Exercise, working out, hitting the gym, training. These phrases do not provoke excitement from many people.
But maybe they should!
You see training is more a mental then physical. Yes it takes a lot of physical work, but the one thing that will over ride your body either positively or negatively is your mind!
The Power of the mind is phenomenal. With everything we do, with every workout we take the mind can kill your chances of success or it can help you reach for victory.
Think of the hardest thing that you did. What was the deciding factor to your success? What made you able to conquer the task at hand?
In most cases the mental attitude that you carried forward made you push through any obstacles in your way. Leading you to success over a hard situation.
Its the same for working out and training. Your mental attitude is everything. If your dragging yourself to the gym or going through the motions, wondering how to get through the hour then maybe its time to re-think your motives.
I always have said this ....
CHANGE YOUR BELIEFS, CHANGES YOUR BEHAVIOR, WHICH IN TURN CHANGES YOUR LIFE!
So you must first turn on your mental juices and see what you first want to accomplish in your mind! Picture it! Visualize it first in the mind and the body will follow. See yourself with a great body, dream about it, get excited about it! Start to devour the thoughts and emotions that a fit and healthy person would experience.
See yourself fit and you will become fit!
Till Next Time ...
Stay True to Yourself...
Trevor Folgering
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Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Stair climbing Questions Answered Here!
1.What type of workout does stair climbing (walking or running) produce when compared to walking or jogging on a treadmill or outside on a relatively flat surface?
Answer: Stair climbing is more efficient then running or walking on a flat surface. First and foremost climbing stairs is a vertical challenge. The individual must push his own bodyweight vertically, which when looking at overall calorie burn and overall muscular endurance is more efficient then running.
Second, stair climbing produces better results when looking at overall body compositional changes (Losing body fat and gaining muscle) the calorie expenditure is greater therefore allowing the body to change at a greater rate.
Thirdly more muscle fibers are recruited leading to a better overall workout. Lastly the workouts are safer due to stair climbing being more of a low impact exercise.
2.Could you provide tips on stair climbing for beginners?
Answer: Always warm-up. Make sure to do some type of full body warm-up which allows the mind to begin to focus on the task at hand. Some great exercises would be jobbing on the spot, butt kicks, high knees, side shuffles, arm-circles and squats. A warm up should be 5-10 minutes long.
When starting a stair climbing workout always start off slow. The best part of climbing stairs is that you do not have to run up stairs or do long workouts to make great gains. 10 minutes for a rank beginner is amazing, and then increase from there.
When starting make sure to always put the whole foot on the step, this will ensure that you will work the major muscles in the legs more efficiently. Also you will protect your Achilles tendon.
The best way to climb stairs is to actually push from your heel, this will help contract more muscles in the glutes (buttock muscle) and hamstrings. For a rank beginner I would recommend one step at a time. However once the beginner has had a few workouts climbing stairs, two steps is recommend.
For the first few workouts, so not overextend the body. The body will adapt quickly. The key is consistency to keep pushing beyond what the person did in the previous workout. For example if the person did 5 flights of stairs, they should try to do a minimal 3-5 flight more per workout or 5-10 more minutes. This will ensure the body will continue adapting. Unlike running, the body will adapt quickly to a stair climbing routine.
3.What are some popular places people might be allowed to stair climb for exercise?
Answer: - If you live in a condo or apartment building you have got it made! The higher the better! If you work in an office building that is in a tall tower then use your lunch hour for your stair climbing workouts.
Other places to climb would be bleachers in a baseball park, any outdoor stair case that has more then 50 stairs. (Think Rocky climbing up the famous Philadelphia stairs!) The city that you live in should have numerous staircases that would be suitable for climbing!
4.What are the best methods to practice to avoid injury during stair climbing for exercise?
Answer: First start slow! If you haven’t exercised in a while it would be counter-productive to push harder then the body can tolerate. Beginners should do no more then 15 minutes at a time. Amazing changes in the body can happen in 3 workouts per week 15-20 minutes each!
Second always stretch after the workout! Stretching allows for more range of motion in the joints. If the muscles are tight they will not contact properly and this will pull the body out of alignment (Much like a car whose tires are miss-aligned) this will in turn produce injuries. Stretch for a minimum of 10-15 minutes after a workout.
Third – Do not force the body to do more in a week then it is capable of. Stair climbing is strenuous exercise and two stair climbing workouts a week for beginners is enough supplemented by a sound strength training program will produce amazing results!
5.Is stair climbing for exercise green?
Answer! Yes! Stair climbing can help save the planet! It is also FREE! No gym membership required! Here in Toronto the World Wildlife Fund puts on a stair climbing event at the CN Tower! Over 5,000 climb the CN Tower and fundraise to help save the planet, fight global warming and help save animals! Do your part today! Climb stairs and provide a better place to live for our future generations!
