Is climbing stairs good for weight loss?

It is almost so funny to think that we’d whine about taking the stairs to our room or choose the elevator in the mall but drive a few blocks to the gym or hire a personal trainer for our fitness regime. In the hustle bustle of everyday, what do we really desire for other than an accessible and not so tiring workout plan? Climbing stairs for weight loss will do exactly that and more to your health goals.

How does weight loss work?

Though any kind of workout is imperative when trying to lose weight but maintaining a diet matters the same way. Your weight loss goals base themselves on your Caloric Deficit. Caloric deficit is consuming less calories than what you burn. This allows any excess stored fat in your body to be used as energy and leads to weight loss. Apart from how much you eat, what you eat matters too. Nutrient dense foods like vegetables, whole grains, fruits and lentils are essential during weight loss both because of their healthy and low-caloric qualities. Protein rich foods are advised the most during weight loss for they increase metabolism and allow to burn fat quicker.

Stair climbing as an exercise

Tired of the same home workouts? Is climbing stairs good for weight loss? Yes, it sure is. The steps in your house take you a step higher towards fitness and a step lower towards weight loss. It is unbelievable how much the friendly stairs in our house could help us crunch down some fat. Either we are complaining about how less time we have to bag a workout in a day or about how driving to the gym makes us feel lazy. Both these problems have one solution, climbing stairs for weight loss. Easy to incorporate every exercise, good for cardiovascular health and muscle strength, step climbing for weight loss is a wholesome fitness experience.

Calories burned while climbing stairs

The results of the number of calories burned in stair climbing will leave you astonished. For every step that you climb, you lose 0.17 calories and for every step that you walk down, you burn 0.05 calories approximately. These calculations also depend on the speed of climbing, body weight, the duration of the activity, workout intensity and the height of the stairs. Considering that a flight of stairs has 12 steps, you can lose about 2.5 to 5 calories.

Benefits of stair climbing in weight loss

Leading you from one floor to another, stair climbing leads you towards its varied range of benefits for both weight loss and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

1. After a fast jog up and down the stairs, you can feel your heart racing and your lungs gasping for oxygen. It improves the blood circulation, maximal oxygen uptake and the amount of good cholesterol in the blood.

2. With a mix of intense exercises, stair climbing stairs for weight loss is always a successful choice.

3.  Lifting leg against gravity exercises every part of the leg namely glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves, even your arms and core. Any person having weak joints or faces joint pains can feel gradual relief after step workouts

4.  An instant adrenaline rush, a release of happy hormones and the satisfaction of an intense workout, stair climbing for weight loss revitalises the mind.

5.  What is better than a workout regime that takes care of your overall health? Step climbing and exercises limit the risk of any diseases and illnesses like headaches, high blood pressure, diabetes and strokes. It thereby reduces the risk of mortality in an individual.

6.  Agility, balance, endurance, gait, mental focus and coordination further add to the advantages of step climbing for weight loss.

Tips for effective stair climbing

1. Muscles in the back of your legs get a good stretch when you cover more stairs at once and makes the challenge a fun chase.

2. Before you begin the workout, prepare your body for a heated session with a slow-paced warmup and gradually increase the pace as your muscles begin to loosen up.

3. Climb sideways getting your left and right inner thighs in motion for a slender tone.

4. Intensify your experience of stair climbing for weight loss with swift and rapid sprints.

5. Hop onto the stairs with your legs close to each other and reduce some extra calories.

6. Avoid using the railing to exercise your arms and upper body.

7. Other than your workout sessions, take the stairs whenever possible to add some extra minutes to your fitness plan.

8. Stair walking for weight loss might not be as easy as you reckon. Make sure you take 5-minute breaks to get a good breath and maintain a healthy nutrition intake before and after the workout.

Stair climbing vs. Other exercises

You would’ve seen people dealing with joint problems hesitant to practise cardio. Walking steps solves this problem because it is a low impact exercise and doesn’t greatly affect the knees and other joints. The force of gravity is lesser when climbing up than running on ground and thus, saves your joints from the pain.

