Brief, Intense Stair Climbing Can Improve Cardiorespiratory Fitness

Brief and intense stair climbing increases cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and can be an effective alternative to the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise per week, according to a new study.

Researchers conducted 2 separate studies to assess the efficacy of stair climbing at improving cardiorespiratory fitness in 31 sedentary women. The mean age was 24, and mean body mass index was 23 kg/m². Each study consisted of an acute phase and chronic phase, and V˙O_2peak test, heart rate (HR), blood lactate concentration, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured at baseline, and before and after each session.
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During the acute phase of the first study, 8 participants performed three 20-second “all-out” bouts of either continuous cycling or stair climbing. Researchers found that the mean HR, blood, and RPE measurements were similar between cycling and stair climbing groups.

After confirming similarities between cycling and stair climbing groups, a separate group of 12 participants completed three 20-second bouts of stair climbing a day for 3 days over 6 weeks. The results showed that cardiovascular fitness, as measured by V˙O_2peak, increased by 12% in participants.

The acute phase of the second study also showed similarities between HR and RPE in 11 participants who performed either 20-second continuous stair climbing 3 times, or two 60-second bouts of ascending and descending 3 times on 1 or 2 flights of stairs.

In the chronic phase of the second study, participants performed three 60-second bouts for 3 days a week for 6 weeks, and cardiovascular fitness, measured by V˙O_2peak, increased by 7%.

Overall, their study demonstrated that acute physiological and perceptual responses to “all-out” cycling or stair climbing were similar, and short bursts of stair climbing can improve cardiorespiratory fitness similar to cycling. In addition, an “all-out” pace was not necessary for participants to improve cardiorespiratory fitness.

“With a minimal weekly time-commitment of 30 min, brief and intermittent bouts of intense stair climbing are a plausible alternative to cycling-based [sprint interval training],” the researchers concluded.

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Allison MK, Baglole JH, Martin BJ, Macinnis MJ, Gurd BJ, and Gibala MJ. Brief intense stair climbing improves cardiorespiratory fitness. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 49 (2): 298-307.