{"id":521519,"date":"2026-03-08T00:54:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T00:54:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/521519\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T00:54:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T00:54:22","slug":"i-used-the-stairmaster-daily-for-30-days-these-body-composition-changes-genuinely-surprised-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/521519\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I used the StairMaster daily for 30 days \u2013 these body composition changes genuinely surprised me’"},"content":{"rendered":"

On a mission to find a cardio<\/a> exercise she enjoyed and could sustain \u2013 and with her primary aim being fat loss while maintaining muscle \u2013 YouTuber Heather Maldonado decided to go all-out on the StairMaster for 30 days. \u2018Here’s the plan: 30 minutes on the StairMaster for 30 days, all while staying in a calorie deficit<\/a>, stretching<\/a>, making time to recover, and seeing if this actually works to feasibly lose weight,\u2019 she explained in her video<\/a> documenting the process. Here’s exactly what happened.<\/p>\n

The challenge <\/p>\n

Alongside 30 minutes on the machine daily, Heather also maintained her strength training routine of lifting three times per week \u2013 ‘it isn\u2019t enough to just add cardio to lose weight, you have to also make sure you do strength training to keep your muscles<\/a>,\u2019 Heather rightfully flagged. Muscle maintenance and growth supports fat loss because muscle tissue is more metabolically active (meaning it requires more energy to maintain) than fat tissue, so your body will burn more calories at rest.<\/p>\n

It took some trial and error for Heather to hit the sweet spot on which effort level she set the machine to. \u2018I did the whole first day just at level three to keep it nice and easy,\u2019 she said, before alternating between three and five. \u2018I tried to go up to level six instead of five, and oh my gosh, was I humbled quickly,\u2019 she added. \u2018I quickly went back down to level five, mostly from here on out.\u2019 <\/p>\n

The results <\/p>\n

While Heather\u2019s main aim was fat loss, she clarifies that the challenge wasn\u2019t about starving herself \u2013 in fact, adequate fuelling was integral. It was also about the bigger picture \u2013 for example, adopting sustainable habits and recovering well (stretching and foam rolling became key). Nonetheless, she was surprised by how her body had changed after 30 days. <\/p>\n

\"womanYouTube \/ Heather Maldonado<\/p>\n

dynamic and passive stretching helped Heather prepare and recover during the challenge<\/p>\n

Heather lost 6 lbs (almost 3kg), but added that \u2018results are measured by more than just the number on a weight scale. I could definitely tell there was a lot more body recomposition going on \u2013 my muscles were more defined and I lost fat most noticeably in my face, and it also helped me get rid of that stubborn lower-belly fat.\u2019 <\/p>\n

Body recomposition benefits aside, Heather also said the challenge boosted her motivation and energy levels, and helped her with structure and sustaining a routine. ‘I was shocked at the newfound energy,\u2019 she said, adding that the daily movement also helped with cramping and blood flow while she was on her period. <\/p>\n

The verdict <\/p>\n

With this challenge, it\u2019s important to note that as well as the daily 30 minutes of StairMaster, Heather was in a calorie deficit (in which she prioritised protein<\/a>), and that she maintained her usual three strength training<\/a> sessions a week, focusing on upper-body, lower-body and core. Other than introducing the Stairmaster and a calorie deficit, she didn’t change her normal daily routine. <\/p>\n

Her biggest takeaway from adding the StairMaster? ‘The benefit of staying in zone 2 cardio,’ she said. ‘Benefits include improved heart health, reduced heart rate, increased VO2 max, and it can be more efficient for burning fat as a fuel source, which can make it ideal for weight loss and preventing weight gain’ \u2013 benefits her progress highlighted. <\/p>\n

\"aYouTube \/ Heather Maldonado<\/p>\n

For Heather, the challenge highlighted the benefits of zone 2 training<\/p>\n

Zone 2 training<\/a> refers to staying in a zone 2 heart rate \u2013 65-75% of your max heart rate (which is typically calculated by working out 220 minus your age). There are five commonly accepted heart rate zones, and your body uses different fuel sources in each to power your physical activity. In zone 2, your body primarily uses fat (and oxygen) as an energy source, hence the often-cited fat-burning benefits of training in this HR zone. <\/p>\n

Indeed, world-renowned orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist Dr Vonda Wright recently discussed the benefits of zone 2 training, \u2018which is very metabolically efficient,\u2019 she said. ‘And it burns more fat than middle-intensity exercise,\u2019 she said on Dr Rangan Chatterjee\u2019s Feel Better, Live More podcast<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The takeaway? Don\u2019t dismiss lower-intensity workouts or underestimate the power of a sweaty StairMaster session. <\/p>\n

Related Stories\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Health and Fitness Writer for Women\u2019s Health UK. An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Hannah graduated from Loughborough University with a BA in English and Sport Science and an MA in Media and Cultural Analysis. \u00a0She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner\u2019s World and Stylist. She especially enjoys interviewing those working within the community to improve access to sport, exercise and wellness. Hannah is a 2024 John Schofield Trust Fellow and was also named a 2022 Rising Star in Journalism by The Printing Charity. \u00a0A keen runner, Hannah was firmly a sprinter growing up (also dabbling in long jump) but has since transitioned to longer-distance running. While 10K is her favoured race distance, she loves running or volunteering at parkrun every Saturday, followed, of course, by pastries. She\u2019s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On a mission to find a cardio exercise she enjoyed and could sustain \u2013 and with her primary…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":521520,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[49,48,181517,4671,205633,784,407,84,783,205632,190081],"class_list":{"0":"post-521519","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-collection-fitness-app","11":"tag-content-type-default","12":"tag-contentid-28383225-17db-4dbf-8050-b3506ad93516","13":"tag-displaytype-standard-article","14":"tag-fitness","15":"tag-health","16":"tag-locale-gb","17":"tag-shorttitle-i-used-the-stairmaster-daily-for-30-days","18":"tag-subsection-fat-loss"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/521519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=521519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/521519\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/521520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=521519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=521519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=521519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}