Stairmasters for Mountain Training? Do this Instead....
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 มิ.ย. 2024
- Watch this video to learn how to train for hiking safely and effectively. Are you concerned you won't be in shape for your upcoming trek or climb? Or maybe you just want to be the fittest you can be?
If you're training for the mountains, I recommend you avoid machines all together. The one exception is if you are rehabilitating an injury, in which case machines are great.
You'll find the stairs session in my program Uphill Endurance.
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I agree that its vital to practice descending down hills but stairmasters absolutely provide a strong cardio and quad workout. Just dont make it your primary training method.
Jonathan Santarelli i would say that it provides exactly half of a quad workout. Because you’re not training the concentric movement, missing out on the other 50% eccentric.
Fine if you have solid strength training plan with squats, lunges, deadlifts etc but a lot of people don’t.
As for the cardio. Yeah, no doubt it’s a slog
@@ChaseMountains your page is awesome btw and well worth the investment
@@ChaseMountains I agree with Jonatand Santarelli, I used to use stairmaster, for cardio and muscle, on weekdays, and hike a mountain on a weekend, if I train down hill on weekdays it would be to hard on my knees!
The plus side is you don't get constant fatigue of the joints from the impact of decent also
At work, I like to do 'garage steps' at lunch. The parking garage has a 9 flight stairwell. I go up and come down. I can add a cardio element by going up 2 stairs at a time.
I use the stairmaster about 3 hours a week, and I’ll continue using it. I don’t disagree with anything you said, but on a stairmaster I get phenomenal cardio while being able to watch educational videos on mountaineering and climbing, like the ones on your Channel.
This is a fantastic example of expressing a disagree without trying to invalidate the others. We need more of this
Deadlifts give you that Horsepower and Torque you need to climb those mountains like a jeep. I couldn't believe how much endurance I got just from doing deadlifts, i didnt even build my cardio that much, and I was not as tired the next time I went hiking,
I just did the EBC trek. I agree completely with your video, the decents were harder than going up in most cases. But I did train almost exclusively on a stairclimber and treadmill on hill setting with success. Its extremely flat where I live. I also made it a point to get in some hikes with trekking poles and some weight in my pack as well. Gotta make do with what you have I guess... safe trekking ; )
Best piece of kit in the gym that will definitely benefit your trekking is the…drum roll….stairmaster!
If you can master this with good form you will improve your balance, core strength, and leg strength. Not too mention your cardio fitness. Also massive calorie burner too. What’s not too love ❤️
Resistance training (using weights/machines in the gym) has helped my hiking immensely. It builds muscle and strengthens bone and joints and should be included in training for hikes, especially for the inexperienced who needs to build strength to take their hiking further.
Yes, I will have the treadmill as part of my conditioning. Part.
My training is mainly aimed at canyoneering, not mountaineering. But all my local hikes are... mountains and foothills. My stairs? Red Rocks Park in Morrison, CO. Up and down, often sandy/ gritty/ odd traction.
So, to build up stamina, especially lung stamina, treadmill. Then local trails, stairs.
It’s more about mixing it up, being able to be training and conditioning at once.
Tall building fire escape stairwells are my go-to! I strap on my loaded backpack (16~19kgs) and just crunch those steps up and down repeatedly up to 100 floors. Great cardio and strength, and gives me the chance to work on the technique of keeping my knees ever so slightly bent when descending - something I've also learnt from another one of your videos, Chase!
Although I live in the relatively flat prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada, I am fortunate to live about a mile from a man-made hill. It's used by countless runners, bikers, and hikers in my community to train on. You can't beat it for training. I'm looking into doing the EBC trek in the future, and will definitely be doing "the hill" to prepare myself! Enjoy your videos, Chase!
The treadmills at my gym have a decline as well! I have fallen out of shape after being sedentary for a while through online school. I’ve found that the machines have helped a lot just in the past month with endurance training! I’ve also been utilizing boxes to jump/step up and down to get my stabilizer muscles working.
Living in Miami the closest thing to a hill I can find is a bridge. With an average elevation of 2m, you can practically see the whole city with a foot stool haha
The stairmaster is a great preparation for high mountains....
I also do decline lunges for decents...
Every body has there own system that works for them.....
