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  • Follow the 2026 Olympia on September 24 to 27, 2026!

Stepmill = death

Ironslave

Ironslave

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Anybody ever use this? I started using one wearing a 30lb weight vest I have laying around, 10 minutes of this on level 8 and I'm absolutely toast. I haven't been bodybuilding for around the past 2 years now, but just trying to keep athletic and healthy and this is incredible.
 
Daniel Andersson

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I used to do stepmill work before my knee injury some years ago
 
Duality

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Anybody ever use this? I started using one wearing a 30lb weight vest I have laying around, 10 minutes of this on level 8 and I'm absolutely toast. I haven't been bodybuilding for around the past 2 years now, but just trying to keep athletic and healthy and this is incredible.

GauntletStairClimber8-1.gif


wow......this just in, stepmill is the most difficult cardio. thanks for the update grandpa :xmasslap:


no kidding dude, it's easily the most difficult and burns the most calories in the shortest time of all the cardio equipment (besides running at high speed on treadmill), so ya, it's pretty damn good.
 
Big04pimpin

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I used to do stadiums with 40 DB's in each hand. Talk about killing you. That was awesome. I can't use the step mill because I get way to bored but it would be close to the same thing.
 
El Freako

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I've tried out the step-thingy at my gym and I can't stand it, its not a step-mill though. It looks something like this.
Bodyguard_Executive_5_Stepper-1.jpg
 
Duality

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^ ya that doesn't count. that's the bastard child of the real step mill. the real stepmill is hellacious.
 
Clint

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I'm a fan of the bastard child, and I love it. Stair stepper is what it's appropriately called.


however, if I had access to a stepmill I'd obviously be prone to use it over other equipment.
 
Banshee20

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I agree, the step mill is brutal. When I was a PT I used to put clients on it and they would always hate me for it. :sadface:

I prefer the treadmill/mountain biking for cardio at the moment.
 
tim290280

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I just run hills instead.

Plus a short hill makes for great intervals.
 

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tim290280

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^^ I'll stop hating on gyms when general and commercial gyms start having lifting platforms instead of smith machines.
 
A

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Never tried it but it sounds brutal.
 
Duality

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^^ I'll stop hating on gyms when general and commercial gyms start having lifting platforms instead of smith machines.


your opposition to gyms and calling those who train in them not "hardcore" (i've read some of your other posts, it's not from just this one) is absurd and insulting to those who are bigger and stronger than you and not so coincidently use these "non-hardcore" facilities. who fucking cares if golds puts in more cardio equipment because they need to sell more memberships to stay in business. it's a business, and as long as they provide the squat rack, heavy DB's and barbells, that's as "hardcore" as ANYONE ever needs. you think because a gym has a smith that it's a haven for posers? the posers are the ones using it, not the ones in the squat cage next to it. get it straight and stop thinking that because you train in a ditch you are more hardcore than the guy squatting and pulling 500lb.


/reality check
 
philosopher

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Weighted vest ftw. Worked with it during my preparation for the army. Its funny what a few extra pounds can do with your body.
 
Ironslave

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While I don't have anywhere near the resentment Duality does (lol, silly Duality), I don't see the gym hate either. It's not feasible for a business standpoint to have a gym like this:

Any gym with a rack, and a few benches is more than enough to do the job. A rubber floor is good enough too for any specialty lifts. You can still do squats, deads, DB snatches, power cleans and whatever else.

Of course, there are a lot of clowns who live in the smith machine doing 1/4 squats. But then there are guys like this too who use it with variation:



It's fun to laugh and even get annoyed at the stereotypical frat kids who only train chest/biceps and thus have the hunched over posture like someone who just got kicked in the nuts, but I can't resent the middle aged person who is just starting an exercise routine. In fact, the most motivational thing I've seen in a gym in years was a husband and wife couple, he was 83 and she was 81. The fact that they even had the guts to show up to a gym really blew me away.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Zigurd

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Ok... I am sick of this Smith Machine hate.

I use the Smith Machine regularly to push myself to the limit. Since I have no god damn spotter, I need to use it for heavy squats, bench and delts. How else am I going to prevent the bar from killing me ?


And also, the Smith machine provides more focus on main muscles for me. For example, when I use the Smith my pecs are very sored compared to my triceps and anterior delts. When I use the Bench they are all evenly sored. Sometimes I just want to go for that extra "targetting" of the muscles.


Markus Ruhl used the Smith a whole fucking lot, is he any less "hardcore" for it ?

/rant over

(sorry for 3 continued posts... the forums don't let me post long replies... so if a mod can paste them together it would be awesome.)
 
Zigurd

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And also, the Smith machine provides more focus on main muscles for me. For example, when I use the Smith my pecs are very sored compared to my triceps and anterior delts. When I use the Bench they are all evenly sored. Sometimes I just want to go for that extra "targetting" of the muscles.
 
Zigurd

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Markus Ruhl used the Smith a whole fucking lot, is he any less "hardcore" for it ?

/rant over

(sorry for 3 continued posts... the forums don't let me post long replies... so if a mod can paste them together it would be awesome.)
 
Ironslave

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Ok... I am sick of this Smith Machine hate.

I use the Smith Machine regularly to push myself to the limit. Since I have no god damn spotter, I need to use it for heavy squats, bench and delts. How else am I going to prevent the bar from killing me ?


And also, the Smith machine provides more focus on main muscles for me. For example, when I use the Smith my pecs are very sored compared to my triceps and anterior delts. When I use the Bench they are all evenly sored. Sometimes I just want to go for that extra "targetting" of the muscles.


Markus Ruhl used the Smith a whole fucking lot, is he any less "hardcore" for it ?

/rant over

(sorry for 3 continued posts... the forums don't let me post long replies... so if a mod can paste them together it would be awesome.)

Fixed.

The forums do allow long posts though, should be no reason why they don't as many of us make long posts or post long articles.
 
Braaq

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your opposition to gyms and calling those who train in them not "hardcore" (i've read some of your other posts, it's not from just this one) is absurd and insulting to those who are bigger and stronger than you and not so coincidently use these "non-hardcore" facilities. who fucking cares if golds puts in more cardio equipment because they need to sell more memberships to stay in business. it's a business, and as long as they provide the squat rack, heavy DB's and barbells, that's as "hardcore" as ANYONE ever needs. you think because a gym has a smith that it's a haven for posers? the posers are the ones using it, not the ones in the squat cage next to it. get it straight and stop thinking that because you train in a ditch you are more hardcore than the guy squatting and pulling 500lb.


/reality check

I agree in some respects, and also Ironslave makes some great points. But lets not forget that tim is allowed to have his preference in what he wants in a gym he trains at. His opinion on why he doesn't like gyms or why they are not hardcore enough or not our business. He trains fine at home and likes it, and I do not think tim doubts some of the other "hardcore" people in the gym. Maybe he is tired of the rest of the schmoes out there that I am sure we all are. You don't have to agree with it, just don't jump on him about it :xmaswiggle: ELE
 

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