Staring at that staircase in your house, what do you think? Nothing maybe! The only thing that comes to mind is that you have another floor! Well, look again! You have a home gym right there! Yes, you heard it right! It can be your own, free of cost, equipment-free home gym to get your muscles ripped and your heart pounding like any other fancy, high-end gym in the vicinity.
Home gyms are the new thing in town, especially after COVID 19, but they cost a reasonable amount even when you are not getting extravagant. Buying the basics can cost quite a bit to a newbie. Many may even delay a healthy routine because of financial constraints.
However, if you finish reading this stairs workout with positive intentions, there is no reason to delay a fitness routine any longer because you can work out like a pro with a flight of stairs and get ripped without spending a penny.
Here we go.
Benefits of Stairs Climbing Exercises
That staircase in your house would be your personal, free-of-cost home gym if you knew the right tricks. If you have any doubts, read the benefits of the stairs workout listed below.
1. Efficient Exercise for Weight Loss
Climbing stairs is a great way to get your heart rate up and burn calories. In fact, one study found that climbing stairs can burn more calories than running at a moderate pace. Stair climbing needs 8 to 9 times more energy than sitting and around 7 to 8 times more than taking the elevator. So there is a good reason behind taking the stairs now.
Related Article: To Maintain Your Weight and Stay Healthy, Do These Things!
2. Improved Cardio Health
Climbing stairs is a great exercise for our hearts. It is one of the aerobics that ensures multiple health benefits by working up the heart and lungs. You can breathe in more air and get more oxygen as well as pump more blood to the body and do it faster. All of this is great news for cardiovascular health.
In fact, one study found that stair climbing can reduce your risk of dying from heart disease by up to 25%. This is because, with more oxygen and a prompt supply of blood, your organs and muscles work at their best.
Related Article: 5 Risk Factors of Cardiovascular Diseases & How to Prevent It
3. Strong Muscles
Climbing stairs is also a great way to strengthen your leg muscles. Climbing stairs combines strength training and cardio, and that lethal mixture burns more calories and builds more muscles simultaneously.
If you are not the one to get all the fancy gym equipment for muscle building, hit the stairs: that's where you can lose fat, burn calories and even build more muscle.
4. Increased Bone Density
Have you ever realized that your bones can also become denser and thicker if you workout regularly? It may not have occurred to you, but bones do not just need more dairy: you can exercise more regularly to build stronger, more resilient bones.
Climbing stairs can help increase bone density. This is especially important for postmenopausal women, who are at a higher risk for osteoporosis. Exercise strengthens our bones in young days and maintains their density as we get older. That's why exercise becomes even more important after menopause.
5. Improved Balance and Coordination
Climbing stairs can also help improve your balance and coordination. This is especially important for older adults, who are at a higher risk of falls.
As you climb stairs, your legs take the worst hit because they are being used to take you forward. Legs are strengthened as you climb flights, but core muscles are also toned alongside because they are engaged to assist coordination between the upper and the lower body. So our bodies are naturally strengthening and coordinating simultaneously.
A few reps on the steps can help you stay in complete control of your body.
6. Better Mood
Climbing stairs can also boost your mood. In fact, it can reduce symptoms of depression by up to 30%. Climbing stairs gets your heart rate up, which means you are in for the release of some happy hormones.
Makes sense you'll be feeling happier, right? Doing it regularly also superimposes a feeling of happiness as you get to enjoy a feeling of accomplishment every day!
Hormones are tricky substances: with a tiny amount of happy hormones in your blood, you can fall over the moon, and that blissful feeling can come your way within half an hour on your staircase.
Workout Description
It's a simple one-session-a-week routine with exercises that can be performed on stairs. The program is crafted keeping in mind the endurance level of beginners, but there is enough room for just anyone ( do more reps if you are an advanced trainer).
You will be doing these exercises for no more than half an hour or 45 mins, Max. The results are astounding even with one session and a moderate duration.
Supplements
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It's a heavenly mixture of whey concentrate and whey isolate: the perfect ingredient to help fuel the body for muscle building and weight loss. The supplement is packed with high-quality protein, which means you are moving to a muscular body with leaps and bounds.
Related Article: 5 Things You Should Keep in Mind When Taking Whey Protein
Workout Summary
Main Goal |
General Fitness |
Workout Type |
Split |
Training Level |
Beginner |
Program Duration |
8 Weeks |
Days Per Week |
1 |
Time Per Workout |
30-45 Minutes |
Equipment Required |
|
Target Gender |
Female |
Recommended Supps |
Exercises That You Can Do on This Workout
- 4 runs up the stairs (single step)
- Incline Pushups
- Tricep Dips
- 4 runs upstairs (double step)
- Split Squats
- 4 runs upstairs (single step)
- Stair Squat Jumps
- Decline Pushup
Exercise |
Reps |
4 runs up the stairs (single step) |
|
20 |
|
20 |
|
4 runs upstairs (double step) |
|
20 each leg |
|
20 each side |
|
4 runs upstairs (single step) |
|
Stair/Box Jumps |
20 |
Feet Elevated Pushup |
2 |
Conclusion
Stairs workout is a wonderful idea because it is packed with some really attractive benefits. You can build muscles, lose weight, burn more calories, melt more fat and strengthen your muscles and bones with special staircase-focused exercises. There is no need to buy any equipment: you can start when you are sure you want to go for it. So why wait: gear up your motivation and take the first step towards a fit, healthy and toned body.
Reading List
Article Sources
- Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health - Benefits of Stair Climbing. https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/static/90006.html. Accessed 26 Apr. 2022.
- Eves, Frank F., et al. ‘A Workplace Intervention to Promote Stair Climbing: Greater Effects in the Overweight*’. Obesity, vol. 14, no. 12, Dec. 2006, pp. 2210–16. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2006.259.
- Gay, Jennifer L., et al. ‘Psychological Aspects of Stair Use: A Systematic Review’. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, vol. 16, no. 1, Aug. 2019, pp. 109–21. PubMed Central, https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827619870104.
- Sanchez‐Lastra, Miguel A., et al. ‘Stair Climbing and Mortality: A Prospective Cohort Study from the UK Biobank’. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, vol. 12, no. 2, Apr. 2021, pp. 298–307. PubMed Central, https://doi.org/10.1002/jcsm.12679.