6.Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Stair climbing is an amazing activity that anyone can participate in! Look for stair climbing to explode in popularity over the next few years! Go to www.stairclimbcanada.com and sign up to receive your five free tips to become a better stair climber as well as find out information on our competitive climb series that starts February 2011!
Answer: Stair climbing is more efficient then running or walking on a flat surface. First and foremost climbing stairs is a vertical challenge. The individual must push his own bodyweight vertically, which when looking at overall calorie burn and overall muscular endurance is more efficient then running.
Second, stair climbing produces better results when looking at overall body compositional changes (Losing body fat and gaining muscle) the calorie expenditure is greater therefore allowing the body to change at a greater rate.
Thirdly more muscle fibers are recruited leading to a better overall workout. Lastly the workouts are safer due to stair climbing being more of a low impact exercise.
2.Could you provide tips on stair climbing for beginners?
Answer: Always warm-up. Make sure to do some type of full body warm-up which allows the mind to begin to focus on the task at hand. Some great exercises would be jobbing on the spot, butt kicks, high knees, side shuffles, arm-circles and squats. A warm up should be 5-10 minutes long.
When starting a stair climbing workout always start off slow. The best part of climbing stairs is that you do not have to run up stairs or do long workouts to make great gains. 10 minutes for a rank beginner is amazing, and then increase from there.
When starting make sure to always put the whole foot on the step, this will ensure that you will work the major muscles in the legs more efficiently. Also you will protect your Achilles tendon.
The best way to climb stairs is to actually push from your heel, this will help contract more muscles in the glutes (buttock muscle) and hamstrings. For a rank beginner I would recommend one step at a time. However once the beginner has had a few workouts climbing stairs, two steps is recommend.
For the first few workouts, so not overextend the body. The body will adapt quickly. The key is consistency to keep pushing beyond what the person did in the previous workout. For example if the person did 5 flights of stairs, they should try to do a minimal 3-5 flight more per workout or 5-10 more minutes. This will ensure the body will continue adapting. Unlike running, the body will adapt quickly to a stair climbing routine.
3.What are some popular places people might be allowed to stair climb for exercise?
Answer: - If you live in a condo or apartment building you have got it made! The higher the better! If you work in an office building that is in a tall tower then use your lunch hour for your stair climbing workouts.
Other places to climb would be bleachers in a baseball park, any outdoor stair case that has more then 50 stairs. (Think Rocky climbing up the famous Philadelphia stairs!) The city that you live in should have numerous staircases that would be suitable for climbing!
4.What are the best methods to practice to avoid injury during stair climbing for exercise?
Answer: First start slow! If you haven’t exercised in a while it would be counter-productive to push harder then the body can tolerate. Beginners should do no more then 15 minutes at a time. Amazing changes in the body can happen in 3 workouts per week 15-20 minutes each!
Second always stretch after the workout! Stretching allows for more range of motion in the joints. If the muscles are tight they will not contact properly and this will pull the body out of alignment (Much like a car whose tires are miss-aligned) this will in turn produce injuries. Stretch for a minimum of 10-15 minutes after a workout.
Third – Do not force the body to do more in a week then it is capable of. Stair climbing is strenuous exercise and two stair climbing workouts a week for beginners is enough supplemented by a sound strength training program will produce amazing results!
5.Is stair climbing for exercise green?
Answer! Yes! Stair climbing can help save the planet! It is also FREE! No gym membership required! Here in Toronto the World Wildlife Fund puts on a stair climbing event at the CN Tower! Over 5,000 climb the CN Tower and fundraise to help save the planet, fight global warming and help save animals! Do your part today! Climb stairs and provide a better place to live for our future generations!
6.Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Stair climbing is an amazing activity that anyone can participate in! Look for stair climbing to explode in popularity over the next few years! Go to www.stairclimbcanada.com and sign up to receive your five free tips to become a better stair climber as well as find out information on our competitive climb series that starts February 2011!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Pro Stair Climber Interview! - By Skyscraper News
It might not be famous but one of the most challenging extreme sports events in the world is skyscraper running, or stair-climbing.
This involves basically taking a tall building, or indeed any structure, and racing to the top as fast as possible up the stairwell. For a further take on endurance some races are run not up a building once, but over a time period of as long as 24 hours.
Skyscrapernews has spoken to the only professional skyscraper runner in the world, Stefan Minten of Bonn in Germany, who has climbed to the moon and back, in distance terms quite literally.
Skyscrapernews - What got you into skyscraper running?
Stefan Minten - It was a COINCIDENCE. I had a 5 day rest holiday and I decided with somebody to fly to New York because we found a cheap travel offer. After we had made the typical sightseeing walk with climbing Statue of Liberty, World trade Center, Central Park, we arrived at the Empire State Building.
During our visit, I remembered a race that I had seen in the television and then I said to my travel partner, "I want to start in that race!" The look on her face more than ignorance, because she thought I made a joke. It was then the thinking of competing in races was born.
