stairmaster

does the stairmaster make your legs bulky?

It is my FAVE form of exercise - and my main one last semester, and i was at my lowest weight, with my slimmest legs ever. Needless to say, I miss it so much! go for it!

Is the stairmaster solely a lower body workout?  Does it in anyway help the core?

 The stairmaster is a decent workout, but don't overdo it.  Unless you want Bill Bradley's hip problems from overdoing the stairmaster, that is.

 Find a treadmill, put it on the highest incline, and take a walk instead - or better yet, put on your walking shoes and take a walk outside ;)

 Anything that requires you to hold up your body or challenges your balance helps the core in some way, but 'core training' is usually overemphasized. Your core is a comparatively small muscle group and while core strength helps avoid back pain and is useful for most exercises, real core strength comes from squats and deadlifts that challenge your core muscles in a way that nothing done on a mat or an exercise ball can match.

 Some direct ab work (crunches, back extensions, planks) can be a useful adjunct to core training with squats and deadlifts, but they're secondary exercises.

 The stairmaster is cardio, and as such will do next to nothing for muscular developement. Next to isn't nothing, but unless you're so out of shape you can only go 12-16 steps at once before you need to take 2 minutes of rest, it's not strength training for you. And strength endurance or cardio doesn't take a whole lot of muscle mass, so no, it won't make your legs bulky.

The stairmaster can give you hip problems??? I didn't know that!

So, Melkor, is the treadmill-on-an-incine thing just as effective at toning/working/burning cals? Thanks in advance!

I might just have to switch machines!