Running up and down stairs

BwnEyedWifey

I am not able to get to my gym due to car pulling with my brother these last few weeks.. is running up and down my outside stairs a good work out?

Does anyone have good burning excercises that I can do at home without equipment. I think I have some weights, excercise ball.. and jump rope.. but thats it?

NightOwl1

Yeah, running up and down stairs is a fantastic workout.

gillleeman

Totally agee with nightowl. Do 10 mins slow climbing to warm up, then time yourself for 10-15 mins and go as fast as you can, then slow again for 5 mins. Using hrm I've burnt about 350 cals doing this.

courtrptr13

Going up and down stairs is really good exercise. And they say it's even better if you can skip a step in between. Jumping rope is also excellent.

BwnEyedWifey

Thanks for the replies! I will give it a shot

khrys1

Yes, running up and down stairs is a GREAT workout! Jump rope is also awesome- MFP says that jumping at a "moderate pace" burns 10 calories a minute! If you have weights, you can do various arm/shoulder/back/chest workouts by lifting those, and can make leg workouts tougher by holding the weights as you do squats, etc. You can use your exercise ball for tons of workouts- laying on it, you can do ab work, or you can lay on the floor and "grab" the ball with your ankles and lift it up for different ab work, you can lay on the floor with your knees at a 90 degree angle, with heels on the ball, and push up off your heels (to raise your bum in the air) for a great back of your leg workout, and do the same exact workout, except pointing toes outward to hit your inner thigh. Can also sit on the ball and squeeze for inner thigh. There are tons of workouts for the ball, weights, etc- do a search online! If all else fails, you can do walking lunges around the inside (or outside) of your house! Good luck!

audjrey

Are you kidding me???? You have everything you need on hand to get in the best shape of your life!!!!

Stairs are awesome. Walk or run them one-by-one or two-by- two. Throw some weights in a backpack and walk or run with them up and down the stairs to up the intensity.

Jump rope is excellent. Jump on both feet, one foot, side to side, back and forth, alternate your feet, skip slow for 2 minutes followed by one minute at all out speed. Take a 30 second break and go again.

Do a cardio/strength circuit blast by combining 2 minutes of skipping, one strength resistance exercise, followed by 2 minutes running stairs and another strength resistance exercise. Follow this cycle until you've worked every part of your body using weights. It should take you 45-60 minutes to complete. However, if you're short of time, then only do one of each body part and reduce your time to 30 minutes.

When it comes to using weights, do lots of squats and lunges (the largest muscles are in your behind and legs). When doing these exercises do a variety of tempo if your weights are limited. For example, let's say you are using 8 pound weights - go down for a four count (literally count to four and descend slowly so that by the time you end at the number four you've only just reached your lowest point in the squat). The come up for a count of one or two or three or four. Squat 15 times (reps), take a 10-30 second break and repeat 3 times (sets). Same goes for lunges. If you have a nice long hallway in your house, do walking lunges (literally walk forward in large lunges).

One important note is form. Make sure your knees never go over your toes. Go only as low as your body permits (this will change the more conditioned you become). And make sure when you squat, sit back as if about to sit in a chair. If your form is correct, you should be able to freely wiggle your toes without falling backwards. Don't let your shoulders droop and keep a strong straight (as opposed to rounded) back. You can google these exercises for proper form. Too, you'll find lots of you-tube videos that are helpful.

Here is a list of basic strength resistance exercises to use in conjunction with your cardio:

Legs & Glutes:
squats (narrow, hip-width and wide feet)
lunges (forward, walking, backward)
dead-lifts (bent or straight leg)

For chest:
chest press (flat, incline and decline)
chest fly (flat, incline and decline)
wide arm push ups (flat, incline and decline)

For back:
reverse flye (lay with your stomach and lower chest on the ball)
one and two arm rows
wide arm push ups
T's
Y's

For shoulders:
shoulder presses (sitting on the ball or standing)
lateral raises (sitting on the ball or standing)
frontal raises (sitting on the ball or standing)
a combination frontal and lateral raises (sitting on the ball or standing)
side-lying lateral raises (on the ball)

For biceps:
bicep curls (5-8 lbs; regular, 21's, various tempo)
concentration curls (slow and heavy)
hammer curls (slow and heavy)

For triceps:
tricep extensions (various tempo)
tricep dips (fast and slow, bent or straight legs)
narrow-arm push ups (modified or on your toes)
tricep kickbacks (5-8 lbs, various tempo)

For abs:
sit ups on the ball (various speed count/tempo and with and without weights on your chest)
side crunches (standing or lying on the ball on your side)
reverse crunches
bicycle
V-sits
rotations (standing or sitting, with or without weights)

Well, that's just a start. But like I said, you've got everything on hand to get in the best shape of your life. The rest is up to you.

All the best!!