What Are The Benefits Of Stair Climbing?

Climbing stairs often is recommended as a weight loss strategy. Stair climbing also has become a competitive sport. The number of races up the stairwells in some of the tallest buildings in North America doubled from 1999 to 2007, according to a 2007 report by Columbia News Service. Stair climbing offers benefits to competitors and casual exercisers.

Calorie Burn

Climbing stairs burns calories, which can help you better manage your weight. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator helps you increase your overall activity, contributing to a higher daily calorie burn. For example, a 150-lb. person will burn about 544 calories just walking up stairs for an hour, according to CaloriesPerHour.com. The sport of stair climbing, which involves running up stairs, burns nearly twice as many calories as such sports as volleyball and baseball, according to StairClimbingSport.com.

General Fitness

Stair climbing enhances your cardiovascular fitness. According to a 2000 study of sedentary young women in the journal "Preventative Medicine," a "short-term stair-climbing program" provided "considerable cardiovascular health benefits." Stair climbing also requires more effort than walking or running on flat ground, according to NYTimes.com.

Convenience

Stair climbing requires significant energy and burns plenty of calories in a short period of time. Because of this, you can achieve the benefits of a longer, more moderate workout in a shorter amount of time. Stair climbing requires no special equipment and can be performed by most exercisers, regardless of their fitness level.

Develop Strength

During stair climbing, you must use your leg muscles to haul yourself up--particularly your quadriceps and calves. Your arms also get a workout from pumping while your run up the stairs or when you use the banister to pull yourself up.

Cross Training

Because stair climbing challenges your aerobic and anaerobic systems, it can help runners, swimmer, cyclists and other competitive athletes improve their endurance and sprint performance. Cross training with stair climbing helps combat boredom by varying your routine.