Recently the gym that I have been going to acquired a Powermill. Have you ever seen these ‘intimidating’ looking machines hiding out in some distant corner of the gym? They are the tallest piece of gym equipment and they look like a mini escalator. But there is nothing “mini” about how these things work.
Since joining the gym late last year, I have had the opportunity to take my workouts to levels I had only dreamt of. I used the elliptical machines, the bikes, the treadmills, the circuits, you name it, I have used it. Then, about a month ago, as I was walking out of the gym, I noticed a new piece of equipment—the LifeFitness Powermill. I joked with the staff that that was not going to be anything I was ever going to try. But 2 days later, I did.
At first, I was not sure what to think about it. After all, you are just climbing stairs over and over and over again. How hard can that be, right? Wow, was I wrong! The first few minutes, I noticed that my heart rate began to climb slowly but steadily, even at a lower level. The longer that I worked, the more challenged my legs, butt, lungs, and heart were becoming. Then I started playing with the levels. HOLY COW! I started dripping sweat immediately.
Oh boy, let me tell you this is the best piece of cardio equipment ever invented! Seriously, it gives you an amazing workout in a very little amount of time. I was able to spend half the time on that machine and burn more calories than I ever could on the treadmill or elliptical. For example, (according to my Polar HR monitor) the 36 minutes I worked on the Powermill burned 468 calories! Not bad for a first time “stepper.”
As the weeks have gone on, I have played around with the various settings and levels and have designed a great Powermill interval workout. Here is a sample of one of my favorite routines. I have many more that are more or less challenging and would be glad to help you if you have any questions!
**This workout can also be used for other stepmills with a little fine tuning to the “levels.”