Unlike gyms and other professional exercise equipment, stairs are accessible everywhere be it your house or the park in your colony. When short of time, you wouldn’t have to rush to a gym to complete your workout, you might as well do the same exercises at your home and still get effective results. For those days that you miss your training sessions, you could utilise your office breaks for a walk or a few up and down the stairs and still keep up with the consistency.

Stair workouts involve every part of the body and are highly budget friendly. You don’t have to pay a grand at a gym or hire a personal trainer or even buy yourself equipment. The stairs really are the only equipment you need.

For those especially wanting to tone and strengthen their legs, there can never be a better workout than making the best use of our homey stairs.

HIIT workouts tend to give a sudden sore pain to the body and might not adjust to every fitness level but stair climbing for weight loss gives you full freedom to adapt your body to the routine by changing the pace and intensity.

Can climbing stairs reduce weight faster than running and walking? Yes, it sure can. Struggling against gravity, moving in a vertical pattern without any weather limitations, climbing stairs proves to be more helpful.

Precautions and considerations

An excitement to your legs, it must still be pursued with some precautions and considerations.

1. Opt for comfortable and non-slippery shoes for an uninterrupted run up the stairs.

2. Wear moisture absorbing socks to avoid any discomfort or shoe bites.

3. As much as you might be excited to tackle this challenge, don’t climb too many steps at once.

4. Make use of well-lit steps that have a stable surface to avoid any mishaps.

5. Have a stable posture and don’t arch your back while climbing and ensure that you’re light on your feet and not putting too much strain.

Sample stair climbing workouts

As a beginner or an intermediary, there are a range of workouts you can achieve when climbing stairs for weight loss.

1. Stair Lunges – Stand at the bottom of the stairs and extend your right leg skipping 2 or 3 stairs. Give it a good stretch and then switch to the left leg.

2. Calf Raises – Stand at the first step balancing your feet halfway while hanging off the heels from the edge. Catch hold of the railing and start by lifting up your body. Hold the calf raise for 5-10 seconds and repeat it again. As you gain a good balance, you can slowly let go off the railing and do it with one leg too.

3. Stair Crawls – Keep both your arms and legs on the ground in a steady position. Take a steady position, lift up your knees and raise your toes. Straighten your back and begin crawling up.

4. Stair Pushups – Place both your hands on the stairs and rest the legs behind you, stretching in a plank position. Lower down your body and pull yourself back up and keep repeating till you can feel your core and thighs strengthening.

5. Triceps Stair Dips – Seat yourself on the second or the third step and keep hands on the sides. Put your heels on the floor and dip your body down slowly and come back up. Keep repeating the same.

Bottomline

Is climbing stairs good for weight loss? You must be way past that question now. Your friendly stairs at home give you not only the benefit of fat loss but also maintains cardiorespiratory, mental and physical health. Use them just beyond travelling to a different floor and they’ll give you the best of results.

Frequently Asked Questions 

1. How effective is stair climbing for weight loss compared to other forms of cardio?

Stair climbing workouts are not only versatile with fitness levels and exercises but also have a low impact on joints, are easily accessible and budget friendly.

2. Is stair climbing a good exercise for beginners trying to lose weight?

Stair climbing is probably one of the best exercises as a beginner. You can manipulate the intensity and pace according to your stamina and gradually keep increasing it. Just with stairs you can get a wholesome weight loss experience for your entire body.

3. How often should I climb stairs in a week to see weight loss results?

You must climb about 50 steps or for 20-30 minutes per day and for about 4-5 times a week.

4. Can stair climbing be combined with other exercises for a more effective weight loss routine?

Make an interval training routine and alternate your stair climbing sessions with pushups, lunges, crawls, mountain climbers, split squats, chair dips and more!

5. Is it necessary to maintain a certain speed or intensity while climbing stairs for weight loss?

You should maintain a certain speed or intensity and keep increasing it to reap out the best results but you must begin at a slow and stable pace. As your body adjusts, you can push yourself for more.