If you’ve ever tackled the 193 steps at London’s Covent Garden station, or heaved an overpacked suitcase up the winding staircase of a charming-but-stubborn Italian Airbnb, you’ll know just how fiercely a simple step can light up your lower body.
Stair climbing has been a staple in the fitness industry for decades. Since the boom of step aerobics in the ‘90s, studies have linked it to better cardiovascular health, increased leg strength, and even longer life expectancy. But it was back in the 1980s that three US entrepreneurs first bottled the magic of stairs, creating what would become one of today’s most beloved cardio machines. Their invention, the Ergometer 6000 (later rebranded as the Stairmaster), quickly gained cult status, and thanks to a resurgence on TikTok, is enjoying a second heyday.
If you’ve been on social media in the last year, chances are a Stairmaster workout has appeared on your For You Page. With over 150 million views, it’s trending as a full-body burner that comes without the stress of high-impact cardio alternatives, such as running or HIIT.
But, as with most viral fitness trends, the Stairmaster hasn’t escaped the clutches of the quick-fix claim. Take the now-viral 25-7-2 workout, for example: two 25-minute Stairmaster sessions a week, which its creator Camilla Dilan Akbas says can sculpt visible abs in just six weeks.
It’s here that we hit pause. Because the truth is that strong, visible abs take time, and rely on a combination of diet, genetics, and consistent training, which no single piece of equipment (or six-week plan) can sidestep.
That said, there is a case for including the Stairmaster in your core routine. Your core (your body’s natural stabiliser) works constantly to keep you upright, aligned and balanced, whether you’re walking, running or (you guessed it), climbing stairs.
So, just how effective is the Stairmaster when it comes to building abs? To find out what it really can (and can’t) do for your core, we asked leading personal trainers for their expert take, from how it engages your midsection to the most effective workouts to try.
Curious? Keep reading. And if core strength is your current goal, don’t miss our guides to the best Stairmaster workouts and the viral 45-7-6 Stairmaster workout, here.
Stairmaster Workouts Are Known for Their Cardiovascular Benefits, but Do They Also Work Your Abs? Experts Weigh In
What is a Stairmaster workout?
So, what exactly is the Stairmaster, and how do you actually use it?
“The Stairmaster provides a low-impact yet high-intensity cardiovascular workout, which challenges the lower body muscles whilst also engaging the core for stability,” explains personal trainer Aimee Victoria Long.
Designed to mimic the motion of stair climbing, the machine features a rotating set of steps that can be adjusted for both speed and resistance. “By changing up the step pattern with movements such as side stepping, skipping steps, or hands-free climbing, you can tailor your workout to target specific muscle groups,” adds Sam Stone, Master Trainer at Barry’s.
But as personal trainer and Yoga teacher Bethan Walters points out, you don’t even need a machine to get the benefits of stair climbing. “The same workout can be achieved by climbing the stairs of your local train station or athletics stadium.”
What are the benefits of Stairmaster workouts?
Before we get into whether the Stairmaster can sculpt your abs, the experts were quick to highlight some of its more direct, science-backed benefits.
1. It improves cardiovascular fitness
“Climbing stairs generates a higher intensity workout than walking on flat ground, making the Stairmaster an efficient, yet low-impact cardio workout,” says Stone.
2. It’s gentle on the joints
“The reduced impact compared to treadmill running makes the Stairmaster easier on the joints, while still raising the heart rate and improving aerobic capacity,” explains Long.
3. It strengthens the lower body
“Challenging the glutes, hamstrings, quads and calves, the Stairmaster helps to build strength in the lower body,” says Long, who also points out that the weight-bearing element of the workout supports joint and bone health.
Walters agrees, noting that weight-bearing exercise like the Stairmaster is especially important for women in perimenopause, as it helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis – a condition where bone tissue becomes thinner due to declining oestrogen levels.
4. It’s efficient
It might sound simple, but one of the biggest perks of the Stairmaster is just how efficiently it delivers results. “You can complete an effective Stairmaster workout in just 20–30 minutes,” says Walters, making it a solid option for time-poor schedules or for those who prefer to stick to just one piece of equipment during their session.
So, what does the science say? Can the Stairmaster really work your abs?
