Stair workout can burn hundreds of calories and you don’t even need sports equipment.
Stair workouts can kick-start your weight loss and burn calories efficiently. Stairs are not only a way to get from A to B, they can also be used for exercise.
It’s amazing how many calories you can burn just by climbing stairs. Experts have looked at how 500 calories can be burned using this form of exercise.
The process of stair climbing
The researchers concluded that climbing a standard-sized flight of stairs burns an average of 0.09 calories. Experts from the American Council on Exercise have calculated that a person weighing around 60 kilograms can easily burn 235-250 calories in a half-hour of stair climbing.
This means that someone with good stamina can burn up to 470-500 calories in an hour just by climbing stairs – without leaning on the handrail with their arms, of course.
The higher the body weight, the more calories the body burns – half an hour of stair climbing means a 285 calorie loss for a 70-kilogram body, and 365 calories for a 90-kilogram body. Walking is also a great cardio workout, but Harvard University research shows that one can burn three times more calories by climbing stairs.
Using a fitness calculator, it was calculated that if the steps are 15 centimeters high, a person weighing 70 kilograms would burn 241 calories climbing stairs. If the steps are 30 centimeters high, one can burn 320 calories in 30 minutes. Every centimeter count, because you are moving upwards against gravity, which requires more effort.
How to get started?
It’s worth splitting your workouts into two or even three sessions, because it’s difficult to spend half an hour moving up and down stairs. Instead, spend 10-10-10 minutes, or 20-20-20 minutes on the stairs, or perhaps increase the time gradually.
You can do laps to make it easier to time yourself. It is definitely worth doing the stair climbing with a rhythmic, dynamic movement, you can even jog while doing it, or make it even harder by knee rise, or climb the stairs by stepping on every other step.
Stair climbing works the body spectacularly, especially the lower body, and to increase its effectiveness you may want to alternate high and low intensity movements, for example running up the stairs and then walking back to the starting point. It strengthens and tones the calves, thighs and glutes.