How to Get a Great Workout with Your Stairs

Take your cardio up a notch with stair sprints if you're ready for a challenge. Here's the drill: sprint up the stairs as fast as you can, walk or jog back down, and repeat the process. Keep pushing yourself as long as you can—whether that's 1-2 minutes or a bit less. After a short 1-2 minute break, give it another go and see how many sets you can complete.

• Running up the stairs gets your heart rate way up. Just remember, this can be intense, so if you're not conditioned for it, take it slow and work your way up. Make sure to build up gradually to avoid potential injury or strain.
• To help maintain your speed, swing your arms as you go. This helps propel you forward and gives your body a more complete workout.
• Don’t attempt to skip steps while sprinting unless you feel very confident in your balance and strength. If you have any knee concerns, it’s best to avoid this exercise entirely.

Hop your way up the steps—one or both feet at a time, but proceed with caution. Stair hopping is a high-intensity plyometric move that doubles as both cardio and strength training. Start by facing the stairs, with your feet on the ground or bottom step. Bend your knees slightly, push off the ground, and land on the next step. Keep this rhythm all the way to the top.

• While stair hopping can be an excellent workout, it comes with a risk—slipping or falling if your balance is off or you're not physically prepared.
• Avoid stair hopping on steps that are too shallow. Your entire foot should be able to land flat on each stair tread without hanging over the edge.
• If you're looking for an even more challenging variation, try hopping on one leg. But be cautious—this increases the difficulty and the risk factor.

Stair lunges offer a powerful strength workout for your legs and glutes. Begin by standing at the base of the stairs. Step your right foot up 2 or 3 steps, stretching your leg without overextending. Focus on driving upward with your right leg—if done properly, you’ll feel a burn in your thigh! Bring your left leg to meet your right, then alternate to your left foot for the next lunge.

• Try to do 10 lunges per side, or as many as you can manage.
• If lunges strain your knees, consider switching to reverse (backward) lunges while descending the stairs.

Activate your inner and outer thighs with this perfect complement to lunges. Begin by standing at the bottom of the stairs with the right side of your body facing the steps. Step sideways up to the first stair with your right leg, then bring your left leg up to meet your right. Continue this pattern all the way to the top. Once you reach the top, walk down and repeat, leading with your left leg this time.

• Only attempt this exercise if the stair treads are deep enough to comfortably fit both feet side-by-side.
• Mix up your workout by alternating forward lunges, backward lunges, and side lunges. You'll definitely feel the burn!

Strengthen and sculpt your calves by raising up on your toes at the edge of the step. Calf raises are an effective way to target your gastrocnemius muscles and tone your calves. Here's how to do them:

• Start by standing with both feet at the edge of the bottom step. Only the front 1/4 to 1/3 of your feet should be on the step, with your heels hanging off the edge.
• Rise up on your toes as high as possible, keeping your back, legs, and feet straight. Avoid leaning forward or backward.
• Hold the position for 5-10 seconds, then lower your heels and repeat 10-20 times. After a 1-2 minute break, do another set if you wish.
• If balance is a concern, keep at least one hand on the banister or handrail for support.
• For an added challenge, try doing the exercise on one leg, but only if you have handrails on both sides to assist with balance.

Build strength in your arms, chest, and core with both incline and decline push-ups. Push-ups are a fantastic strength exercise, and performing them on stairs elevates the difficulty! Try completing 2-3 sets of 10-20 reps of both incline and decline push-ups with the following technique:

• Face the stairs and place your hands on the first step (for a greater challenge) or the second step (for a slightly easier variation). Keep your arms straight without locking your elbows, and extend your legs behind you.
• With your hands shoulder-width apart, slowly bend your elbows, lowering your upper body and face towards the step.
• Go as low as you can until your nose nearly touches the step. Pause for at least 1 second, then push yourself back up to the starting position.
• Once you finish a set of incline push-ups, switch to decline push-ups by placing your feet on the bottom or second step and your hands on the floor at ground level.

Combine different stair-based cardio exercises for a challenging interval workout. Sticking to one stair exercise for long periods of time can get monotonous or tiring. Spice things up by creating your own interval training routine! A simple interval workout alternates between moderate-paced stair climbing and fast-paced sprints, each lasting 1-2 minutes. But don’t hesitate to mix and match a variety of stair exercises for your own personal challenge.

• Start with a 5-minute warm-up, like walking up and down the stairs slowly, and finish your session with a 5-minute cool-down. Be sure to include 1-2 minute rest periods throughout.
• Here’s a sample interval routine after your warm-up: 5 minutes of jogging up the stairs, followed by 1 minute of sprints, then 5 minutes of jogging again. Rest for 2 minutes. For an extra challenge, add stair jumps and hops between intervals. Afterward, walk for 1-2 minutes and repeat.

Climb up and down the stairs for 5-10 minutes at a time. Walking up stairs might sound easy, but it’s an excellent workout! Whether you're using the stairs at a sports stadium, office building, or just your home, it’s effective. Walk or jog up and down the stairs for 5-10 minutes—or as long as you can handle. After a 5-minute break, where you can do some walking, stretching, or strength exercises, go back to the stairs for another round of 5-10 minutes. Repeat if you wish.

• Power-walking or jogging up the stairs will get your heart pumping and your breathing rate up, providing the moderate-intensity aerobic exercise that experts recommend for 150 minutes per week.

Take long strides as you walk up the stairs, covering multiple steps with each movement. Walking stairs can be an excellent workout, but you can elevate the challenge by increasing your stride length and skipping as many steps as you feel comfortable with. Taking longer strides activates your leg muscles more than standard stair climbing, especially the muscles at the back of your legs.

• Walk down the stairs normally, then take long strides to walk back up. Aim for 5-10 minutes of this exercise, take a short break, then repeat for another 5-10 minutes if you can.
• If you have long legs, you might be able to skip up to 4 steps at a time, but don’t worry if you’re closer to the 2-3 step range.

Incorporate stairs more frequently into your daily routine. Stairs provide an excellent form of exercise because they’re part of your daily environment. However, you can increase your stair usage by finding small ways to include them in your day. For instance, at home, make multiple trips up and down the stairs to transport items—not just because you forgot something, but for the added exercise!

• When you're out, take the stairs to your office instead of the elevator, or park on higher levels in a parking garage to ensure you get some extra climbing on your way out.
• Whether structured or not, exercise from daily activities like stair climbing can offer the same health benefits as a traditional workout. Studies have found that lifestyle activities can be just as effective for improving health as formal aerobic exercise routines.