Take Your Workout To “The Next Level” Using Stairs

You’re a busy woman, with limited time to exercise. You might even want to train for an hour but end up not having time. With everything you have to get done in a day, you want maximum results in minimum time-  exercise that delivers a cardio workout while also toning your body and legs. The truth is you have access to the cheapest, effective form of exercise, and it might even be in your own home or apartment building. Yes, I’m referring to the stairs. 

I love adding stair drills to my cardio or warm up routine.

Here’s why:

Stairs Training Magnifies Your Fitness, in Turn Burning Fat
Stairs offer huge cardiovascular benefits and of course this would be the number one reason to add it to your training plan. A person weighing 75kg could burn up to 340 calories in just 20 minutes by running up and down stairs. It’s an easy way to burn fat during cardio days while following my Newbie Body Program or the Stairs Series on my RushTushFit App.

Even though flat surface walking and incline walking is appropriate to burn fat. Running stairs demands more muscular work and is obviously a lot harder, meaning you will burn calories just recovering from your workout.

It Burns Calories Even After You’ve Completed Your Session.
Walking up an incline requires more effort to maintain your balance and stairs (at a 15 percent incline) burns about 67 percent more calories than walking on flat surfaces. 

It’s Free 
You don’t need to spend every day in the gym or in a workout class. What I love about stairs and climbing anything is the opportunity to be in a new environment, and getting in my zone. It’s a therapeutic moment for me, reaching summits and releasing energy.

Keep the body guessing and change things up by alternating stairs with running outdoors. That way you will also avoid a plateau during weight loss. 

Stairs Offers Body Toning Benefits 
Think tighter, firmer glutes.

You can add resistance exercises to your routine by holding dumbbells or a kettlebell while performing elevated leg lunges and calf raises on the first step. You can even do box jumps, burpees and mountain climbers on the first step to increase your calorie burn.

For an added burn, I also love strapping on a pair of ankle weights before jogging up the stairs. A weighted vest is also great.

It’s Quick
You don’t have to jog up the stairs for hours. The stairs help your body go into cardiovascular fat-burning mode super quickly. Keep your stair sweat sessions to 10 to 30 minutes.

And there you go. Using stairs is the perfect way to work the entire body by elevating the heart rate, torching calories while also shaping and sculpting your glutes, quads, hamstrings and your calves.

All this, in the most affordable way and shortest time possible.

Love,
Rush