But then, it took me more than three months to have an invitation from the organisation. It was harder to get a registration than to make the race.
For the race I trained in a big building in my hometown and try to make the 1576 steps in 40 min but to my own surprise I did the race in 18.38 min and I was happy.
After the race I had an interesting time speaking with an Italian girl, keeping in contact with her, accepting invitations to Malaysia, then at a race in Kuala Lumpur the Russian winner of Moscow tower race invited to his competition in Moscow, 2 weeks later.
Skyscrapernews.com - Which is the hardest tower you've done so far?
Stefan Minten - It was in the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur - the hottest stair-climbing race in the world!
There was the first 800 meter running uphill through a jungle area with poisonous snakes, and other nice animals like dangerous monkeys, sometimes a baby python at the entrance (the official race hotel is direct at the Startzone) and then climbing 2,056 steps by a temperature from more than 40 Grad Celsius and 90 per cent humidity at 7.30 in the morning and more than 8 hours jetlag! That is heavy!
Skyscrapernews.com - Can you tell us about some of the records you've set with running up famous towers.
Stefan Minten - In the time of my running since I was 4 years old in a small club in Bonn, my hometown, I have made a few world records in stair climbing.
The highest meters of all the tallest towers together (501m + 442+381+et.)
The most starts in the world championships of Stair-climbing, and also the most starts in European championships.
Climbing the old and new seven wonders of the world such as the Great Pyramid in Egypt and the Petra night run in Jordan.
I have raced in more than 50 countries.
The most stairs climbed in competitions and demonstration races (4 millions)
Climbing all 5 main religious buildings - a church, a mosque, a synagogue, a Hindu temple and a Buddhist temple that had poison snakes.
The most aircraft kilometers travelled in flying to the competitions.
The German climbing record for the Empire State Building (6 in a row).
Climbing the most castles, citadels, airports, museums, train stations, airports, parliaments and the most Hop to the Tops which is a race against V.I.P.s.
The highest stair-climb in an aircraft as the captain changed for me the high from 11500 to 11888m.
The deepest below sea-level -400m Dead Sea--Jordan/Israel that are the lowest stairs in the world.
I am the continental record holder for Australia.
I have climbing the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
I have trained so many kilometers by bicycle that I have more than circled once around the world.
In total, all stairs added together step-by-step is greater than the distance from the Earth to the Moon (384,403 kilometres) and 24 hour races in stair-climbing are equal to scaling the height of Mount Everest (8,848 metres).
Skyscrapernews - Can you tell us how fast you've done famous buildings like the Empire State Building?
Stefan Minten - My personal record for the Empire State Building in New York is 16.34 min and my racing times at Taipei 101 (the tallest completed building in the world), plus other places like Malaysia, Sydney, Moscow, and Philadelphia are lying at same level, so that shows me that I can run the same numbers of stairs by the same time speed worldwide, and that makes me proud.
Skyscrapernews.com - How do you become a professional skyscraper runner?
Stefan Minten - After I finished the world championships of stair climbing in Sydney, Australia I was tired from the race and also from the extra ordinary jet lag. I thought that sport, traveling and work is in this moment not possible together to organized and I decided to speak with my boss. We talked and thought together that I could stop the work for a few years and come back after to my career so a few months later I was the first and only one professional Stair-climber in the world!
Skyscrapernews.com - Where do you see skyscraper running in ten years time?
Stefan Minten - A part of the Olympic Games! Haha.
But seriously, I hope that we have competitions in countries worldwide wherever cities have big buildings but that it has the same exotic and funny family flair like now!
Skyscrapernews.com - What's the history of skyscraper running?
In 1978 the first competitions were organised in Toronto and New York. That was the official start of the sport's history.
Skyscrapernews.com - Do you think that as towers get taller and taller they will become more of a challenge to climb, a bit like mountaineering, and we will see more people doing this for the challenge?
Stefan Minten - I hope so.
When I count now all the starters worldwide in stair-climbing competition we come to more than 2 million people and that is a big number. That means more competitions and more starters!
After September 11th I was the first sportsman in Ground Zero in 2002 and found it was no longer so easy to organise a stair-climbing event because of security reasons. That makes sense and is naturally understandable because there is sometimes a fine line between sport and daily happenings.
For example I had a race in the Middle East and the organizer actually gave me a bodyguard for protection and later a bomb attack happened near my competition area.
So I can say I can understand both sides, because on one side I have been a sportsman since I was a kid and love the sport with my heart but on the other I understand those who cannot always give the authorization for races.
Skyscrapernews.com - And finally, what's the best music for it?
Stefan Minten - My favourite is Safridoo from Safridoo, there's an interesting story to this.