Yeah I agree it may have suboptimal outcomes for certain stabilizer muscles but for a casual hiker like me, the biggest binding constraint is my overall fitness level
I use the stair master as a quick blast workout during long work days when getting outside isn't thar easy. Lighters evenings are coming which means I'll be heading to the local hills to train instead which is sooooo much better. Some big challenges this summer so need the training wherever I can get it!
You are definitely right. Practicing the downhill will make you much faster on objectives. Descent is more mentally taxing than ascent.
I could see the usefulness of machines for times where you are time crunched or are travelling a lot for work and just want to keep a certain base level of fitness going. So not as a primary training protocol to get ready for some long hikes or expeditions but rather as a way to fill in the gaps during those times when the ability to do the more effective training that works on all planes of movement and range of motion and stability strengthening is compromised either physically from injury or logistically because you are going through a stretch where other priorities in life are magnified.
I was working and living in a different province this summer. We lived out in the woods down by a pond which meant we had a good little hill that you had to go down to get to our place. To train for going back home to the mountains I would load up my pack with a bunch of rocks from around the property and a few water bottles and walk up and down the hill for an hour doing a set of squats at the top and bottom each time. Made me plenty strong when I got back but the medium intensity long duration cardio fitness was not there anymore. Luckily for me It came back very quickly on the account of a couple of scrambles and some long distances covered backpacking.
This is all well and good if you don’t live in Florida😢. I have been using treadmills and stairclimbers for 30 years and it has been effective.
I subbed yesterday. Hubz and I are planning to hike Kili Mt. You channel has great info. 👏🏽😊
Another great informative video thanks Chase!
I was considering using the step master as I have used them in the past, but that was only for general fitness.
Thanks for the tip, it makes a lot of sense, I will not use a step master now as we are upping our game to do more hiking climbs.
I see your point but I am going to use them anyway. Thanks
I use a stair master because there are no good actual stairs near me and the nearest hills are a bit of a drive away so i go to the local gym and do the stair master. Yes, the steps do drop down but it's not like you don't accelerate your mass upwards - you do accelerate your body up. Also, for me personally, it is much easier to get to a higher heartrate, say, the top of threshold, using a stair master than to do the same on a spinning bike which tells me that the effort is certainly there. I mix up running and the stair master to stay in somewhat hillwalking shape and i perform well when i actually get to the hills. But yes, ideally i would use regular stairs if i had a good set near my house...
I’ve been using the stair master as I’ve just gotten back in the gym and need some basic conditioning. Definitely going to take your advice as I get deeper into my training tho.
Excellent points. Exactly as the author here says, repeating the exact same motion is especially bad for joints and cartiledge. All the wear is in the exact same spot. On varied terrain, the wear and stress is always on a slightly different spot, allowing for better regeneration. And as he says, going down is as difficult as going up, putting more strain on the joints and stabilizing muscles of the leg. Slipping on the way down a mountain is one of the most common causes of accidents.
half a decade later, still helpful. I was planning on using the stair master to get some training reps in during this time of my life where I don't have time to go out and hike. With this advice, I might find better effect climbing up and down a natural incline at park nearby. thanks, take care
Not a mountaineer or thru hiker but I'm training for some week-long trips. I'm doing day-hiking to get my legs and endurance ready (some hills are good to include but I don't live near mountains), leg strength and stability exercises (mostly body weight), and swimming 2x per week for more intense cardio. As my upcoming trips get closer, I might do less swim and more hiking but I find that, in the long-term, low impact exercise like swimming or biking cross-training helps my overall health and avoid over-use injury on my imperfect feet. It seems like good advice here to include real stairs and hills in rough terrain; I will be doing some of that too.
Totally agree with this method. Best way to condition is to trek is my method. I use treadmill to just keep my stamina better
I'm going to do the Mile High Stair Climb. 1098 steps. Then you take the elevator down and do it a total of eight times to get the mile. So I'm not worried about the downhill in this event. But there is a lot more to this. If you are lighter you can ascend faster. If you train at altitude or live at altitude and then drop down to the event you will have a huge advantage. Also, are you going to run one or two steps at a time. Also, will you be using the handrail to aid (pull) yourself up. Also, lightweight shoes will definitely help. Also, when it is 20 degrees F. and the wind blowing 30 mph. you just might want to do a Stairmaster workout unless of course you hate your fingers and toes. I've lived places where three steps out of the building the snot in my nose froze. I love trail running and I will do it when it is feasible, not freezable.
