TOKYO — If you're trying to lose weight and looking for a new way to do it, stair climbing might be just the thing to add to your regular exercise routine, or even just a few extra steps a day.
It's easy to access and studies have shown it to be more effective than walking on level ground.
“Overall, it's true that stair climbing helps you get fitter faster and burns more calories,” said Lauri van Houten, vice president of the International Skyrunning Federation, which oversees a wide range of sports including vertical climbing.
This includes mountain running, which is over 2,000 meters (about 6,500 feet) above sea level, and events such as the Stair Climbing World Championships.
While these competitions are aimed at very fit people, we are talking about adding a few minutes of stair climbing to your daily routine and raising awareness of its usefulness for all ages.
“Everyone wants to know how many calories they'll burn,” says van Houten, “and here's the good news: Your total energy expenditure from exercise is determined by your weight. So the more you weigh, the more calories you'll burn.”
Research shows that climbing stairs burns about 20 times more calories than walking on level ground, and going down stairs burns about five times as many calories as your muscles work to slow your body's descent.
If you're trying to lose weight, this is all you need to know.
Dr. Alberto Minetti, a physiologist and biomechanist at the University of Milan, has conducted extensive research into human locomotion, including stair climbing and descending.
“This is a workout that anyone can do,” Minetti told The Associated Press. “Stairs are always nearby and compared to a gym, it's free.”
Minetti explained by calculating why climbing stairs is so effective at burning calories in a short period of time.
“Moving one kilogram of body weight horizontally one meter burns 0.5 calories,” he says, “moving one kilogram of body weight vertically up the stairs burns 10 calories, so vertical movement burns 20 times more calories than horizontal movement.”
Trained as a physician, Minetti has spent his career in research rather than treating patients. He advises those who are not so young or are just starting out to “watch your speed.” He climbs the stairs himself on the third floor of his Milan home. He says he often takes a few deep breaths before climbing, which he says makes him feel refreshed at the top.
Minetti says scientific studies have shown that using your arms to climb stairs adds strength, and handrails make it safer.
The magazine points out that most staircases in high-rise buildings are equipped with handrails, and using your arms maximizes “the muscle mass involved and therefore the mechanical/metabolic power of the ascent.”
“The arm muscles are relatively small, but it's better than nothing,” Minetti says.
If stair climbing were an Olympic sport, Suzie Walsham would have won gold medals.
She has won the race up the stairs of the Empire State Building in New York (officially 1,576 steps) 10 times. She has won over 100 international stair races and was once considered the number one woman in the field.
The Australian is a five-time winner at the summit of the Eiffel Tower.
Apparently this was very easy.
While living in Singapore, Walsham climbed a 29-storey building 37 times in a row, taking more than four hours and covering a vertical distance of 3,200 metres (10,500 feet) with short breaks for coffee or water at the top and then taking the elevator back down each time.
But let's be realistic: What are the benefits for us ordinary people of making stair climbing a regular exercise habit?
“It's well worth the money,” Walsham told the AP. “A lot of people find it harder to run as they get older, and running puts a lot of strain on the joints, but stair training is a great alternative.”
Stairs are everywhere: on the first or second floor of your home, in high-rise buildings, in stadiums and arenas, at work, in shopping malls, on the subway, and more.
One of the great things about stair climbing is that it doesn't take much time – simply climbing a few stairs each day or week can be an easy way to improve your proficiency and balance.
Unfortunately the views are not that great, especially on the stairs of a high rise building.
Yuri Yoshizumi won the women's division at last year's World Stair Climbing Championships in her hometown of Osaka, climbing 285 meters (935 feet) and 1,610 steps in 10 minutes, 20.06 seconds.
“Stair climbing is an easy sport for beginners and the general public to start,” Yoshizumi told The Associated Press in an email. “It's pretty tough because elite athletes push themselves really hard. But it's good to be able to strengthen your muscles and cardiovascular system in a short period of time.”
She added that living in a big city, especially one like Osaka, is another advantage.
“You can do this in cities too,” she says. “Even just taking the stairs instead of the escalators in subway stations or department stores can be a form of exercise.”
