Stair climbing - McHugh Bluff (Memorial Drive @ Princes Island Park)

[Super_Geo]

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4076/4740680224_5b5c191a61_z.jpg

There's a set of 11 fights of stairs just North of Princes Island Park that total 167 steps, and along with it comes one of the biggest ass kickings your body will ever receive.

The goal is to do 10 laps of the stairs taking 2 steps at a time without pushing off the knees or grabbing onto the railing on the way up, on the way down using the rail and going 1 at a time is ok.

This will quickly develop lower body strength, balance and agility and helps to prevent ankle or knee injuries. Doing this 2-3 times a week would also be very effective for fat loss. If you don't exercise or to go the gym on a consistent basis, it'll probably take 5-10 trips to the stairs before you can do 10 at a time... I was doing around 5-6 when I first started, and that was with plenty of time spent on the rail sucking wind like I just got shot.

The timing breakdown is for 10 laps, starting from the bottom of the stairs and finishing at the top on the 10th lap. Keep in mind most people won't be able to do 10 laps their first time out but if you do at least 5-8 you can figure out what 10 laps would've been, and this is only my best guess from seeing a handful of people try this.

Time Brackets
<17 minutes - Olympian?
17-20 minutes - Professional, top amateur atheles
20-24 minutes - Very athletic
24-28 minutes - Athletic
28-35 minutes - Average
35-37 minutes - Somewhat out of shape
37-40 minutes - Out of shape
40-45 minutes - Overweight, rarely exercises

I'll keep a list of times somewhat up to date in the first post here. People with lean builds will obviously be at an advantage against bulkier people. Post up your age, weight, and total number of times you been to the stairs.

2008

Super_Geo, 24, 177lb, 6th trip: 27:15, 10 laps, 0.223hp*
Super_Geo, 24, 174lb, 7th trip: 25:50, 10 laps, 0.231hp

2009

austic, 23, 230lbs, 1st trip: 32:00, 10 laps, 0.247hp
austic, 23, 230lbs, 2st trip: 29:00, 10 laps, 0.273hp

Super_Geo, 25, 181lbs, 3th trip: 27:30, 10 laps, 0.225hp
Super_Geo, 25, 179lbs, 5th trip: 25:35, 10 laps, 0.245hp

max_boost, 27, 158lbs, 1st trip: 25:45, 5 laps, 0.105hp

2010

Super_Geo
March 12: 5 Laps @ 13:01, 166bpm AvgHR, 2:36/lap Avg (link) (http://connect.garmin.com/activity/26807927)
March 26: 5 Laps @ 12:24, 164bpm AvgHR, 2:29/lap Avg (link) (http://connect.garmin.com/activity/28106207)
April 7: 5 laps @ 11:47, 166bpm AvgHR, 2:21/lap Avg (link) (http://connect.garmin.com/activity/29325658)
April 12: 10 laps @ 23:06, 167bpm AvgHR, 2:25/lap Avg (link) (http://connect.garmin.com/activity/29892628)

2011
austic, 25, 210lbs, 1st trip: ----, 6 laps

Super_Geo, 27, 178lbs, 1st trip: 11:16, 4 laps, 2:49/lap
Super_Geo, 27, 176lbs, 2nd trip: 15:48, 6 laps, 2:38/lap
Super_Geo, 27, 176lbs, 3rd trip: 26:22, 10 laps, 2:44/lap


*horsepower calculation based solely on energy required to carry your body weight up the vertical height of the stairs. For simplicity sake, descent time is not deducted from the overall time, yet energy expenditure during descent is not taken into account. The amount of energy your body releases will actually be significantly higher, as this doesn't take into account heat generated, sweating to cool yourself, overall efficiency, etc. This is an effective way to gauge your overall energy output as your time and weight fluctuates.

[Altezza]

Any free parking nearby?

[Super_Geo]

Oh yeah, a shitload right at the base of the stairs.

[broken_legs]

I was running those stairs last summer.

My routine there was sprint up, charge to the top, jog the ridge and down the hill. I would do that 10-12 times. For me the jogging along the ridge and then down teh bike path was more like active recovery.


