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Stair Climbing

Lower Bodycompound

64

/100

high (0.76)
Decision Guide

Best when...

  • You feel stiff from sitting and want to undo desk posture quickly.
  • Your energy is dipping and you want a more activating break.
  • You only have about a minute between tasks or meetings.

Not ideal when...

  • You cannot leave your desk area or need something very office-subtle.
  • You want a nearly effortless reset that will not elevate breathing much.
  • You are in a crowded office or tight workspace.

Pairs well with...

a chest-opening or shoulder reset after long sitting

Better than X when...

Longer break routines when you only have 60 seconds and need immediate value.

Office-clothes alternative

Sit-to-Stand or Seated March are easier alternatives when office clothes or limited space make this awkward.

Movement Profile
Muscular Demand
67measured

Compound movement primarily engaging quadriceps, gluteals, hamstrings

Metabolic Cost
89measured

MET 8 (measured), 2.3x walking

Mobility Value
66modeled

Joint ROM: 75%, posture benefit: 55%

Desk Practicality
35modeled

Requires open floor space

Muscle Activations

quadriceps

70%measured

gluteals

65%measured

calves

55%measured

hamstrings

40%measured

hip flexors

35%derived
Energy Estimate
~4.9kcal

for 20 reps · roughly 1.1 min of brisk walking for a 70 kg person

Score by Rep Count

64

5 reps

64

10 reps

64

15 reps

64

20 reps

64

30 reps

“Stair Climbing scores 64/100, driven by strong metabolic cost. Needs open space.”

Caveats
  • Metabolic cost varies with body weight and fitness level
  • mobility value, desk practicality are estimated, not directly measured
Data Provenance

Measured (5)

  • MET value
  • quadriceps activation
  • gluteals activation
  • hamstrings activation
  • calves activation

Derived (3)

  • hip flexors activation
  • joint ROM
  • caloric expenditure

Modeled (2)

  • posture correction
  • desk practicality
References

2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A Third Update of the Activity Codes and MET Values

Barbara E. Ainsworth, William L. Haskell, ... et al.

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2024)

Primary source for MET values across all exercises

DOIFull Text

Electromyographic activity in the gluteus medius, gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and rectus femoris during the Monopodal Squat, Forward Lunge and Lateral Step-Up exercises

José M. Muyor, Isabel Martín-Fuentes, ... José A. Antequera-Vique

PLOS ONE (2020) · Vol. 15(4) · pp. e0230841

EMG activation data for squats, lunges, step-ups, and deadlifts

DOIFull TextPDFPDFPMCPMCPubReader