A team of pathophysiologists at the University of Milan has found that climbing stairs or walking for short bursts allows people to consume 20% to 60% more energy than if they do the same activity nonstop for the same distance. In their study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the group asked volunteers to walk on a treadmill or climb stairs while also monitoring their oxygen intake.
The short bursts in this case are 30 seconds long, where the longer durations are about 4 minutes. The idea being that “getting up to speed” so to speak requires more energy than maintaining that speed. I didn’t look too closely, but I didn’t see how long you need to rest to get that same benefit every time.
The short bursts in this case are 30 seconds long, where the longer durations are about 4 minutes. The idea being that “getting up to speed” so to speak requires more energy than maintaining that speed. I didn’t look too closely, but I didn’t see how long you need to rest to get that same benefit every time.