I found that I couldn't maintain an explosive charge up the stairs when I just went up and down. I also found that running down those stairs was extremely hard on my knees.


But anyways 10 times is pretty good and 2 stairs at a time is killer on your hams and glutes. Good job man.

[eglove]

i've always looked at that set of stairs when driving by and thinking "do i want to kill myself today" (and by kill myself i mean not being able to move for days after doing a set) hahaha.

[kutt3r]

My buddy and I hit those this summer with sandbags... that was awesome... talk about bringing up lunch and that was just with a 50#er.

We did it once with 100#'s in a back pack and almost died... good times....

(there was no running, just climbing)

:thumbsup:

[Marsh]

1 lap = the run up and the run back down the stairs or just the run up?

[TYMSMNY]

Originally posted by Marsh
1 lap = the run up and the run back down the stairs or just the run up?

lap = up and down to complete the loop.

They have similar staircases by Westhills (overlooking the malls, behind staples)

[cityhunter2501]

back in September/October me and friend would run the Scottman's Hill by the Saddledome 5x every tues,wed and thurs.
Never properly timed ourselves but I believe it was taking us around 20min to run the stairs.

Can't wait for springs so I can start doing it again

[5000Audi]

shit... probably take me 45 mins to do that shit once... haha

i should try and do that 10 lap thing..

this woul dbe the sheet after i do it

Time Brackets
<17 minutes - Olympian?
17-20 minutes - Professional, top amateur atheles
20-24 minutes - Very athletic
24-28 minutes - Athletic
28-35 minutes - Average
35-37 minutes - Somewhat out of shape
37-40 minutes - Out of shape
40-45 minutes - Overweight, rarely exercises
60-120 minutes- 5000Audi's average times

[A790]

I'm going to try this in the spring... fuck winter. :D

[bigbadboss101]

IT's nice enough to do it now! One step at a time and I am sure in time one will improve big time. I need cardio badly. Used to play sports 3-4 times a week and now with people getting married etc may be once a week. Fat fat fat.

[buh_buh]

I'm going to try this on my next cardio day. What's the address to this place?

[ExtraSlow]

http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=801+2nd+st+NW+calgary&sll=51.060211,-114.067483&sspn=0.007849,0.016565&g=801+2nd+st+NW+calgary&ie=UTF8&ll=51.059065,-114.067504&spn=0.007849,0.016565&z=16&iwloc=addr
801 2nd street NW is the top of the stairs. There is 2 hour parking there right along Crescent road.

Pay parking availible in the city lot at the bottom of the stairs.

[AZ REALTY]

I use to run those everyday in high school at Crescent for basketball and football practice. It's a wicked workout! Can't do them anymore as I don't live in Calgary anymore.

[1997GSR]

i would imagine that it can get clogged up with slow folks. what is the best time to run this?

[Impreza]

^No good time. I live by that area and there are always people running those stairs regardless of what time it is haha. In all honesty though, it never really gets THAT clogged up, so you shouldn't have a big problem.

[kenny]

I've done those stairs far too many times during dog class and always thought about timing myself haha. I should try this, but I wonder if I can complete all 10 (9.5 actually) laps.

[max_boost]

Originally posted by A790
I'm going to try this in the spring... fuck winter. :D

:werd:

I'll continue to watch TV while doing cardio instead of this one. I could be dead after attempting these stair climbs haha

[Swank]

I've been doing 60 storeys (1200 stairs) a day for my breaks at work lately, killer way to drop the fat, beef up the legs, and get some crazy endurance. I should give this a go!

[Super_Geo]

Time to get back in the swing of things!

I've made it out twice so far this year... 6 laps on Tues, 7 laps last night. Going for 10 on my next trip out... will update with time (it'll be ugly!).

Get out there guys, there are always some hotties climbing the stairs as well, so bring your A game ;)


Originally posted by A790
I'm going to try this in the spring... fuck winter. :D

Originally posted by max_boost

:werd:

I'll continue to watch TV while doing cardio instead of this one. I could be dead after attempting these stair climbs haha

Gentlemen, you have now been called out!

