The cardio floor is evolving. Incline walking continues to grow in popularity, giving members a challenging, lower-impact way to increase intensity without having to run. But does that mean an incline treadmill can replace the StairMaster?
Not quite.
Both offer effective cardiovascular conditioning and place greater demand on the lower body than traditional flat walking, but they create very different training experiences.
The case for incline walking
Modern commercial treadmills give members far more flexibility than simply walking or running on the flat. Increasing the incline shifts more of the workload towards the glutes, hamstrings and calves, while allowing users to raise their heart rate without increasing running speed.
For operators, that versatility matters. One treadmill can support everything from warm-ups and recovery walks to Zone 2 training, hill intervals, endurance sessions and running.
Why StairMaster is different
While incline walking takes members uphill, a StairMaster asks them to continuously climb.
Each step requires the user to lift their body vertically against gravity, creating consistent demand on the glutes, hamstrings, calves and quadriceps. With no flat recovery phase between strides, it provides a highly repeatable training stimulus for cardiovascular fitness, muscular endurance and climbing-specific conditioning.
It is also an experience members recognise. StairMaster has spent more than four decades building its reputation around one of the toughest workouts on the cardio floor.
So, which should you choose?
It depends on what you want your cardio floor to deliver.
An incline treadmill provides exceptional versatility, making it suitable for a wide range of members, abilities and training goals. StairMaster provides a more specialised experience centred around continuous climbing, lower-body conditioning and intensity.
For many facilities, the answer isn't choosing one over the other.
Combining StairMaster StepMills with Star Trac treadmills gives members the freedom to move between walking, running, incline training and dedicated climbing – while giving coaches more options when programming for different goals.
The strongest cardio floors aren't built around a single way to train. They're designed to give members choice.
Can incline walking really replace the StairMaster?
We take a closer look at how the two compare, from cardiovascular demand and lower-body activation to joint impact and training versatility.
Read the full StairMaster vs Incline Treadmill guide
