Geschatte leestijd: 3 minutenThree times a week, 10 minutes of interval training by stair climbing could lead to significant improvements for the cardiovascular system. “No time to exercise, no money for a gym? No excuses.”
Stair Climbing HIT-style
Prior research on the effects of stair climbing has already shown beneficial effects, but these studies involved longer workouts of up to 70 minutes per week. Researchers from McMaster University wanted to see if shorter training times would have an effect [1]. They had 31 non-exercising but healthy women perform stair climbing in three different ways.
- 3x 20 seconds of all-out stair climbing with 2 minutes of recovery in between. One flight of stairs.
- 3 x 60 seconds of all-out stair climbing alternated with 1 minute of recovery. One flight of stairs.
- 3 x 60 seconds of all-out stair climbing alternated with 1 minute of recovery. Two flights of stairs.
Including warm-up and cool-down, all protocols lasted 10 minutes. In a first study, they compared the effort of protocol 1 with a similar protocol on a spinning bike. In a second study, they compared the results of the three different protocols.
Results
The results of the first study showed that the acute effects of the first protocol were comparable to a similar protocol on the bike. This indicated that the effort exerted was similar, considering factors such as average heart rate and acidosis. Maximum heart rate and effort were slightly higher with stair climbing. The researchers made this comparison to demonstrate that stairs can be as effective a training tool as a bike.
In the second study, they looked at the chronic effects after a period of 6 weeks during which the different protocols were performed 3 times a week. It was found that the first protocol of 3×20 seconds increased oxygen uptake (VO2max) by 12%. There was no effect on body composition; lean mass and fat mass remained the same, as did resting heart rate and insulin sensitivity.
With the 3×60 protocols, VO2max increased by 7 and 8 percent, respectively for protocols 2 and 3. Resting heart rate decreased by 8 percent after 6 weeks, and insulin sensitivity improved. Body weight increased due to a 3% increase in lean muscle mass, while fat mass remained the same.
The study does not mention anything about nutrition during the research period.
HIT vs SIT
The researchers refer to SIT (Sprint Interval Training) rather than HI(I)T (High Intensity Interval Training). HIIT alternates periods of high intensity with periods of low intensity. SIT alternates periods of the highest intensity with lower intensity. The length of these periods may vary, but with SIT, the higher intensity periods will be shorter [2,3].
Stair Climbing, Stair Racing, and Stair Falling?
Stair climbing is a form of exercise anyone can do in their own home, after work or during the lunch hour
Martin Gibala, McMaster University
For different individuals, 20 seconds of “all-out stair climbing” can mean a completely different exercise. I grew up on the 7th floor of an apartment building. “All-out stair climbing” for me means taking two or three steps at a time going up and “controlled falling” as the fastest way to come back down.
The study particularly mentions the practical application of stair climbing as a replacement for cardio equipment. However, it does not mention whether and how often participants fell during the study. If you are dealing with severe obesity, it is not advisable to sprint up and down stairs. Moreover, indoor stairs are often not recommended due to limited width and curves.
SIT using stair climbing is not suitable for everyone and may not be safe on every staircase. It requires a certain athletic ability, which in some cases may need to be trained using safer methods (e.g., a spinning bike). Furthermore, a suitable staircase may not be readily available to everyone.
However, if you happen to live in an apartment building…
References
- MARY K. ALLISON, JESSICA H. BAGLOLE, BRIAN J. MARTIN, MARTIN J. MACINNIS, BRENDON J. GURD, MARTIN J. GIBALA. Brief Intense Stair Climbing Improves Cardiorespiratory Fitness. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2017; 49 (2): 298 DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000001188
- Inoue, Allan et al. “Effects of Sprint versus High-Intensity Aerobic Interval Training on Cross-Country Mountain Biking Performance: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” Ed. Heiner Baur. PLoS ONE 11.1 (2016): e0145298. PMC. Web. 12 Feb. 2017.
- High-Intensity Interval Training, Solutions to the Programming Puzzle Part II: Anaerobic Energy, Neuromuscular Load and Practical Applications Martin Buchheit • Paul B. Laursen
