Let vertical running be your new fitness challenge
Now you’d think, why would anyone pick stair climbing over, say, running or walking? Because vertical running might actually be a better exercise than you thought.
Lower impact than running
Running puts a lot of pressure on your feet, so anyone who is constantly experiencing ankle and joint pains are at risk of injury. Whereas for stair climbing, your legs has less force when going up a step than when you run on flat concrete. It also has the added benefit of improving a runner’s range of motion because more muscles are used according to Greatist.
Strength building
In vertical running, you’re pulling your weight against gravity. In effect, your muscles work harder because it needs more effort to carry and stabilize your body as you go up. It hones the strength in your legs far better than when you’re propelling yourself forward. Vertical running is also a better way to work your glutes and quads since more power is needed to go up than to go forward.
Burns more
Vertical running exercises are more efficient workouts compared to those on flat terrain. According to Run Society, you can burn more for less time with stair climbing than you can with running or walking at the same time. It varies depending on the intensity and the speed of your vertical run but assuming you have roughly the same effort, it will yield better results.
Easily accessible
If you’re not too fond of going to the gym, you can easily meet your daily calorie burn by going up and down the stairs. The best thing about it is that you can do it at home or during breaks in school or at work. Another good thing about vertical runs is that you won’t have to worry about the weather. If you’re using an indoor stairs, you have no excuses to skip your workout.
Climbing stairs becomes easier
There are a lot of people out there who are perfectly fit yet still lose their breath after going up a few flights of stairs. The reason for this is that you’re doing something a little more taxing than just walking. Vertical running helps make going up the stairs a little easier because you’ve already conditioned your body to handle such movements.
Vertical running isn’t your conventional kind of sport. Going up so many flights of stairs doesn’t sound very appealing either, but it gives results. Maybe giving it a shot is better than you’d hope for.