I only use it as an effort & endurance baseline for general CV fitness because it monitors my time & HR, making it easy to arbitrarily quantify my effort & duration.
Thank you! Very useful!
Walking up stairs or a natural slope is straight away my first choice. But they're simply not an option here. Where I live, the ground is very flat unless I want to drive 8 hours. And buildings with more than 2 floors are extremely rare. Just about anywhere else where you might consider this, a city landfill, a college stadium or one of the few skyscrapers downtown you'll get arrested for trespassing unless you work there.
I usually go to the local mountain bike trails and bike them as they allow it and it can give everything from forgiving descents and ascents to harder ones that require bracing and scrambling
Great video and a very valid point on the stabiliser muscles; however, what would you do if you had 2 hours a day to train?
And you had a moderately hilly terrain in front of where you live where you can train for an hour and do approximately 12 to 14 km, then travel 15 minutes to a gym to do 30 minutes on a stepmaster.
Or spend 45 minutes commuting to a much bigger hill, roughly 1km per 100m incline, so you could do a 30-minute workout?
I really like your videos, good stuff. But i am using a stairmaster because i think it´s a good way of pushing the pace uphill and break some sweat prior the the long days of 45% angle ascents. But yeah it´s important to get down too.
Totally agree that Stairmasters are not ideal for all the reasons given. But Stairmasters can be very useful, especially for base cardio and leg strength if you use a heavy pack. Largely due to convenience, and in the build stage it is easy to build by a known measurable amount over time (i.e. easy to build a proper structure to your training). I have one at work so I can go in early, crank out 60-180 minutes while I watch the news or a movie or a climbing video. I can do this on days it rains, or when the ground is covered in ice. Hills are better, sure, but hard to get to the hills every day. And even on days where I have an early meeting, I might be able to sneak in a workout at lunch or the afternoon where getting out to the hills would not be possible.
That said, the days I can drive the 30 minutes to a local university to march up and down the stairs that is better. Or on the occasion I am staying in a high rise hotel on a business trip and can use the stairs, 100 ft (30m) at a pop is better.
Short set of stairs can use used, as can box steps, but man that is boring!
And of course, the real thing, but that is a rather longer drive if I want significant vertical so is not very practical for every day training.
I have thought about going early to the Mall while it is nearly empty and marching down the up elevator, but not sure the security people would accept my reasoning for doing so. 🤣
If you can do 3 hours continuously on a stair master then you don't need to do any training you're already super human
@@laurarules3642 Well, if I didn't train rather quickly I would lose the ability. 😀Really, most people who can hike could work up to that as most hikes are longer than that, even of you do take a break now and then. The biggest problem is most people are too busy, I am just lucky to have a gym at work and a flexible job. The second problem is boredom - really helps to have a movie or two you want to watch. FWIW I have below average natural abilities, I just train hard and carefully. Only way I can keep up with my friends.
Totally agree. I got all my beautiful memorable falls on the way down 😭
Interesting points. I do some trail running but I always struggle some going uphill fast. But I tend to agree nearly all falls and accidents happen going downhill. Apart from my trail running i don’t train too much uphill. What would you recommend for training just this musculature. I could probably climb some stairs as an addition to my general training
So strictly for lower impact, I think it can be a complement. We all know that running outside > treadmill, as you’re simply engaging more muscles. He’s merely saying there is no substitute for utilization training of going up and down a hill. For aerobic capacity, it doesn’t matter. As much. He has a video where he says when it comes to endurance, your heart and cardio don’t care about the source. My goals are endurance for backcountry splitboarding in winter, and hiking in summer. For the way down, I’m covered with a snowboard in winter. I do 2x leg workouts a week with squats and lunges. I’ll do core and deadlift (with 2nd elective back exercise) every time I walk in the gym. Now, with stairclimbers, I’ve found a way where I can go for a long time and target a small HR range.
clearly someone got butthurt about using stairmasters... stairs are the same direction as a stairmaster. granted without the down portion. You can still use a stairmaster to train with climbing, for example; 1000ft up. rest. use treadmill. stairmaster again, 500-1000ft. Stairmasters are very helpful for building that stamina in a up motion (which people generally get fatigued on)
I still do stairmasters for cardio/endurance. However, I live close to a mountain where I can also train.
I would agree with this also. But I use machines because for me it goes without saying "no excuses." Therefore I on both opinions of stairmasters work or not. Other examples are treadmill, will it work or not work.
