The purpose of this study was to compare stair‐step ergometry to walk/run training in terms of improving cardiorespiratory fitness and reducing adiposity in previously sedentary men (mean±SE: age, 48.2±1.4 yr; height, 175.7±1.4 cm; weight, 92.9±4.4 kg; body fat, 27.6±2.0%). Two groups of five men each trained (14 weeks, 3 to 4 day/week, 30 to 45 min/day) by either stair‐step ergometry or walk/run exercise, while a third group of seven men served as sedentary controls. Relative and absolute maximal oxygen uptake improved by≈20% (p<0.05) in both exercise groups. Time to exhaustion during an incremental treadmill test also increased similarly by≈3.3 minutes (≈30%; p<0.05) regardless of the training mode. Fat mass (≈3 kg) was significantly (p<0.05) reduced with both training methods. These data suggest that stair‐step ergometry and walk/ run training improve cardiorespiratory fitness and reduce adiposity to a similar degree in previously sedentary, somewhat overweight men.