Stairclimbing

I have started my off season conditioning programme and part of it includes this stairmaster I am on.

It is like a mini escalator that has no top floor you end up at. I strapped on a 20kg weight vest and added some ankle weights to complete the party I have found this to be an amazing tool for athletic improvement and injury rehab. It is about being innovative in your approach and keeping things interesting,exciting & fun. I have always been a little warped in this excuse for fun. I am sure many of you out there understand.

Growing the sessions through overload using a weight vest or ankle weights is important to maximise improvement and bring about long term reward.

The benefits

Strength without damage and recovery time is what springs to mind quickly when explaining the benefits. Activation and conditioning of the quads,glutes,hip flexors along with core would be just getting started.

For runners, climbing stairs helps to develop balance and coordination. It allows you to target muscle stabilizer muscles, such as the gluteus medius, that don’t get much stimulation during an actual run. And the very fact that you are momentarily balancing on one leg improves your balance. The gradient on a stair climber is bound to be much greater than anything you’ll encounter on the road as well.

With cycling I very quickly noticed how my pedaling improved through the bottom of the stroke when it had not even been a focus. Being a triathlete I tend to stomp the big gears and actually enjoy this. The improved pedaling I put down straight away to the stairclimber. Also I felt in my words more anchored and stable on the seat applying a better transfer of power to the pedals. Normally I work tirelessly in other areas to achieve this.

Currently I am doing 2-3 x 1 hr sessions a week with a 20kg weight vest and ankle weights ranging from 1-3 kgs. The rest of my sessions are focused around altitude bike sessions & swim sessions with pull/paddle/bands-as always.

Be Great!