Depending on your body weight, you could burn almost 1,000 calories in an hour of walking on a stair treadmill. But you don't need an expensive machine to exercise. If you have access to a flight of stairs and are willing to warm up and cool down properly, you can get an effective cardio workout for free. To a certain degree, nothing prepares you for stair climbing quite as well as stair climbing; the more you do it, the better you get at it. But proper pacing, a sensible workout progression and appropriate strength-training exercises all help you get ready for increasingly more strenuous workouts.
General Strategy
Step 1
Warm up for five to 10 minutes before you start climbing the stairs. Although you could just walk slowly up and down the stairs to warm up, spending an extended amount of time on the stairs is psychologically very challenging. Take a brisk walk around the block instead, or do some calisthenics like jumping jacks and burpees.
Step 2
Start slowly for the first few minutes of walking on the stairs. This gives you an idea of how intense a workout you can actually handle for an extended period, and it also gives the muscles that receive an intense workout on the stairs -- glutes, quads and calves -- a chance to adapt to the demands of the workout a little more.
Step 3
Aim for a total of at least 10 minutes on the stairs, and pace yourself so that you keep moving constantly throughout the workout, even if that means going slowly. Your body will adapt to the exercise stimulus, which in turn gradually prepares you for longer workouts. Keep increasing your workout time until you're walking for up to 30 minutes at a time, or if you get bored with long workouts, add multiple 10-minute workouts spaced throughout the day. These short workouts offer cumulative benefits similar to what you'd achieve with a single, longer workout.
Step 4
Cool down with another five to 10 minutes of walking around the block, and then stretch your quads, hamstrings and calves. This might not seem like preparation, as such, but stretching helps reduce muscular soreness, which means that you'll be able to do another stair-climbing session sooner. Also, the more flexible your muscles are, the less likely you are to hurt them during your next workout.
Step 5
Do leg dips and calf raises at least twice a week to help build quad, glute and calf strength for your stair-climbing endeavors. An ideal schedule would be doing leg dips and calf raises with at least one day of rest in between, and another day of rest before you tackle the stairs. As you build strength, endurance and confidence on the stairs, you can phase the strength-training sessions out -- although you should still do general strength-training twice weekly -- and focus on putting in thrice-weekly sessions on the stairs.
Leg Dips
Step 1
Plant your right foot on an aerobics step, a plyometrics platform, or any other sturdy, raised surface from which your foot won't slip.
Step 2
Weight your right foot and drive your body up by straightening that leg.
Step 3
Return to the starting position, using your right leg as a "brake" as you lower your body. Let your left leg trail along behind you, hanging straight, to help you maintain your balance. Think of sticking your hips out behind you, as if you were doing a squat, as you lower into the "down" position.
Step 4
Do eight to 12 repetitions, total, on one leg before switching to the other leg. If you can do more than 12 repetitions with good form, carry a small dumbbell in each hand for extra resistance next time.
Calf Raises
Step 1
Plant the balls of both feet on an aerobics step, plyometrics platform, or any other stable surface from which your feet won't slip.
Step 2
Point your toes, lifting your heels. Pause for a moment at the top of the motion, then lower your heels back down to the starting point, roughly level with or very slightly lower than the balls of your feet. Do not, however, confuse this exercise with a chance to drop your heels very low and stretch your calves; do this separately, after you've completed your full set.
Step 3
Complete eight to 12 repetitions. If you can do more than 12 repetitions with good form, try balancing on one foot and doing the calf raises with just one leg at a time, or carry a dumbbell in each hand for extra resistance.
Tips and Warnings
- Always work out in comfortable clothing, and wear sturdy, supportive shoes.
Things You'll Need
- Comfortable clothing
- Sturdy, supportive shoes
- Aerobics bench or other sturdy, non-slip platform
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