Somebody gave me an authorization to climb the 5 wheel roller coaster (which is near 40 meters high) in my hometown circus festival and when I started to climb in the middle of the stair-walk I became a little panicked. It was windy so I thought for safety I would stop climbing, but at this moment somebody in a circus shop nearby played this song. It had me feeling more comfortable and I finished my race. My dream is to meet Safridoo once in my life to say a personal thank you to them.
Skyscrapernews - Thanks for talking to us Stefan.
This involves basically taking a tall building, or indeed any structure, and racing to the top as fast as possible up the stairwell. For a further take on endurance some races are run not up a building once, but over a time period of as long as 24 hours.
Skyscrapernews has spoken to the only professional skyscraper runner in the world, Stefan Minten of Bonn in Germany, who has climbed to the moon and back, in distance terms quite literally.
Skyscrapernews - What got you into skyscraper running?
Stefan Minten - It was a COINCIDENCE. I had a 5 day rest holiday and I decided with somebody to fly to New York because we found a cheap travel offer. After we had made the typical sightseeing walk with climbing Statue of Liberty, World trade Center, Central Park, we arrived at the Empire State Building.
During our visit, I remembered a race that I had seen in the television and then I said to my travel partner, "I want to start in that race!" The look on her face more than ignorance, because she thought I made a joke. It was then the thinking of competing in races was born.
But then, it took me more than three months to have an invitation from the organisation. It was harder to get a registration than to make the race.
For the race I trained in a big building in my hometown and try to make the 1576 steps in 40 min but to my own surprise I did the race in 18.38 min and I was happy.
After the race I had an interesting time speaking with an Italian girl, keeping in contact with her, accepting invitations to Malaysia, then at a race in Kuala Lumpur the Russian winner of Moscow tower race invited to his competition in Moscow, 2 weeks later.
Skyscrapernews.com - Which is the hardest tower you've done so far?
Stefan Minten - It was in the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur - the hottest stair-climbing race in the world!
There was the first 800 meter running uphill through a jungle area with poisonous snakes, and other nice animals like dangerous monkeys, sometimes a baby python at the entrance (the official race hotel is direct at the Startzone) and then climbing 2,056 steps by a temperature from more than 40 Grad Celsius and 90 per cent humidity at 7.30 in the morning and more than 8 hours jetlag! That is heavy!
Skyscrapernews.com - Can you tell us about some of the records you've set with running up famous towers.
Stefan Minten - In the time of my running since I was 4 years old in a small club in Bonn, my hometown, I have made a few world records in stair climbing.
The highest meters of all the tallest towers together (501m + 442+381+et.)
The most starts in the world championships of Stair-climbing, and also the most starts in European championships.
Climbing the old and new seven wonders of the world such as the Great Pyramid in Egypt and the Petra night run in Jordan.
I have raced in more than 50 countries.
The most stairs climbed in competitions and demonstration races (4 millions)
Climbing all 5 main religious buildings - a church, a mosque, a synagogue, a Hindu temple and a Buddhist temple that had poison snakes.
The most aircraft kilometers travelled in flying to the competitions.
The German climbing record for the Empire State Building (6 in a row).
Climbing the most castles, citadels, airports, museums, train stations, airports, parliaments and the most Hop to the Tops which is a race against V.I.P.s.
The highest stair-climb in an aircraft as the captain changed for me the high from 11500 to 11888m.
The deepest below sea-level -400m Dead Sea--Jordan/Israel that are the lowest stairs in the world.
I am the continental record holder for Australia.
I have climbing the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
I have trained so many kilometers by bicycle that I have more than circled once around the world.
In total, all stairs added together step-by-step is greater than the distance from the Earth to the Moon (384,403 kilometres) and 24 hour races in stair-climbing are equal to scaling the height of Mount Everest (8,848 metres).
Skyscrapernews - Can you tell us how fast you've done famous buildings like the Empire State Building?
Stefan Minten - My personal record for the Empire State Building in New York is 16.34 min and my racing times at Taipei 101 (the tallest completed building in the world), plus other places like Malaysia, Sydney, Moscow, and Philadelphia are lying at same level, so that shows me that I can run the same numbers of stairs by the same time speed worldwide, and that makes me proud.
Skyscrapernews.com - How do you become a professional skyscraper runner?
Stefan Minten - After I finished the world championships of stair climbing in Sydney, Australia I was tired from the race and also from the extra ordinary jet lag. I thought that sport, traveling and work is in this moment not possible together to organized and I decided to speak with my boss. We talked and thought together that I could stop the work for a few years and come back after to my career so a few months later I was the first and only one professional Stair-climber in the world!
Skyscrapernews.com - Where do you see skyscraper running in ten years time?
Stefan Minten - A part of the Olympic Games! Haha.
But seriously, I hope that we have competitions in countries worldwide wherever cities have big buildings but that it has the same exotic and funny family flair like now!
Skyscrapernews.com - What's the history of skyscraper running?
In 1978 the first competitions were organised in Toronto and New York. That was the official start of the sport's history.
