Running Stairs Benefits

The Benefits of Running Stairs

Quick Summary

Running Stairs Benefits include improving your cardiovascular system, boosting your VO2 max, increasing your stamina, and burning lots of calories in a short amount of time. It also requires very little equipment and no gym fees.

Table of Contents

 Running Stairs Benefits

There are many Running Stairs Benefits, including improving your cardiovascular system, boosting your VO2 max, and increasing your stamina. You will also burn calories and feel leaner. These are just a few of the benefits of running stairs. It would be best if you tried to run stairs at least three times a week. Running stairs is a great way to start an exercise routine that will improve your overall health. If you run stairs regularly, you’ll be surprised at how quickly your muscles and entire body respond. Here are some of the benefits of running stairs: 

  1. Increase V02 max
  2. Improve overall stamina
  3. Burn calories 
  4. Improve your heart health
  5. Less muscle damage 
  6. Tones and sculpts your body
  7. Increase core muscle strength
  8. Maximizes your cardio efforts
  9. All around health boast

Increase VO2 max

Increasing your VO2 max can help you perform better if you are a recreational athlete. While some of the most popular ways to improve your maximum heart rate are by exercising hard and at high intensity, pushing yourself hard during workouts is essential to maximize your fitness and cardiovascular health.

Research on the benefits of running stairs has indicated that short bouts of stair climbing can increase VO2 max. The study found that those who performed the exercise consistently increased their VO2 max over time. Although running stairs is not a cardio workout, short bouts of stair climbing can increase your VO2 max and improve your overall fitness.

A study found that short stair climbs effectively increased VO2 max in sedentary young adults. This protocol would also benefit new runners looking to improve their fitness. Running stairs benefits participants by performing three stair intervals daily, with at least an hour of recovery time between breaks. After six weeks, their VO2 max increased by 12 percent.

Improve overall stamina

Running stairs benefits those who want to improve their stamina while running. Gradually increase the intensity of your workouts by 10 to 20 percent each week. This gradual increase in intensity will help your body get used to the new exercise routine. Regular exercise will improve your energy levels, sleep quality, and cognitive functioning. In addition, improving stamina will help you improve your endurance in other aspects of your life.

Adding weight or kettlebells in between stairs can make the exercises more challenging. Instead, break your workouts into sections by performing them at the top and the bottom of a staircase. Focusing on good form is essential for the most effective conditioning.

Stair workouts increase the strength and function of larger muscle groups while strengthening smaller stabilizer muscles. They are also neuromuscular exercises, which train the brain to recruit muscle fibers more efficiently. Running stairs benefits include faster turnover times and injury prevention. Running stairs also forces your body to shorten your stride and adopt a forward lean, which helps improve running form.

Burn calories

Another benefit of running stairs is that you will burn lots of calories in a short period of time. The average person will burn about 0.1 calories per step. The more stairs you climb and descend, the more calories you burn. You don’t need any equipment or special training to start running stairs.

Sedentary lifestyles fuel the global obesity epidemic. By adding regular physical activity to your life, taking the stairs is an easy way to break that pattern. The best part is you’ll burn more calories than you would if you were to walk or run. Running stairs benefits you by burning more fat and reducing your diabetes and heart disease risk.

If you’re looking for a more intense workout, you can add free weights to your stair climb. This extra weight will increase the intensity of your aerobic and anaerobic exercise. A simple way to add free weights is to hold a pair of dumbbells at chest level. Then, push the dumbbells over your head. Do this for a complete set of thirty repetitions. Then, repeat this routine two or three times to see the benefits.

Improve your heart health

Running stairs is a great way to build your cardiovascular fitness. Cardiovascular exercise increases your heart rate and strengthens your heart. According to the Mayo Clinic, you should do at least 30 minutes of cardio daily. However, you can split it into ten-minute increments if you don’t have enough time. Running stairs benefits you by raising your heart rate faster than walking, allowing you to exercise more in less time.

Aside from burning calories, running stairs has many other benefits. It builds agility, speed, and cardiovascular fitness. A 140-pound man will burn about 336 calories in half an hour by climbing and descending stairs. As a bonus, stair climbing builds muscle, which burns more calories than fat.