Yes, but indirectly, say all three experts. “It’s not an ab workout in the traditional sense,” says Long, “but if performed with correct form, it can strengthen and tone the core.”
That’s because with every step we climb, our core muscles, including the rectus abdominis, obliques and transverse abdominis, are recruited to help stabilise the pelvis and spine. “Studies have shown that the transverse abdominis and obliques contribute to balance and posture during the climbing motion,” Long explains.
Want to dial up the core activation? Long recommends letting go of the handrails and paying close attention to your posture, pointing to research published in 2014, which showed that decreasing stability during movement helps to increase activation of the core muscles.
Still, whilst cardio workouts like the Stairmaster do engage our abs by promoting balance and alignment, they’re not enough on their own. Walters is quick to note that the machine should complement, not replace, more targeted core work. “Core-specific moves such as planks, bird dogs, rollouts, and rotational exercises activate the rectus abdominis, obliques, and deep transverse abdominis in ways that walking or the Stairmaster cannot match,” she says.
“Just like any other muscle group, to actually increase abdominal strength and definition, the abs need progressive overload and direct resistance. Cardio may support fat loss and overall conditioning, which helps reveal ab definition, but without resistance-based ab training, the underlying muscles remain underdeveloped.”
How can I best work my abs on a Stairmaster?
So, while we now know that our abs are a secondary benefit to come from our Stairmaster workouts, the experts are clear about the ways in which you can optimise your abdominal work while you climb.
Best Stairmaster workouts to try today
Beginner Stairmaster ab workouts
All three trainers recommend that beginners start with fifteen to twenty-minute Stairmaster workouts, two to three times a week, maintaining a consistent, steady pace throughout the session.
The focus here is all on form. “Focus on maintaining an upright posture, drawing your belly button in towards your spine, with no leaning on the handrails,” says Long, who suggests keeping a gentle hold on the handrails for the majority of the session, with short thirty-second bursts of hands-free climbing once you feel comfortable.
Intermediate Stairmaster ab workouts
For intermediates, the aim is between twenty and thirty minutes per session, two to four times per week.
Walters suggests setting the machine’s pace to somewhere between level 5 to 7 as a guide, and suggests incorporating some intervals for added intensity and core engagement.
“Try rotating through a series of step variations every two to three minutes,” she says. “You could take longer strides by skipping a step. This increases the demand for glute and core stability, whilst side-stepping and even backwards walking are both options, if your balance is strong.”
Advanced Stairmaster ab workouts
For people with good stair experience, spending as little time holding onto the handrails is the goal for building core stability.
“The less you rely on the rails, the more the abs work,” says Long, who suggests aiming for four to five sessions per week, with high-intensity intervals throughout the session. “Carry light dumbbells for added resistance, or incorporate targeted ab movements, such as short plank holds or standing oblique crunches off the machine between intervals to fatigue the abs further,” she says.
The expert verdict
While there’s no denying the Stairmaster brings a host of fitness benefits, from boosting cardiovascular health to building lower-body strength, it’s not going to be the magic bullet for cultivating rock-solid abs. “If your goal is to build strong, well-defined abs, then the best practice is to go back to basics,” says Walters.
That means making smart, consistent choices throughout your day. “Choose the stairs over the lift, walk up the left side of the escalator, and incorporate Pilates, reformer sessions, specific ab work, or weight training to build the muscles, while moving more throughout the day to help define them,” she explains.
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Will the Stairmaster work my abs more than regular walking?
In short, yes, “though neither is designed for targeted ab building,” says Personal Trainer, Bethan Walters.
“The Stairmaster requires more stabilisation because of the vertical climbing motion,” explains personal trainer Aimee Victoria Long. “This means that the abs are activated more consistently than in treadmill walking because of the constant balance challenge created by upward stepping.”
That said, Long is quick to point out that treadmill walking still has its place. “Treadmill walking on an incline can be great for targeting the lower abs and hip flexors, when performed briskly and without holding the rails,” she says.
And for the best results? A varied training approach is your best bet. Walters recommends pairing cardio, like incline walking and Stairmaster sessions, with targeted core exercises to strengthen, tone and stabilise the entire core.