I don't but if it is too muddy or wet to hike, I might just to get the distance in. It would be better than having to miss entirely a day of training.
I've had both knees replaced and lumbar fusion due to a rare disease but I have a dream to climb Mt. Borah in Idaho. High impact and/or heavier weights are not recommended by my doctors. I want to get cardio in as well as strength training. Any recommendations?
Yeah agree now you said that, but for fitness it's good
I agree that it doesn't train you realistically for real hiking, what the machine does help with is building up endurance if the weather doesn't permit outdoor training. I highly recommend a variety workout at an indoor/outdoor stadium with plenty of stairs for those living in the city.
I’ve been training on a treadmill with about a 14% incline, but I live in Florida where there is no hills or elevation, what could be an alternative?
I think there is value in it for sure. I think it provides an efficient way to build up strength, stamina and some stability in a controlled environment. But certainly you should not use it exclusively.
Stairmaster is for stamina , so yes I use this in my trainig a lot , and it works very well ! Of course you can't compare with being in te mountains , so anyone who thinks this can replace it shouln't be there in the first place ;-)
Been using stairmaster and treadmill preparing for a 13k spartan super and beast I'll let yall know If it helped
Its a bit like running. Running machines are ok for structured build up after injury and bad for weather( snow/ice) but don't help build stability. Re hiking I am now fortunate to be strong in the mountains at 62 years old as I live on the Sierra Contraviesa beside Sierra Navada Spain and can use my daily speed walks with my pack of dogs as training.
What am I gonna do when I live in the probably flattest country on earth, Denmark?
Gonna climb Kilimanjaro 6 months from now
incline backward walks. sled push/pull (more pull)
however, I believe that gym equipments are useful during rainy and winter seasons, when it is much more difficult to train outside
Mihai Pap absolutely agree with that!
Walking backwards on a treadmill at max elevation is a killer workout too.
That is actually clever. feel silly for not thinking of it. Great idea!
I was just in my way to the gym and use the stair master. Now it will be the simple wooden box.
See I like them both (treadmill, stairmaster) but for cardio instead
Squats allowed me to hike easily
I somewhat disagree with this. I live in a place where there are no hills. So I do train on TM incline at 30% and slowly increase speed. The TM I use also has slight decline and I use this when I run on TM. Usually alternating. I agree descending is very hard to train in my area.
I live in Texas. I'm 50+ lbs overweight. I've ran and felt like I was going to die on the treadmill. I am climbing Mt. Elbert in September 2021...probably very slowly, but I'm doing it because it's a dream of mine. Is there hope for me?!?!
Of course there is! But you don't need to run! Climbing mountains depends on aerobic capacity, which means you should train in your aerobic zone. You'll find more info on my blog basecamptraining.com.au/2020/04/22/how-to-find-your-aerobic-training-zone/
just climbed my first 14'er last month - Quandry Peak - and I came into Colorado from New York (sea level like Texas) make sure you get to altitude with at least a few days to acclimate to the elevation! obviously you're really going to want to lose the extra weight first - it'll be twice as hard to carry it in thinner air. good luck!
@@robertfeiler4848 Thanks for your tips! I heard that they sale oxygen at gas stations. I might pick some of that up before going up the mountain. Just to be on the safe side. I have a lot of work to do to get myself ready, but I'm excited for the challenge.
I use the treadmill but I do elevation
I will still use stair machine and treadmill incline to simulate elevation gains.
Actually, running helps me to stay fit. My running trail also has some smaller hills, but more importantly, I have to use these stabilizing muscle groups all the time. And yes, they might not be the same weird ones you never need and then suddenly feel in a descent. But it is more doable and practical than other options, and helpful enough for me. I personally am not comfortable with machines or hills on the back yard, it's all kind of ridiculous to me. I live near the mountains and go for a day hike once a month and that already has lead to massive improvements. If I wouldn't live close to the mountains, I'd be screwed. I'd probably not try mountaineering then, I mean, if it's just like a once a year thing. That's actually pretty hard to train for, and even "hill workouts" can't compensate for the lack of hours, I'd say...
It sounds like you completely agree with the video
My treadmill has a -6% grade setting I just set it at a higher speed
Single legged work and farmer carries. Lunges in all planes of motion will make your legs stupid stable.
