[JeremyG]

Last year I was able to do my ME pack hikes on a nice, steep long hill. However, the travel to and from and approach time on the trail took up a big chunk of the day. This year I’m having trouble finding the time to get out there again. What do you think about doing a similar ME workout on a stepmill, the kind with the rotating stair tread? I’ve been using one for some zone 1 workouts to simulate hiking uphill with a pack and it seems to do the trick. If I maintain good form, fully stepping up on each step would this have the proper effect? Thanks!

Topic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on March 10, 2018 at 10:02 am #8613

Jeremy:

Read this:

Vertical climber machine

Sadly, gravity is your friend in ME workouts.
There is a ton of other info on ME listed in the forum index to your right.

Scott

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on March 10, 2018 at 10:02 am #8614

Jeremy:

Read this:

Vertical climber machine

Sadly, gravity is your friend in ME workouts.
There is a ton of other info on ME listed in the forum index to your right.

Scott

[JeremyG]

JeremyG on March 10, 2018 at 10:28 am #8615

Looks like I should’ve done a more thorough site search. Thanks for the info. To push back a little, if the speed on the stair mill is low, and I’m fully lifting my body and pack weight onto each step, it seems to me that it’s essentially the same motion as hiking uphill or a box step and I’m working against gravity. I understand that with higher speeds on the machine and/or poor form that keeps your upper body stationary while just moving your legs up and down you can “cheat”. But with proper form and low speeds where the step isn’t falling away underneath you very quickly mechanically it seems pretty similar to hiking. Am I missing something here? Thanks again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on March 10, 2018 at 5:03 pm #8618

Jeremy;

That is true that slower speeds will force you to step “up” a bit more but the stair is still falling away under you. You will definitely get some ME training effect with this. It is not a black and white thing just shades of grey. YOU may want to try a heavier pack weight. In the end though, if you make your legs really tired and sore for a couple of day with only a moderate HR then you’ve done the job regardless of what method you use.

Good luck
Scott

[JeremyG]

JeremyG on March 10, 2018 at 5:08 pm #8619

Alright thanks guys. I think I’ve got it. Stepmill isn’t as good as the real deal but will probably still have a positive effect in a pinch. What an awesome resource this site is.