Prepping for stair climbing
lorrpb
Posts: 11,463 Member
I'm going to do an event that involves climbing 800+ stairs in a row. I don't have access to stairs to get ready (literally my only stairs are 4 steps up to my porch, no tall buildings nearby), so what are the best exercises to do? I'm thinking lots of lunges, calf raises, and step ups. I say calf raises because my calves tend to hurt after climbing lots of steps. I already work out 3x week and do light running, so I've got a baseline fitness, just looking to tune up for this particular event. Thanks for any suggestions.
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find a gym with a stairmaster1
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Up and down the four stairs 200 times?
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Cycling perhaps?
I cycle a lot and that seems complimentary to stair climbing. I walked up and down the 14 floors of my office block repeatedly for 50 minutes without any problem when training for a hill climb. Got some funny looks from my co-workers though!
Had some slight soreness in my calves next day but nothing major.1 -
I agree about cycling, especially uphill. Probably standing up on the pedals to climb. Failing that, walking up hill should work nicely too.0
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I was going to suggest incline walking, either outside or on treadmill. Good luck! Sounds grueling!
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Up and down the four stairs 200 times?
This did not work for me, I did a 40 floor stair climb which was around 900 stairs. We did a 30 stair climb up and down a bunch...the down really gave us too much break. I didn't find any stairs to work on, but for next year I found somewhere with 200+ stairs. I think I will practice on that. My problem was not my legs, more my lungs than that. I finished it in around 12 minutes of just a steady pace.1 -
Stairmaster?0
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Practicing on the step mill would be the way to go, IMHO.0
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Oops forgot to mention, no stairmaster or incline treadmill available. I do have an elliptical I can crank up, although it's not quite the same motion.
There will be no down, all up!
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I'd work on your stamina. That is what is going to hurt most. You can do it with circuit training or add sprints to your runs.
Also, do you have a highschool nearby with bleachers?0 -
Are you doing one of the charity stair climb events? That's tough, without true replication, but any intense cardio should really help you out cause it's endurance. And watch some videos of the building you'll be climbing for technique tips.0
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there's a good idea... a sports field with stands/bleachers etc... or you can build yourself a 12 inch step bench... something a bit taller than a "normal" stair riser and then overload by filling your hands with dumbbells or start with a 20 lb bag of flour on your shoulders... and move up to a 40-60 lb bag of cement 9 if you are going to use the cement (or a sand bag) make sure you wrap it so it doesn't spew dust all over the place. and THEN do sets of 50 reps on each leg... start with 10-15 on each leg (not alternating) and build from there... I guarantee if you can do 100 reps on each leg (non-alternating) with 40 lbs your legs will carry you to the top of the highest building... of course cardio is another matter0
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It can depend on where you live. If you are in a suburban area you can go exploring for buildings that have decent flights of stairs.
Of course you will still have to get down to start over and have that break but the decline can too be training if you let it.
If there are mountains or hills nearby try using a good steep but safe one to supplement the training you decide upon.
Have fun!!!!!0 -
I did no prep and survived my charity stair climb. It was a LOT easier than I was imagining.
Does your town have a stadium at the high school where you can climb the bleachers? That seems to be a pretty popular location for doing stairs.1 -
How bout the elliptical at the hardest resistance you can handle? If you can plow away for 30 min on that I'm sure you'll do fine on the stairs.
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I did a stair climb event a couple times some years back. They were wonderfully memorable events for me (1700+ steps). I had the good fortune to have a flight of stairs to train on but since you don't, I'd do step ups, either on your porch steps or on a step stool or other sturdy object. When training, it was my legs that complained initially, then my lungs, and during the event, to my surprise, my arms tired. Training at home I didn't use the railing to help pull myself up (cause that felt like cheating), but during the event I realized it's not (aided in that decision by the fact that everyone else used the railing). So my arms grew tired quickly. Not sure how you might mimic this movement at home -- maybe tie a rope to something and pull yourself along in sock feet?
