Many of you will be baffled to read the title of this article, whether ‘stair climbing is a good workout’, and most of you will be surprised to know it’s even considered a hard core workout at all! Let’s amaze you a little further. Not only is stair climbing a properly structured workout but it is also considered to be a competitive sport! Some of the tallest buildings in America lend their stairs to facilitate the conducting of these competitions, with the number of such races increasing by twice the amount in between the years of 1999 and 2007 alone!
Stair climbing in effect does provide a number of benefits to those who race the stairs and casual exercisers too!
Burns Calories
Stair climbing for an hour can help a 150lb weighing individual burn as many as 544 calories! This goes on to show that taking the stairs and avoiding riding the elevator can actually help you burn some calories, adding on to your physical activity and helping you lose some weight. The stair climbing sport is said to burn twice the amount of calories other sports such as baseball and volleyball are capable of!
It’s Easy!
The best part about stair climbing as a workout is that in a short period of time it has the capability of consuming a significant amount of energy and burning a substantial amount of calories. The benefit here of stair climbing is equivalent to any other moderate intensity, short time fitting workout. Furthermore, adding on the convenience of stair climbing as a workout is the fact that it can be practiced by anyone despite their level of fitness, requires no specific equipment and can be performed by any kind of exerciser!
For General Fitness
Stair climbing is a good workout for promoting cardiovascular health. Many aerobics workouts aiming at enhancing cardio strength incorporate step climbing exercises in their routines which are essentially derived from stair climbing. Furthermore, stair climbing is a higher intensity exercise as compared to running and walking as these are performed on flat ground and thus, bear less effort.
Cross Training Included
Stair climbing has been quite effective in enhancing endurance and sprint based performance for many athletes. Given it awakens both aerobic and anaerobic systems; it can be a great means of help to athletes such as cyclists, swimmers, runners etc to boost endurance and strength.
Strength Training
Stair climbing is a wonderful workout for toning the legs, especially the quadriceps and the calves as these muscles are needed to push you forward on to the next step on the stairs. Also, the rigorous movements and pumping the arms undergo is a good exercise for the muscles in the arms as well, having an overall strengthening effect on the two regions of the body!
Source: Fitness Republic
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