A stair stepper consists of a pair of foot pedals on a frame with handlebars or handrails. These are attached to an alternator with a chain drive. The alternator creates resistance, which supports your body weight as you step. At higher intensity workout levels, the foot pedals give you less support, so you’re forced step faster and higher as you strive to keep from bottoming out the pedals and ascend the imaginary “stair.”

The most familiar brand name of stairstepper machine is Stairmaster.

It’s a familiar sight at most gyms to see people propping themselves on the handrails while they use the Stairmaster. By using their arms to take the load off their legs, they’re reducing the intensity of their workout while the control console shows them burning calories at a high rate. Some models of stairstepper have addressed this problem by replacing the full set of handrails with a wishbone-shaped handlebar in front of the user that’s only useful for balance. However, bigger people may not feel as secure on these machines because they look less stable. It’s tempting to cheat when your workout isn’t going well, but supporting your body with your arms on a stair stepper defeats its purpose.

A stair climber looks like a three-step escalator with a railing on each side. Stairclimbers have a revolving staircase that cycle endlessly toward the bottom of the machine as you climb toward the top. The stairs revolve from 30 to 156 steps per minute, which ranges from a very slow walk to a dead run. You intensify the workout by pushing a button on the console and speeding them up.

A stairclimber could very well be the most intense workout you can get on a piece of exercise equipment. Each step is a full 8 inches high, and when the machine is humming along at high speed, you’ll be sweating and gasping for breath in a hurry. Cheating by leaning on the handrails won’t decrease the intensity of your workout much on a stairclimber. A popular item in most gyms, they nonetheless are getting hard to find as many manufacturers have stopped making them. Maybe the commercial gyms have stopped buying stair climbers because they’re trickier to maintain under constant use than less complex pieces of equipment. Or maybe the workout they give you is too much for all but the most dedicated gym rat.

Stairmaster is the best known manufacturer of stair climber machines. The earliest model was named the Stairmaster 4000 PT Gauntlet, which is an appropriate name for the intense workout this machine provided. Later designs included the Stairmaster Stepmill 7000PT. Although hard to find new, refurbished models are available at reasonable prices with short-term warranties. A used Stairmaster can be a terrific investment and a great fitness machine to add to your home gym.