What's the best way to get the most from your stairclimber? We'll tell you how to take the right steps.

Watch the minions fulfilling their weight-loss penance on the stairclimbers and you can't help but ask yourself this question: Who's stepping correctly? There appears to be two schools of thought when it comes to using a stairclimber.

The truth is, taking deeper steps may feel less energizing, but you actually use more muscle fibers within the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings and calves. "The more muscle fibers you can activate during a given movement, the more blood and oxygen your body needs to fuel itself, forcing your heart to pump faster in order to speed these materials to your muscles," says Jeffrey Horowitz, a fitness trainer in Washington, D.C. Smaller steps may feel more invigorating, but the shorter range of motion ends up working fewer muscle groups and burning fewer calories overall.

To step up your fitness level, try exercising at the highest level you can that allows you to comfortably take steps 8 to 10 inches deep without holding onto the side rails. When you hold the railing, you're supporting your upper body, which decreases the volume of oxygen your body consumes while minimizing the cardiovascular benefit and calorie burn.

"If you have to hold on, try not to support your weight," says Horowitz. Instead, lightly touch the side rails with your fingertips or gently rest your wrists on the horizontal rail in front of you (if your stairclimber has one).

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