The average person weighing 180lbs burns 300-1029 calories per hour while stair climbing, depending on the your weight, speed on the stairs and load you are carrying.
Calories burned with Daily Activities (weight: 175 lbs)
| MET | 15 mins. | 30 mins. | 45 mins. | 60 mins. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mowing the Lawn | 6 | 125 | 250 | 375 | 500 |
| Stairs | 8.8 | 183 | 367 | 550 | 733 |
| Standing | 2.5 | 52 | 104 | 156 | 208 |
| Gardening | 5 | 104 | 208 | 313 | 417 |
| Sleeping | 1.3 | 27 | 54 | 81 | 108 |
| Sitting | 1.3 | 27 | 54 | 81 | 108 |
| Raking | 4 | 83 | 167 | 250 | 333 |
| Resting | 1.3 | 27 | 54 | 81 | 108 |
| Walking a Dog | 3 | 63 | 125 | 188 | 250 |
Climbing stairs is something that many of us do every day without even thinking about the benefits that it can provide. Read on to find out why stair climbing can be an everyday activity to effortlessly help you burn a significant amount of calories without even trying.
Whether you’re climbing the stairs to get up to your apartment building, going upstairs for bed, or climbing the stairs to get to the second level at the mall, stair climbing is an activity that can provide many benefits even when it’s not done specifically for exercise purposes.
Climbing stairs for exercise has been shown to be a very low-impact exercise, meaning it can be done for long periods of time without having a negative effect on your bones, joints, and muscles.
While many of us climb stairs just to do daily tasks, stair climbing has also developed into a competitive sport in what is called Tower running.
But is climbing stairs actually a good exercise? And how many calories does climbing stairs actually burn? Keep reading to find out the answers to these important questions.
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How To Use The Calculator
Using the calculator to determine how many calories you’ll burn while climbing stairs is very easy to do. First, input your weight in the respective unit of measurement, such as pounds or kilograms. Then input the time that you’ll be doing stairs for and the specific activity of stairs that you’re performing. Then hit CALCULATE.
- Choose your unit of measurement (pounds or kilograms)
- Enter your weight in the corresponding unit of measurement
- Find the type of stairs activity that you’re doing.
- Enter the number of minutes for each selected activity
- Hit “CALCULATE”
How the Calculator Works
Our calculator uses MET values to give you an estimate of how many calories you can expect to burn while doing stairs and other activities. The higher the MET value is, the more calories you will burn.
MET
MET stands for the metabolic equivalent of task, and it’s the measurement of the energy cost of physical activities for a specified period of time. MET value allows us to give you an estimated expenditure of energy for many different activities, such as climbing stairs.
The MET value is a ratio between the working metabolic rate and the resting metabolic rate [1], which is the rate of energy that is used relative to the duration of time spent doing the activity.
In fact, many common activities have MET values assigned to them. For example, there are MET values assigned to other similar activities like running, sprinting, and hiking.
A MET value of 1 is the equivalent of the amount of energy you expend while at rest, and a MET value of 5, for example, has you expending 5 times as much energy compared to being at rest.
Each different form of the stairs activity and its corresponding intensity will have different MET values assigned to it. For example, descending stairs have the lowest MET value at 3.5, while running up stairs at a fast pace has the highest MET value at 15.
Formula
The formula that our stairs calculator uses to determine the number of calories burned per minute is (MET x bodyweight in Kg x 3.5) ÷ 200.
Examples
A person weighing 150 pounds will burn approximately 252 calories per hour while descending stairs with a MET value of 3.5. This means that descending stairs burns 3.5 times more calories than your resting metabolic rate.
This is what the formula for calculating the calories burned while descending stairs will look like with a 150-pound individual:
- Calories burned (per minute) = (body weight in kg x MET x 5) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = ( 68 x 5 x 3.5 ) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = 2 calories x 60
- Calories burned (per hour) = 252 calories per hour
That same person weighing 150 pounds will burn approximately 630 calories per hour while stair climbing at a fast pace. This activity has a MET value of 8.8 and burns significantly more calories than descending stairs.
This is what the formula for calculating the calories burned while stair climbing will look like with a 150-pound individual:
- Calories burned (per minute) = (body weight in kg x MET x 5) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = ( 68 x 8 x 3.5 ) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = 5 calories x 60
- Calories burned (per hour) = 630 calories per hour
One of the most intense stairs exercises is running directly up the stairs. This activity has a MET value of 15 and burns the most calories of all stairs exercises.
