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“Take the stairs” is common advice for getting more activity into your daily routine — and for good reason. Aside from the fact that stairs are typically easy to access, climbing them is a that provides both cardio and strength training benefits. Not to mention, it delivers a serious calorie burn.
According to the American Council on Exercise, can burn around 272 calories. Knowing this, it makes sense that most gym setups feature at least a few stair climber machines for members to take advantage of. But how many stairs do you have to climb to see results, and how frequently? TikTok fitness personality claims she found the sweet spot with her viral 25-7-2 StairMaster workout.
To prepare for a pageant she was competing in, Akbas dedicated two days per week to climbing the stair climber at level 7 for 25 minutes, without holding onto the handrails. The result? More pronounced in just eight weeks. Since her StairMaster workout first went viral in September of 2021, TikTok has been flooded with people posting their own results after .
Akbas that the key to seeing results is to climb hands-free, instead of relying on the handlebars to support your body weight. Other influencers, like , have also sung the StairMaster’s praises. In one video, he stated, “If you want to lose fat and tone your body, then the StairMaster is your friend,” noting the changes in his body when he stuck to stair climber training consistently.
But is using the stair climber a safe workout for everyone? And can you really see results by climbing just twice per week? Here's everything you need to know about safely incorporating the 25-7-2 StairMaster workout into your routine. Experts agree that stair climber machines deliver an effective workout — with health benefits that go beyond the number on the scale. The you get from the machine is great for heart health, says N’Namdi Nelson, exercise physiologist at NYU Langone’s Sports Performance Center, adding that consistent use of the StairMaster by reducing resting blood pressure and body fat — both risk factors for coronary heart disease.
Consistently challenging your heart to work harder by climbing stairs improves endurance and cardiovascular stamina, so you may feel the workout becomes easier over time. Using a stair climber also delivers , particularly for the lower body. “On the StairMaster, you’re using bodyweight strength going from one leg to the next,” explains Dr.
Jordan Metzl, a sports medicine physician at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. “You’re building a lot of , , quad, and in the process.” This type of bodyweight exercise builds , or the kind of strength we use in our daily lives, which can help decrease the risk of injury and improve coordination.
The stair climber is also a low-impact workout, which is beneficial for joint health. “As you are stepping in a controlled manner, you’re placing less stress on the joints versus running or jumping,” Nelson explains. Even though using the stair climber is a low-impact workout, it’s still considered “Stair climber workouts fall higher on the excursion scale, which is how we rate exercise,” says Metzl.
“Just walk up the stairs once or twice, and you can see that it’s hard — doing that for 25 minutes in a row is intense.” The stair climber workout consists of using the machine hands free, focusing on these three key metrics: Fitness influencers make the 25-7-2 workout look almost effortless on TikTok. But Metzl recommends adjusting your expectations and going at your own pace if you’re not a gym regular.
“Most of these influencers have been doing what they’re doing for a long time — so if you haven’t, it’s not reasonable to jump in and try to do it at the same level they’ve been doing it at.” That said, whether or not the 25-7-2 workout is safe for you largely depends on your current fitness level. “If you’re someone who doesn’t engage in regular cardiovascular exercise then this workout may be too intense,” says Nelson.
He recommends that beginners start slowly and gradually on the stair climber machine, working their way up to the time and level outlined in the 25-7-2 workout. “This exercise also involves a certain level of and coordination, so I recommend holding onto the rails until you’re comfortable not using them,” he adds. The results you’ll see doing the 25-7-2 workout also largely depend on your current fitness level.
After doing this workout for one month as a beginner, Nelson says you may notice increased stamina and a change in body composition. Initially, you may notice some weight loss, but experts agree that any results you see from doing this workout will likely plateau eventually. While any amount of exercise is better than none, the frequency of working out only twice per week isn’t enough to see meaningful results long term.
“The evidence we have on the medicine of exercise is that 150 minutes per week, best spread out over five days, will have the biggest impact,” says Metzl. “Doing this twice per week can complement other workouts well, but it’s not enough.” The 25-7-2 workout will also deliver short-term heart health and conditioning benefits.
“25-7-2 is effective for increasing your cardiovascular health, especially if you’re in the later stages of the beginner to intermediate phase of fitness,” says Nelson. “But once acclimated to this, you will need to increase the intensity and duration to see continued results.” Akbas previously told TODAY that her trainer recommended this as an over more common exercises like crunches, , or abdominal workout machines.
While Abkas and others saw toning results in the midsection from following this routine, Metzl says it’s important to note that not everyone should expect the same results. “One downside is that these types of videos can create a lot of false expectations about what one can reasonably expect their bodies to do based on their own level of athleticism,” he cautions. You won’t suddenly wake up with a six pack by doing the 25-7-2 workout alone.
But combined with a consistently healthy diet and a well-rounded exercise routine, incorporating the 25-7-2 can help strengthen your abdominal muscles. The key to this lies in using the stair climber hands free, relying only on your core muscles to stabilize yourself. Keeping your body upright as it experiences the instability of walking up steps puts a high load on the abdominals, Metzl previously explained to TODAY.
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