[JMaj7]

I'm really not looking forward to this but I'm going to to do it atleast twice a week. I'll keep basketball and running my primary cardio choices.

[bigbadboss101]

Me too. Going to do stairs for cardio to supplement my gym workout. As we get warmer will be playing more tennis, ultimate frisbee, soccer, slo pitch etc.

[Vagabond142]

I might add this into my routine. I could probably bike there, run up and down a couple of times, recover, and continue biking :)

Or I might just do it for the fat loss alone (drive and park there) because my flab is the biggest thing I need to cut

[Jonel]

Will this help lean up your calves instead of beefing them up?

[bigbadboss101]

Much harder than the stairmaster at the gym :-). I will keep trying but one set the other day got my HR to 150 and I was
sweaty.

[rumeo]

Originally posted by AZ REALTY
I use to run those everyday in high school at Crescent for basketball and football practice. It's a wicked workout! Can't do them anymore as I don't live in Calgary anymore.

Yup, myself as well, but for Rugby. First time I did them, I wanted to die.

[Super_Geo]

Originally posted by bigbadboss101
Much harder than the stairmaster at the gym :-). I will keep trying but one set the other day got my HR to 150 and I was
sweaty.

Actual stairs are way better for you than stairmasters, especially when you do them 2 steps at a time because it works out your balance muscles. I've become so much more agile since doing the stairs, and the lower body strength improvements are huge.

The first time I went skiing over the winter I was amazed at how much better I was than the previous year when I did no lower body workouts. My legs weren't even tired after a full day on the hill!

How many laps did you do? I find you can usually add a lap every time you go out there... the worst stretch is laps 4-6, the last 4 laps are not nearly as bad, probably cause of oxygen deprivation, haha.

It's also a good idea to hold yourself back on laps 1-3... if you go too hard at the beginning you'll pay for it on the last couple of laps.



Will this help lean up your calves instead of beefing them up?

Yeah, it should... not a lot of calf involved, so I can't see it adding too much bulk to it. Your quads will get ripped from doing the stairs, and you end up putting on a lot of muscle pretty quickly.

[austic]

Todays stair climb: 1st climb of year 32mins 6'1 230 lbs

[Super_Geo]

Originally posted by austic
Todays stair climb: 1st climb of year 32mins 6'1 230 lbs

Was this for 10 laps? Age?

0.247hp continuous output, added to the 1st post :)

[bigbadboss101]

That's impressive. Takes some people 1.5 minute to run down.

[max_boost]

haha alright, I'll add this to my workout regiment. I'll test it out this weekend and see how it goes.

:D

[Vagabond142]

I will do my first timed run of the stairs this Saturday, if others want to come out and get timed too :D

[austic]

Age 23, laps 10

I might add i was nearly dead by the 9th lap, it was quite warm out and busy at lunch. but its a good variation from my normal run

[Super_Geo]

First 10 lap run of the year... felt like I took a bullet in the stomach on the last couple of flights, but I made it! 27:30, going to see if I can break below 24:00 this summer :burnout:

[BigShow]

There's been wayyyy too many people this past week. If you think your gonna be slower or have a difficult time, please go as late in the evening as possible.

Last nite was particularly bad for congestion. You can usually run up and pass people, but coming down more people are walking and it becomes a nightmare trying to go around without crashing.

Oh and try not to eat too many insects at the top :barf:

[max_boost]

Still have yet to do this. Maybe tomorrow night after work. I bet it'll take me close to an hour. There's no such thing as only doing 7 or 8 rounds, you do it all or nothing. ;)

I need to work my legs more. Squats and deadlifts have made my thighs huge and fat. Maybe this might help build some muscle/lean it out? :dunno:

[bigbadboss101]

I wouldn't call it fat. Squats and deadlifts etc would build muscles. Biking would help too. I think all build muscles, but in different areas of the leg. Upper vs lower hamstrings, and different heads of the quads.