Skyscrapernews.com - Do you think that as towers get taller and taller they will become more of a challenge to climb, a bit like mountaineering, and we will see more people doing this for the challenge?
Stefan Minten - I hope so.
When I count now all the starters worldwide in stair-climbing competition we come to more than 2 million people and that is a big number. That means more competitions and more starters!
After September 11th I was the first sportsman in Ground Zero in 2002 and found it was no longer so easy to organise a stair-climbing event because of security reasons. That makes sense and is naturally understandable because there is sometimes a fine line between sport and daily happenings.
For example I had a race in the Middle East and the organizer actually gave me a bodyguard for protection and later a bomb attack happened near my competition area.
So I can say I can understand both sides, because on one side I have been a sportsman since I was a kid and love the sport with my heart but on the other I understand those who cannot always give the authorization for races.
Skyscrapernews.com - And finally, what's the best music for it?
Stefan Minten - My favourite is Safridoo from Safridoo, there's an interesting story to this.
Somebody gave me an authorization to climb the 5 wheel roller coaster (which is near 40 meters high) in my hometown circus festival and when I started to climb in the middle of the stair-walk I became a little panicked. It was windy so I thought for safety I would stop climbing, but at this moment somebody in a circus shop nearby played this song. It had me feeling more comfortable and I finished my race. My dream is to meet Safridoo once in my life to say a personal thank you to them.
Skyscrapernews - Thanks for talking to us Stefan.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Trevor: StairClimbMaster
Hey!
I just wanted to share this video with you! Here I am explaining the benefits of stair climbing as well as helping my client Cheryl perform a great workout!
Check it out!
Trevor: StairClimbMaster
I just wanted to share this video with you! Here I am explaining the benefits of stair climbing as well as helping my client Cheryl perform a great workout!
Check it out!
Trevor: StairClimbMaster
Sunday, May 2, 2010
A New Way To Run!
Not just in Canada but world wide, stair climbing events (also known as tower running and vertical racing) are becoming increasingly popular. Who participates in these events? Why do they do them? This article fills you in on how to find a stairclimbing event near you and how to train for one.
Feel the burn:
Even notice at the gym that the treadmills and ellipticals fill up faster than the stair machines. There is good reason for it. Climbing stairs is harder. For every minute that I walk at 4.0 mph I burn 6.8 calories where as I burn 8.8 calories on the stairs. That may not sound like a big difference but the effort expended stair climbing is greater and burns the calories. Stair climbing targets the body's large muscles such as the glutes and quads. The more muscle you have the more calories you can burn. Stair climbing is a great way to get in shape and lose weight.
Who me?
Almost anyone can participate in stair climbing events. Most events do have a minimum age limit. Often that is 18 years old. As long as you are in reasonably decent physical health you can sign up for a stair climbing event. The events have staggered start times and begin the race with the elite athletes first. The amateur athletes are then allowed to begin in intervals.
Why stairs?
Sure it is great exercise but why stair climbing events? It isn't another 5k. Runners like the challenge of stairs and people who want to join an event but don't want to do so when it is cold outside enjoy the same feeling and excitement.
Tower running is blossoming because it is a great fundraising opportunity. The American Lung Association hosts several stair climbing events and there are many other events that support great causes such as blood cancer and Muscular Dystrophy. Some events encourage participants to solicit pledges but this is not always necessary and often your entry or registration fee is all that is required. Speaking of registration fees often they can be reduced or waived if a person volunteers for the event as well. Setting up for the event the night before or helping to fill swag bags (goody bags at vertical races often include t shirts, water bottles or towels) is a great way to get involved, meet new people and save some money too.
Many of the tower running events are over thirty stories so unless you are already very athletic you are going to need to train for it. Access to the stairwells of tall buildings can be a challenge due to security measures so until the day of the race you may not be able to run up forty flights for practice so here are some training tips to help prepare you. In your own house, nearby apartment complex or even a hotel often you can find access to one or two flights of stairs and that is all you need. Begin by climbing the stairs without any weight the first week. Put in as many flights as you can without over doing it. Do this twice a week. Each week add dumb bells. First week hold a two or five pound dumb bell in each hand and walk up as many flights of stairs as you did the previous week. Increase the weight each week until you get to approximately fifteen or twenty pounds then keep the weight the same and increase the number of flights you walk up until you are walking up the same amount of flights that your event will have. On the other days your work out should include strength training and low impact cardio such as elliptical machine or swimming.
Find a stair climbing event :
Sometimes it takes a bit of searching to locate a stair climbing event since it isn't as popular yet as 5ks or marathons. There are a great many events out there and I have found some in almost every state. Your local newspaper and gym bulletin boards are a great place to start looking and online there are a couple websites such as towerrunning.com and stairclimbcanada.com which have vertical races but are not a complete list. Search the internet using the name of your state and stair climbing as search terms and you will be surprised how many turn up. Sign up for a race and let me know how you did. Good luck!