Below is what the formula for running up stairs will look like for a 150-pound individual:
- Calories burned (per minute) = (body weight in kg x MET x 5) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = ( 68 x 15 x 5 ) ÷ 200
- Calories burned (per minute) = 9 calories x 60
- Calories burned (per hour) = 1074 calories per hour
How many calories can you burn Climbing Stairs for one hour? (weighing 180 pounds)
| # | Activity Name | Met | Time Spend | Calories Burned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carrying 1 to 15 lb load, upstairs | 5 | 60 Min | 429 Cal |
| 2 | Carrying 16 to 24 lb load, upstairs | 6 | 60 Min | 515 Cal |
| 3 | Carrying 25 to 49 lb load, upstairs | 8 | 60 Min | 686 Cal |
| 4 | Carrying 50 to 74 lb load, upstairs | 10 | 60 Min | 857 Cal |
| 5 | Carrying> 74 lb load, upstairs | 12 | 60 Min | 1029 Cal |
| 6 | Carrying groceries up stairs | 7.5 | 60 Min | 643 Cal |
| 7 | Carrying load upstairs, general | 8.3 | 60 Min | 712 Cal |
| 8 | Carrying moderate loads up stairs, moving boxes 25-49 lbs | 8 | 60 Min | 686 Cal |
| 9 | Descending stairs | 3.5 | 60 Min | 300 Cal |
| 10 | Moving household items upstairs, carrying boxes or furniture | 9 | 60 Min | 772 Cal |
| 11 | Running, stairs, up | 15 | 60 Min | 1286 Cal |
| 12 | Stair climbing, fast pace | 8.8 | 60 Min | 755 Cal |
| 13 | Stair climbing, slow pace | 4 | 60 Min | 343 Cal |
| 14 | Stair climbing, using or climbing up ladder (Taylor Code 030) | 8 | 60 Min | 686 Cal |
| 15 | Stair-treadmill ergometer, general | 9 | 60 Min | 772 Cal |
| 16 | Walking or walk downstairs or standing, carrying objects about 100 lbs or more | 8.5 | 60 Min | 729 Cal |
| 17 | Walking or walk downstairs or standing, carrying objects about 25 to 49 lbs | 5 | 60 Min | 429 Cal |
| 18 | Walking or walk downstairs or standing, carrying objects about 50 to 74 lbs | 6.5 | 60 Min | 557 Cal |
| 19 | Walking or walk downstairs or standing, carrying objects about 75 to 99 lbs | 7.5 | 60 Min | 643 Cal |
What is Stair Climbing?
Some call stair climbing “the ultimate strength and cardio workout” that fitness enthusiasts can do today, and for good reason.
Stairs can be found in many different places, and climbing stairs of any kind will be extremely beneficial and can provide many health benefits.
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There are so many different ways that you can practice stair climbing, such as on a step machine at the gym, on the bleachers at a high school football stadium, or even simply using the stairs at your own home.
Since stair climbing is such a low-impact exercise, this means that it is very uncommon to sustain an injury while climbing stairs. It’s also great for people who are recovering from injuries since stair climbing doesn’t place much of a strain on your muscles and tendons.
Since stairs are virtually everywhere, it so easy to start doing stairs for exercise. Stair climbing is also great for the development of your lower body, as the legs are the primary muscle group that is being worked.
But the lower body isn’t the only muscle group being worked on. Find out what other muscles you will work when you start stair climbing.
What Muscles Do Stairs Exercises Use?
Whether you are running up the stairs in your home, in the mall, or using a stair climber at the gym, all these exercises will typically work the same muscle groups.
The muscles that are primarily worked through stair climbing include:
It might be a surprise that stair climbing exercises use your core, but it can actually be a very effective workout to develop strong abdominal muscles.
This is because abdominal muscles are used for the different movements of the stair climbing exercises and are also used to stabilize the body. Having a developed core also allows you to keep your balance and remain upright at all times while climbing stairs.
Benefits of Stairs Exercises
There are many types of benefits that you will get from doing stair climbing regularly for exercise and as a simple daily activity.
The main benefit that you will get from stair climbing is that you will burn a significant amount of calories even just climbing or descending stairs at a moderate intensity. Since you can burn a lot of calories, this means that losing weight from climbing stairs is possible and easy to do.
Other benefits include improvements in blood pressure levels from patients with hypertension [2] and the fact that stair climbing has been proven to prevent metabolic syndrome [3].
Exercise, in general, is also known to improve your mood and self-esteem [4], which shows that stair climbing has benefits that go beyond just physical effects.
Equipment
Stair climbing can be great for those that don’t have access to specialized equipment because only a set of stairs is needed to do the exercise. If you’re indoors inside your own home, you may not even need shoes to start climbing stairs for exercise!
If you decide you want to do stair climbing at the gym, you will need to use a stair-climbing machine, which is very popular at most fitness centers.
