Forget about those fancy elliptical machines that supposedly place less stress on your knees, if you want a high-intensity, calorie-burning exercise, then find the nearest flight of stairs.
Stairs are everywhere, but most fitness lovers tend to pass them by in favor of high-tech gym equipment. But, why? Stairs don’t cost a dime to use and provide a workout that returns maximum value in minimum time.
Studies show stair climbing gives you more bang for your buck because of the vertical component still, fitness experts say the exercise doesn’t have a big following. Perhaps, it’s because most exercisers don’t realize the benefits that can be attained by 30 minutes of stair climbing. According to fitness experts, compared to jogging or cycling at a moderate pace without much of an incline, stair climbing burns more calories in the same amount of time.
Fitness experts maintain that walking up stairs at a moderate intensity burns 5 calories a minute for a 120-pound person, 7 for a 150-pound person, and 9 for a 180-pound person. Meanwhile, running stairs multiplies the caloric burn and the cardiovascular benefit.
This fact is not lost on the participants of New York’s annual Empire State Building Run-Up race. Earlier this month 320 competitors raced up 86 floors and 1,576 stairs. The winner took two steps at a time and reached the observation deck finish line in 10 minutes and 7 seconds.
New York’s race is just one of several stair climbing events held in the world’s tallest skyscrapers. Towers from Taipei, Taiwan, to Milan, open their stairwells for races each year. The most popular stair climbing races in the United States include Chicago’s “Hustle up the Hancock” and Las Vegas’ “Scale the Strat.” Denver, Des Moines, Omaha and Philadelphia also host smaller versions of these vertical races.
Do you climb stairs as part of your exercise regime?
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