7 Cities With Famous Staircases To Climb and Conquer
Why Staircase Workouts?
Apart from giving you an excuse to explore different parts of the city (and see some killer views from the top), they offer some great health benefits. Delaugère says that ascending the stairs boosts your cardiovascular system by spiking your heart rate and lowering your blood pressure. It also increases your leg power, which amounts to better performance in whatever exercise you do back at home—whether that’s cycling, rowing, running, or strength training.
“Routinely performing stair climbing will help improve your mental focus, core engagement, and balance, and most importantly, stairs are so accessible to absolutely anyone,” says Delaugère.
3 Staircase Workouts to Try On Your Next Trip
The warm-up
Before you take on the stairs, make sure to prime your body for the workout. “Your best approach to warm up for a stair workout is a mixture of banded glute activation exercises along with dynamic patterns that can tap into your ankle and hip mobility. Because the stair workouts are like most workouts: you're better prepared if your body is loose and mobile,” says Delaugère.
The Workout Options
Option 1: Stair sprints
• 8 rounds of 15-second stair sprints. (Walk down and recover for 45 seconds and repeat for eight or more rounds.)
• As you go down the stairs, watch your form closely. “Descending stairs might be one of the best eccentric patterns,” says Delaugère. “It’s all about the control of deceleration. Think of slowly placing your heel first as you allow your weight to gradually transfer down to the step.”
Option 2: AMRAP bodyweight stair workout
• Set a timer for 10 minutes and complete as many rounds as possible.
- 8 to 16 pushups
- 8 to 12 tricep dips
- 10 stair squat jumps
Option 3: Even and odd stair workout
• Set a timer for 20 minutes.
- On odd minutes, climb the stairs at a normal, strong pace.
- On even minutes, stop and lunge forward onto a higher stair. Alternate legs until the minute is up, then begin walking the stairs again.
Round out your stair workout at the Club
If you’re staying in a city with an Equinox Club, make sure you round out that stair workout with other movement patterns. “Classes such as STRONGER and METCON are a great match for stair workouts as those classes often test your lower body threshold,” says Delaugère.
7 city staircases to run up (and down) on your next vacation
Now that your programming is in order, you’re ready to start exploring your city. Below, find a staircase travel bucket list to help you pick your next destination. (Bonus: Every spot below has an Equinox Club nearby.)
Santa Monica Stairs in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica features two sets of famous stairs: a 170-step wooden staircase and a 199-step concrete staircase—so pick your poison. While this spot can get crowded, the early morning hours and workday slog will be your sweet spot for getting some solo time in this magical spot.
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, London, England
This park was built for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. Now, you can invoke your inner competitor and sprint up the stairs that Olympians once climbed. Once you’ve gotten your daily dose of exercise, walk around the park’s gardens and open spaces before heading home or to the Club to take a shower.
Mount Bonnell Stairs in Austin, Texas
If you’re headed down south for your next getaway, make sure to make a stop at Austin’s Bonnell Stairs. The 102-stair climbing leads you to a gorgeous vista at the top—and if you’re doing stair repeats, you’ll get to see that view many, many times.
The Stairs at Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn, New York
One-hundred steps await you at Fort Green Park in downtown Brooklyn. This much-needed greenspace in the concrete jungle is a great place to squeeze a stair workout in with the other recreationists at the park, including basketball and tennis players, as well as the runners who can’t get enough of this park.
Baldwin Steps in Toronto, Canada
Welcome to Baldwin Steps, a 134-step staircase built in 1988. These concrete steps are a simple but perfect location for your Toronto workout.
Filbert Street Stairs in San Francisco, California
As if the hills in San Francisco weren’t punishing enough, the city’s also home to many, many stairways (each one more devastating than the last). While you can choose a SF staircase at random and have a great workout, the Filbert Street Stairs leading up to Telegraph Hill offers an incredible view of the city (and a quad-burning workout in the process).
Forty Flights Stairs in Boston, Massachusetts
Featuring seven flights of ten stairs each (yes, the math doesn’t quite add up), the “Forty Flights” stairs connect two sections of Mead Street in Charlestown. This popular stairway features plenty of shade if you’re looking for a reprieve from a hot Boston summer.