why climb?

No matter how you look at it, many of us spend a lot of our time watching – the computer, the tablet, the TV – and that means a lot of sitting. The big problem is that our bodies aren’t really suited to very sedentary lifestyles and there are more and more warnings about the health dangers associated with lack of physical activity.

So, it’s worth taking every chance to be active, both at work and home, and if there’s a stairway in your building, you’ve always got the perfect opportunity just waiting for you.

Make no mistake – climbing stairs is vigorous exercise. For example, a 2005 study by researchers from the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland asked 12 sedentary women to climb a 200-step staircase, progressing from once a day to six times a day. The women climbed the stairs in about two minutes at a stepping rate of 90 steps a minute and then took the elevator down.

By the end of the two month study, the women were exercising for only 12 minutes a day but tests revealed that they had a 17 per cent improvement in their overall aerobic fitness and an 8 per cent reduction in their low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels – essentially reducing their risk of cardiovascular disease by 33 per cent.

Another study found that men who climbed up at least 700 steps a week, or 100 steps a day, reduced their risk of cardiovascular disease by nearly 20 per cent. Stair climbing is a more intense exercise than brisk walking and a more efficient exercise for burning kilojoules. Some estimates are that walking briskly for 30 minutes burns the same number of kilojoules as climbing stairs for 15 minutes.

Everyday exercise vs. stair climbing workouts

While stair climbing can be a structured exercise as part of an overall fitness program, the benefits are especially important in the workplace. You should try and incorporate stair climbing into your daily routine whenever you can. If you work in a high rise building it is probably not feasible to climb multiple floors of stairs at every opportunity, but if you only have to climb two, three or four floors at a time, then doing this a number of times during the day should produce noticeable benefits.

Stair climbing machines or steppers are designed to mimic stair climbing exercise and can be very useful. My preference is to use real stairs wherever possible but if you’re in a gym using a stepper, then get the most out of the exercise by maintaining a good posture and keeping your back straight, not leaning forward and avoid holding on to the rails except as needed to maintain your balance.

Unlike climbing real stairs, your feet remain on the stepper machine at all times during the workout, so your hips and knees aren’t likely to get as sore. However both forms of stair climbing are considered low-impact exercises.

Starting out with a stair climbing workout

Stair climbing is no different from other forms of exercise, in that you need to build progression into our workouts. Start by climbing one or two flights of stairs and then rest to catch your breath, allowing your heart rate to come down. Then try walking up another one or two flights and rest again. After a few days (or weeks) at this exercise intensity, try climbing two or three flights before resting. Build the intensity gradually by climbing more flights before resting. The goal is to be able to climb several flights easily without having to catch your breath.

As you become fitter and stronger, increase the intensity of the stair climbing workouts by doing more sets – i.e. climbing multiple flights more often. You can also try climbing two steps at a time and for the more ambitious enthusiasts, you could try climbing stairs while wearing a weighted vest or carrying dumbbells. There are many variations to stair climbing technique but for most of us, simply climbing multiple flights and reducing the rest between the climbs is a sure fire way to boost exercise intensity and generate health benefits.

Building muscle and bone strength through stair climbing

Because stair climbing is a weight bearing exercise it helps to build bone strength as well as muscle strength. As you become more advanced, those able to take two (or more steps) at a time will notice improvements in strength of the thighs, buttocks and calves.

Safety issues

Stair climbing is relatively safe for most people but, because it is a higher intensity exercise, it might not be suitable for everyone

As long as you don’t have knee osteoarthritis or other condition, stair climbing is considered a relatively low impact and safe exercise for the knees with the pressure equivalent to two times one’s body weight walking up stairs compared with three to four times when running.

Medical complications like high blood pressure may also mean that stair climbing is not a suitable exercise for you. Make sure that you get the all-clear to exercise from your doctor before embarking on a stair climbing exercise routine.

Always put safety first when stair climbing. Maintain your balance, keeping your eyes on the stairs and ensuring that your whole foot is on each step. Stop if you’re out of breath or feel faint, dizzy or you’re in pain. Use stairs that are well lit and ventilated and consider security issues. Make sure that if you were to get into trouble someone would be close by to help.