Stairmaster Vs Treadmill: Which Is Better?

Feeling confused after walking into the cardio section of a gym or browsing online for a machine to add to your home gym set-up? One of the most common cardio conundrums is whether you’re better off getting on a treadmill or opting for the stairmaster, and it all depends on your goals and your body. Here’s what they have in common and what sets them apart so you can choose the best one for your next Sweat session.

Stairmaster vs treadmill: What do they have in common?

The stairmaster and the treadmill both provide great cardio workout options that have a low barrier to entry, meaning they’re perfect for any fitness level and will boost your cardiovascular fitness by challenging your heart and lungs. A treadmill and a stairmaster can both be used as a warmup, a cooldown, or the main event of your workout - simply hop on, set your speed and start moving to keep up. 

Both machines usually have handles that you can use for support and depending on how high-tech your model is, you’ll find a screen or dashboard for you to change and keep an eye on things like your speed, session duration, the incline (on a treadmill) and an estimate of calories burned if you’ve entered your weight and height.

What’s better for building strength?

While you can increase the incline on a treadmill to mimic walking uphill, we would go for the stairmaster if you want a cardio workout with a stronger focus on strength - for your muscles, bones and joints. With every step, you’ll be feeling the burn in your glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves, significantly more than you would with a walk or jog on a treadmill. It can also be a fantastic way to strengthen the muscles around your knees without the impact that running adds.

Because a stairmaster also requires slightly more balance and coordination than a treadmill, it provides a better core workout in order to maintain your posture and stability. For even more of a challenge, you could add ankle weights. 

One caveat - if your overall fitness goal is to get stronger and build muscle, we would definitely be pointing you towards the weights section of the gym instead. A stairmaster is great, but weight training will do more for your muscles and allow you to achieve greater strength gains through progressive overload. A stairmaster also isn’t going to do much in the way of upper body strength training either!

What’s better for cardiovascular fitness and endurance?

It depends on how you’re using the machine! If you’re comparing a walk on a treadmill to a walk at the same speed on a stairmaster, climbing stairs is definitely going to have your heart and lungs working harder. For those who want more of a cardio challenge than walking without increasing the impact on their joints, the stairmaster can be the perfect option. If you’re on day one of your fitness journey and not sure what level your cardio fitness is currently at, both machines are beginner-friendly. Simply lower the speed to find a pace that feels comfortable for you!

On the flipside, if you’ve dialled up the speed on your treadmill to turn your workout into a jog, a run, an incline run, or a HIIT session doing sprints, that could do more for your cardiovascular system than climbing stairs.

What’s better for burning calories?

Calorie burning is never on our list of motivating reasons to exercise, but we get it - it can be part of the equation if you’re trying to lose or manage your weight. The calorie burn will all depend on the duration and intensity. If we’re comparing a treadmill walk to a stairmaster session at the same speed for the same duration, the stairmaster will naturally ask more of your body due to the added resistance, thus burning more calories. To achieve a higher calorie burn on a treadmill, simply increase the incline or the speed. 

According to Harvard Health, using a stairmaster for 30 minutes would burn 180-252 calories depending on your bodyweight, which is significantly higher than walking, but could be similar to or less than the calorie burn from a run.

If weight loss or management is a health focus for you, remember that nutrition plays a fundamental role in your energy balance and you can focus on exercising for the incredible health benefits it offers. Choosing a training style merely based on how many calories you can torch can also lead to fatigue and burnout and a total lack of enjoyment. 

Choose your fighter

The stairmaster and the treadmill are both fantastic, beginner-friendly cardio machines that still offer room for you to dial up the difficulty. If you’re looking for a cardio workout with more of a strength element - go for the stairmaster. If you’re looking for maximum gains in terms of your cardio fitness, a treadmill gives you more options to mix things up. If you just want some enjoyable cardio, the ball is in your court!