If you’re trying to lose weight and want a new way to do it, stair climbing might be for you as a regular exercise – or just add a few flights a day. It’s accessible and research shows it’s more effective than walking on a flat surface. “Overall, stair climbing gets you in shape faster and burns more calories,” said Lauri van Houten, vice president of the International Skyrunning Federation, which oversees a wide range of vertical climbing disciplines. This includes disciplines such as mountain running above 2,000 meters (about 6,500 feet) or events such as the World Stair Climbing Championships. These competitions are for the very fit, but we’re talking about adding a few minutes of stair climbing to your daily routine and raising awareness of its effectiveness for all ages. “How many calories do I burn is the question everyone wants to know,” van Houten said. “Here’s the good news: Total energy expenditure during exercise depends on your weight. Therefore, the more you weigh, the more you burn.” Climbing stairs burns calories – fast Research shows that walking up stairs burns about 20 times more calories than walking on level ground. Even if you go down the stairs, you burn about five times more, the muscles try to slow down the descent of the body. This may be all you need to know if you are trying to lose weight. Dr. Alberto Minetti, a physiologist and biomechanist at the University of Milan, has done extensive research on human locomotion – including climbing stairs. “It’s an exercise that anyone can do,” Minetti told The Associated Press. “The stairs are always close to you – free compared to the gym.” Minetti did the math to explain why walking up the stairs is so effective for burning calories in a short amount of time. “It takes 0.5 calories to move 1 kilogram of body mass 1 horizontal meter,” he said. “If you move 1 kilogram of body mass vertically up a flight of stairs, that’s 10 calories. So it’s 20 times the calories moving vertically rather than horizontally.” Trained as a physician, Minetti spent his career doing research rather than treating patients. For the not-so-young and beginners, he suggested “watch your speed.” He walks up the stairs in his third-floor residence in Milan. He said he often takes several deep breaths before climbing, which makes him feel refreshed at the top. In a scientific study, Minetti points out that using your arms when climbing stairs adds extra strength. Railings also offer safety. The magazine states that most skyscraper staircases have handrails, which maximizes “the muscle mass involved and, consequently, the mechanical/metabolic power of the ascent” by engaging the arms. “They’re relatively small muscles in the arms, but better than nothing,” Minetti said. Stairs are everywhere If stair climbing were an Olympic sport, Suzy Walsham would own a handful of gold medals. She won 10 races up the Empire State Building in New York – officially 1,576 steps. She has won titles in more than 100 international stair climbing events and was once considered the No. 1 woman in the discipline. An Australian has won the climb to the Eiffel Tower five times. Apparently it was all too easy. While living in Singapore, Walsham climbed his 29-story building – 37 times in a row. It took over four hours, each time after reaching the top they took the elevator down with short breaks for coffee or water. It covered a vertical distance of 3,200 meters (10,500 ft). But let’s ground ourselves. What are the benefits of stair climbing as regular exercise for the rest of us? “You’re getting a lot of bang for your buck,” Walsham told the AP. “A lot of people have trouble running as they get older.” The impact of running is harder on the joints. But stair training is a great alternative.” Stairs are everywhere – one flight, two flights at home, inside skyscrapers, in stadiums and arenas, at work, in shopping malls, on the subway. A huge advantage of climbing stairs is that it doesn’t take much time. Easy to build, add a few steps every day or week and improve your balance. On the other hand, it is not very scenic, especially on the staircases of towering skyscrapers. Stair climbing can be incorporated into your daily routine Yuri Yoshizumi won the women’s division of last year’s world stair-climbing championships in her native Osaka, Japan, a 285-meter (935-foot) climb — 1,610 steps — that she completed in 10 minutes, 20.06 seconds. “Stair climbing is an easy sport for beginners and the general public,” Yoshizumi told the AP in an email. “Elite athletes push themselves a lot, so it’s quite challenging. But it’s good to strengthen the muscles and the cardiovascular system in a short period of time.” It added another advantage, especially living in a big metropolis like Osaka. “It can be done in the city,” she said. “Just using the stairs instead of the escalators at (subway) stations and department stores is a good way to get some exercise.”b
