We’re calling it – the Powermill Climber is one of the most underrated pieces of equipment in the gym! It allows you to burn similar calories to jogging while simultaneously sculpting your glutes, hamstrings, calves and quadriceps. The stair climber is a great gadget for high intensity interval training, and because it’s not as popular as the treadmill it tends to be available more often. So how do you get the most out of your time on the Powermill? Check out our interval workout plan below.
Know your heart rate targets
Before your session you’ll want to know your max heart rate, which you can work out using the formula in our previous post about heart rate monitors. We’re looking to hit around 80-95% of your max heart rate for short bursts of time and then slowing this down to about 50-75% with recovery periods. Intense periods can last anywhere from 15 seconds to approx. 2 minutes, depending on what works best for you.
A basic interval workout
Start with this basic workout, then adapt the steps for your own purposes:
- First, spend 4-5 minutes warming up at a moderate pace.
- Spend 3 minutes picking up the pace to around 80% of your maximum heart rate.
- Spend 1 minute recovering at a moderate pace.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 twice.
- Next, speed up to 90-95% of your max heart rate for 1-2 minutes (as a guideline, that’s at a pace that would make it impossible to speak). Even at this speed you should still be climbing rather than running or hopping up steps.
- Spend 1 minute recovering at a moderate pace.
- Repeat steps 5 and 6 twice.
- Spend the last 4-5 minutes cooling down at a slow pace.
Tailoring your workout
We’re not all made the same and we’re not all working at the same fitness level, and you will want to adapt this type of workout to your own heart rate and response to the basic process. Some gym-goers may prefer a shorter high interval period at high intensity, for example by skipping every second step. You might also like to mix up high front leg lifts or back lifts to further the sculpting and strengthening effect.
Remember as you speed up that the rails are there only for support, not for pulling yourself up! Let your legs do the work and you’ll see the results in a leaner, stronger and more toned bottom half. If you have any questions, our friendly team members are here to help.