can climbing stairs improve running ability

If you're looking for a convenient exercise method besides running, then stair climbing might be a good choice for you.Abroad, stair climbing competitions are often held, and it has even developed into a major sporting event, attracting a lot of attention and participation. Currently, some places in China also hold regular stair climbing events.

Stair climbing is an aerobic exercise that helps us burn body fat and enhance cardiovascular function.This enhanced exercise method can train our muscles, similar to the effects of squats and deep squats, and can improve our running skills to some extent.

Nowadays, many people have a strong awareness of exercise, but due to various constraints, they don't have time to participate in sports activities. Some people want to exercise but can't find a suitable venue. In such cases, stair climbing has become a way for many people to exercise. Today, the editor will explain to you,the benefits of stair climbing for running~

What are the benefits of stair climbing?

1. Strengthen muscle stability

Stair climbing can also train the stability of your muscles, especially the gluteal and thigh muscles, which are often overlooked in daily running training. When muscle stability improves, your risk of injury will be greatly reduced.

2. Maintain joint flexibility

During stair climbing, the continuous movement of the lower back and lower limbs can effectively exercise the hip, knee, and ankle joints,preventing joint stiffness, weak muscle strength, and poor ligament strength,and maintaining joint flexibility.

3. Burn more calories

Because stair climbing is a high-intensity exercise, it can burn a lot of body calories and accelerate fat burning. This can result in better weight loss and help you maintain a standard weight. Regular stair climbing can also promote intestinal peristalsis, benefiting the digestive system and preventing constipation.

4. Enhance cardiovascular function

During stair climbing, as your breathing speeds up, your muscles rhythmically contract and relax, accelerating blood circulation, maintaining cardiovascular health, preventing hypertension, promoting energy metabolism, increasing oxygen supply to the heart muscle, and enhancing cardiovascular function.

5. Increase maximum oxygen uptake

Maximum oxygen uptake is a significant indicator of cardiovascular function, representing the maximum amount of oxygen the body can transport during high-intensity exercise. This is the dividing line between aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Stair climbing can test the cardiovascular system, prompting the heart muscle to improve its efficiency in extracting oxygen from the blood and increasing lung capacity, allowing runners to inhale more oxygen with each breath.

6. Prevent hypertension

During stair climbing, as your breathing speeds up, your muscles rhythmically contract and relax, accelerating blood circulation, maintaining cardiovascular health, preventing hypertension, and promoting energy metabolism. Additionally, stair climbing can increase oxygen supply to the heart muscle and prevent arteriosclerosis.

7. Improve sleep quality

Stair climbing can help improve sleep quality. This is because during stair climbing, the nervous system is in a resting state, effectively relieving nervous tension and helping to improve sleep quality. People with poor sleep can try stair climbing exercises one hour before bed each day.

What should you pay attention to when climbing stairs?

1. Warm-up exercises are essential

Like running, warm-up exercises are also essential for stair climbing. Before stair climbing, you should fully warm up your knees, ankles, and other joints to avoid accidental sprains or strains during exercise.

2. Proper climbing posture

When climbing stairs, keep your back straight, stay focused, and step steadily. Wear non-slip flat shoes or sports shoes. Do not touch the handrails. Lean slightly forward, bend your knees, lift your legs, and place the balls of your feet in the middle of the steps. Once stable, push off with the supporting leg to step up.

3. Gradual intensity

Although stair climbing is simple, you should start gradually based on your actual condition. Do not seek speed or high intensity at the beginning. After a period of consistent exercise, you can gradually increase the speed or duration, but do not overdo it, as it may burden your heart and lungs.

4. Not everyone can climb stairs

During stair climbing, the knees bear 3-4 times the body weight, so people with knee injuries or old joint injuries should not try stair climbing. The increased knee flexion during stair climbing increases the pressure between the patella and femur, exacerbating knee pain.

5. Pay attention to descending posture

When descending stairs, lean back slightly, relax your muscles, and place the balls of your feet in the middle of the steps. To reduce knee pressure, land on the balls of your feet first, then transition to the whole foot.

6. Protecting your knees is crucial

Stair climbing is a weight-bearing exercise, and often,the knees need to bend 80 to 90 degrees and bear the entire body weight at this angle. Repeating this action can wear out the joints and damage ligaments and menisci. Therefore, stair climbing training should not be too long. You can try wearing knee pads to protect your knees.

Summary

Due to the high intensity of stair climbing, it requires certain demands on knee joints, cardiovascular function, and balance. Therefore, runners should train according to their physical condition.

If you experience chest tightness, palpitations with heavy sweating, or worsening joint pain and swelling during stair climbing, you should stop exercising immediately.After stair climbing, you can massage your knees locally. It's best to regularly do squats, stand-ups, and static half-squats to keep your knee joints fully exercised and prevent stiffness.