Wednesday, July 29, 2009

I don't take steroids...


I DO...


Eleven flights of stairs, eleven steps each flight, and the gradient is tremendous. By the time you've reached the fifth flight, your thighs are burning and you're left gasping for air. These stairs are an absolute killer, and there is nothing like it.

I happen to think this particular workout has a lot of potential-there are so many different routines you can do, it's just a matter of motivation and creativity. When you start you don't have to go all the way to the top for every rep. You must build up slowly to avoid injury. Running stairs gives you a combination lung/leg muscle burn not found doing flat surface sprints or logging big miles on a track.

You can also vary the routines by using "HeavyHands" hand weights. The weights can be interchanged depending on your workout and level of fitness. This is excellent for sprints or vertical leap workouts where you jump 2 or three steps at a time focusing on explosive power. If you can't find a set of stairs this steep where you live, you can utilize hallway steps or outdoor bleachers.

In a few days I'll be highlighting other gadgets to use for your workout routines. Variety is the key to avoid getting burned out and/or bored, plus its' good to mix things up just for the hell of it.

1 comment:

  1. Nothing like running stairs for getting a killer high intensity workout in a hurry. I like to throw in an exercise at the top and bottom - say pushups at the bottom and side bridges for time at the top. You can also lug a kettlebell out and do swings if you really want to feel some pain.
    S94

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