Super Fun Stair Workout

How do you take the stairs… Do you go up them one-by-one? Skip a step? Run up them to get it over with faster? Walk up slowly? Avoid them at all costs?

In this workout we are going to sprint, jog, and lunge up stairs. It’s awesome.

I will explain this a bit in case the graphic is confusing (I apologize if it is). First, do a mile warm up run. Next sprint up the set of stairs and jog down it. Repeat this 8 times. Then slowly jog up and down the staircase twice. Now we get into some lunges! Lunge up leading with your right foot (you may need to skip a step or two in order to make it challenging) and jog down. Repeat this leading with your left foot, then do two sets of forward lunges up, alternating legs. Do two more sets of jogging up and down the staircase and then round it all out with 15 push ups. Repeat this all two more times and then do a 1/2 mile cool down jog. You should also stretch afterwards. Always, always stretch!

I have done this workout a couple of times and I am not kidding when I say that it is super fun. However, it’s the most fun when you grab a couple of friends to do it with you, because then you can high-five and cheer each other on. High-fiving and cheering make anything more fun. Plus, working out with friends is fun in general.

I did do it by myself once and that was cool too. But still, grab a friend. Just because.

Not only is this workout fun, it is also challenging and very effective. Your heart rate is going to jump during those sprints and still be elevated during the jogging and lunges too – lots of calorie torching going on here! Also, be prepared to feel this in your glutes, calves, and abs the next day.

Yeah, it’s a good one.

For those of you Minneapolis-ites… Minneapolis-uns… Minneapolans… who live in Minneapolis, the staircase below the Hennepin Ave Bridge right by DeLaSalle High School downtown works great for this workout. It’s about 42 steps total and does not have heavy traffic. I’m sure there are a lot of other great staircases out there though. Check around your local bridges or maybe look around schools for some bleachers. Just be careful, don’t be sketchy and don’t trespass.

A couple of pointers:

• Do a couple of warm up jogs up and down the staircase to get used to the height and feel of the stairs before starting the sprints. Decide how you want to approach the sprints, jogs, and lunges. I ended up skipping a step for the sprints, going step-by-step for the jogging, and skipping two steps for the lunges.
• Push it hard on the sprints up then jog down slowly to decrease your heart rate a little.
• Make sure to push through your heels during the lunges. This will help to engage more of your glutes.
• Keep your core tight during the lunges, especially the side lunges. This will really work your obliques and will also keep you stabilized so that you don’t strain your lower back.
• Do elevated push ups by placing your hands on the bottom stair.
• Take quick rest (30-60 seconds) before and after the sprint sets if you need it. I would also recommend bringing a water bottle along and leaving it at the bottom of the staircase, especially if it is super hot out. Hydration is important!

So now go hunt down a staircase and try out this workout!