I do the Stairmaster at my gym on days where I don’t do spin class. Usually 45 minutes. It is indeed a devil of a machine. I happen to have two friends who are orthopedic/sports medicine surgeons and hunt elk like I do. Both have said to me that the Stairmaster is the single best machine in the gym to prepare for elk. They both also said to not make your workout a “race” on the machine, but, rather keep your pace at a slower, more purposeful walk for best benefits, adding that the elliptical trainers are garbage...no resistance.
Just another opinion.
I'm no expert but everything I've read says that if you want to maximize your cardiovascular benefits, slow and steady is not the way to go. High intensity intervals gets the max improvement/ benefit.
.........with a higher risk of injury depending on the activity (running > cycling > swimming).
High intensity intervals IS an efficient use of workout time.
As far as indoor gadgets/machines go, I would put the Stairmaster near the top in simulating a hike in the elk woods and it works well for intervals.
