Running Stairs Techniques

Any kind of running is a great form of aerobic workout that will help you get in shape. Running steps, however, is going to be a much more intensive workout. Inclines take a lot more effort than running on flat ground. Running stadium steps, in particular, will give you a challenging workout, and it allows you to use different techniques to tailor your routine.

  1. Up and Down

    • One method for stairs is to go as hard on the down flights as you do on the up flights. This technique works best in a stadium or a similar venue, where you can run up one flight, run across to the next flight and run down that one. If you do not have access to a stadium you can always use one set of sufficiently long steps. The amount of sets and the amount of rest between sets, if any, will vary, depending on your fitness level and fitness goals. It will be best, however, to start with a slow pace and a few seconds of rest between sets, and build upon that as your fitness level increases.

    High-Intensity Interval Training

    • Treat running stairs like a high-intensity interval training workout. You could sprint up one flight as fast as possible, pushing yourself to your limit. You would then slowly come back down the steps, and then sprint back up as fast as you are able. High-intensity interval training sessions such as this have been shown to have physiological benefits similar to those achieved with more prolonged, moderately paced aerobic activity. Five sprints would be a good workout for beginners, and could be built upon as your fitness level improves. High-intensity interval training like this can be exhausting; if you combine any other activities with it, they should be done at a slow pace.

    Up and Up

    • Find a very long flight of stairs and run up. There are a number of towers throughout the United States, Canada and the rest of the world that host tower runs, or tower races, where participants race up the stairs of tall buildings. Stairs often total more than 1,000 in total, depending on the building. This stair-running technique offers many advantages, such as the opportunity to put in one long, uninterrupted effort, and the chance to take the elevator down once you have exhausted yourself on the way up.

    Skip a Step

    • Introduce a little more challenge by skipping a step when running stairs. This makes you lengthen your stride, which is more taxing on your legs as you ascend stairs. Depending on how long your stride is and how closely spaced the stairs are that you run on, you might even skip two stairs for a more intense workout. As with any other workout, you should start slowly, with a limited amount of sets and plenty of rest between sets, and work your way up from there as your fitness level improves.