Climbing stairs is as effective as walking 10,000 steps, says new study

Walking is a great form of exercise that improves cardiovascular health, bone strength, and weight loss. Walking 10,000 steps is ideal as it helps your body develop mobility and balance and helps in controlling blood sugar levels. But what if you could multiply benefits of this simple exercise and speed up your weight loss efforts. Climbing stairs could do that for you and the good thing is that you can easily do it anywhere be it at home or in office.
While walking is a great exercise, it takes a lot of time to reduce calories or get desired results in less time. Walking requires a lot of time and consistency to show results. However, a study now conducted on 4,50,000 adults suggests an alternative to walking. It says climbing the stairs is as effective and efficient in lesser time.
A study published in the medical journal Atherosclerosis discovered that climbing 5 flights of stairs a day or roughly climbing 50 steps reduces the risk of cardiovascular issues by 20%. It also noted that climbing stairs frequently is beneficial for health.
Short bursts of high-intensity stair climbing are a time-efficient way to improve cardiorespiratory fitness and lipid profile, especially among those unable to achieve the current physical activity recommendations,” said study corresponding author Dr. Lu Qi, HCA Regents Distinguished Chair and professor at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. “These findings highlight the potential advantages of stair climbing as a primary preventive measure for ASCVD in the general population.”
Especially people or working professionals who often struggle to find time for fitness could benefit by stair-climbing daily.
The research studied data from more than 450,000 adults in the UK Biobank and assessed their susceptibility to cardiovascular disease keeping in mind factors such as family history, genetic risk factors and established risk factors such as high blood pressure and history of smoking. Participants were also asked about their lifestyle habits and frequency of stair climbing. The median follow-up time was 12.5 years.
The study discovered that climbing more stairs daily reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease in those who were less susceptible. The increased risk of heart disease in more susceptible people could be “effectively offset” by daily stair climbing, says the researchers.
It was also found that those who stopped climbing stairs every day during the study period showed a 32% higher risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those who never reported climbing stairs.
“This study provides novel evidence for the protective effects of stair climbing on the risk of ASCVD, particularly for individuals with multiple ASCVD risk factors,” Qi said.


Compared to walking, climbing the stairs is equal to an uphill walk as it requires you to lift the body weight against gravity and it is a high-calorie burn exercise. Climbing the stairs also builds strength in muscles as the exercise targets the quads, hamstrings, glutes calves, and core muscles.
Stair climbing is a more intense activity than casual walking. This means you burn more calories and challenge your cardiovascular system more effectively in a shorter amount of time
Similar to walking, climbing the steps elevates your heart rate quickly and it is the perfect cardio workout that develops endurance. While it is physically more demanding to climb the stairs than walking on a flat surface, the calories burnt while climbing the stairs are higher.

Climbing the stairs also helps in improving cardiovascular health, weight loss, strengthening muscles, and burning calories. It is a high-intensity exercise and it is a perfect choice as an alternative to walking when time is limited. Also climbing stairs is a form of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) that elevates the heart rate quickly and it burns more calories than walking.
Though climbing stairs is more effective, it does not easily contribute to the 10,000 steps goal of the day as it is not a direct conversion. The 10,000 steps goal is based on a step length of 2.5 feet and steps are shorter when compared.
Climbing the stairs as an exercise includes both ascending and descending, and the tracker calculating both and displaying the total number of steps would be counted twice. For example, if you climb 100 stairs. The tracker could estimate that as contributing around 200 steps towards your daily goal. Climbing stairs can burn 8-11 calories per minute, depending on your weight and intensity.
To meet your daily goal, aim to combine both walking and climbing as it will keep you moving through out the day.
When it comes to heart health, aerobic exercises like walking, climbing stairs, jogging, and cycling are some of the best workouts. Walking is a low-impact, accessible activity that improves circulation and strengthens the heart over time. Climbing stairs offers a higher intensity workout, boosting cardiovascular endurance and burning more calories in less time. Jogging and running enhance heart function by increasing your heart rate, while cycling provides a joint-friendly option that also builds stamina. Incorporating these exercises into your routine not only strengthens the heart but also helps manage blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and overall fitness. Choose activities you enjoy to ensure consistency and long-term benefits.
Walking and climbing stairs releases endorphins that make you happy and it is also a natural mood elevator that can combat stress and improve mental well-being
To conclude, while climbing stairs can be considered a more intense exercise than walking and can offer significant health benefits, it's not necessarily "as effective" as walking 10,000 steps, as the two activities target different aspects of fitness and depend on factors like the number of stairs climbed and walking pace. However, studies suggest that even a small amount of stair climbing can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, making it a valuable addition to your routine, especially if time is limited.