Want to burn calories? Stair climbing may be the most effective exercise for you

If you’re trying to lose weight and want a new way to do it, taking the stairs as a regular exercise—or just adding a few flights a day—may be for you.

It’s achievable and research shows it’s more effective than walking on flat ground.

“In general, it’s a fact that stair climbing makes you fit faster and burns more calories,” said Lauri van Houten, vice president of the International Skyrunning Federation, which oversees a wide range of disciplines that include vertical climbing.

This includes disciplines such as mountain running over 2,000 meters (about 6,500 feet) or events such as the World Climbing Championships.

These races are for the very fit, but we’re talking here about adding a few minutes of stair climbing to your daily routine and raising awareness of their effectiveness for all ages.

“How many calories will I burn is the question everyone wants to know,” van Houten said. “Here’s the good news: the total energy expenditure of exercise depends on your weight. Therefore, the more you weigh, the more you burn.”

Climbing stairs burns calories – fast

Research shows that you burn about 20 times more calories climbing stairs than walking on flat ground.

Even going down the stairs burns about five times as much, the muscles are working to slow the descent of the body.

This may be all you need to know if you are trying to lose weight.

Dr. Alberto Minetti, a physiologist and biomechanist at the University of Milan, has done extensive research into human movement – including stair climbing.

“It’s an exercise that everyone can do,” Minetti told The Associated Press. “You always have stairs close to you – free of charge compared to a gym.”

Minetti did the math to explain why climbing stairs is so effective for burning calories in a short amount of time.

“To move 1 kilogram of body mass over 1 horizontal meter, you expend 0.5 calories,” he said. “If you move 1 kilogram of body mass vertically on the scale, it’s 10 calories. So it’s 20 times more calories moving vertically than horizontally.”

Trained as a physician, Minetti has spent his career in research rather than treating patients.

He suggested “watching your speed” for not many juniors and beginners.

He climbs the stairs himself in his third-floor residence in Milan.

He said he often takes a few deep breaths before climbing, which makes him feel fresher at the top.

In a scientific study, Minetti points out that using the arms in stair climbing adds extra strength.

Handrails also provide safety.

The magazine notes that handrails are available on most staircases in skyscrapers, which maximizes “the mass of muscles involved and, therefore, the mechanical/metabolic power of climbing” by including the arms.

“They’re relatively small muscles in the arms, but better than nothing,” Minetti said.

Stairs are everywhere

If stair climbing were an Olympic sport, Suzy Walsham would own a handful of gold medals.

She has won 10 races up New York’s Empire State Building – officially 1,576 stairs.

She has won titles in more than 100 international ladder competitions and was once considered the women’s no. 1 in this discipline.

Five times, the Australian has won the climbs of the Eiffel Tower.

That was pretty easy, apparently.

When she lived in Singapore, Walsham climbed her 29-story building – 37 times in a row.

It took more than four hours, taking the lift down each time after reaching the top with short breaks for coffee or water. It covered a vertical distance of 3,200 meters (10,500 feet).

But let’s base it.

What are the advantages of stair climbing as a regular exercise routine for the rest of us?

“You get a lot for your money,” Walsham told the AP. “Many people struggle to run as they get older. The impact of running becomes harder on the joints. But stair training is a great alternative.”

Stairs are everywhere – one flight, two flights at home, inside skyscrapers, in stadiums and arenas, at work, in shopping centers, on the subway.

A huge advantage of climbing stairs is that it doesn’t take much time.

It’s easy to build, adding a few steps every day or week and improves balance.

On the downside, it’s not very scenic, especially on the stairs of tall skyscrapers.