Running up stairs works your hamstrings and calf muscles while going down requires using your abdominal muscles. It also works your quadriceps and hip flexors. 

Less Muscle Damage

Running stairs can provide a challenging workout while preserving your body’s flexibility. In addition, running stairs benefits you by building leg strength and power. Another benefit of running stairs is that it is also beneficial for the joints since the impact is less. While some worry about the damage to their knees, sustaining an injury while running stairs isn’t expected.

When you run upstairs, you engage in plyometric exercises that engage your muscles in short bursts of high force. These exercises are similar to lunges and squats and strengthen your leg muscles and cardiovascular system. 

If you are an older adult, you can still reap the benefits of running stairs. It can reduce the physiological changes that accompany aging. If you take up the activity regularly, you can limit the damage to your muscles, and your body will thank you. And while running stairs isn’t for everyone, it is excellent exercise to keep your body healthy.

Tones and sculpts your body

Running stairs is an excellent workout for your entire body. Stair climbing engages your most prominent muscle groups and increases the strength of your core. It’s also a low-impact workout that tones your lower body better than other exercises. It helps you improve your endurance and improve your recovery time.

In addition, Running stairs benefits include increased lung capacity and improved respiratory function. Doctors have found that stair climbing is a safe, effective way to measure lung capacity in patients. Of course, another benefit of running stairs is that it helps with losing weight and boosting energy levels. Aside from losing fat, stair climbing improves coordination, balance, and body coordination. Your upper and lower body muscles are equally involved in this workout.

Increases core muscle strength

Running stairs is an excellent exercise to increase your core muscle strength. Running stairs uses large and small lower body muscles, including the glutes, hamstrings, and calves. It is an excellent cross-training exercise that helps to correct muscle imbalances and prevent injuries. This exercise also improves bone density and muscle tone. In addition, running stairs increases core muscle strength by building strength in the abdominal area and lower body.

Running stairs also helps build leg strength and muscle memory. It also conditions the cardiovascular system, making your lower back stronger. In addition, the vertical motion of running stairs requires more work from your lower body, allowing you to burn more calories in less time. If you are a beginner, begin with a simple stair routine and add more advanced exercises as you get more advanced.

Another benefit of running stairs is that it increases core muscle strength and helps you lose weight. It requires a significant amount of energy and involves large muscle groups. Studies by Harvard Medical School show that it burns more calories than walking or running fast. You can also use it as a warm-up to your more intense workouts.

Maximizes your cardio efforts

Running stairs can be a great form of cardio exercise. Not only is it free and low impact, but you can complete a stair running workout almost anywhere. The basic technique involves running up the stairs and then running down them. Then, rest. For my local set of stairs that I run, I run up and down, which takes approximately one minute. I then rest for fifteen seconds. Then repeat. For me, this type of workout can last anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes. I gradually increase the intensity and duration of my workouts as my fitness increases.

All-Around Health Boost

Climbing stairs helps lower your blood pressure and improve your heart rate, two benefits of increasing your general well-being. Running stairs benefits also include lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels. In addition, it improves balance. Walking or running stairs for just seven minutes a day can reduce your risk of heart attack by half. 

Better blood flow means a healthier heart and a healthier body. It can also control blood sugar levels, especially for women, which is essential in maintaining overall health. Additionally, running stairs increases endorphin levels, which makes your body more efficient. This, in turn, increases your ability to do daily activities and prevents heart disease.

Additional Information & Sources
  • Getting Started with running stairs, American Council on Exercise
  • Honda, H., Igaki, M., Hatanaka, Y., Komatsu, M., Tanaka, I., Miki, T., Suzuki, T., Takaishi, T., & Hayashi, T. (2015). Stair climbing/descending exercise for a short time decreases blood glucose levels after a meal in people with type 2 diabetes. BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjdrc-2016-000232 
  • Whittaker, A. C., Eves, F. F., Carroll, D., Roseboom, T. J., Ginty, A. T., Painter, R. C., & de Rooij, S. R. (2020). Daily stair climbing is associated with decreased risk for the metabolic syndrome. BMC Public Health, 21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10965-9
  • Michael, E., White, M. J., & Eves, F. F. (2021). Home-Based Stair Climbing as an Intervention for Disease Risk in Adult Females; A Controlled Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18020603