Certain exercises help tone and strengthen multiple muscles of your lower body, including leg lunges and stair climbing. Both of these exercises offer physical fitness benefits, but each exercise has different functions. You may find leg lunges to be more beneficial, depending on your fitness goals, just as stair climbing might be ideal for someone else.
Leg-lunge Technique
Leg lunges can be performed a variety of ways, such as forward, backward, sideways and one-legged. However, the most common type of leg lunge is the forward lunge. To perform this exercise, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and step forward approximately two feet with one leg. Bend both knees until your front knee is above your front foot and your rear knee almost touches the ground.
Leg-lunge Benefits
Leg lunges are a convenient exercise because they can be performed practically anywhere. No equipment is necessary to perform this exercise, but you can hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides for additional resistance. This exercise strengthens numerous muscles in your lower body, including the glutes, abductors, quadriceps and hamstrings, as well as your obliques and transverse abdominis.
Stair-climbing Technique
There are several methods of performing a stair-climbing exercise. Stair-climbing machines allow you to receive a beneficial workout at home or at a fitness facility. However, many athletes and fitness enthusiasts walk, jog, or run stairs or bleachers. Sprint from the bottom of the bleachers to the top as fast as you can, then walk back down and repeat. If using stairs in your home or place of work, run up several flights of stairs, walk down and repeat for 30 minutes.
Stair Climbing Benefits
Stair climbing offers numerous benefits. This high-intensity exercise works and tones your legs and glutes while providing a cardiovascular workout. Because of this exercise's vigorous nature, hundreds of calories can be burned per hour. For example, if using a stair-climbing machine, you could burn more than 600 calories per hour if you weigh at least 155 pounds, according to NutriStrategy. If you run on stairs or bleachers, you can burn more than 1,000 calories per hour, reports ShapeFit.
Considerations
Because leg lunges are considered more of a strengthening exercise and stair climbing an aerobic activity, combine the two exercises in your lower-body workouts for maximum benefits. For example, perform a stair-climbing workout at the beginning of your lower-body workout to help reach your minimum requirement of aerobic activity for the week. You will burn more calories and stretch your legs for the strengthening portion of your workout.
