Why You Should Start 'Vertical Training' Outside

The StairMaster may be having a moment, but straight-up stair running has been around forever. As a runner myself, I know real-world stair workouts are one of the most effective and accessible training tools out there, no gym membership required. Especially for my fellow city runners without mountains or hills nearby—or really anyone looking to add some variety into their workouts—stair workouts are a great option to try. What is vertical training? Vertical training is exactly what it sounds like: deliberately incorporating upward movement into your workout. Unlike "flat" running, every step up forces your body to fight gravity, which changes the muscular demand, the cardiovascular load, and the mechanical stress on your joints. There are plenty of reasons why you'd want to add vertical training of some kind into your routine. It increases posterior chain strength Running on flat ground is largely quad-dominant. Climbing stairs, on the other hand, requires serious glute, hamstring, and calf activation. Over time, stair training builds the posterior chain strength that flat running simply doesn't, and that strength translates directly into faster, more powerful running on any surface. It gives you stride power and explosiveness Each step up is essentially a single-leg press against gravity. That builds the kind of explosive hip extension that makes you a stronger pusher-off at ground contact. Sprinters have used stadium stairs for decades for exactly this reason. Y…