Explore the pros and cons of the two cardio machines.
Of all the cardio equipment at the Club, the StairMaster and Jacobs Ladder both score top marks in the functional training department. They both raise your heart rate and get your blood pumping faster by mimicking real-life activities. But that’s just about where their similarities end.
So, if both pieces of equipment are open, which one should you choose to use?
It’s complicated.
Muscle Activation
Both machines test your cardiorespiratory fitness and help build a strong heart — just expect a workout on the Jacobs Ladder to feel extra spicy. The movement to propel the ladder is the same as doing a bear crawl on the ground; you step forward with your right hand and left foot, then repeat with the opposite, says Alec Tomkiw, the senior personal training manager at Equinox West Hollywood. With this animal-like locomotion, you’re moving on all fours simultaneously, so you’re engaging many major muscle groups in your upper and lower body. Your core is also at work, helping to keep you stable and protect your spine as you traverse the rungs. In other words, it’s a full-body training session, says Tomkiw.
The stair climber, however, calls on your lower body (namely the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and hip flexors) to do all the work. “With the StairMaster, [it’s] kind of a similar thing to most cardiovascular machines — you don't get the incorporation of as much full body,” he adds. “The only other piece that I think that would potentially challenge it, with respect to incorporating upper and lower body to that extent, would probably be a rower.”
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Joint Impact
The Jacobs Ladder is slanted at a 40-degree angle. It’s a notable incline change that reduces the amount of impact placed on your joints with every step, says Tomkiw. A small 2016 study of college-aged individuals found that, when exercising at max intensity, the “laddermill” resulted in considerably lower mechanical stress than a treadmill, suggesting a lower risk of developing musculoskeletal injury.
Due to the stair climber’s 90-degree angle, the joint impact tends to be greater. “Because you're a little bit more straight up and down, there is inherently a greater level of the forces of gravity in that vertical position, potentially impacting, at a higher level, the knees and ankles,” Tomkiw notes.
Adaptability
One of the key differences between the two machines is the mechanism responsible for the climb. With the stair climber, a motor keeps the steps moving; you’ll set your speed and, so long as your feet keep up, continue scaling the steps for as much time as you’d like. This set-it-and-forget-it feature is helpful when you’re looking for a longer, low-intensity workout that builds endurance without any mental exertion.
With the Jacobs Ladder, though, you determine your speed. If you want to climb at a consistent pace for 10 minutes straight, it's entirely up to you to make it happen. The self-propelled design means workouts are more mentally engaging than the stair climber, and it allows you to switch up your intensity on the fly.
“You have to keep up to the StairMaster — the StairMaster is not self-propelled,” adds Tomkiw. “So with that, if there is a middle pace that doesn't feel quite right to you, you might end up stepping a little faster and harder than you would like. Whereas the advantage of a Jacobs Ladder, you can adjust it immediately…You’re going to be stepping at a more comfortable pace and performing it at a lower impact.”
Approachability
Climbing stairs is familiar. Walking up a few flights may be an everyday activity for you, so if you’re new to cardio, dipping your toe in with the stair climber may feel most comfortable.
Meanwhile, the Jacobs Ladder comes with a mental hurdle: Its massive footprint, slight incline, and required waist belt that dictates the tension (and, in turn, speed) make it intimidating. “I think the barrier for most people is strapping something around their waist and then convincing themselves to get in this 40-degree angle to do something that, truthfully, most people haven't done since they were a kid on the playground, going through the rope ladder,” says Tomkiw.
RELATED: 7 Cities With Famous Staircases To Climb and Conquer
Which Should You Choose?
Both the stair climber and the Jacobs Ladder have their pros and cons — there’s not one that wins the “best overall” award. Instead, choose a machine according to the purpose of your workout, your comfort level, and your personal needs.
Do you want to watch Netflix while building aerobic fitness? Play an episode and zone out during a low-intensity session on the stair climber. Do you want to target the major muscle groups across your body and stay mentally locked in? Consider a workout on the Jacobs Ladder, focusing on maintaining the same speed throughout the entire session or doing sprint intervals. If you’re experimenting with cardio for the first time, give the stair climber a shot. If you’re looking to go easy on your joints, turn to the Jacobs Ladder.
There’s no wrong answer. When in doubt, though, consult with a Coach at your Club.