5 reasons why you should step up your work outs this winter
Stair climbing is the perfect high intensity work out – it’s explosive, fast, based on strength and it gets results. Plus, it’s fun!
With Stadium Stomp, the ultimate stair climbing challenge returning to Adelaide Oval on Sunday 9 July, we thought we’d give you five reasons to incorporate stairs into your work-outs this winter.
1. Tones – Stair climbing is an amazing lower body workout and targets all those trouble spots; that’s bums, tums, thighs and hips. Yep, this is one exercise that can turn your booty into bootylicious. Using the rail to assist in pulling yourself up will also engage the arms and give them a work out too!
2. Bones – Because you are working against gravity, stair climbing is a weight baring exercise, and like all exercises in this category, it improves bone density helping stave off age-related bone conditions such as osteoporosis.
3. Weight loss – I’m stating the obvious here. Losing weight usually happens when people begin exercising regularly but what you may not know is that climbing stairs burns more calories per minute than walking and taking 10 stairs is the equivalent calorie burn of 38 steps on level ground.
Plus, the more you weigh the more calories you’ll burn for a set duration. Take for example this: If you weigh 68kg, you’ll burn roughly 300kj in 10 minutes, but a person weighing 81kg will burn 360j in that same time.
4. Strength and power – How quickly climbing stairs can get you huffing and puffing and those legs burning! That’s because the motion of stair climbing targets the same muscles as squats and lunges and, as you power up the stairs, it taxes your heart and lungs. You breathe faster to get more oxygen. This improves your VO2 max – the maximum amount of oxygen you can utilise during intense exercise. Regular stair climbing will see you able to increase your duration and intensity of future workouts. If you’re looking to improve your run time for example, perhaps stair training is worth a go.
5. Metabolism – Any activity that increases your heart rate will raise your metabolism during and even after your workout, and research suggests that even short bursts of high intensity exercise is beneficial…a good reason to take the stairs and not the lift.
So now you know. Climbing stairs is a great exercise and the more you put into your stair workout the more you’ll get out of it. As well as incorporating stairs into your regular work outs, why not set yourself a challenge this winter to take on the 6,000 stairs at Stadium Stomp Adelaide Oval?
Note: Please be warned stair climbing is not for everyone. Pre-existing medical conditions or injuries may mean this high intensity workout is not an exercise for you. If unsure, seek advice from your health or medical practitioner.
All details for Adelaide’s Stadium Stomp and to register, head HERE.