I was down in Princess Island last night around 7:30. Very nice scenery. Doesn't affect you since you are attached but sure it's nice :-)

[Super_Geo]

Originally posted by max_boost
Still have yet to do this. Maybe tomorrow night after work. I bet it'll take me close to an hour. There's no such thing as only doing 7 or 8 rounds, you do it all or nothing. ;)

Man if only I had your drive... laps 5-6 are typically the hardest for me. The realization that you're only half way isn't a good one, haha. But by lap 7-8 you get energized from having the finish line in sight, and I think oxygen deprivation starts to set in a bit.

I usually run the last couple of flights on the 10th lap, and the first minute of recovery at the top feels like death. But after 5 minutes you get a massive endorphin rush and feel like a million bucks.


Originally posted by max_boost
I need to work my legs more. Squats and deadlifts have made my thighs huge and fat. Maybe this might help build some muscle/lean it out? :dunno:

This should definitely lean out your quads and give you more definition. You're pretty much doing 10 sets of 85 reps of leg press.

[austic]

2nd of the season, 10 laps 29 mins same details

[colt22]

I believe I can do this in under 20.

5'10 210

[Super_Geo]

Originally posted by austic
2nd of the season, 10 laps 29 mins same details

Updated :)



Originally posted by colt22
I believe I can do this in under 20.

5'10 210

My hat goes off to you if you can pull it off... or even come close. That's an insanely fast time to be shooting for! :thumbsup:

[bigbadboss101]

Doesn't it take more than a minute just to get down to the bottom? So up would be twice as long.

[Super_Geo]

Depends on how fast you want to go down... I know some people who run down 2 steps at a time and can make it down in 40-50 seconds. But that leaves you with less recovery time before your next climb.

For the first couple of laps I can usually maintain 50second descents and 1:30 climbs, but I don't have the endurance to keep that up past 3-4 laps. Just started road biking though, hoping that'll help my endurance.

[max_boost]

I wanted to do this last weekend but I got so drunk the night before I left my car at the grounds after Driven. Instead I ran from 8th Ave NE/Edmonton Trail to the Stampede grounds to pick up my car haha and that took me <35mins :D

Ok seriously, next weekend for sure. No excuses.

[max_boost]

I did this today. Actually I just finished it. It was fucking hard. Seriously one of the hardest fucking things I have ever done in my life.

I did 5 laps and called it. I had no choice. I was done. Breathing hard, legs were shaking and sweating buckets. I don't know what was harder, running/walking up or walking down, my legs felt like jello.

max_boost, 27, 158lbs, 1st trip 25:40 (5laps)

Not fair man. I play badminton 2x/week, lift weights 3x/week (I can dead lift and squat 210lbs 5X (LOL) and my day job has me walking all day (restaurant). I thought I was in decent shape.

FUCK! :rofl: :facepalm: :banghead:

Maybe next week will be better. :cry: :eek:

[bigbadboss101]

Haha, yeah some of the guys can do 10 laps under 20 minutes. I haven't done more than 2 laps yet. One of these days I am gonna try and do this until I drop dead and see how many I can do and in how long.

Might be better if you pick a cooler time of the day!?

[max_boost]

Yeah forget about doing 10 rounds. Next week's goal is to beat my time for the 5 laps and if I have anything left, I'll maybe do an extra lap. Have to slowly move my way up. LOL

But I definitely felt everything tighten up in my lower body. At the start I was running two steps at a time but that didn't last very long. :rofl:

[Super_Geo]

Originally posted by max_boost
At the start I was running two steps at a time

Running up on your first trip out??! Such a naive lack of respect for the stairs :angel:

Glad you made it out man! I added you to the wall on the OP. The gains you make on your first couple of trips out are unreal, you'll have your continuous power output over 0.2hp in no time... :thumbsup:

[Super_Geo]

Originally posted by max_boost
I play badminton 2x/week

Another benefit from climbing the stairs 2 at a time is that you get unreal balance. You're constantly hurling your center of gravity up a fairly significant vertical distance and you're maintaining balance with only one leg at a time, and you do it about 80-90 times per lap with your legs nearly fully spent near the top.

That was one thing I found really noticeable after my first 5 trips out... I was nimble as fuck compared to before on any racquet sport I tried.

