I would really welcome your opinions about step machines. At the moment I have a mini stepper which is hydraulic and has dependent pedal movement. It was very cheap (about £20) but has lasted a year without any problem. It loses tension after about 20 mins and needs to "cool down"! DH and I are thinking of adding a full-size step machine to our home fitness collection (and yes, before you ask, the treadmill is already getting a lot of use - LOL!!!!)
I wondered if any of you either have a stepper at home or use one in a gym and what your experiences have been. In the past I've found that an intense 15/20 mins on just my cheap mini-stepper has really toned my butt and hamstrings as well as burning fat. This really helped to kick start my weight loss early lasy year! Plus I enjoyed it because it was such a short time to spend to get those results.
Any opinions wuld be most welcome, including brands used as well as results. I already have my eyes peeled on a reasonably priced Tunturi C500 or the Kettler Power Stepper. Stairclimbers' StepMill is way out of our range financially right now and we wouldn't have the room for it anyway - otherwise we'd be getting that probably!!!!
As an aside, whilst I find that tall box (ie large stepping work on a 14-17" "box" a la Firm) really bulks me up, smaller steps (eg a step machine or using my Reebok step) tones me without bulk whilst burning fat - it's fascinating how our bodies respond so differently to the same type of exercise but with a slight variation!
Look forward to your responses.
Your friend in fitness, Fitnik
I wondered if any of you either have a stepper at home or use one in a gym and what your experiences have been. In the past I've found that an intense 15/20 mins on just my cheap mini-stepper has really toned my butt and hamstrings as well as burning fat. This really helped to kick start my weight loss early lasy year! Plus I enjoyed it because it was such a short time to spend to get those results.
Any opinions wuld be most welcome, including brands used as well as results. I already have my eyes peeled on a reasonably priced Tunturi C500 or the Kettler Power Stepper. Stairclimbers' StepMill is way out of our range financially right now and we wouldn't have the room for it anyway - otherwise we'd be getting that probably!!!!
As an aside, whilst I find that tall box (ie large stepping work on a 14-17" "box" a la Firm) really bulks me up, smaller steps (eg a step machine or using my Reebok step) tones me without bulk whilst burning fat - it's fascinating how our bodies respond so differently to the same type of exercise but with a slight variation!
Look forward to your responses.
Your friend in fitness, Fitnik