Walking down stairs with ease is more than twice as effective at building muscle strength as struggling to climb them, according to a new study.
Muscles Grow Stronger When Lowering, Not Lifting
A research team led by Professor Ken Nosaka at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Australia has called for "eccentric exercise" — a method that significantly boosts muscle strength without requiring high-intensity workouts — to be adopted as a new exercise standard, according to the latest issue of the Journal of Sport and Health Science.
Eccentric exercise refers to movements in which muscles generate force while lengthening, such as slowly lowering a dumbbell or gently walking down stairs. It is the opposite of "concentric exercise," which involves shortening and contracting muscles to exert force, like the commonly practiced stair climbing.
According to the research team, muscles consume less energy, including oxygen, when slowly lowering and resisting a load than when lifting it, yet the physical force (tension) they generate is more than 20% greater.
Proven in 12-Week Trial, with Metabolic Disease Prevention Benefits
In a 12-week experiment conducted by the team on obese elderly participants, the group that comfortably walked down stairs saw their lower body muscle strength improve by 34%, more than double the 15% gain recorded by the group that sweated through stair climbing. The effects on metabolic disease prevention were also far more pronounced, with "bad" cholesterol (LDL) levels dropping 13% and blood pressure decreasing as well.
The notion that walking down stairs strains the joints is also a misconception, the researchers noted. Professor Nosaka said that starting at low intensity and gradually increasing it can actually strengthen the muscles around the knee, making it an effective prescription for joint injury prevention and rehabilitation.
The psychological benefits are also significant. Because it places less strain on the heart and lungs, it feels "manageable," making it easier to sustain without dropping out. The team added that practicing everyday movements such as slowly sitting down in a chair or doing wall push-ups for just five minutes a day can visibly improve health indicators.
"The idea that exercise must be exhausting and painful is actually preventing people from improving their health," Professor Nosaka said. "Eccentric exercise, which resembles our everyday movements, is the most realistic alternative for gaining greater benefits with less effort."
