most efficient/effective use of stairs?

KCoyoteco

I'm going to be out of the country for a couple of weeks or more. Where I stay is on the sixth floor and I usually do stairs when I'm there. I'm wondering though if there is a better routine than just going up and down? Perhaps an interval training sort of thing. I should have a fair amount of spare time and plan to use the stairs. (I don't have any stairs at home.) Any suggestions, or suggested links. I'll do a seach later, too.

hsmithway

My personal trainer has me do an exercise where I step up onto a step, and then very slowly lower one foot behind me until it touches the ground. It sounds easy, but usually when we step down, we just sort of plop down instead of controlling the motion, so it's a lot harder than you'd think. Though the step thingie at the gym might be set higher than a regular step, too.

onawho

I think doing things like doing double steps, (skip a step) is good. when you see people do stadium stair runs, they are running.

Where are you going?

KCoyoteco

Thanks for the ideas. Those are both good ones. Just doing the stairs is great for my knees - I couldn't do two right now, or not many of two, but in a few days that should change. I'll try the slow downward movement - that could be tough, especially after a few sets. The knees - well, it's just the one now - are doing better and held up great skiing last week, but my legs were not strong enough. I'll do the stairs, and am thinking I'll do p90x, buy some weights there.
I'm going to a suburb of Bombay for a couple of weeks, but most of the time will be spent doing business rather than going into town or around the country. But, great food, great visits with people, a bit of sailing, There is a nice walking path by the sea nearby, so there is that also. It's a bit hard, though, because the lifestyle there just isn't quite as active as being here taking care of farm/ranch work. My downfall.though, will be the water buffalo cream! I love that stuff, and everyone knows it! lol Well, any water buffalo milk based dairy is the best thing ever, but the cream is the best of that. A good thing is that I'll eat a lot of papayas which is great for my weak ligaments/tendons (knees) - pineapples and papayas.

KCoyoteco

hsmithway, in rereading your post, I think you are talking about going backwards off the step? like walking down the stairs backwards very slowly? That's a great one. I walk backwards on the treadmill. A friend said the pt told her to do that after her surgery.
Thanks!

hsmithway

hsmithway, in rereading your post, I think you are talking about going backwards off the step? like walking down the stairs backwards very slowly? That's a great one. I walk backwards on the treadmill. A friend said the pt told her to do that after her surgery.
Thanks!

Yes, exactly like that!

ymaisred

KCoyoteco, you have inspired me! I work in a 4 story building on the 2nd floor. Today I went up and down them 3 times in 10 min. It is great way to break up the day... I figure if my co-worker can have 6 cigarette breaks, one or two stair breaks for me should be OK!

KCoyoteco

KCoyoteco, you have inspired me! I work in a 4 story building on the 2nd floor. Today I went up and down them 3 times in 10 min. It is great way to break up the day... I figure if my co-worker can have 6 cigarette breaks, one or two stair breaks for me should be OK!

Your idea of doing the stairs for a break, maybe once (or more) in the morning and once (or more) in the afternoon may really produce fantastic results, both in fitness and in making you feel refreshed when you get back to your office.

spacehorse79

That is also what I do on my 15 minute breaks at work. We have 30 steps to upstairs offices and I jog up and down them very briskly 3 times then I walk the rest of the time to cool off.

I have to really overdress to be comfortable in our office so I usually end up jogging the stairs in a sweater and a vest over it...LOL

This works really well especially in the morning. I have to get up at 430 to be at work by 6, then I sit for 3 hours after I get there till break time. Helps me wake up cause mornings are usually somewhat slow for me.

KCoyoteco

A month ago apparently, I left. I could not successfully diet with the greasy food (delicious as it was) and schedule, so took a break. I did, however, do the stairs a lot, did the backwards up, did two steps up and down, ran them up and down so that was good. I got back to much more work than I expected so didn't address getting back on track. So, my food intake has been way too high in sugar. My exercise has been pretty good, started swimming and going to the gym, and doing treadmill etc at home. The swimming is good, but not real exercise for me. I did time myself and would be a strong swimmer in a sprint triathlon - I will work on speed, but I'm an efficient swimmer so it doesn't really work as exercise for me - even swimming continuously for 45 minutes at a good pace - nothing exercise wise. Too bad really. So I moved on to the eliptical machine combined with a recumbent exercise bike and found something that is good for my legs at least for a couple of weeks.

So, I'm doing stuff but have to get my sugar intake down - will take magnesium to curb that.

When I got back I couldn't get into this site, and was only successful today when I reset my password. I had tried that before, though, and it was not successful.

I'll catch up on everyone now.