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Running Stairs - The Benefits Of Climbing Towards A Healthier Life

If you’re an avid runner, it’s time to switch up your workout a bit by running some stairs. Stair climbing has loads of health benefits that you may not get from running alone and works some muscle groups you may not even know you had.

FirstQuote Health Staff
Published on
January 27, 2023
Last Updated on
December 19, 2023
Running Stairs - The Benefits Of Climbing Towards A Healthier Life

Interested in getting fit? You’ll be glad to know that there are many avenues that you can explore. Burn those calories by utilizing the resources that are within your reach. Stair climbing has proven to be one of the most effective exercises to burn calories. You might be thinking that you climb stairs every day, why bother yourself in a non-effective program? Although you might climb stairs frequently, assertive effort, as well as targeted achievements, is what makes the difference.

What is Stair Running?

Stair running is the vertical movement you make when you are ascending up a steep climb that has steps. It is important to note the difference between simply climbing stairs and running. The latter is more effective in developing endurance and keeping you fit. Nonetheless, both have a similar effect on the body – burning calories and developing your leg muscle. The difference between your normal movements when you are walking and running is the body inclination.

How Long Should You Run Up Stairs?

People partake in exercises for different objectives. When you are running stairs, to feel the maximum effect of the exercise, you ought to consider various factors in line with your target as well as facilities. It is very hard to exclusively determine the exact period that you ought to take when running stairs. To access the benefits of running stairs effectively, consider the following elements to figure out the time you ought to concentrate on the exercise:

  • The length of your stairs: You don’t expect to partake in stair running for the same period when you have long stairs compared to another person with shorter steps. For you to access the benefits of running stairs, you have to ascertain that you take more time on shorter steps.
  • Objective of your exercise: If you are serious about burning some fat, then consider investing longer hours to access the benefits of running stairs. If you are interested in running stairs abs exercises, then it would be better to vary everything according to target muscles.
  • Inclination of your stairs: There are some stairs that are steeper than others and are more challenging to run. Climbing stairs with such an elevation provide a more intensive impact on your body for a shorter period and will allow you to receive more benefits of running stairs.

What Muscles Do you Use?

When going up stairs, your lower body muscles do most of the work. Although they don’t work in isolation, your upper body muscles and your core contribute as well. Your actual climb starts from your legs and hips that push you upwards. While ascending on stairs, you can vary the degree of hip extension by taking more than one stair at a time. This would produce a higher impact on the quadriceps that are present in the front view of your legs allowing you to access more benefits of running stairs. The common muscles and joints affected are:

  • Knee Extension
  • Ankle Plantarflexion
  • Hip Flexion
  • Hip Extension
  • Core: Important in running stairs abs exercise

What Are the Benefits Of Running Stairs?

Rather than always taking the elevator, why not climb up the stairs? Access the multiple health benefits that don’t even require you to spend a single dollar. This is one of the major advantages of running stairs – smooth on your finances and convenient. Remember that descending is just as important as ascending. It assists in flexing certain leg muscle groups as well as provides relief on your running stairs abs workout. When you start climbing stairs, if you are unfit, you will start losing your breath. This is a sure sign that a climbing effect on weight loss is positive.

Reduce The Risk of Heart Attack

Regular stair running can help to reduce the risk of a heart attack by increasing your overall aerobic fitness. By strengthening and toning muscles in the lower body, running stairs can increase blood flow to the heart and lungs. This increased blood flow allows for more oxygen delivery to all parts of the body and organs, which lowers the risk of developing dangerous health conditions such as hypertension and atherosclerosis, both of which are major risk factors for a heart attack.

Lose Weight

Running stairs can indeed help you to lose weight. In fact, it is one of the most effective exercises for burning fat and calories. Stair running requires intense physical exertion and increases your heart rate, both of which stimulate the body’s metabolism and help you to burn more calories than other forms of exercise. Additionally, stair running utilizes several muscle groups in the lower body during each step, which helps to increase muscle mass and further boosts caloric expenditure.

Although running stairs is an effective exercise for various objectives, those interested in losing weight can still access massive benefits. The best strategy is to create an environment similar to a jogging experience whereby you measure the time and run up and down rapidly. You can set different running sets with small resting intervals in between. Remember that the higher the frequency of your activity of running stairs, the more weight you are going to lose.

Running stairs vs. Running

A serious fitness guru will tell you that the most effective exercise is the one that expands all your limitations. Amateur exercise participants are mostly confused between actual running and stairs running. Running is the most effective exercise that you can partake in, but climbing stairs hit on some muscles better. A mixture of both training programs might be the best alternative. They complement each other. Still, stair running has some advantages that make it convenient:

  • Vertical movement while climbing up asserts more pressure on your body to work even harder. You make more gains as you struggle to move up against gravity.
  • Stairs are readily accessible. You don’t have to go look for a suitable location to cover the most appropriate distance when interested in running. Stairs are in apartment buildings, public locations, and even office buildings.
  • If you climb stairs in the right format, the gains are going to be more than what you can get while just running.
  • You don’t have to worry about the weather while climbing stairs; you can still take exercise in bad weather at your office building or apartment indoor stairs.

How to Calculate Rise and Run for Stairs?

Calculating the rise and run for stairs is a simple process. First, measure the desired total rise of the stairs in inches. Next, divide this number by 7 to find the number of risers you need. To determine the run, measure the horizontal length of each step and multiply it by the number of steps. Finally, add these two numbers together to find the total run of your stairs.

Running steps is a great way to get the heart pumping and burn calories more effectively than walking alone. While walking can be done at a leisurely pace, running steps will help improve your cardiovascular health by increasing your heart rate and helping to strengthen your lungs and heart. Additionally, running steps helps to tone muscles in the legs and core far more effectively than just walking.

Most professionals recommend that when you begin your endeavor of running upstairs, you start slow and gradually progress. Over your length of exercise, you will start realizing gains after you build up endurance and tolerance. Remember to get in touch with your medical practitioner before taking part in an intensive exercise that impacts your health.

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