I also want to advise you, as with any longer event, to not let adrenaline cause you to run up the stairs too quickly in the beginning.
Last, depending on how busy the event is, you may be met with a moral quandary. The first time I did it I moved to the outside of the stairwell whenever I heard someone coming up behind me, but most of the time when I approached someone they stayed put on the inside of the stairwell leaving me to pass on the outside. It makes more of a difference than you might think. The second year I started the event earlier and found that whenever I approached someone they moved to the outside, and let me pass on the inside. But I also had to pass a lot fewer people. Maybe the keeners start sooner.
The training for this event really helped my cardio. I had to be in close to the best shape of my life for the second one. I'm almost jealous!0 -
Ready2Rock206 wrote: »I did no prep and survived my charity stair climb. It was a LOT easier than I was imagining.
Does your town have a stadium at the high school where you can climb the bleachers? That seems to be a pretty popular location for doing stairs.
Unfortunately the local high school stadium is not open to the public for liability reasons and there is nothing else close by. I was just wondering if there are other exercises that would help out.0 -
Ready2Rock206 wrote: »I did no prep and survived my charity stair climb. It was a LOT easier than I was imagining.
Does your town have a stadium at the high school where you can climb the bleachers? That seems to be a pretty popular location for doing stairs.
Unfortunately the local high school stadium is not open to the public for liability reasons and there is nothing else close by. I was just wondering if there are other exercises that would help out.
Any hills/mountains? I seriously did no prep at all but I do hike so maybe that helped me.0 -
Yes, I regularly walk hills of 10-20 stories in our neighborhood or hood. I'd have to do some looking to find bigger ones.0
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I think lunges would be the best way to train for it if you don't have access to a gym. Lunges are killer and are a great way to train for it. If you have access to a gym do squats, leg press and weighted lunges those would build up the main muscles that are involved with going up stairs. I'd also say that when you run, run exclusively on your toes (as if you were sprinting, but not at that speed) and it will give you a great calf workout while doing your run.1
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Cycling and/or hiking uphill.
Do you have any stairs anywhere ... bleachers? stairs up a cliff on a hike? a 2-story building?0 -
Yes, I regularly walk hills of 10-20 stories in our neighborhood or hood. I'd have to do some looking to find bigger ones.
I think your legs are going to fine. The ones I did is 900+ steps and I didn't do any special training, but I do some HIIT regularly. Just keep hill walking and get your lung capacity up. After the event, you hear a lot of people coughing. The only other workout I can compare the feeling in my lungs to was when I did 7 straight minutes of burpees (71 burpees).1 -
I'd work on your stamina. That is what is going to hurt most. You can do it with circuit training or add sprints to your runs.
Also, do you have a highschool nearby with bleachers?
the high school bleachers would be my suggestion as well. I would also agree that the lunges and calf raises will be really helpful. Make sure you are keeping your IT band (tendon that runs from outer hip to outer knee) stretched.1 -
Is there an open track near by? Some place with bleachers? You may have to drive around a bit to find one. Also, what about where you work? I build in climbing the stairs a few times a day although I work on the first floor.0
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Yes, I regularly walk hills of 10-20 stories in our neighborhood or hood. I'd have to do some looking to find bigger ones.
I think your legs are going to fine. The ones I did is 900+ steps and I didn't do any special training, but I do some HIIT regularly. Just keep hill walking and get your lung capacity up. After the event, you hear a lot of people coughing. The only other workout I can compare the feeling in my lungs to was when I did 7 straight minutes of burpees (71 burpees).
Surely the cardio can't be worse than a 5k?0 -
Yes, I regularly walk hills of 10-20 stories in our neighborhood or hood. I'd have to do some looking to find bigger ones.
I think your legs are going to fine. The ones I did is 900+ steps and I didn't do any special training, but I do some HIIT regularly. Just keep hill walking and get your lung capacity up. After the event, you hear a lot of people coughing. The only other workout I can compare the feeling in my lungs to was when I did 7 straight minutes of burpees (71 burpees).