Feel the burn:
Even notice at the gym that the treadmills and ellipticals fill up faster than the stair machines. There is good reason for it. Climbing stairs is harder. For every minute that I walk at 4.0 mph I burn 6.8 calories where as I burn 8.8 calories on the stairs. That may not sound like a big difference but the effort expended stair climbing is greater and burns the calories. Stair climbing targets the body's large muscles such as the glutes and quads. The more muscle you have the more calories you can burn. Stair climbing is a great way to get in shape and lose weight.
Who me?
Almost anyone can participate in stair climbing events. Most events do have a minimum age limit. Often that is 18 years old. As long as you are in reasonably decent physical health you can sign up for a stair climbing event. The events have staggered start times and begin the race with the elite athletes first. The amateur athletes are then allowed to begin in intervals.
Why stairs?
Sure it is great exercise but why stair climbing events? It isn't another 5k. Runners like the challenge of stairs and people who want to join an event but don't want to do so when it is cold outside enjoy the same feeling and excitement.
Tower running is blossoming because it is a great fundraising opportunity. The American Lung Association hosts several stair climbing events and there are many other events that support great causes such as blood cancer and Muscular Dystrophy. Some events encourage participants to solicit pledges but this is not always necessary and often your entry or registration fee is all that is required. Speaking of registration fees often they can be reduced or waived if a person volunteers for the event as well. Setting up for the event the night before or helping to fill swag bags (goody bags at vertical races often include t shirts, water bottles or towels) is a great way to get involved, meet new people and save some money too.
Many of the tower running events are over thirty stories so unless you are already very athletic you are going to need to train for it. Access to the stairwells of tall buildings can be a challenge due to security measures so until the day of the race you may not be able to run up forty flights for practice so here are some training tips to help prepare you. In your own house, nearby apartment complex or even a hotel often you can find access to one or two flights of stairs and that is all you need. Begin by climbing the stairs without any weight the first week. Put in as many flights as you can without over doing it. Do this twice a week. Each week add dumb bells. First week hold a two or five pound dumb bell in each hand and walk up as many flights of stairs as you did the previous week. Increase the weight each week until you get to approximately fifteen or twenty pounds then keep the weight the same and increase the number of flights you walk up until you are walking up the same amount of flights that your event will have. On the other days your work out should include strength training and low impact cardio such as elliptical machine or swimming.
Find a stair climbing event :
Sometimes it takes a bit of searching to locate a stair climbing event since it isn't as popular yet as 5ks or marathons. There are a great many events out there and I have found some in almost every state. Your local newspaper and gym bulletin boards are a great place to start looking and online there are a couple websites such as towerrunning.com and stairclimbcanada.com which have vertical races but are not a complete list. Search the internet using the name of your state and stair climbing as search terms and you will be surprised how many turn up. Sign up for a race and let me know how you did. Good luck!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Stair Climbing: Your Ticket to a Quick and Easy Cardio
You've got it right -- staircases. They're the cheap alternatives to steppers (in fact, they don't cost anything), and the best thing about them is you can do your cardio any time of the day.
Athletes have been performing stadium bleacher runs since time immemorial. It improves their cardiovascular stamina and promotes their muscular endurance -- two things that are necessary for competitive games that last for hours.
For your part, stair climbing gives nearly the same benefits, but on a scale that's just right for you.
The Benefits Of Stair Climbing
This activity is low-impact and safe for as long as you strictly observe the safety rules outlined below. It uses the muscles of the buttocks and the quadriceps (front of the thigh) muscles. It also gives your heart a super workout because you're literally carrying your weight as you work against gravity.
Stair climbing is time efficient as it burns an unbelievable 300 calories in 30 minutes, depending on your pace and body weight.
This could be just the answer to our many alibis to keep from doing routines, such as "dogs chase me at the park," or "the smog outside is just terrible"!
When Is The Best Time To Stair Climb?
If you're using your office stairs, it's better to do this activity after work as you'll be all sweaty and exhausted. However, if you're utilizing your apartment building staircase, early in the morning would be great!
Warming Up And Cooling Down
Walk around your apartment or office for about five minutes prior to tackling the stairs. You should also stretch your calves, quads, and hamstrings to avoid tearing.
On the first week, do the following for 10-15 minutes: Climb 2 flights and then march in place or walk around the entire floor for a couple of minutes to avoid "burning" thigh muscles or shortness of breath. Add five minutes every week to this routine until you're finally able to climb the entire flight without needing to march in place or walk around the floor to catch your breath.
Safety Precautions For Stair Climbing
Wear shoes with good support -- the best ones are aerobic or cross-training shoes.
Running shoes are not recommended because they don't give enough lateral support.
Make sure that the stairwell is well-lit and well-ventilated.
Drink enough water before, during, and after the workout.
Discontinue the session as soon as you feel any of the following: nausea, dizziness, heart palpitation, and disorientation, among others.
