A stair climbing workout: set goals, improve strength and burn calories

Climbing stairs can have a spiritual benefit

Stairs are a great tool for improving strength, balance and stability.   At any age, climbing stairs is also a great way to elevate the heart rate and burn calories.  It is estimated that stair climbing burns approximately 400 calories per hour, although that number will vary based on the intensity of the workout and size of the exerciser.

Stairs are also a great goal setting tool.  In most cases you can see the top of the flight of stairs that you are about to ascend. This allows you to visualize where you want to be, invest what you need to and get to the top.  This may seem simple, but goal setting takes practice like every other aspect of life and sport.  The more you walk through it in practice the easier it gets when the objective is more intense.   To design a stair climbing workout, set a goal for the number of sets and repetitions you’d like to complete depending on your fitness level and health.  An active athlete may want to do three sets of 10 flights, increasing the number of steps with each set (i.e. on the first set, climb one step at a time, on the second set hit two steps and on the third set, try three) Articulate your goal to yourself or someone else so that you can acknowledge your accomplishment when you are done.

Lastly, stairs have a spiritual benefit. This may be a leap of faith (pardon the pun) but stick with me on this. The repetition of stair climbing is a wonderful thing.  It clears the distraction of scenery so that you can focus on the landscape within.  This is a different experience for everyone and it carries as much potential as you allow. Give yourself space to honor your abilities, escape from stress, enjoy the scenery or simply zone out.

Before you get started on a stair climb, keep in mind a few basic tips.  Be sure that the entire foot is placed on each ascending step.  This allows the muscles in the quadriceps and hamstrings to carry more of the workload.  If you place only the toes on each step, you may end up with overly sore calves the next day.  Also, use the hand rail if necessary for safety, but if you can do without,  don’t hold the handrail especially on the way down.  This way, in addition to building strength, you train the muscles in your lower body to stabilize and balance.

Photo source: Barekim on Flickr