Stair-Climbing Cardio Workout {+ Butt Lift}

The ultimate stair-climbing, cardio workout for serious fitness gains {and a lifted booty}.

You can crush a 5K and HIIT workout, but you still get winded walking up a flight of stairs…me too! But that’s totally normal. Think about it, climbing a flight of stairs is basically doing lunges uphill, against gravity. Talk about a booty burn that’s bound to get your heart pumping.

Which is why I love running stairs; it’s a great way to build cardio into your strength training routine. And it can be done outdoors or anywhere you can find a set of stairs.

I foresee a lot of stair running in my near future as I’ll be traveling to the Waupaca Boatride Volleyball tournament this weekend, followed by a trip to LA for Blogfest and the IDEA World Fitness Conference next week.

Take your workout outdoors with me and mix up your cardio routine with this stair-climbing workout. It’s sure to get your heart racing while building a fire in your calves, thighs, and glutes!

{Music: American Authors I’m Born to Run, get more songs currently rocking my workout playlist here}

The Workout: Stair-Climbing Cardio Workout

Find a staircase with 12-14, or more, stairs and complete each exercise at your max pace. Recover as you walk/jog back down the staircase. Repeat the entire circuit x 3-5 sets depending on your fitness level. Or you can do this workout AMRAP-style, cycling through the routine as many rounds as possible in 15-20 minutes.  

I also like to add this stair workout to my run. Find a walking/running route that has a staircase or two on the route so you can cycle through a couple sets of this stair-climbing routine mid-run. It’s a great way to amp up your cardio and add in a little lower body strength training too! 

1. Stair run {hit every step}
2. Squat jumps
3. Lateral stair run {right + left}
4. Lunge jumps {right + left}
5. Hop scotch
6. Stair run {hit every step}

See video above for complete workout and proper exercise form.

Stair Run {hit every step} 

Squat Jumps

Lateral Stair Run {right + left} 

Lunge Jumps {right + left} 

Hop Scotch 

Stair Run {hit every step} 

The Workout: Stair-Climbing Cardio Workout

Find a staircase with 12-14, or more, stairs and complete each exercise at your max pace. Recover as you walk/jog back down the staircase. Repeat the entire circuit x 3-5 sets depending on your fitness level. 

1. Stair run {hit every step}
2. Squat jumps
3. Lateral stair run {right + left}
4. Lunge jumps {right + left}
5. Hop scotch
6. Stair run {hit every step}

Pin this Workout