Stair climbing is a great way to get in a good workout rather quickly. I recommend exercises like stair climbing because it elevates your heart rate while building lean muscle mass in your largest muscle group – your legs. Focusing on large muscle groups is always recommended for most workouts because it requires more energy to get through the movements. More movement (i.e., climbing a flight of stairs vs. walking on a treadmill at a 0% grade) = greater energy demand; thus increased caloric expenditure. That’s always a good thing when you’re trying to drop body fat.
Stair climbing is also an on-the-go routine that can be performed wherever you are in the world. Whenever I travel one of the ways I maintain my fitness routine is by climbing stairs. I can always do it at whatever hotel I’m staying in or I can find local venues (e.g., office buildings, malls, outdoor parks, etc) to get my climbing in. It’s free, it’s challenging and doesn’t take long to get a good workout in.
Here are some tips to start out:
1) Choose a flight of stairs that is safe. You’ll want to select stairs that are well-lit, stable so that when you step on them they don’t give, free from debris, good for the lungs (i.e., often times people smoke in stairwells & because there’s rarely great ventilation in most stairwells it can be hard to breathe just walking up the stairs let alone running up them!) and in an open, well-traveled area for your physical safety (especially women who run alone).
2) Get warmed up by just walking up and down the stairs for 3-5 minutes. Focus on dynamic stretches where your body is constantly moving beyond it’s normal range of motion. A good way to do this is by walking up the stairs 2-3 steps at a time (depending on how long your legs are) which will allow you to get good stretches in the hip flexors, glutes and thighs.
3) Set a target. I typically like to run up and down the stairs for at least 30 minutes changing up intensity and climbing techniques (e.g., running, hopping, single-leg work, single step climbing, double step climbing, etc.).
4) Go! Attack the stairs and have fun with it. Be mindful of lifting your knees so that your feet clear every step cleanly. Missing a step due to lack of focus and/or fatigue usually doesn’t end well–you’ll end up tripping up the stairs and potentially injuring yourself.
This was my stair workout this morning in downtown Las Vegas off of the Las Vegas Strip at the beautiful Fashion Show Mall:
Stair Climbing: The Ultimate Leg Toning and Fat Burning Workout
NOTABLE OBSERVATION: As I was running this morning I had people stop me and say, “I wish I could do that” and I replied, “you can!” This is important to note because we’re all the same constructed of the same human genetic material and fully equipped to handle whatever life throws at you. Therefore, if one person can achieve a desired outcome so can you. Often times the only thing preventing you from doing anything or accomplishing your goal is some limiting belief that was prescribed to you by someone else long ago (or just the other day for that matter). Limiting beliefs are powerful and should be examined because they dictate behavior and everything you do (or don’t do) determines your results. So examine your limiting beliefs, extinguish them and get started on accomplishing your goals. There is never any shame putting forth effort when you’re uncertain about the outcome–success is never guaranteed. The only shame, however, is having the potential and never putting it into practice. What are your limiting beliefs costing you right now?
