Legs · Stair Climber
Stair Climber
How to do the stair climber, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
Legs
- Equipment
- Stair Climber
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Timed
- Movement
- Gait
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Step continuously on a stair climbing machine at a steady pace to build lower body endurance and burn calories.
- 1Drive through each step with your glutes and quads; you should feel a steady burn in your legs
- 2Keep your posture upright and core engaged throughout
- 3Maintain a consistent pace that elevates your heart rate without losing form
Common mistakes
- Don't lean heavily on the handrails or hunch forward
- Avoid taking excessively large or small steps
- Don't let the machine push your pace faster than you can control
Muscles worked
The stair climber mainly works the glutes, quads, and calves, with the hamstrings and hip flexors assisting.
- GlutesPrimary
- QuadsPrimary
- CalvesPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Kovo programs the stair climber for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More glutes exercises
- How to do the agility ladder drill
- How to do the airdyne bike
- How to do the arc trainer
- How to do the assault bike
- How to do the medicine ball atlas stone lift
- How to do the b stance hip thrust
Last reviewed April 2026.