Ive run marathons. I’ve run marathons, Why You Get Shortness of Breath When Climbing Stairs. Health - Injuries? Well, you're not alone. Amelia Boone, an ultrarunner and four-time world champion obstacle racer, even tweeted about having a hard time walking up to the fifth floor of her office.
So what's the deal with shortness of breath after taking the steps? We talked to top experts to find out.
Why You Get Winded
What’s going on in your body when you run is different from what happens when you climb stairs, and it has to do with slow-twitch versus fast-twitch muscle fibers, explains Timothy J. Michael, Ph.D., professor of exercise science at Western Michigan University and a certified exercise physiologist.
First, a quick refresher on the science: Each muscle has individual muscle fibers, of which there are two main types—Health - Injuries. Well, youre not alone you might think to yourself like long-distance running for an extended period of time. Fast-twitch muscle fibers, on the other hand, come into play when you’re doing something that requires quick, powerful movements such as sprinting or jumping and tire faster than slow-twitch fibers.
“[Running] mainly relies on slow-twitch fibers, which are used for endurance and rely on aerobic metabolism,” he says. “The slow-twitch fiber is high in endurance and fatigue resistance but low in power and strength. While climbing stairs can be an endurance activity, to propel your body vertically takes more strength and power, thus requiring more fast-twitch fibers to be recruited to accomplish the task.”
Plus, endurance athletes have an increased sensitivity to carbon dioxide and hydrogen, which are produced during anaerobic metabolism, accumulate the more you’re in motion, and make you fatigue faster, according to Frank Wyatt, a certified exercise physiologist and professor in the Department of Athletic Training and Exercise Physiology at Midwestern State University. This means you might start breathing heavier sooner than someone who gets very little exercise.
And if you're breaking a sweat, that doesn't mean you're out of shape. Fit people actually sweat sooner and longer than those who don't work out regularly. Sweating is your body’s way of cooling itself off, according to Wyatt. “If you are a fit person, the sweating response to aid in cooling the body is quicker and more prolonged when compared to an unfit person.”
Study Says VO2 Max Better Health Marker Than BMI:
You’re Fighting Gravity
Running is a forward-motion activity, but you have to work against gravity to lift yourself up a flight (or more) of stairs. “If you analyze the movement of stair climbing, you are moving both horizontally and vertically, so you have to propel yourself forward, but also lift your body weight up,” Wyatt says. To add to the difficulty, stairs require more muscle mass activation because you’re lifting your knees higher.
There's No Warmup
Before every run, you probably do a warmup consisting of exercises such as lunges, leg swings, high knees, butt kicks, and jumping jacks. Warming up before a workout is crucial because it prepares your muscles for activity, facilitating oxygen flow to them, Wyatt says. And getting enough oxygen to your muscles increases their Why Is It Hard to Wake Up in the Morning.
But here’s the catch: Since stairs are usually apart of your everyday life, you rarely (if ever) warm up before climbing to your third-floor apartment or your fifth-floor office. When your muscles aren’t primed to tackle the climb, it’ll feel like more of a challenge.
You’re Using Muscles You Don’t Normally Use
If you're used to running long distances, the primary muscle groups moving you forward are your quads, hamstrings, and calves. When you hit the stairs, you activate your glutes. Using a muscle group that is not as conditioned will make it feel more difficult when you are climbing stairs, Wyatt says.
This is an example of a concept called “specificity of training,” which means that your body adapts to the type and intensity of training you normally do, Michael adds. “Generally, because of this, there is very little crossover in training adaptations,” he says. “You may be able to run long distances, but you can’t squat two times your body weight.” (Or climb a few flights of stairs.)
How to Make Stair Climbing Easier
Here's the good news: Opting for the stairs doesn’t have to feel so hard—you can actually train to make them less of a hassle.
“Training by running or walking up stairs will allow you to adapt to this particular stress,” Wyatt says. Plus, incorporating stairs into your run training can help you get faster and stronger—like being able to push it extra hard for that finish kick.
Otherwise, resistance or weight training can also help. Both Wyatt and Michael recommend adding exercises such as squats, lunges, and HIIT training into your regular routine to mimic the movement of walking up stairs, so the days of having to catch your breath in the stairwell before walking into your office will be long gone.
