Workout Wednesday-My love for stairs!

My love for Stairs.

So I have to say stair workouts are by far one of my favorite workouts.  They are focused, intense and the ROI on them are huge. 

Benefits of Stair workouts: 

• You are getting both cardiovascular gains from both an aerobic capacity but also anaerobic which for most is a state that is untouched.  
• Moving at an inclines recruits lower body muscles in a way that normal standing or regular floor workouts can't match. 
• Stairs also require you to center your body for balance and going up the stairs works your core much differently than going down the stairs.  
• Although the upper body is not getting a huge amount of work, you can mix in some upper body work such as push-up on the stairs, seated dips and even use the rail (if applicable) as an assisted pull up bar.  

Things to consider:
Going up and down stairs does place stress on the ankle, knee and hip joints. The stress can be even more than that of jogging or walking to it is important to consult a physician if you have any major knee issues or pain. If working under expert guidance you can benefit from stair workouts as long as you are working equally among both sides of the body.  Also proper warm-up, cool-down and corrective exercises will all help make the stairs fun for everyone.

Here is one of my favorite stair workouts.  Make sure you stairs are clear of debris and not wet.  Have fun and let me know what you think.

Warm-up: Walk up and down the stairs 2-4 times

(you can insert dynamic stretches here or transition into the workout if already completed)

Speed walk or light jog up the stairs 2-3 times

Run up the stairs 2x

Right hip lead up 2x

Focus on keeping your hips square to the side and driving that knee up each step. Keep abs in and chest up. 

Left hip lead up 2x

Same as above

Single foot/leg hop up. 

Right foot 1x

Left foot 1x

Repeat 2x through

Squat jump up

Squat and then jump up moving yourself up each step landing softly on each step with your core engaged and chest up. Try to keep your weight distributed equally center with emphasis on your heels.  Avoid leaning/squatting forward into the knees. 

You can start with one step and graduate to 2-3 steps as you get stronger. 

Push-ups on the stairs

In push-up position you can stay stationary and work through 2-3 sets of 12-15 push-ups or you can bear crawl up 2-3 steps and then push up 1-2 times before progressing up the stairs.

Tricep dips

In a seated position facing away from the step with hips close. Put your palms down with finger tips facing your hips. Hinging at the elbows, lift and lower yourself allowing the tricep to contract and release. Squeeze at the top when your arm is straight. Do not let your shoulders creep up on you so focus on keeping your chest lifted, abs in and elbows pointing back. 

Warm-down

Walk up and down the stairs (easy pace) 2-3 times. 

Drink lots of water and stretch where you need to, but most of all SMILE...you are done!

Get up and move and have a happy Wednesday!