Here is a fabulous, fat-burning HIIT routine for the revolving staircase. I’m a certified personal trainer, and the first thing you must adapt to, to make this revolving staircase HIIT routine maximally effective, is to use this machine without holding on. You must get past holding on.
If you were to walk up real staircases for exercise, you wouldn’t be groping and clinging at the railings. When you climb uphill during hikes, again, you don’t lean onto anything or grasp anything. The HIIT routine for the revolving staircase requires that you keep both hands free, with the exception of holding on only while changing the settings from fast to slower. This will most likely be necessary.
Warm up for around seven minutes at a steady, casual pace. Stand straight, no holding on, so that your posture is correct. Imagine you are marching. The HIIT routine for the revolving staircase begins with a few mild intensity intervals. Each intensity interval lasts 30 seconds, discover more here.
Increase speed to 8 if the revolving staircase goes up to a level 20; and to 6 if it goes up to level 12 (all the makes of revolving staircase that I’ve used either have a 20-scale or a 12-scale). These opening intervals are to prepare you for what’s to come. Each is 30 seconds, with one minute casual stepping.
The third and fourth interval are medium intensity, and whatever number this corresponds to will vary with one person to the next. Find the level that seems moderate in effort level. Casually step for one minute in between.
The fifth interval is when things begin getting challenging. For the 20 machine, this may be level 14; it may be 12; it may be 16, depending on your fitness level. For the 12 machine, it may be 9 or 10. Do two of these, 30 seconds, one minute in between.
Now you’re ready to perform HIIT on the revolving staircase. On the 20 machine, step at level 16-18; on the 12 machine, step at 10 or 11. See if you can hold out for 30 seconds. Remember, no holding on. It may take a while before your body learns how to efficiently step this fast without stumbling. In fact, many people will have to trot the steps, rather than step them.
Trotting without holding on for 30 seconds will hit the thighs hard. Casually step a few minutes. The next four intensity intervals will be full force: level 18-20; or level 11-12. The revolving staircase at these levels will force you to trot, unless you are in fabulous “stampeding” shape. At the end of each interval, you will be fried and completely out of breath. You’ll want to hang onto the machine. BUT DON’T.
Instead, stick it out on the casual stepping as your heart rate collects itself. You will want so bad to just drape yourself on the machine. DON’T. This takes will power. Keep stepping at the casual pace to recover, and the recovery time may take 3-4 minutes.
For the HIIT revolving staircase workout, sometimes I’ll just exit the machine after my 30-second blast, and walk (never stand still or sit!) for a minute, and then get back on the revolving staircase and casually step until it’s time to do the next intensity interval.
Warm down for around seven minutes. You will burn tremendous fat and calories with this HIIT revolving staircase workout.