Up and Down are Different (Exercise-Wise)

Dr. Gerald Fletcher, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, is quoted in the article as saying “more gyms need exercise machines that work downhill muscles without stressing knees.” It’s true, there aren’t any cardiovascular machines that work these areas of the body. I think climbing UP gives you a better heart workout and burns more calories, which is what most people (like me) are concerned about, so that’s where the emphasis has been.

Before my Crater Lake epiphany, I’d noticed a woman at my gym who sometimes used the stair machine backwards. (That is, she faces away from the front of the machine, with her left foot on the right step and her right foot on the left step.) I finally realized why. It really works the going-downhill muscles. I tried it myself, and now whenever I use the stair machine I do ten minutes forwards and ten minutes backwards. It’s awkward at first, but once you find your groove it’s no harder than using it forwards. The only disadvantages are that you can’t watch TV (if your gym has a TV, the front of the machine faces it, not the rear!), you have to hold your reading material yourself rather than propping it up on the machine’s display, and you have to turn around to read the display. The woman I originally observed doing this is the director of my gym, so it must be condoned by fitness experts. (Or at least, she thinks it’s good enough for her!)

I’d advise everyone who uses a stair machine to give it a try, especially if you are concerned about your blood sugar and glucose tolerance.