[BAbbott]

I'm not from Calgary but have spent some time there, I think I generally know where these stairs are, what's the best/quickest way to walk there from Eau Claire?

[max_boost]

From Eau Claire, you cross the bridge over Memorial Dr. to get there.

[RY213]

I run the stairs about twice a week. My usual routine is to go up them 3 times, then I run 5k around Princes Island Park, then do another 3 sets of stairs. Another good thing to try is running up the bike path that runs along beside the stairs...

[DarkDream]

Originally posted by TYMSMNY


lap = up and down to complete the loop.

They have similar staircases by Westhills (overlooking the malls, behind staples)

so up 10 times, down 10 times?

That's like 1 minute to go up and 1 minute to go down to hit the 20 minute mark.

Some of you guys are hitting under 25 minutes. That's like 1.5minutes up and 1 minute down..

I dunno about you guys but, running 167 steps in 1 and half minutes is crazy fast. That means you are doing 2 steps every 1.X seconds.

[Super_Geo]

Did 10 laps on the stairs for the first time in 2010 today and set a new personal best... must have something to do with the half-marathon training where I'm doing a shitload of running and biking every week. All this cross training is really paying off!

My previous personal best last year was 10 laps, 178lbs, 25:50... improved to 10 laps, 173lbs, 23:06 today on my first try doing 10 this year.

I was using my Garmin Forerunner 405 for all these runs, click on the link for detailed heart rate, elevation and lap times.

March 12: 5 Laps @ 13:01, 166bpm AvgHR, 2:36/lap Avg (link) (http://connect.garmin.com/activity/26807927)
March 26: 5 Laps @ 12:24, 164bpm AvgHR, 2:29/lap Avg (link) (http://connect.garmin.com/activity/28106207)
April 7: 5 laps @ 11:47, 166bpm AvgHR, 2:21/lap Avg (link) (http://connect.garmin.com/activity/29325658)
April 12: 10 laps @ 23:06*, 167bpm AvgHR, 2:25**/lap Avg (link) (http://connect.garmin.com/activity/29892628)

(5 lap times are full laps, 10 lap time has no descent on last lap)

*No descent on 10th Lap
** Lap time corrected for lack of descent on 10th lap. Assumed 1min for descent.

[bituerbo]

Anyone know the total elevation gain of this? I suppose I could swing by after work and check it out.
Do you get the same workout by taking the "ramp" up, instead of the stairs?

Edit: I've calculated height to be 125 feet, or 38 meters. That means 10 lap = just shy of a 1/4 mile vertical

[cet]

Good job guys. I run a few laps a couple of times a week with my noon-hour runs. They definitely are a a killer.

[max_boost]

BUMP! lol

After a session with the prowler I went for a walk on these stairs. I just remembered how difficult and killer it was to walk up. :rofl:

[bigbadboss101]

You should do the Prowler and then to cool off do the stairs :-)

[austic]

New season
6 laps, forgot to time but my legs did the jello running back after
210lbs

[t_soarer]

I remember we used to do these in High School in so many different ways...including piggy backing someone your size all the way to the top...killer.

[swak]

Let me know when you guys are going to header to "THE STAIRS"... Id be stoked to tag along.

[Super_Geo]

Saw this thread pop up a couple of days ago and went last night... did 10 laps, but I sure didn't want to! The VP of my former company was out and he told me that I owed him $50 for every lap that I was short... haha otherwise I probably would've stopped at 5 or 6.

10 laps, 26:22, 176lbs.

[Super_Geo]

Updated the OP... it's almost summer, let's get some more numbers up there!

[bigbadboss101]

anyone want to join me Tuesday for this Hill and drills?

http://www.calgaryoutdoorclub.com/events/details.asp?eventid=15596

[adidas]

Originally posted by bigbadboss101
anyone want to join me Tuesday for this Hill and drills?

http://www.calgaryoutdoorclub.com/events/details.asp?eventid=15596

What is the point of paying when the stairs are free to run? lol

[bigbadboss101]

free

[adidas]

Originally posted by bigbadboss101
free

Ah saw this and figured it was a paid event.


"For some events a payment may be required."

