Matrix steppers

Why choose Matrix steppers?

Matrix is the American brand you have probably used without noticing: in the cardio corner of a gym chain, in the hotel gym on a business trip, in a company fitness room. Those machines run there for years and come back onto the market refurbished afterwards. That is exactly what you are buying here: club equipment with its hardest years behind it, which will then last a long time in a living room or a garage.

What sets Matrix apart across the whole shop is the way you operate it. Large, clear buttons, a logical layout and a console you understand without a manual. On a gym floor that is a plain necessity, because every fifteen minutes someone else steps on without any instruction. At home you get the same benefit: you stand on it, press start and change your resistance without hunting through menus. Also take a look at the other fitness equipment from Matrix.

We are not hiding that these are used machines. The frame, the drive and the bearings of a club stepper are built for ten hours of use a day, and at home you rarely reach one hour. What does work differently from new: there is one unit per version, you cannot pick a colour, and once it is gone it is gone.

The range of Matrix steppers

The range is small and clear: two refurbished club steppers, which leaves you with exactly one decision to make.

• The simpler version: a refurbished club stepper with a straightforward display for the values you want during a session, such as time, steps, resistance and energy used. Step on, pick a resistance, climb.
• The higher version: the same club stepper with a more extensive console, offering more training programmes and more values on screen at once.
• The same basis in both: the step length, the pedals and the resistance range are identical. The difference is in the screen, not in how hard you can train.
• Delivered refurbished: checked, cleaned, worn parts replaced and shipped with a warranty.
• One unit per version: no choice of colour and no choice of screen within the same version, and nothing follows on once it is sold.
• Pedals, not a staircase: on a stepper you push two pedals up and down. If you want a moving staircase of real steps, you want the stair climbers.

Which Matrix stepper suits you?

With two versions the choice is quick, but it depends on how you train.

You want to step on and set nothing: take the simpler version. You get the same movement and the same resistance, and you are climbing within two seconds.

You like training with programmes: then the higher version is worth the difference. The more extensive console gives you more preset workouts and keeps more values in view at the same time.

You share the machine with the whole household: both versions are strong here. Those large buttons are exactly why someone who has never used it simply starts without asking anything.

You want the feel of real stairs: then a stepper is not what you are after. On a stepper you push pedals up and down; a moving staircase of real steps belongs to the stair climbers, which are taller and cost more.

Your knees protest when you bend under load: choose an elliptical trainer or an exercise bike instead. Stepping asks for repeated bending with your body weight on top, and that is precisely the movement that hurts then.

What to look out for when buying Matrix steppers?

What the step up to the higher version gives you

This is the only real choice here, so it helps to know what you do not get for it. The movement stays the same, the resistance range stays the same and the build quality stays the same. What you buy on top sits entirely in the console: more programmes, more values visible at once and more ways to record a session. If you mainly train by feel and by the clock, you are paying for something you will not use.

The height of the machine

You stand on the pedals and therefore higher than the dimensions of the machine suggest. Add your own height to the height of the step-on platform and then keep some margin, because you move up and down with every step. Measure your ceiling, especially in a loft or a basement with beams or pipes in the way.

Getting it inside

This is heavy club equipment, with a frame calculated for a gym floor. Measure your doors, your hallway and the turn in your staircase before you decide, and count on lifting it with two people. A ground floor or a garage is almost always easier than an upper floor.

What refurbished means here

A refurbished machine has been checked, cleaned and fitted with new parts where needed, and it comes with a warranty. If in doubt, ask what exactly was replaced and what the warranty covers. Signs of use are part of the deal: a scratch on the shroud says nothing about the drive underneath.

The surface underneath

A stepper stays where you put it, but a club machine of this weight does press itself into a soft floor. Put one of the sturdier mats underneath to protect laminate or parquet and to damp the sound reaching the floor below.

Our advice: start with the console and not with the price. If you train by feel and simply want to work hard, the simpler version serves you just as well; if you like picking a programme and watching your numbers, take the higher version. And because there is one unit of each version, deciding quickly matters more here than with a new machine.

Who are Matrix steppers suitable for?

• People who know the gym floor: you already used one in a club or a hotel gym and want the same machine with the same controls at home.
• People targeting legs and glutes: stepping loads your glutes, hamstrings and calves harder than an elliptical, with a heart rate that climbs fast.
• People short on floor space: the movement stays on the spot, so you need no run-up and a couple of square metres is enough.
• People who want club quality on a home budget: refurbished gym equipment brings a frame and a drive within reach that would be out of budget new.
• Households sharing one machine: the clear buttons mean everyone at home can get going without an explanation.
• People who can no longer run: you build the same heart rate without the impact on knees and ankles.

Less suitable if you want to pick and choose: with two units in stock there is no choice of colour and no choice of screen within the same version, and a machine is gone as soon as it is sold. If you have knee complaints where bending under load hurts, an elliptical trainer or an exercise bike will be kinder to your joints. And if you are after the experience of a real staircase, the stair climbers fit you better than this range.

Need help choosing?

Would you like to buy a Matrix stepper but are you not quite sure which model, which console or which version suits you? We are happy to help. You can reach our fitness specialists by phone on +31 85 773 00 57, send an email or visit our fitness store in Volkel, the Netherlands.

Frequently asked questions about Matrix steppers

What is the difference between a stepper and a stair climber?

A stepper has two pedals that you push up and down yourself, against a resistance you set. A stair climber has a moving staircase of real steps that runs underneath you, so you are actually climbing stairs. The stepper is more compact, lower and cheaper; the stair climber feels more like climbing stairs and needs more height. Buyers regularly confuse the two, so look carefully at which movement you want. If you want the staircase version, have a look at the stair climbers.

Is a refurbished Matrix stepper a risk?

Less than you would think, because these machines are built for ten hours of use a day. At home you reach a fraction of that, so the frame, the drive and the bearings are heavily over-engineered for what you will do with them. Every machine is checked, cleaned and fitted with new parts where needed, and it is delivered with a warranty. The downside sits in the stock: there is one unit per version and you do not pick the colour.

What do I get extra with the higher version?

Mainly console and programmes. The movement, the step length and the resistance range are identical in both versions, so you will not train harder or more smoothly on it. What you get on top is a more extensive console with more preset workouts and more values in view at once. For someone who trains by feel, that is not a difference you will see in your results.

How much space and height do I need?

Little in floor space: the movement stays on the spot, so a couple of square metres plus some room to step on and off is enough. More in height than you expect, because you stand on the pedals and therefore well above the floor. Add your own height to the height of the step-on platform and keep margin for your stepping movement. Think about getting it inside as well: these are heavy machines and you lift them with two people.

Can I track my heart rate while stepping?

You can, and on a stepper it is more useful than on many other cardio machines, because your heart rate climbs quickly here. Club consoles generally read a heart rate signal, but whether your particular unit does that the way you want is best checked before you buy. If you prefer working in fixed zones, combine the machine with one of the heart rate monitors from the shop. That way you train on numbers instead of on feel.