Alternate this activity with other forms of cardio so as to prevent overuse injury (caused by impacting the same bones and muscles over and over again).
Contrary to popular belief, your knees are more stressed coming down than they are going up because of your reflex of "putting on the brakes," just as the downhill part of mountain climbing is more dangerous. You may want to take the elevator on the way back if you're just beginning.
Assume the proper stance: Lean forward a bit from the hips and keep your back straight. Never slouch while stair climbing.
Don't climb with heels hanging off the edge of the step as you'll risk injuring your Achilles tendon. Instead, place your entire foot on each step.
Never climb a totally desolate area of the building! In the unlikely event of an accident, make sure that you can be heard if you cry out for help.
According to the New Zealand government website, http://www.nhc.govt.nz, stair climbing as an exercise can hold its own against the more established routines such as running and bicycling. A study has concluded that stair climbing is better than these two when considering "the most vigorous exercise in the shortest period possible".
Athletes have been performing stadium bleacher runs since time immemorial. It improves their cardiovascular stamina and promotes their muscular endurance -- two things that are necessary for competitive games that last for hours.
For your part, stair climbing gives nearly the same benefits, but on a scale that's just right for you.
The Benefits Of Stair Climbing
This activity is low-impact and safe for as long as you strictly observe the safety rules outlined below. It uses the muscles of the buttocks and the quadriceps (front of the thigh) muscles. It also gives your heart a super workout because you're literally carrying your weight as you work against gravity.
Stair climbing is time efficient as it burns an unbelievable 300 calories in 30 minutes, depending on your pace and body weight.
This could be just the answer to our many alibis to keep from doing routines, such as "dogs chase me at the park," or "the smog outside is just terrible"!
When Is The Best Time To Stair Climb?
If you're using your office stairs, it's better to do this activity after work as you'll be all sweaty and exhausted. However, if you're utilizing your apartment building staircase, early in the morning would be great!
Warming Up And Cooling Down
Walk around your apartment or office for about five minutes prior to tackling the stairs. You should also stretch your calves, quads, and hamstrings to avoid tearing.
On the first week, do the following for 10-15 minutes: Climb 2 flights and then march in place or walk around the entire floor for a couple of minutes to avoid "burning" thigh muscles or shortness of breath. Add five minutes every week to this routine until you're finally able to climb the entire flight without needing to march in place or walk around the floor to catch your breath.
Safety Precautions For Stair Climbing
Wear shoes with good support -- the best ones are aerobic or cross-training shoes.
Running shoes are not recommended because they don't give enough lateral support.
Make sure that the stairwell is well-lit and well-ventilated.
Drink enough water before, during, and after the workout.
Discontinue the session as soon as you feel any of the following: nausea, dizziness, heart palpitation, and disorientation, among others.
Alternate this activity with other forms of cardio so as to prevent overuse injury (caused by impacting the same bones and muscles over and over again).
Contrary to popular belief, your knees are more stressed coming down than they are going up because of your reflex of "putting on the brakes," just as the downhill part of mountain climbing is more dangerous. You may want to take the elevator on the way back if you're just beginning.
Assume the proper stance: Lean forward a bit from the hips and keep your back straight. Never slouch while stair climbing.
Don't climb with heels hanging off the edge of the step as you'll risk injuring your Achilles tendon. Instead, place your entire foot on each step.
Never climb a totally desolate area of the building! In the unlikely event of an accident, make sure that you can be heard if you cry out for help.
According to the New Zealand government website, http://www.nhc.govt.nz, stair climbing as an exercise can hold its own against the more established routines such as running and bicycling. A study has concluded that stair climbing is better than these two when considering "the most vigorous exercise in the shortest period possible".
Thursday, April 29, 2010
24 Hour Climber Sets Record!
By David Mitchell
Gazette Magazine, Chicago
Many of us prefer to take the elevator, but that's not the philosophy of Bernadette Duychak. Reared in Chicago, Duychak is an account supervisor at McCann-Erickson Advertising Agency where she works on General Motors' Buick account, a doctoral student at Argosy University, and an adjunct professor at Olivet Nazarene University.
But it is her ability to climb stairs that is her claim to fame. On July 29 and 30, 2005, Duychak set the Guinness stair climbing record for highest vertical height climbed in 24 hours.
"There was no record," she said. "I contacted Guinness World Records about creating a record for most stairs climbed, vertical height, within a 24 hour period. They thought it was a good idea and came back with a set of rules and guidelines for me to follow in order for my record to be recorded and printed in their book."
Duychak will be in the next edition of the famed Guinness Book of World Records. The first edition of the book was published in 1955, commissioned by the Guinness brewery after a debate between Guinness managing director Hugh Beaver and his hunting partners over the fastest species of game bird, which could not be settled with the reference books then available.
