Stadiums/stairs

[Elamonta]

Good morning,

I was wondering what you do for stadium/stairs workouts when/if you attempt them. Usually our coach has us do 20 stadiums (which takes roughly 18-20 minutes for the faster guys). We run our stadiums in our Men's basketball gym, and use the stairs from one entire side of the gym. This morning I did 30 stairs in 31 minutes...and was wondering what everyone else on the forum did for stadium workouts if indeed you do them. On another note...on the way up we run every other step...on the way down we touch every step.

[johnlvs2run]

I don't run stairs, and consider them dangerous.
What happens if you trip on one going down? The fall could be disastrous.

Also stairs are not that difficult and IMO don't do much for you anyway.

When I was running a lot of hills training for marathons, one time a group of us happened to get out of work at the same time, walking up to the parking on top. I walked up the stairs at my usual 2 or 3 steps at a time, got to the top of the 4 flights and looked back. Everyone else had just gotten up the 1st flight and were out of breath from the challenge, which had taken only a few seconds. Yet they did those same steps twice every day.

For the exercise and enjoyment, I'd much rather run hills. You can choose a hill that suits the difficulty and length you are seeking. and you get many more benefits from the exercise.

[Elamonta]

Sadly Florida does not contain many hills...thus the occasional stadium workout is the best I have. If they do nothing for rowing, why do so many rowing programs utilize them in their workouts?

[philrow]

Running stairs is classic crew. Apparently, Harry Parker is quite fond of them, too.

[ancho]

...
For the exercise and enjoyment, I'd much rather run hills. ...

Are you sure?

[Rowan11088]

Effective training? I'd say yes. Dangerous? Well, when you're in a sport notorious for clumsy, gangly clutzes... Though perhaps I'm speaking more from the experience of my own team, which is frighteningly injury-prone. I personally have scraped up my shins numerous times tripping on the way up, but no permanent harm I suppose.

And to whoever said stairs weren't that hard...you're obviously not doing them right.

[Big Fish333]

From one Florida rower to another, I know that Florida is virtually flat and stairs is the best alternative to a steep hill. As far as workouts go, we usually keep it to running every step up and down using our football stadium, which, doing this about 10-15times, is probably close to twenty sets in a basketball stadium.

[corpsrower]

When we do stadiums we do it at our football stadium on the east bleacher section...you get up high. There are 10 entrances so usual killer workout is East-East and involves 20 trips up and down. Our stadiums are also exponentially shaped so the higher you go, the larger the riser is the more it hurts.

What I've found works out is not to run them, but rather, take your hands and grasp them behind your back and then take the stairs two at a time. With your hands behind your back you can't use them to push down on your knees or pump so it's all reliant on your legs.

[Rocket Roy]

I used to have to run up the stadium terraces at Watford when I played for them, there seemed to be hundreds of them. Plus we had to hold weights in each hand.
I was 17 at the time and can still remember the leg burn from the top of the terrace.

This was in the days when there were no seats, just concrete steps.

[ancho]

These are "our" stairs on Montjuïch, Barcelona. Or at least the upper 1/3 of them.
We hardly ever use the electric escalator on the right

Just come from making a fantastic session there!

[Steve G]

A lot of athletic clubs I have known do sessions up the steps in stadiums, no more dangerous than fell running or cross country, try running down a mountain, that can be darn hairy

Steve