Going down stairs can be very good for your health (more than you think)
Exercising smarter (rather than more intensely) can lead to a more effective workout, offering those short on time (or energy) a good way to maximize workout gains.
A new study, to be in one of the next editions of Journal of Sport and Health Scienceargues that a technique called eccentric exercise deserves a greater role in everyday physical practice.
This type creates more force in a muscle while using less energy, explains the sports scientist Ken Nosakafrom Edith Cowan University, in Australia.
This is because eccentric exercise focuses on the part of a movement where the muscle lengthens under load, usually when lowering something – such as a dumbbell to the floor, or one’s body to a chair.
It is a training approach that can be “an ideal intervention for all individuals”, says Nosaka, cited by , considering that “The idea that exercise has to be strenuous or painful is holding people back”.
“Instead, we should focus on eccentric exercises, which can provide stronger results with much less effort than traditional exercise – and You don’t even need a gym”, he adds.
While eccentric exercise can be part of a gym routine, it doesn’t actually require equipment. Going down stairs or doing squats it can be done at home, making it an affordable and effective option.
Traditionally, eccentric exercises tend to cause particularly intense muscle pain if you’re not used to them. The technical term is delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and it can quickly turn people away from this approach. Nosaka suggests that DOMS can be largely minimized by gradually increasing training intensity and repeating the same exercises over time.
“You can gain strength without feeling so exhausted”
Eccentric exercise can work for older adultspeople passing by sitting for a long time and individuals with illnesses limiting – population groups that traditionally have difficulty with standard exercises.
Nosaka points to a 2017 study that involved 30 older, obese women who were assigned a routine of regularly going up or down stairs for 12 weeks. Those who followed the plan go down stairs – the eccentric exercise – ended up presenting biggest improvements on heart rate, blood pressure and other indicators of physical fitness.