Other equipment that stair climbers may use are heart rate monitors, earbuds, and even hats or sunglasses if you are stair climbing outdoors.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Is climbing stairs good for your health?
Yes! Climbing stairs is a great form of exercise that will help you burn calories and aid in weight loss. Since stairs are a great exercise that can be done indoors and outdoors any time of year, you can start a stair-climbing routine and stick with it very easily.
Will climbing stairs reduce belly fat?
Since climbing stairs is a great exercise to develop the core muscles, it will also help you to lose belly fat. As long as you stay in a caloric deficit and adhere to a healthy diet, you can expect to lose belly fat quickly when you implement a stair-climbing routine in your daily life.
Can you do stair climbing every day?
While stair climbing is a relatively low-impact exercise, we would recommend mixing different types of cardio into your routine and not doing stair climbing every day. Mixing in walks and other forms of light cardio will be ideal for an all-around healthy physique.
How long should I climb stairs to lose weight?
To see results from your stair climbing efforts, you would need to do it for at least 15-20 minutes each session. We would recommend doing stair climbing as an exercise up to five times per week. However, as a daily activity, we recommend taking the stairs whenever possible.
The Bottom Line
Climbing stairs is a form of exercise that many of us don’t even realize we do every day. Simply making it a point to take the stairs instead of the elevator can help you burn extra calories in your daily life.
Stair climbing can also be done specifically for exercise purposes, as there are stair climbing machines available at many fitness centers. You can also do sets of climbing up and down the stairs at home as a workout or just for fun.
Be sure to use our stair climbing calculator to find out how many calories you can expect to burn climbing stairs and also check out all the other calculators that we have available at FitnessVolt.com!
References:
- Jetté, M., Sidney, K., & Blümchen, G. (1990). Metabolic equivalents (METS) in exercise testing, exercise prescription, and evaluation of functional capacity. Clinical cardiology, 13(8), 555–565. https://doi.org/10.1002/clc.4960130809
- Yamaji, T., Harada, T., Hashimoto, Y., Nakano, Y., Kajikawa, M., Yoshimura, K., Chayama, K., Goto, C., Han, Y., Mizobuchi, A., Yusoff, F. M., Kishimoto, S., Maruhashi, T., Nakashima, A., & Higashi, Y. (2021). Stair climbing activity and vascular function in patients with hypertension. Hypertension research : official journal of the Japanese Society of Hypertension, 44(10), 1274–1282. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41440-021-00697-z
- Whittaker, A. C., Eves, F. F., Carroll, D., Roseboom, T. J., Ginty, A. T., Painter, R. C., & de Rooij, S. R. (2021). Daily stair climbing is associated with decreased risk for the metabolic syndrome. BMC public health, 21(1), 923. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10965-9
- Zurita-Ortega, F., Castro-Sánchez, M., Rodríguez-Fernández, S., Cofré-Boladós, C., Chacón-Cuberos, R., Martínez-Martínez, A., & Muros-Molina, J. J. (2017). Actividad física, obesidad y autoestima en escolares chilenos: Análisis mediante ecuaciones estructurales [Physical activity, obesity and self-esteem in chilean schoolchildren]. Revista medica de Chile, 145(3), 299–308. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0034-98872017000300006
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I am sure i am not the only one looking for a way to roughly calculate how many calories someone burns climbing stairs, someone must have found a formula. “Stair climbing fast” for a person of a given weight for a given time does not give useful information because “stair climbing fast” is an unknown subjective speed, very different for different people, whereas (for example)”stair climbing 1 vertical kilometre per hour” for a given weight & time should give a rough estimate for standard stairs (which are about 20-25cm across by 17-20cm up in most cases).
I have looked at many websites that claim to calculate calories burned but not finding the same useful formulas for stair climbing, do you have any information that could help us? Thanks.
Thanks for reaching out with your question about calculating the calories burned while climbing stairs. I understand your concern about the vague definitions like “stair climbing fast” and the need for a more precise way to estimate energy expenditure.
To get a good estimate, we use a concept called Metabolic Equivalents (METs). METs help us understand the energy cost of physical activities. For stair climbing, the MET value is usually around 11.5, which is right for moderate to vigorous activity.
Here’s a straightforward formula you can use:
Calories burned = METs × your weight in kg × how long you climb in hours
Let’s say you weigh 70 kg and you climb stairs for an hour at a speed equivalent to going up 1 vertical kilometer. This means you would burn approximately 805 calories. This number is a ballpark figure and can vary depending on things like how fit you are, the size of the stairs, and how you climb them.
I hope this helps you get a clearer picture of how much energy you’re using when you take the stairs. If you have any more questions or need further clarification, feel free to ask!