Some days I just don’t make it to the gym, and instead of feeling guilty, I put together this little lower body workout I can do on the stairs.
- Warm-up – Strength training is more effective when your muscles are warm. Begin by jogging up and down your stairs five times. You can always make this a bit more difficult by carrying some weights, wearing ankle weights, or adding a few extra reps.
- Lunges – Take a big step up using the right leg first, skipping one-three stairs depending on your staircase and the length of your legs. Keep your left leg on the floor. Lean into your top leg until your knee is almost 90 degrees. Hold your lunge for ten seconds. Dip down slightly further and then, if possible without reaching for the railing, lift your lower leg to meet your upper leg. Now step up with your left leg and repeat the exercise. Keep going until you reach the top of your staircase. Then jog down and repeat again. Aim to do 10 lunges on each side, or 20 total.
- Side steps – Start at the bottom of the staircase. Turn to face the wall. Now step slowly up the stairs , doing the lunges move, but leaving one step in-between. Repeat this up the staircase facing the other side.
- Squats – Put your right leg on the first step and leave your left leg on the floor. Squat down into a deep squat. Now step your left leg up another step, so that it is one step above your right. Squat down into a deep squat, bending your knees and sitting as if you are in a chair. To keep your balance, reach your hands out to the side. Only hold the railing if it is necessary.
- Jumps – Start at the bottom of the stairs and jump up to the first step. Continue all the way up to the top of the staircase. Walk down and repeat three times.
- Stretches – Stand at the edge of the stair and lean into your heels. Hold for 10 seconds and then raise again. Repeat five times.
If you are looking to make a more complete work-out, you can walk/jog the stairs for ten to twenty minutes. This is great to help lift the glutes and to improve cardiovascular health.
Great advice! As part of my weekly rotation of strength training and cardio workouts, I utilize the stairs. On one of my cardio days I run the stairs in two different sets: one with the left leg as my lead and the other with the right. On a strength training day, I use the stairs for calf lifts and jumps to the second stair.