The highest elevation I have is a 2 m high bridge :(
I Agree your view is very practical
Abdul Tayyiab hahah thanks Abdul!
As i live in Bangkok Thailand , i have no choice of mountains or even trails . So its a stairmaster for me i guess .
Easy training just turn around and go down the stair master.
Calvin Hikes hahahha ha alright man, challenge accepted. I’ll chuck my pack on, set up a camera and see if it works.
i live in the netherlands, what do In do?
While "the real thing" is always the most specific and best training (for anything), when you don't have access to a mountain trail, you improvise and do the best you can. Stairmasters would be last on my list too - they really do confine the movement pattern options to the same step height, and very limited ability to step anywhere but straight ahead. An incline treadmill at 15% (or more, as many now go higher) can be a superb tool for developing uphill aerobic power and work capacity, and you can vary both stride length (a lot) and angle (step to the outside of the belt to vary). Pair that with lots of lunges and box work to build some eccentric strength and endurance and its not a bad substitute. Big stairwells are the best - you get the uphill and descent work on every lap, and options to vary the angles and step height are limited only by your own anatomy. And trail running - laps on even a relatively short but steep hill - can be good too. But nothing beats training for hiking on trails by hiking on trails.
What about parkour?
Yeah most problems on descent, cause people didn't train on stairmaster and depleted all strength on ascent))
Most people think that way because 90 per cent of sports science research goes into acceleration as opposed to deceleration. Mountains are 50/50. Therefore, so should your training.
@@ChaseMountains I don't think, I know. Always train for my trekking and mountaineering on stairmaster with 25 lb. backpack, also on a treadmill with at least 20% grade, in HR zones 3-4. Never had any problem staying with group of climbers. Those of us, who live in small towns on plains, don't have mountains or even high-rise building to train on stairs.
👍
2:18: "The machine would literally drop to your foot - that simply is not realistic" training indoor for your body to be stong outdoor is also not realistic. The idea of a gym is to simulate the real world experience to strngthen your muscles. I agree with the overall content that it's beter to workout in nature for hiking. But the other methods are not helpful is too harsh of a statement.
I disagree with this video. Stair master and treadmill have helped me tremendously since starting hiking/ trail running on mountains.
I don't agree with this at all. I use a Stairmaster and incline treadmill for many hours during base training to develop my aerobic capacity. Once I get closer to my event, I will take the time to travel to hills more often, but still not every cardio session.
I think stairmasters are fine if you have done the ground work on the knees and ankles in terms of training deceleration. Just my opinion
Nope, no machines for me. No substitute for real rock. Haha
What do you think about walking down on a Stairmaster? Wouldn't this satisfy the eccentric portion of the work out? e.g. go up 1000 steps and then turn around and go down 1000. Totally valid that the StairMaster lacks specificity and balance training but it seems like a good way to grind out endurance training in between more natural workouts/hikes. Plus, you can watch Netflix on a StairMaster ;)
ahahah the netflix thing I get. In terms of doing down on a stairmaster, it just doesnt work because the steps are coming up towards you as you step down its just awkward and also pretty dangerous. Got some weird looks in the gym when i tried it hahaha
@@ChaseMountains What do you mean specifically when you say it "doesn't work"? Isn't the motion (lowering your body) the same regardless of whether or not the stairs are moving toward you?
before you even get a change to lower your body the step hits your foot
@@jonmktchell lol. A stairmaster doesn't run in reverse... That's why it doesn't work. You would just be walking UP the stairs backwards.
Accidentally found your video and you could not be more WRONG. Stairmaster did wonders for me, just don’t forget to increase the weight of the backpack.
Good luck on the way down!
@@ChaseMountains Thanks. But really Stairmaster helped me train my heart and fix my breathing. I’m walking uphill much faster and I don’t feel out of breath when I do so. It’s a good thing for people who cannot run, like me. And I do exercises for other leg muscles, some are from your videos))).
PARTY POOPER WHERE CAN I FIND A STAIRCASE WHERE I DONT LOOK INSANE
Lol! Such an insightful video: "Training on actual outdoor ascents and descents are better". No kidding? Obviously the answer is a mix of both as both types of training have their pros and cons. Meh. Unimpressive video 😒
This guy just made me laugh..
I do a lot of my backpacking in the Grand Canyon where we go down first. Even on fresh legs, I'd say the down is harder and more prone to injury than hiking back out.