If you’re trying to lose weight and want a new way to do it, climbing stairs as a regular exercise — or even just climbing a few stairs a day — may be for you.
It’s accessible and research shows it’s more effective than walking on flat ground.
“Overall, it’s a fact that climbing stairs makes you fit faster and burns more calories,” said Laurie Van Houten, vice president of the International Skyrunning Federation, which oversees a variety of disciplines involving vertical climbing.
This includes competitions such as mountain running or stair climbing world championships at altitudes above 2,000 metres (about 6,500 feet).
These competitions are for very fit people, but we are talking about incorporating a few minutes of stair climbing into your daily routine and raising awareness of its effectiveness for people of all ages.
“How many calories will I burn is the question everyone wants to know,” Van Houten said. “The good news is: The total energy expenditure of exercise depends on your weight. So, the more you weigh, the more you’ll burn.”
Climbing stairs burns calories faster
Research shows that climbing stairs burns about 20 times more calories than walking on level ground. Even walking down stairs burns about five times more calories, as the muscles in your body have to work to slow down the descent.
That’s all you need to know if you’re trying to lose weight.
Dr. Alberto Minetti, a physiologist and biomechanist at the University of Milan, has done extensive research on human movement – including stair climbing.
“It’s an exercise that anyone can do,” Minetti told The Associated Press. “There are always stairs around you — it’s free compared to a gym.”
Minetti explained, based on mathematics, why climbing stairs is so effective at burning calories in a short amount of time.
“To move 1 kilogram of body mass 1 horizontal meter, you expend 0.5 calories,” he said. “If you move 1 kilogram of body mass vertically up the stairs it’s 10 calories. So 20 times more calories are expended when moving vertically than when moving horizontally.”
Trained as a physician, Minetti has spent his career doing research rather than treating patients. He suggested younger and beginners should “pay attention to their own pace.” He climbs the stairs himself at his third-floor residence in Milan. He said he often takes a few deep breaths before climbing, which helps him feel refreshed at the top.
In a scientific study, Minetti has stated that using hands while climbing stairs provides extra strength. Handrails also provide safety.
The magazine notes that most staircases in skyscrapers feature handrails, which “maximize muscle load through use of the arms and, consequently, increase the mechanical/metabolic energy of climbing.”
“These muscles in the arms are relatively small, but they’re better than nothing,” Minetti said.
stairs are everywhere
If climbing stairs was an Olympic sport, Suzy Walsham would have a handful of gold medals.
She has won 10 races up New York’s Empire State Building – officially 1,576 steps. She has won titles in more than 100 international stair races and was once considered the No. 1 woman in the field.
This Australian has won the Eiffel Tower climb five times.
Apparently, it was all very simple.
When she lived in Singapore, Walsham climbed her 29-floor building 37 times in a row. It took more than four hours, with short breaks for coffee or water before she got off the elevator at the top each time. She covered a vertical distance of 3,200 meters (10,500 feet).
But let’s take a closer look at what benefits climbing stairs as a regular exercise has for the rest of us?
“You get a lot of bang for your buck,” Walsham told the AP. “Many people have trouble running as they get older. Running is more impactful on the joints. But stair climbing is a great alternative.”
Stairs are everywhere – one floor in a home, two floors, inside skyscrapers, in stadiums and arenas, at the workplace, in shopping malls, in the metro.
One of the biggest benefits of climbing stairs is that it doesn’t take much time. Climbing a few stairs each day or week is easy, and it also improves balance.
The downside is that it’s not very pretty, especially on the stairs of tall skyscrapers.
Climbing stairs can be incorporated into your daily routine
Yuri Yoshizumi won the women’s category of the 285-meter (935-foot) climb — 1,610 steps — at the World Stair Climbing Championships held in her hometown of Osaka, Japan, last year, completing it in 10 minutes, 20.06 seconds.
“Stair climbing is an easy sport for beginners and the general public,” Yoshizumi told the AP in an email. “Top athletes push themselves to the limit, so it’s very difficult. But it’s good for you to strengthen your muscles and your cardiovascular system in a short amount of time.”
He pointed out another benefit, especially living in a big metropolis like Osaka.
“It’s possible to do this in the city,” he said. “Using the stairs instead of escalators at (subway) stations and department stores is a good way to get a little exercise.”
