Many people don’t equate walking to efficient cardio burn — but perhaps that viewpoint has simply been too flat. Enter the stair stepper: It’s been found that you burn about 20 times more calories going up stairs than walking on flat ground, according to research by Alberto Minetti, MD, a physiologist and biomechanist at the University of Milan, who shared his findings in an interview with the AP News.

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Your exact calorie burn depends on your heart rate and the challenge of the movement to your body. Regardless, we know the stair stepper is a good option for elevating your heart rate — and the longer you sustain a higher heart rate, the more calories you burn.

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Stairs are also a part of everyday life, and I’m personally a fan of any exercise that can help you both achieve your fitness goals and prepare your body for the demands of daily functions. I encourage many of my clients to look for opportunities to take the stairs more often, as well as include stair machine work as a form of cardio in many of their training plans.

4 Benefits of Stair Walking

1. Muscle engagement. When you’re climbing stairs, you’re activating muscles that are nearly impossible to tap into by only walking on flat ground. Your calves, quads, and hamstrings get a great workout, which can build overall strength and power in your legs, translating to better performance in sports and activities.

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2. Improved cardiovascular fitness. Your heart rate increases more significantly when taking the stairs versus walking on flat ground, which challenges your cardiovascular system. That increased demand strengthens your heart muscle and improves its ability to pump blood efficiently. An increased heart rate also requires deeper, more frequent breaths to meet oxygen demands, which can enhance lung capacity and boost endurance. This type of exercise stimulates blood flow throughout the body, too, helping to improve circulation.

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3. Healthy aging. We continue to learn about the importance of maintaining and gaining muscle mass as we age, as well as the importance of keeping our joints as healthy and functional as possible. Stair machines can provide strength benefits without excessive stress on the joints. It’s also a controlled movement that challenges your coordination, which can improve balance and stability.

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4. Increased calorie burn. Since more muscles are being activated and your heart rate elevates to a higher level, you’ll burn more calories in less time when choosing the stairs over flat ground.

Tips for Adding More Stairs to Your Routine

You can incorporate more stairs in your routine in two ways: 1) You can choose to use the stair stepper when exercising; and 2) you can take the stairs in your daily life. Here are some tips for both methods:

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• Anytime you have the choice to take the stairs, do it. Whether you’re carrying groceries up to your apartment, going to the next level at the mall, or walking in and out of work, intentionally choose to take the stairs rather than an elevator.
• Use the stair stepper as a warm-up tool. I like to warm up for my work out on the stair stepper because it gets my body warmer, faster. It’s a quick, easy way to prepare for my lifting routine.
• Use the stair stepper as a boost after a strength session. Finishing my strength workout with 10 to 15 minutes of moderate-to-high intensity stair stepping (in heart rate zones 3 to 4) keeps my metabolism elevated post-workout, supporting fat burn and recovery. This final burst of effort leaves me feeling accomplished and ensures I’ve maximized both my strength and cardiovascular training for the day.
• Find some local bleachers. It’s beneficial to get outside and play, and walking or running up and down a set of bleachers is a fun way to exercise with a friend, your kids, or by yourself. If you’re doing it alongside someone else, it can be a competitive way to switch up your routine.
• Go down the stairs. The action of going down the stairs is actually a little more productive in building muscle than going up. It’s also more stress on the joints, so it’s a helpful everyday action to train.
• Mix up how you step on the stairs. You can vary your workout with your feet. For example, pressing on your heels or crossing your feet as you walk can create a new challenge and activate different muscle groups in your legs.

The Stair Stepper Circuit Workout

The stair stepper machine allows you to customize speed, resistance, and duration, giving you full control over the intensity and challenge of your workout. Incorporating a stair-stepper circuit like this one can elevate your heart rate, build muscular endurance, and enhance lower-body strength. (Life Time’s stair-stepper machines also offer built-in, guided workouts that members can explore for variety.)

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1. Walk at a slow pace (level 3 to 5) for three minutes to get your body warm and ready.

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2. Increase to a moderate intensity (level 6 to 8) and keep a steady pace for two minutes. Focus on good posture and keep your hands lightly rested on the handrails for balance.

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3. Increase to a fast and challenging intensity (level 10 to12) and push yourself for one minute. For an additional challenge, try climbing two stairs per step during this round.

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4. Return to a slow pace (level 3 to 5) for three minutes.

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5. Repeat this 3-2-1 circuit for a total of three to five rounds, depending on your fitness level and how you feel, for a total workout time of 15 to 20 minutes.

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This article was originally written by Keri Anderson, CPT, a Dynamic Personal Trainer at Life Time in Plymouth, Minn. for Experience Life.