STAIR-CLIMBING

Abstract

Research has shown that stair-climbing is an effective training modality for improving cardiorespiratory fitness. Little information, however, is available regarding the effectiveness of stair-climbing as a maximal exercise testing modality. The purpose of this investigation was to compare maximal cardiorespiratory (CR) responses between positive stair-climbing, using a unique step ergometer known as a Stair-Master (SM) and graded treadmill (TM) exercise. Thirty-eight fire-fighters (mean age 35.1 ± 1.6 years), volunteered for this study. Each subject was tested on the TM and SM on two separate days. During each maximal test, ventilated and expired gas was collected and analyzed for minute ventilation(±E), oxygen consumption (±O2), and the ventilatory equivalent of oxygen(±E/±O2). Heart rate was recorded each minute via 5 lead ECG. The TM test was a progressive protocol increasing speed or grade every two minutes. The SM protocol began with an initial step rate of approximately 55 per minute and thereafter the rate increased 8–10 steps every two minutes. The maximal CR responses were as follows: Stair-climbing appears to be a viable exercise testing modality which, although yielding lower maximal values than the treadmill (±02max, 7%; ±E, 3.5%; HR, 2%), it does yield higher maximal data than what has been reported for the bicycle ergometer. Stair-climbing using the StairMaster produces a typical HR/workload response and it therefore would be possible to establish an exercise prescription