as duration, distance or a lower heart rate at the same effort.
What you need
The machine fixes the path, removing the balance demand and letting you train close to failure without a spotter. The cost is the stabilising work a free weight would have made you do.
Every exercise using:Machine
These train the quadriceps too, using equipment this one does not:
- Step Ups with Barbellbarbell
- Step Ups with Dumbbellsdumbbell
- All Fours Quad Stretchbody only
- Cable Deadliftscable
- Front Squats With Two Kettlebellskettlebell
Difficulty
Listed at intermediate level. It assumes you already own the underlying pattern and can hold position under load — if the position breaks before the target muscle tires, drop back to a beginner variation until it does not.
Of the 173 quadriceps exercises in this database, 62 are listed at intermediate level.
Photos: free-exercise-db — public domain (Unlicense) Full attribution →
ⓘ Informational only — not a substitute for professional fitness or medical advice.