Climbing Stairs for Fitness Without Knee Damage: A Crucial Step You Mustn't Overlook

The benefits of climbing stairs are simply immense! Let me start with three of the most recognized advantages:

• The Fat Burner: According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), a person weighing about 155 pounds (approximately 70 kilograms) can burn roughly 470 calories per hour by engaging in moderate-intensity stair climbing. If you increase the intensity or speed, this number can rise even higher!

• The Heart Rate Amplifier:Compared to other common aerobic exercises like running, jumping rope, cycling, or fat-burning aerobics, climbing stairs can elevate your heart rate more quickly, keeping it within the fat-burning zone for an extended period.

• The Lower Body Sculptor: Stair climbing provides a comprehensive workout for your leg muscles and also engages the glutes, burning excess fat in the area and, with regular training, can lead to a firmer and more toned derriere and thighs.

"Fat Burning Through Stair Climbing: Don't Forget This Important Thing!"

However, there's a hidden risk associated with stair climbing that many people tend to overlook.

The Importance of Taking the Elevator Down

The knee joint is a crucial weight-bearing joint in the lower limbs. Normally, descending stairs doesn't impact the knees. 

However, if you spend a significant amount of time going downstairs, it places a higher demand on the quadriceps' eccentric strength, and the knee's cruciate ligaments, menisci, and even the ankle joint could potentially suffer damage. So, frequent descending can indeed take a toll on your knees.

As the saying goes, "It's easier to go up the mountain than to come down," which not only describes the physical sensation but also reflects a factual reality!

If there's no elevator available at your residence, you can use the "mountain climber" technique to descend:

• Turn your entire body 45 degrees sideways, allowing your leg and foot to descend sideways on the step, which will distribute the force on your knees and reduce the potential for injury.

"Stair Climbing Posture Should Be Stylish: It Can Accelerate Fat Burning and Body Shaping!"

If you're preparing to start a stair-climbing training regimen, here are some tips:

• Begin with a low speed and low resistance to warm up and allow your body to adapt to the intensity of the exercise.
• Once you're warmed up, you can increase the intensity and proceed to high-resistance training.

During your stair-climbing workout, maintain proper posture:

• Keep your body upright to ensure balance and correct form.
• Ensure your entire foot makes contact with the step, avoiding reliance solely on the toes or heels to reduce the burden on your calf muscles.
• Use your leg strength to push your body upward, relying on the quadriceps and gluteal muscles rather than pulling with your arms or upper body.
• Keep your core tight to provide stability, engaging the core muscle groups (abdominals and back muscles).

For a visual guide on the correct stair-climbing posture, you can refer to the images provided (Note: Images are not included in this translation).

Also, if you fall into any of the following categories, stair climbing may not be the best fit for you, and it's recommended to start with other forms of exercise or seek advice from a professional:

• Individuals with a higher body weight (e.g., over 100 kg for men, over 90 kg for women) should avoid stair climbing.
• If you already experience knee discomfort or have had surgery on your knee, consult a doctor first.
• Those who have been diagnosed with conditions such as bow legs, femoral torsion, or degenerative arthritis.
• Pregnant women and individuals over the age of 60.

"Using a Stair Climber Machine Is Really Necessary."

If you have access to a stair-climbing machine, I highly recommend giving it a try! (This is not a sponsored endorsement!)

Compared to climbing actual stairs, a stair-climbing machine offers several distinct advantages:

1. Unaffected by Environment, Convenient and Accessible: While stairs are ubiquitous, not every location has an elevator. When choosing a stairwell for exercise, be mindful of air quality, as some may be used for storing construction debris. During exercise, oxygen intake increases, so it's best to avoid exercising in environments with poor air quality. If you're in a city with high-rise buildings, you might find an ideal stairwell for your workout. If you're in an area with low-rise buildings without elevators, a stair-climbing machine that is unaffected by weather and environmental conditions and allows for adjustable intensity and duration might be more suitable for you!
2. Adjustable Intensity for a Customized Experience: If you're considering the effects of vertical training and fat burning, the results from using a stair-climbing machine are comparable to climbing actual stairs. However, the design of a stair-climbing machine allows for adjustments in target heart rate, resistance, and step speed and stride length, enabling a more personalized training plan that caters to individual differences in physical fitness.
3. Higher Safety, Reduced Risk of Falling: As a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) exercise, stair climbing requires constant attention to heart rate response. There may be a risk of falling when exercising on actual stairs, especially in narrow or poorly lit stairwells. A stair-climbing machine typically comes with handrails and can be stopped at any time. The speed and resistance can be adjusted according to individual training needs, providing better controllability.

If you're already an experienced stair climber and familiar with the surrounding stairwell environment, training in the stairwell might be very suitable for you. If you're a beginner looking to start stair-climbing training, starting with a stair-climbing machine might be more manageable.

Of course, the stair-climbing workouts available on the Keep app can also help you achieve an explosive fat-burning effect similar to that of having a stair-climbing machine! We offer plans suitable for beginners looking to slim down and advanced courses for full-body fat burning.

Search for "climbing" on the Keep app for a range of workouts from 10 to 45 minutes, from beginner to advanced levels, all prepared and ready for you.

Let me share a secret with you: my favorite stair-climbing workout is the 35-minute version shown in the image above. It's an intense and sweaty experience, especially when done as an empty-stomach aerobic workout!