"I climbed 39,411 stairs or 27,095 feet in the 24-hour period," Bernadette said. "I started at 2 p.m. on Friday and continued until 2 p.m. on Saturday, taking a few breaks throughout the event." The building she climbed was the Harbor Point Condominium Building, located at 155 N. Harbor Drive in downtown Chicago.
Duychak needed witnesses to record time and trips up and down the stairs. She was required to have photographic and video documentation as well. "I had a witness on the first floor, one on the 37th floor, and one on the top floor?the 54th floor," Duychak said. "Each witness would record my time and take a photo of me holding a clock to let Guinness know what time, within the 24 hour period, it was. The video I took sporadically throughout the event with me holding the camera as I walked up the stairs."
Duychak first began stair climbing to lose weight and get into shape. She has been given the nickname "Stairs Girl" by the other people who live in her building. "By climbing stairs, I was able to turn a lot of people who never exercised on a regular basis on to copy me and become stair climbers as well," she said. "Stair climbing has helped me lose weight and has been a great way for me to build muscle and get in shape."
She climbs stairs every day and knew that not many people could climb as many stairs as she could. "I wanted to see how many I could actually climb if I gave myself 24 hours, so I thought a Guinness World Record would be just the motivation I needed to see how many stairs I could climb," Duychak said.
Duychak has been climbing stairs every day for 2 1/2 years. When she first started she could barely climb 20 flights of stairs; now she climbs a minimum of 2,000 flights a week. Her attitude is, everyone needs to exercise, and stair climbing strengthens muscle and bone. "Stair climbing is also much better on my joints than running," she explained. "In addition, the energy that comes from climbing stairs is amazing," Duychak said. "I'm actually going somewhere as opposed to climbing up and down a machine at the health club."
Stair climbing increases bone density, builds muscles, and reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke. In fact, research shows that seven minutes of stair climbing a day cuts the chances of dying from coronary heart disease by 62% percent and decreases the risk of a heart attack by 50%.
Gazette Magazine, Chicago
Many of us prefer to take the elevator, but that's not the philosophy of Bernadette Duychak. Reared in Chicago, Duychak is an account supervisor at McCann-Erickson Advertising Agency where she works on General Motors' Buick account, a doctoral student at Argosy University, and an adjunct professor at Olivet Nazarene University.
But it is her ability to climb stairs that is her claim to fame. On July 29 and 30, 2005, Duychak set the Guinness stair climbing record for highest vertical height climbed in 24 hours.
"There was no record," she said. "I contacted Guinness World Records about creating a record for most stairs climbed, vertical height, within a 24 hour period. They thought it was a good idea and came back with a set of rules and guidelines for me to follow in order for my record to be recorded and printed in their book."
Duychak will be in the next edition of the famed Guinness Book of World Records. The first edition of the book was published in 1955, commissioned by the Guinness brewery after a debate between Guinness managing director Hugh Beaver and his hunting partners over the fastest species of game bird, which could not be settled with the reference books then available.
"I climbed 39,411 stairs or 27,095 feet in the 24-hour period," Bernadette said. "I started at 2 p.m. on Friday and continued until 2 p.m. on Saturday, taking a few breaks throughout the event." The building she climbed was the Harbor Point Condominium Building, located at 155 N. Harbor Drive in downtown Chicago.
Duychak needed witnesses to record time and trips up and down the stairs. She was required to have photographic and video documentation as well. "I had a witness on the first floor, one on the 37th floor, and one on the top floor?the 54th floor," Duychak said. "Each witness would record my time and take a photo of me holding a clock to let Guinness know what time, within the 24 hour period, it was. The video I took sporadically throughout the event with me holding the camera as I walked up the stairs."
Duychak first began stair climbing to lose weight and get into shape. She has been given the nickname "Stairs Girl" by the other people who live in her building. "By climbing stairs, I was able to turn a lot of people who never exercised on a regular basis on to copy me and become stair climbers as well," she said. "Stair climbing has helped me lose weight and has been a great way for me to build muscle and get in shape."
She climbs stairs every day and knew that not many people could climb as many stairs as she could. "I wanted to see how many I could actually climb if I gave myself 24 hours, so I thought a Guinness World Record would be just the motivation I needed to see how many stairs I could climb," Duychak said.
Duychak has been climbing stairs every day for 2 1/2 years. When she first started she could barely climb 20 flights of stairs; now she climbs a minimum of 2,000 flights a week. Her attitude is, everyone needs to exercise, and stair climbing strengthens muscle and bone. "Stair climbing is also much better on my joints than running," she explained. "In addition, the energy that comes from climbing stairs is amazing," Duychak said. "I'm actually going somewhere as opposed to climbing up and down a machine at the health club."
Stair climbing increases bone density, builds muscles, and reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke. In fact, research shows that seven minutes of stair climbing a day cuts the chances of dying from coronary heart disease by 62% percent and decreases the risk of a heart attack by 50%.
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