Running (or walking) stairs is a highly effective high-intensity workout that builds speed, power, agility and cardiovascular fitness. Our own founder, Samir Becic has taken to creating a challenge while social distancing that involves stairs. While he’s walking 22 flights with an extra 150 lbs weighted vest to motivate people to stay active during self-isolation due to Coronavirus (COVID-19), we can all find some stairs and climb them (with just our body weight) to enjoy some great health benefits. Remember, there is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs!
Targets some of the largest muscle groups: glutes, quads, and calves are all used when going up staircases. Stair running is a plyometric exercise (muscles exert maximum force in short intervals of time) causing the muscles to extend and contract in an explosive and rapid system.
Gravity intensifies the workout: since you’re working against gravity, jogging stairs helps the body build strength and power. While running builds horizontal strength, stairs increase vertical strength in the lower body by adding extra strain on the large muscle groups. Stair climbing exercises our bones and muscles, improving strength, bone density and muscle tone.
Stairs are a great calorie and fat burner: Running stairs burns twice the amount of calories as running and three times the amount of calories as walking. You burn about 0.17 calories for every step you climb and every stair descended burns about 0.05 calories on average- an hour of stair climbing averages about 890 calories!
Increases lung capacity and efficiency: Stair running makes you breathe faster by accelerating your heart rate rapidly. This, in turn, improves your VO2 max—the maximum amount of oxygen you can use during intense exercise. A 2005 study showed that short bouts of stair-climbing five days a week for eight weeks improved VO2max by 17% in women.
Great cardiovascular booster for better health: Since walking and running stairs raise the heart rate, it helps protect against high blood pressure, clogged arteries, and weight gain. This lowers the risk of developing chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, vascular dementia, and even some cancers.
Helps improve balance: As you climb, your leg muscles must repeatedly lift your body against the pull of gravity. This means your muscles must stabilize and balance with each step, strengthening all the little stabilizing muscles and engaging your core.
Can lower blood sugar: A 2016 study demonstrated that walking up and down stairs for 3 minutes 60 to 180 minutes after a meal lowered blood sugar levels in Type 2 diabetics.
Real stairs are built-in high-intensity intervals (HIIT): We’re written about the benefits of interval training for weight loss and health. Staircase workouts are inherent loops, so once you get to the top and walk carefully back down, you end up interval training without even realizing it- built-in intervals!
It’s better than walking (which is also great for your health): The Harvard Alumni Study found that men who climbed an average of eight or more flights of stairs a day had a 33% lower mortality rate than men who were sedentary. That’s considerably better than the 22% lower death rate observed in men who walked 1.3 miles a day.
Can be done indoors: The beauty of stairs is that they can be done regardless of the weather! Find a stair master, repeat the steps at home, or find access to a high rise. Note that climbing a flight of 10 steps of stair is loosely equivalent to taking 38 steps on level ground.
