Walking Up Stairs

If you don’t like running, or just want to find a quick workout that will really take it out of you, find a flight of stairs (ideally several flights). Stairs are an excellent way to get in a quick and tiring workout for anyone that doesn’t have a lot of time.

The great thing about stairs is that they’re found in most any location. The primary place you won’t find stairs are in a home that only has a single level. However, most every apartment building will have at least one flight of stairs, and oftentimes a lot more than that. Office buildings, homes, and stadiums all have stairs.

There are several different strategies that you can use for attacking stairs, and it depends on how much time you have as well as how many flights you have.

Single flight of stairs

If you’re stuck with a single flight of stairs, don’t despair. That’s much better than no stairs. You have a few options in how you are able to use them to your advantage. If you are just beginning with stairs, walking up and down the stairs as many minutes in a row as you can is a great starting point. Don’t use any of the handrails, and move as quickly (and safely) as you can up the stairs. Get back down quickly and go back up.

Once you’re ready for something a little more advanced, you should either move up and down more quickly - more of a run up and down, or you can skip steps on your way up. A great alternative is to mix up how you go up the stairs. One time, go as fast as you can, one stair at a time. The next time, skip a stair on each step up. Move quickly, and in just a few minutes of work you’ll be quite tired.

Multiple flights of stairs

If you have multiple flights of stairs, then your workout will likely be shorter than those with a single flight. This is because you’ll have longer periods of moving up the stairs which is when you exert the most energy. If you’ve got more than 10 flights of stairs at your disposal, then you’ll really start to feel it quickly.

In terms of actual work outs, they’re very similar to those that have a single flight of stairs. To start, just work on getting from the very bottom to the top of all of the stairs in one go. If you can’t make it to start, don’t despair. Get as high as you can, go down a flight (or two) of stairs, and then keep going up until you get to the top.

You can use a similar strategy to keep your workouts moving at a bit of a faster pace. Go up two flights, down one flight, up two, down one, and continue until you get to the top. You can then start doing three, four and more flights in a row until you’re making it to the top. Once you’re good with all of the flights, then you’re ready to increase your pace and skipping steps.

Finding time for stairs workouts

The other great thing about stair workouts is that they don’t have to be super long, and you can do them anytime you’re close to a flight of stairs. While you’re not going to go up and down a bunch of times when someone else is with you, if you’re alone, you absolutely can.

If you work in an office building with stairs, plan to take the stairs up to the office each day. Also, you could step out and walk the stairs during your breaks (make sure to not overdo it if you sweat or smell a lot as your co-workers won’t really appreciate it). Simply put, don’t avoid the stairs if you’ve got them close by.

Once you’re at an advanced level, you’ll be looking at 15-20 minutes of stair workouts. You really don’t need a lot of time to get in a tough workout. You may also find that you really love the stairs...or that you absolutely dread them.

If you have a Fitbit, or other fitness tracking device, they will often count how many flights of stairs that you climb in a day. The most flights of stairs that I've done in a day is just over 350. There were times when I was attacking stairs whenever I had the time. I don't get anywhere near to that these days.

Conclusion

It’s time to embrace the stairs. Start a stair workout now so that you can take on any amount of stairs without too much work. Your body will thank you.