Step Up Your Butt
Written: Nov 18 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great workout for the lower body, easy to use console, small
Cons: Challenging for many; should ask for age.
The Bottom Line: I really like this machine and can find nothing wrong with it that would warrant anything but 5 stars. Gives a great workout in a small space.
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| jo.com's Full Review: Stairmaster 4600 PT |
I am reviewing the StairMaster 4600PT Stepper. My current gym, Powerhouse, has several of these steppers. I have never been a huge fan of steppers but I’ve come to enjoy the 4600.
About the StairMaster Stepper:
First of all a stepper is a machine that acts to simulate walking up steps. It isn’t a climber. That is different. That actually has stairs. A stepper does not.
The StairMaster 4600PT is a nice little (relatively speaking) piece of equipment. I started using it just as a warm up before I weight training. I now use it as a cardio workout after lifting. If I were to be really honest with myself I would say I’ve stayed away from steppers because in my opinion, they are the most difficult of all cardio-vascular machines!
It measures 69" high, 44" long and 32" wide. It weighs 155 pounds. Compared to anything other than perhaps a stationary bike, this is a small, light machine.
The first part of this machine I noticed were the pedals. In the past the steppers I had used had small pedals. So small that I would find myself having to adjust my feet because they wouldn’t stay put. If you have never been on a stepper I can only assure you that moving your feet while on a stepper is easier said than done. The StairMaster 4600 alleviates that problem in two ways. It has larger pedals. The pedals are still smaller than my foot (size 7) but they are large enough that unless you have gigantic feet, you shouldn’t have a problem. My husband wears a size 10-11 sneaker and has no problem. (He loves to warm up on this machine.) In addition, there are designs on the pedals. They are somewhat like a tread but not quite high enough for me to call them that. The rubber design on the pedals however are designed to keep my foot from slipping and it does its job. (My notes call these grooves on the pedals.)
The 4600PT has two sets of handles. One set is next to your body. They are called side rails. You’ll use these to get on the pedals and when you are first starting out because they will give you more stability than the upper handles. The upper handles are very comfortable to hold – they are in a great position and they have built in heart rate monitors. One monitor is on each handle.
The console is a pretty blue color. There is nothing very unusual about it except for the number keys. Before I wrote this review and was taking notes while on it I noticed the numbers. The website tells us they are “ergo keys for fast selection/input.” That means they are easier on your hands to use. They are easy to use. I never have a problem hitting the numbers on machines anyway but the 4600PT keys are even just a tad easier and quicker to use. The console has a nice size drink holder and next to that a place for keys or a cd player. There is a magazine rack as well.
In addition to the number keys on the console you’ll find an entertainment unit which is can only be used with commercial systems so I won’t say much about it. In fact our gym has an entertainment feature so they don’t use this feature either. They put their own unit on each machine that allows us to hear the televisions that are on the wall.
More about the Console and Features:
The console has an emergency stop button at the bottom which is nice but less necessary on a machine like this than on a treadmill. It also has up and down keys which will be used for programming and to change levels while you are working out and two ways to see the display. You can see a fixed setting such as calories burned or you can press the scan button and the settings will continually (about every 3 seconds) change. The display is bright and easy to read. The settings are: calories per hour, steps per minute, floor, watts, miles and mets.
The programs are: manual (You would use the arrow keys while working out.), fat burner, aerobic training, speed intervals and constant heart rate. There is also a quick start button.
Let’s say I am warming up for 5 minutes I would choose quick start. Before I even choose that though I have to get on the machine. Unlike every other stepper I have used (and there have been many) StairMaster’s 4600PT actually allows me to step on it easily. What happens with other steppers is that when you step on the pedals they drop to the floor. The challenge is to immediately choose a level so that you can balance the pedals and start stepping. This machine is different. I just step on the pedals and they stay level. I can then comfortably, without having to do a balancing act with my feet, choose which program I want.
Ok for the purpose of this review I am not choosing quick start. I am choosing aerobic training so I hit that button. The screen shows what it will look like in graph style. I then hit enter and the machine asks for my weight. I put that in with the easy to use number keys and hit enter. I am then asked what level I want. The levels go from 1-20. I choose 1 and hit enter. I then am asked how much time I want and I put in 5 minutes, hit enter and the display starts. The console also shows the time digitally. It is very easy to read. This time dispay shows the elapsed time of my workout, in minutes and seconds.
With my information given to the machine (Keep in mind that machines are off about 20%, depending on the machine. If you use the same machine, I think you’ll get a consistent if not totally accurate number. However since age isn’t asked for expect an incorrect reading of up to 20%) I burn 22 calories in 5 minutes (that would be 110 in one hour but also remember I am on level 1); I am using 248 calories per hour; I walked 35 steps per minute (based on an average 8-inch step); walked .19 miles (Provides the equivalent horizontal distance you would have traveled if you used the same amount of energy. There are 48 floors per horizontal mile.) and climbed 9 floors. (There are 16 eight-inch steps per floor.) The watts are 56.8 and the mets are 4.0. See below for a description of watts and mets.
When my time is up, it goes into cool down for a minute still counting the information above.
The 4600PT uses a standard 110 volt outlet. The 4600CL is cordless.
There are no known weight restrictions on this machine.
StairMaster equipment comes with a 3-year warranty on mechanical and electronic parts.
Jo, Your Personal Trainer’s, Final Thoughts:
This machine will run you close to $3,000. StairMaster makes the 4100PT which is quite similar for $2,000 which might be more in your price range. If you can afford the 4600PT it is an excellent machine.
Stairclimbers or step machines are really a great way to tighten up your lower body and work your leg muscles. If you use it regularly for more than 5 minutes (30++ and higher than level 1) it is a fantastic cardio vascular workout. It will burn fat and quite a few calories. I find stairclimbers difficult as I noted above but that doesn't mean you nor I should avoid it! Quite the contrary in fact.
I will agree with the website that answers a concern that using stairclimbers will make your butt bigger. That isn't true and although the website says that doing squats will, I haven't seen that either. At one point I was squatting a lot of weight and my butt never got big. You can look at any competitor and see that. In any case it will tone your butt and work your quadriceps and hamstrings (from and back of your legs) and calves. These are areas many woman want to work. The StairMaster 4600PT is more effective than a stationary bike for your buttock area!
Would I buy it if I were building a home gym? If it were in my budget I would. Although I love the ease of elliptical machines, the stepper really is quite a workout. I don't think it would be my the choice if I could only get one piece of equipment however because I like variety. I find the stepper more boring than ellipticals and treadmills. (if that's possible!)
From the website:
Watts - Displays the power output in watts (746 watts = 1 horsepower). Power is the rate at which work is being done or how fast you move your body weight during the exercise (Power = Work / Time; Work = Force * Distance where Force is directly related to your body weight; therefore, Power = Force * Distance / Time or Power = Body Weight * Speed). Since power is a rate, watts will not accumulate over time. During a workout, this statistic displays the power output at that moment. Average power is shown for the workout summary.
METs - Gives you the relative energy cost of exercise. MET stands for a multiple of your resting level. While you are sitting quietly, your body consumes oxygen at the rate of about 3.5 milliliters per kilogram of body mass per minute or 1 MET. When you exercise, your body needs more oxygen in order to function. For example, exercising at 10 METs (or about 6 mph) requires ten times the resting rate of oxygen consumption, or about 35 milliliters per kilogram per minute. During a workout, this statistic shows the current MET level. During the workout summary, the average MET level is displayed.
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Recommended:
Yes
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