Stair Sprints Popular with Super Star Tom Brady

For some reason stair training does not get the credit it deserves as a viable fitness tool. Just recently I read that super star Quarterback & Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady uses stair workouts. He trains at the College at San Mateo and uses stair sprints as part of his off-season workout regimen. All I can say is that if it’s good enough for a Super Bowl MVP it’s good enough for me.

Now first of all what's the deal with stair sprints?

Why are stair sprints so popular among athletes?

There is one simple reason why. In less than 30 minutes you can work on improving your strength, power and conditining all in one. And athletes usually use stadium steps which are 2-3 times the size of standard steps. This forces you to use powerful strides when going up and involves your entire body. And since you are going up hill you also increase your strength & conditioning.

Can you begin to see why stairs are chosen by elite pro athletes?

Besides all that my favorite reason for stair training is that they are indeed very versatile.

Here are a list of goals and how stairs can help:

Weight Loss: This in essence is all about fat loss & muscle building. In this instance high intensity ANA-Runs which I like to call them are excellent for fat loss & muscle building (Specifically the legs). Even better is that the workouts can be done in less than half an hour.

Strength: Stairs are excellent for building leg strength and that goes with out saying. What about the upper body and core. Simple. Throw in some body weight exercises in between your stair climbs and your strength workout is complete. I also happen to do pull-ups at the local park after my stair workouts. You could also bring resistance bands with you (light enough to carry) and use that for your upper body and core needs.

Power: This is where stair training excels. Specifically Hops and Ana Runs are among the best power building exercises you can do with any fitness tool.

Speed: Speed is all about having power and more importantly relative strength. Stairs can help here with power building and fat loss workouts to keep you at an optimal body weight.

Decreased joint pain: If you don't move it you lose it. Going up stairs is a great way to get your body moving. Even walking up stairs are great to increasing joint flexibility and mobility. Throw in exercises like crossover stair exercises and you will feel a great difference in your hip, knees and ankles.

The stair workout below will introduce you to with simple walking and combining it with body weight training: In my building I have access to 20 flights. You certainly don't need that many flights but it is nice to have.

Here's a sample workout to get you started:

Regular walking (1 or 2 steps at a time) combined with body weight exercises.

Round 1: Warm-up: Walk up 20 flights at a slow pace (4 to 5
minutes) and then stretch at the top.

Take elevator down.

Round 2: One arm pushups (as many as you can)
Walk up 20 flights at a faster pace (3 minutes 45 seconds).
Take elevator down.

Round 3: Handstand pushups (as many as you can)
Walk up 20 flights at a faster pace (3 minutes 30 seconds).
Take elevator down.

Round 4: Regular pushups (as many as you can)
Walk up 20 flights at a faster pace (3 minutes 15 seconds).
Take elevator down.

Now lets get to stepping!!!

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