Stair climbing is a legitimate exercise and an internationally recognized sport that can improve your fitness.
What Is Stair Climbing?
It can be a pop in of everyday activity, exercise, or sport.
This activity can also be done on a set of stairs at your house.
When you climb stairs, your heart rate and breathing will increase.
Stair climbing for exercise targets the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, Dr. Lempke says.
It takes a lot of work to move your body mass vertically against gravity.
The physiological systems targeted during stair climbing also depend on how youre doing it.
Stair sprinting, on the other hand, is ananaerobic exercisethat targets muscular power, she says.
So the workout will help strengthen all those muscles.
Here are some of those potential benefits.
It’s important for your overall health to reduce your risk.
In astudyof 782 women whose average age was 58, researchers asked: Do you climb stairs daily?
Those who didnt were 72 percent more likely to have metabolic syndrome than self-reported daily stair climbers.
Researchers concluded that stair climbing was a time-efficient way to improve fitness, including for beginners.
Boosted Energy and Mood
Stair climbing gives a niceendorphinhigh, says Glassey.
That boost in feelings of vigor can keep people coming back to the workout.
The study was also done in women, but they did not experience this benefit.
The more intense the stair climb intervals were, the more the men’s mood improved.
And while that research didnt find positive effects for women, other studies have.
(Thats about the same amount as in a half cup of coffee, according to theUSDA.)
Is Stair Climbing Good for Weight Loss?
Stair climbing is an efficient calorie burner.
Stair climbing can be part of a larger exercise routine; and its okay to take breaks.
Weight loss typically requires both exercise and better eating habits.
Heres what youll need.
Once you’ve located your steps, heres what you better know.
Warm Up
Before a cardio workout, warm up with an activity that increases your heart rate.
On a scale of 1 to 10, are you at a 5?
Then, add one additional minute next time.
If youre at a 7 or 8?
Next workout, you might want to stick with five minutes again.
Gradually work your way up.
But thats a good way to peter out quickly.
Berhmann suggests a stair climbing workout for beginners that breaks into a 1-2-3 workout.
For the remainder of the workout, you could repeat this pattern or create a pattern of your choice.
(Alternate between 2 and 3, for example.)
Also understand how to operate the machine in case you’re gonna wanna stop it quickly.
The problem is, says Glassey, this puts undue pressure on your wrists and shoulders.
Hold onto the towel and dont touch the rails.
(Going up stairs, on the other hand, does not cause this pounding.)
Glassey recommends climbing upstairs in a building and then taking an elevator down.
Descend slowly with toes turned in (pigeon toed) or out (duck feet).
Additional resistance training that focuses on the lower body can help increase strength and take pressure off the joints.
With a stair machine this isnt an issue, since youre continuously climbing up.
Incorporate Stair Workouts Gradually
When it comes to creating a beginner stair climber workout plan, ease into it.
Avoid jumping into a plan that has you climbing stairs five days a week right off the bat.
How to Make a Stair Climbing Workout Harder
Stair climbing workouts are tough on their own.
Double stepping or skipping a step increases your range of motion.
Maintaining your range of motion is important for healthy aging, says Glassey.
Skipping steps is also faster, he says.
Skipping can be done on regular stairs or a StairMill.
If you’re using a StairMill, double stepping may take some practice to get the hang of.
Increase your pacetoup the intensity.
Use the talk test to gauge intensity.
Remember to build in recovery time.
Just be sure you know how to train for a stair climb correctly.
TheAmerican Lung Associationhas a nice guide thats easy to access when youre looking for a stair climbing workout plan.
Experiment to figure out when your sweet spot is for fueling up.
Carbohydrates are the fuel for muscles, she says.
Still, ensure youre drinking water throughout to replace the fluid lost through sweat.
After
Consuming protein and carbohydrates will help maximize recovery, says Hake.
Aim to eat within an hour of finishing your workout.
