Stair climbing as exercise, good choice?

[singlecoil]

Not being muchly into running, I am sometimes to be found doing a spot of stair climbing. It's obviously much harder work than running on the level, and I wonder whether concentrating one's exercise into a shorter, tougher regime is a good choice. There seems to be more strain on the knees, too.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[Puggit]

Why not just do step aerobics?

[hman]

take that one step at a time




no seriously you'll hurt your knees if you dont - pre patela bursa is the most common condition from running up steps two/ three at a time.

You'll also wear out your stair carpet very quickly.

[singlecoil]

Puggit said:

Why not just do step aerobics?

Don't you need some kind of machine for that? It would need to simulate the effect of hauling my not inconsiderable weight up a flight of stairs.

[TimJMS]

Puggit said:

Why not just do step aerobics?

Denis Leary or was it Bill Hicks

[tonyvid]

I was in a dry dock at Portsmouth this week, now that is stair climbing! Bloody hell, that keeps you fit, going up and down all day.

[King Herald]

tonyvid said:

I was in a dry dock at Portsmouth this week, now that is stair climbing! Bloody hell, that keeps you fit, going up and down all day.

I knackered my knees in a dry dock in Tampa, mainly because I have (had) the silly habit of jumping down the last three or four steps. Rushing up and down stairs all day long, carrying tools, forgetting tools, back down six flights to the engine room, collect the tool, back up to the the helideck, or wherever. My knees felt like balloons after a week of that.

[Firefoot]

singlecoil said:

Puggit said:

Why not just do step aerobics?

Don't you need some kind of machine for that? It would need to simulate the effect of hauling my not inconsiderable weight up a flight of stairs.

You can either buy an overpriced piece of plastic with a brand name on it, or just go up and down the first step of your stairs to get the same effect.

[Mission Drift]

Did a Tower Run once up the Eiffel Tower, literally running up the stairs in a race. after 3 minutes I felt like I was going to die, after 4 minutes I gave up. I regularly run for over and hour but this Tower run was something else.

[singlecoil]

It's the uphill thing that really makes the difference. Running along the flat is something humans are designed to do, and a lot of energy can be conserved. But when it's uphill, the laws of physics will not be denied. IIRC raising weights was at the heart of the original horsepower calculations.

[Parrot of Doom]

Try rigging cameras for a match at either Wigan or Bradford. That'll get you fit.