Hands up if you struggle fitting in the gym amongst other things, namely work and having a life. Well here's your solution: stair running.
It may sound intense, but the benefits of climbing stairs are immense. The average 11-stone man blazes 1.5 times more calories running up stairs than jogging. Not surprising, seeing as you burn 0.15 calories each step you take up a staircase. Maybe it’s time you started taking that intimidatingly huge staircase instead of the easy-option lift...
Reap the benefits:
- It’s diverse: you can vary your workout by taking the longer steps on the outside to feel the burn in your legs or take shorter, more compact steps on the inside to focus on speed.
- It's time-efficient: you’ll feel your thighs burning after only 60-70 steps and your heart rate will rocket almost immediately.
- It’s great for exercise newbies: because it’s a low-impact activity, it’ll help keep your joints in tip-top condition.
- It burns more calories than jogging: 15 minutes of stair climbing is equivalent to around an hour of flat-level, steady-state running.
- It’ll keep aches and pains away: you’re unlikely to have any post-exercise muscle soreness – as long as you take the lift back down.
Give these a go if you think you’re ready for the big time
Stair running has become an international sport with 150 competitive events taking place each year in 25 countries. If you think you have outgrown the underground, maybe it’s time you took it up a notch.
- Tower Running UK started in 2013. Its website posts info about UK stair race, and links to the global site where you can sign up to become a registered athlete. Among other things, you will see the points accumulated from your stair races turned into a position on the global ranking system.
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- Operation: SKYRACE takes place on 13th December at London's Heron Tower and is doubling up as the first UK Tower Running Championship Final. Other races in the series have already taken place at the Gherkin (September) and Emirates Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth (October).
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