Surely the cardio can't be worse than a 5k?
I don't run due to a hip surgery and I don't enjoy it so I can't answer that. I will bike and swim and do HIIT training, climbing the stairs is just different. One of the girls who does it with my does the stair climber at her gym to train, but she still has the same lung problem that I do. I personally think you will be fine since you are active already. The Burpees were actually worse than the stair climb even though the stair climb took me longer. It's the only other workout I have done that I can compare it too.
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Yes, I regularly walk hills of 10-20 stories in our neighborhood or hood. I'd have to do some looking to find bigger ones.
I think your legs are going to fine. The ones I did is 900+ steps and I didn't do any special training, but I do some HIIT regularly. Just keep hill walking and get your lung capacity up. After the event, you hear a lot of people coughing. The only other workout I can compare the feeling in my lungs to was when I did 7 straight minutes of burpees (71 burpees).
Surely the cardio can't be worse than a 5k?
I don't run due to a hip surgery and I don't enjoy it so I can't answer that. I will bike and swim and do HIIT training, climbing the stairs is just different. One of the girls who does it with my does the stair climber at her gym to train, but she still has the same lung problem that I do. I personally think you will be fine since you are active already. The Burpees were actually worse than the stair climb even though the stair climb took me longer. It's the only other workout I have done that I can compare it too.
I agree about it being different. Something about stairwells that are rarely used with poor circulation plays a part. My first one I was coughing up black gunk for a couple of days.0 -
Yes, I regularly walk hills of 10-20 stories in our neighborhood or hood. I'd have to do some looking to find bigger ones.
I think your legs are going to fine. The ones I did is 900+ steps and I didn't do any special training, but I do some HIIT regularly. Just keep hill walking and get your lung capacity up. After the event, you hear a lot of people coughing. The only other workout I can compare the feeling in my lungs to was when I did 7 straight minutes of burpees (71 burpees).
Surely the cardio can't be worse than a 5k?
I don't run due to a hip surgery and I don't enjoy it so I can't answer that. I will bike and swim and do HIIT training, climbing the stairs is just different. One of the girls who does it with my does the stair climber at her gym to train, but she still has the same lung problem that I do. I personally think you will be fine since you are active already. The Burpees were actually worse than the stair climb even though the stair climb took me longer. It's the only other workout I have done that I can compare it too.
I agree about it being different. Something about stairwells that are rarely used with poor circulation plays a part. My first one I was coughing up black gunk for a couple of days.
Oh no, this climb is outside, around the outside of the Seattle Space Needle! Lots of fresh air and fabulous views. Hopefully the wind won't be blowing too hard!1 -
Yes, I regularly walk hills of 10-20 stories in our neighborhood or hood. I'd have to do some looking to find bigger ones.
I think your legs are going to fine. The ones I did is 900+ steps and I didn't do any special training, but I do some HIIT regularly. Just keep hill walking and get your lung capacity up. After the event, you hear a lot of people coughing. The only other workout I can compare the feeling in my lungs to was when I did 7 straight minutes of burpees (71 burpees).
Surely the cardio can't be worse than a 5k?
I don't run due to a hip surgery and I don't enjoy it so I can't answer that. I will bike and swim and do HIIT training, climbing the stairs is just different. One of the girls who does it with my does the stair climber at her gym to train, but she still has the same lung problem that I do. I personally think you will be fine since you are active already. The Burpees were actually worse than the stair climb even though the stair climb took me longer. It's the only other workout I have done that I can compare it too.
I agree about it being different. Something about stairwells that are rarely used with poor circulation plays a part. My first one I was coughing up black gunk for a couple of days.
Oh no, this climb is outside, around the outside of the Seattle Space Needle! Lots of fresh air and fabulous views. Hopefully the wind won't be blowing too hard!
That sounds awesome compared to the dusty stairwell I have done it in!1
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