[Disoblige]

I used the stairs there too, and if you are near 17th Avenue area, you can also run to Glencoe club area. They also have a set of stairs (near Western Canada High)

[Mar]

I go to Starbucks on Centre there up the street every Sunday and in the summer we would go out to the Bluff to take a walk. There were always super hot chicks running up and down there.

[LONDAR]

went and did 5 laps in 16 minutes yesterday, but i was touching every stair. it's definetly a lot quicker when you double them up. i find hitting every stair your quads just want to rip themselves off your legs and die.

Another good variation is to go under the stairs at the bottom and do chinups on the support rail.

10 chinups
run up
20 pushups
run down

loop that 5 times and you'll be feeling good about sitting on the couch on sunday

[austic]

10 laps 32 mins 205lbs

[ZeeZee]

Try one step at a time, two flights up, one flight down, repeat until you reach the top, sprint down, repeat...

[rojhero]

I tried this for the first time today. I didn't pace myself properly even though I knew it would be tough. The first 3-4 laps weren't too bad at two stairs per step, but I had to switch between one and two stairs per step after that.

2*, 160lbs, 1st trip: 27:27, 10 laps

I also had to run a couple km to get there. I don't think it affected my time, but it did serve as a great warmup.

[austic]

nice friday trip 26:52 200lbs, 10 laps

[austic]

a lil slower yesterday due to traffic on the stairs being nuts

10 laps 30mins 200lbs

[austic]

10 laps 27:20 200lbs

[GreyFox]

5 laps --> 16:11 145lbs

I stopped after 5 because this terrible smell washed over the area. Smelled like a combo of a sewage plant and a swamp. Almost hurled so I just left haha.

For someone who considers themselves to be fairly fit (I've completed a marathon and a half-iron man) that's a pretty intense workout.

I'm excited to give the full 10 laps a go if we get a few more nice days before the snow flies.

[austic]

Great sunday for some time on the stairs

10 laps 45-50 mins. didnt time it but focused on enjoying the weather.

Variation
At the top 15 body weight squats, 15 push ups.
At the bottom 20 sit ups, 10 burpees

[Super_Geo]

Nice to see you guys keeping this thread alive!

Been out twice this fall so far, been putting up some pretty good times vs. last year. No variation... just 10 laps of nonstop stairs!

1st trip: 10laps @ 23:55, 173lbs
2nd trip: 10laps @ 23:37, 170lbs

Goal is to get to 22:30 this year!

[xnvy]

Are there any stairs like this in the SE near the McKenzie area? I wanna do this and see my time but I doubt my parents would let me take the car out to the NW to torture myself running up stairs.

[Super_Geo]

Originally posted by Super_Geo
Nice to see you guys keeping this thread alive!

Been out twice this fall so far, been putting up some pretty good times vs. last year. No variation... just 10 laps of nonstop stairs!

1st trip: 10laps @ 23:55, 173lbs
2nd trip: 10laps @ 23:37, 170lbs

Goal is to get to 22:30 this year!

Set a new PR on Friday!

3rd trip: 10laps @ 22:16, 169lbs

Pretty stoked... guess I wasn't aggressive enough with the 22:30 goal, now moved up to 21:30 :devil:

I started doing hill laps on my bike at the Edworthy park, which I think really helped my time on the stairs... 1km long, 70m climb... It is not as intense as stair climbing is but 10 laps takes so much longer! And by the time you do 10 laps you would have climbed 700m...

1st trip: 10laps @ 1:10:17
2nd trip: 10laps @ 1:04:06

[JAYMEZ]

I didnt know this thread existed LOL..

I run the stairs all the time :thumbsup:

[bigbadboss101]

Going this Sunday, 2 pm.

[austic]

Great to se this thread up for another year... if the weather holds i will be out on them some time this week.

[bigbadboss101]

What are your heart rates like while doing this? 160 - 170?
I was reading that at 60-65% of max HR is the optimum rate for fat burn. Anything higher you are using up food for fuel.
So wouldn't that mean HIIT are getting out of the fat burn zone since most people would be at 140+ while doing HIIT?

[sexualbanana]

Ran it the other week. Did 6 rounds before I went home and slept for an hour.

