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If you’ve ever skipped an elevator or escalator, you’ll know that your heart races when you climb the stairs. So with stairs everywhere, it’s a great low-impact exercise that’s as easy to tackle as walking, but burns more calories.
Even brief bouts can have powerful health benefits, including improved heart health, weight loss, and longevity.
Doctors say climbing stairs is a simple but strenuous exercise because it requires repeatedly pushing the body against gravity to small heights.
Is climbing stairs a good workout?
Yes, even competitive athletes use stair climbing as part of their fitness training.
“You’re training your heart, which is the most important muscle in your body, but you’re also training your legs, so you’re also working your muscles,” says Dr. Carrie Jaworski, a sports medicine physician in Park City, Utah. . The president-elect of the American College of Sports Medicine told TODAY.com. “It’s great training.”
“It’s great cardio,” added Dr. Stuart Charney, director of sports medicine at Stony Brook School of Medicine in New York. “It also involves more muscle groups, which means it requires more movement and burns more calories.”
Climbing stairs, he notes, strengthens your quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, and butt muscles.
How many calories do you burn when climbing stairs?
Depending on how fast you go, it can be much faster than walking, up to four times faster, Jaworski says.
“Stair climbing is one of the easiest activities to burn calories without going to the gym.” National Library of Medicine Note.
A 155-pound person running up and down the stairs for an hour burns more than 1,050 calories. Climbing the stairs, on the other hand, burns about 560 calories. Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
By comparison, walking at a moderate pace on flat ground burns 246 calories per hour.
Most people can’t walk up the stairs at any pace for long periods of time, but this exercise uses up so much energy that even short bursts of exercise can be “very effective.” Jaworski says. “It’s more effective” than walking, she added.
Health benefits of stair climbing
Climbing stairs can lead to a longer life. researchers reported At the 2024 European Society of Cardiology Congress.
An analysis of nine studies involving more than 480,000 participants found that compared to those who skipped stairs, those who regularly climbed stairs had a 24% lower risk of dying prematurely from any cause. They were found to be 39% less likely to die from heart disease.
Climbing stairs was also associated with a lower risk of heart attack, heart failure, and stroke.
“If you have a choice between taking the stairs or the lift, choose the stairs to help your heart,” study author Dr Sophie Paddock from the University of East Anglia said in a statement.
“Brief stair climbing should be an achievable goal that can be incorporated into daily life.”
Climbing stairs regularly reduces fat and improves blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and insulin sensitivity. researchers reported In 2023.
How many stairs do you need to climb to get an effective workout?
Climbing six to 10 flights of stairs a day (assuming 10 steps per day) is associated with a lower risk of premature death. study Found it. It is also associated with a 20% lower risk of heart disease. the study he pointed out.
Even just a few minutes of climbing the stairs throughout the day can improve your heart health. study Found it. The findings were based on people who “vigorously” climbed three flights of stairs three times a day.
Study co-author Jonathan Little, a professor at the University of British Columbia, said: “Performing this routine three times a week during mid-day coffee or bathroom breaks is enough to boost fitness in sedentary people. “It appears to be the case,” said study co-author Jonathan Little. statement.
Research has shown that being able to climb four flights of stairs in less than a minute without stopping indicates a high level of athletic ability and a lower chance of dying prematurely.
Can climbing stairs help reduce belly fat?
It seems like you can train your abdominal muscles by going up and down the stairs.
In 2022, fitness influencer Kamila Akbas said that using a stair climber while keeping her hands off the handlebars helped her build abdominal muscles in eight weeks.
Not using your hands for balance helps because you have to use all your core muscles to stabilize your body, says Dr. Jordan Metzl, a sports medicine physician at New York City Hospital for Special Surgery, TODAY.com told. .
He likened it to “basically doing a 25-minute plank.”
Stair stepper machine and real stairs
Climbing real stairs requires more effort than a gym stepper. Because the rotating stairs and machine pedals move your body and give you a little bit of assistance.
“Climbing real stairs gives you a slightly harder workout,” she says. “You’ll feel it faster than using the machine.”
Real stairs allow for more training variations than just climbing in one direction on a machine, Charney adds.
However, experts note that stepper machines are still a good workout.
Is walking down the stairs good exercise?
Experts have different opinions.
While some people say no to going down stairs because it puts stress on their knees, “it’s actually the climbing element that is most beneficial,” says Jaworski.
Others say yes, although in a different way because the leg muscles are still working, Charney says. However, since you are working with gravity, the intensity of your aerobic exercise is not as high.
stair climbing training
Always consult your doctor before starting any new exercise routine. People with balance problems or who experience knee pain when climbing stairs may need to find another option, doctors warn.
Charney warns to always monitor your heart rate when climbing stairs, as “your pulse can spike.”
Stair stepper machine:
Start with 5 minutes and increase by 5 minutes each week, he advises. Many people aim to work for up to 30 minutes.
Some people prefer to incorporate short intervals into their circuit training. For example, after lifting weights, jump on the machine for a few minutes, then return to weight training.
Posture on the machine is important. Avoid slouching, Charney points out, as this can worsen back problems. There’s a bit of a learning curve, so ask a trainer to show you how best to use it.
Actual stairs:
Start by climbing one or two flights a day, Jaworski says, and then work your way up to more flights. If you have access to a high-rise building with lots of stairs, try climbing as many flights as you can until you’re out of breath or your legs get tired, then come back down and try again if you have the energy, she added. .
You may eventually try your hand at a stair race, but you don’t have to run fast.
Start at your own pace. The benefits come from doing the work, not speed, Jaworski says. Increase your pace only if you want a more intense workout. Some people may use a weighted backpack or vest to make it even more challenging.
To reduce the risk of falls, use handrails and lean forward slightly.
climb the stairs every day
Climbing the stairs doesn’t have to be one long workout. Both experts stress that you can achieve the same effect by climbing several short flights of stairs several hours apart.
“The human body doesn’t actually know if it’s done all at once or spread out over the day,” Charney says.
Jaworski adds that to incorporate activity into your day, be sure to take the stairs over the elevators and escalators.
“You can definitely use[stair climbing]for training, but you should also use it as a lifestyle choice and climb the stairs whenever you get the chance,” she says.
