Incline walking vs stair stepper: which one is a better burn?
You have choices every time you hit the gym, and the right decision at that moment ultimately comes down to the type of results you’re after. If you’re looking to do a cardio machine workout that gives you maximum burn, and builds muscle and endurance with minimal time, you might narrow things down to two common training options: walking on an incline or stair climbing.
But there’s a lot to consider when mulling over the choice of incline walking on the treadmill versus using the stair stepper. While there’s some overlap in benefits, and the movement patterns seem similar, these are two very different modalities with distinct perks.
With that, it’s important to drill down on your goals. Do you care more about calorie burn, muscle engagement, or cardio endurance—or do you ultimately want some level of them all?
Here’s what incline walking on the treadmill has to offer compared to the stair stepper, according to fitness experts. Given that variety is important with exercise, we also tapped our experts for information on how to get the most out of each machine.
Meet the experts: Alexander Rothstein, EdD, exercise physiologist and programme coordinator of Exercise Science at New York Institute of Technology; Catherine Jarrett, PhD, RDN, a registered dietitian and exercise physiologist at Washington State University; Albert Matheny, RD, CSCS, a registered dietitian, strength coach, and co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab.
What these machines actually do
The biomechanics—meaning how your muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments work together when you use each piece of equipment—have some unique distinctions depending on the equipment.
Your body on incline treadmill walking
‘Traditional walking on a treadmill is an easy task but, once you add that incline, you now have to work against gravity to propel yourself upwards,’ says Alexander Rothstein, EdD, exercise physiologist and programme coordinator of Exercise Science at New York Institute of Technology. ‘That’s considered a much harder task compared to just walking.’
When you walk on an incline, you need to shift your centre of gravity forward to be able to keep your balance. ‘You end up changing your body position slightly,’ Rothstein says. ‘You lean forward from the ankle, but sometimes the hips and back.’
Walking on an incline activates your calves, glutes, and hamstrings, especially if you’re moving at a faster pace, says Rothstein.
Your body on the stair stepper
‘You’ll find that you’re engaging similar muscle groups with the stair stepper,’ says Catherine Jarrett, PhD, RDN, exercise physiologist at Washington State University. However, Rothstein notes that you need to lift your knees higher on the stair stepper, which is a larger hip motion than just walking forward.
‘The same component of having to press down into the ground is still happening [with a stair stepper],’ Rothstein says. ‘You definitely still use your calves, but not as much.’ He also says you may use your glutes and hamstrings more with the stair stepper from the pushing-down motion required to propel yourself up with each step.
Of course, each machine can be adjusted to meet a range of fitness levels. For incline walking, that can mean moving the incline up and down, along with adjusting the speed; for the stair stepper, it means tweaking the speed.
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Which one burns more calories?
It’s important to kick this answer off with a big caveat: A ton of factors influence how many calories you burn on each cardio machine.
‘Intensity is a big one, along with your speed, incline, and body weight,’ Jarrett says. ‘If you weigh more, there’s more gravity on your body and you’ll burn more calories.’
Your fitness level at baseline can also be a factor. ‘Someone who is more fit may burn slightly fewer calories because their bodies are more efficient and they’re more aerobically fit,’ Jarrett says. That means, if you’re already in solid shape, you may need to do a higher incline or faster pace than someone who isn’t as fit as you to get the same calorie burn.
All of that said, in general, a 68-kg person may burn anywhere from 200 to 300 calories in 30 minutes on the stair climber, Jarrett says. The same is true for a treadmill on an incline, she says. ‘But a lot depends on your individual fitness level and pace,’ Jarrett reminds.
According to the American Council on Exercise’s fitness calculator, a 68-kg person will usually burn about 272 calories climbing stairs for 30 minutes, while that same person would burn about 170 calories walking at a ‘very brisk’ pace of 4 miles / 6.4km per hour (that doesn’t factor in an incline, though, so with that, the level of calorie burning is definitely higher).
That said, the stair stepper is usually a bigger calorie burn when you compare it directly to a treadmill. ‘More people struggle with the stair stepper because, if it was moving at the same speed as a treadmill, the act of having to lift your leg the full distance is technically harder,’ Rothstein says.
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