[Super_Geo]

Glad to see you guys are still in this thread.

The next two months are ideal for running the stairs. Just in time to get your spring fitness goals in and be in shape for summer, and the weather is perfect for it. It gets way too hot to run the stairs in the dog days of summer, I find that -5c to 10c is the ideal temperature. I once ran it while it was +27 out and pushed my body into hyperthermia by the 7th lap... went home, had a cold shower, but it wasn't enough, I just sat and sweated profusely for about 2 hours, it was some crazy shit.

I'll update the original post in this thread once a week with new stats for myself and anyone else that wants to take part. Should be a good way to keep all of us motivated.

Post where you're at right now, what you're aiming to get to, and then just post updates when you go with your time, number of laps, and your weight.

I'm aiming to go between 1-2 times a week, break 20:30, and drop from 168lb to 155lb.



Originally posted by Super_Geo


Set a new PR on Friday!

3rd trip: 10laps @ 22:16, 169lbs

Pretty stoked... guess I wasn't aggressive enough with the 22:30 goal, now moved up to 21:30 :devil:

Didn't post the results last year, but the trip after this post I did 10 laps in 21:36 and then called it a season.

[austic]

aiming 2 times a week keep around the 30 min mark (running it at lunch when its crowded is not easy to get fast time)

current 195 drop to 185 buy the end of June which will be tough as i am pretty lean right now.
Just got to get over this pneumonia that has had me off training for 5 days now...

[bigbadboss101]

I might have ran around some of you. I am the slow Asian guy :-), usually doing the stairs with 2-4 gals. My guy friends don't want to come out. Slackers!

[austic]

Another beauty of a lunch hour on the stairs. 7 rounds in around 20 mins. had to rush back to the office. Go for 10 on thurday.

[max_boost]

Originally posted by bigbadboss101
I might have ran around some of you. I am the slow Asian guy :-), usually doing the stairs with 2-4 gals. My guy friends don't want to come out. Slackers! I will go if the 2-4 gals are with you next time haha I live down the street :D

[bigbadboss101]

Hey I want to do some prowlers.

[Atriux]

I figure there are probably still some people running this.

Age: 21, 5'7, 228lb (I understand the implications of my gross obesity - its my top priority)

10 laps (1 step at a time): 53:16 (Link to Garmin (http://connect.garmin.com/activity/216951284))

Looking to do the stairs twice a week following work, as personal motivation, I will post those times as it comes to fruition.

[Atriux]

Accidently quoted instead of edited... oops!

[Modelexis]

This past Sunday I did 2 steps at a time focusing on quads.
I did 4 laps I think, didn't time it.

I might go back this weekend to try again, maybe time it this go.

[Super_Geo]

Originally posted by Atriux
I figure there are probably still some people running this.

Age: 21, 5'7, 228lb (I understand the implications of my gross obesity - its my top priority)

10 laps (1 step at a time): 53:16 (Link to Garmin (http://connect.garmin.com/activity/216951284))

Looking to do the stairs twice a week following work, as personal motivation, I will post those times as it comes to fruition.

Don't run before you can walk. Start off with doing the stairs just once a week. Keep up your normal cardio workout on your off days (plenty of walking, light jogging, cycling, etc). If you overdo the stairs you run the risk of over straining your knees. I was doing the stairs twice a week a while back and after a couple of weeks noticed some sharp knee pains developing and quickly cut back.

That being said, looking forward to seeing what time you post next week :thumbsup:

[phreezee]

I used to do these all the time. I'll do them at lunch on Wednesday.

[Super_Geo]

Went yesterday after work... man was it ever busy! And hot too... haha ok maybe the heat was just an excuse, only did 6 laps.

6 laps in 14min22sec... on pace for ~23min 10 lap time if I could've kept it up for the last 4 laps, but it was getting uncomfortably hot out there.

[Disoblige]

^^ Haha, you think that was hot? Try middle of July-early August weather! That was awesome, and a great workout. 6 laps in ~14 min is great! Nice work.

What was insane is a couple times I saw guys carrying up what they said was an 80 lb bag :eek: