The triumphant ascent to the top of the famous Philadelphia stairs was one of the first great obstacles that Rocky Balboa overcame towards success in pursuit of his dream of becoming a boxing champion. On the silver screen, Sylvester Stallone's character showed that even an underdog could be a winner if he is shrouded with unwavering determination and dedication. Climbing those steps required effort and deep determination but the effort paid off for. I know that boxing and bodybuilding are very different sports with different judging criteria and outcomes, but there are a few approaches to training, that can be gleaned from the boxer's training journals, that when used appropriately can provide a new dimension to your overall bodybuilding goals. 

One such simple but devastatingly brutal training approach is stairclimbing. For the bodybuilder, the stairclimbing is designed to maintain or even increase maximal size while increasing muscle separation ("cuts"), density, power and stamina in the thighs hamstrings and calves.
    
Overview of the muscles activated by stairclimbing. 
Stairclimbing activates the knee extensors of the thigh, the powerful hip extensors (hamstrings and gluteal muscles) and the calf muscles.
   
The quadriceps femoris ("quadriceps" or "quads") of the anterior thigh consists of three vastus muscles and the rectus femoris. The names of the three large vastus muscles indicate their position on the thigh. The vastus lateralis muscle lies on the lateral (outer) part of the thigh. The vastus medialis covers the medial (inner) part of the thigh. The vastus intermedius is located intermediately between the vastus lateralis and the vastus medialis and covers the central and deeper parts of the thigh. The vastus medialis is attached to the medial part of the femur bone (thigh bone); the vastus lateralis from the lateral part of the femur; the vastus intermedius from the central, anterior part of the femur. The rectus femoris attaches to the hip and it courses down the central portion of the thigh. All four muscles come together above the knee to attach to the patellar tendon. This attaches to the patella (knee cap) and the patellar ligament connects the patella to the top part of the tibia bone just below the knee. Together, the quadriceps extend (straighten) the leg at the knee joint by pulling on the patella and through it, the patellar ligament that is attached to the lower leg (tibia bone). The rectus femoris also flexes the thigh at the hip joint by pulling the knee and thigh towards the chest. In the stairclimb, the four quadriceps muscles help to extend the knee during each step upwards.
   
The gluteus maximus is the major hip extensor. It is most active during the push phase of the stairclimb upwards because it helps to straighten (extend) the hip joint. The fibers in the gluteus maximus muscle are very strong and large, even surpassing the muscles of the thigh and back. The gluteus maximus begins from the crest of the ilium of the hipbones and across the sacrum bone of the lower region of the vertebral column. It attaches posteriorly on the femur bone of the thigh at an area referred to as the gluteal line.
   
The hamstring muscles include the semitendinosus, the semimembranous, and the hamstring part of the biceps femoris muscles (note the biceps femoris also has a short head which does not cross the knee joint). Part of a fourth muscle, the hamstring portion of the adductor magnus also crosses the hip and assists in hip extension. The hamstring muscles have two common features. In general, these muscles attach to the hipbone structure posteriorly, and run to either cross the knee joint (semimembranous or semitendinosus, biceps femoris) or attach to the femur bone (adductor magnus). These muscles help the gluteus maximus to extend the hip during each stair that is climbed and they are active to reposition the leg for the following step.

The gastrocnemius muscle is physiologically and anatomically two distinct muscles, each with slightly different fiber types and functional properties.   The medial gastrocnemius muscle forms the inner part of the diamond shaped curve of the (lower) legs. It arises from the area behind the knee on the femur just above the medial condyle of the knee  (the bony protrusion on the medial knee).  The medial head of the gastrocnemius intertwines with the strong elastic fibers of the Achilles tendon. This tendon travels along the posterior (back) part of the leg just above the ankle joint and it attaches on the posterior surface of the calcaneus bone (heel bone). The lateral gastrocnemius muscle begins from the outer (lateral) surface of the femur just above the knee and it extends all the way down to the posterior side of the leg where it fuses with the Achilles tendon and inserts into the calcaneus bone.

A fully developed lateral gastrocnemius will provide a large curving sweep to the lateral portion of the leg. Together, the lateral and medial gastrocnemius muscles raise the heel in a movement that is described as plantarflexion of the foot at the ankle joint. Thus, both heads are active during the final phase of each stairclimb. If you push off from the medial side (big toe side) of the foot, the medial gastrocnemius will be more strongly activated. However, if you push off from the lateral side of the foot, the lateral gastrocnemius will be more strongly activated. 

Stairclimbing with dumbbells.
Maybe Rocky could achieve his goal climbing stairs without extra weight, but you can't. Select a 10 or 15 pound dumbbell for each hand. I know this will seem light, but after starting the exercise, you won't be able to wait to put them down! Nevertheless, you should strive for heavier weights within a couple of weeks of starting the exercise. Do not think that you can substitute the aerobic-specific steppers and stairclimb machines for an old-fashioned set of steps; you can't.

1.    You should always warm up your knees thoroughly before doing stairclimbing. A few minutes of stretching and some stationary cycling are well worth the investment in protecting and warming up the delicate knee joint. It should be obvious, but make sure that the shoes you are wearing have a good griping sole for the climbs.

2.    Locate a stair set that has at least three flights (minimum of 10 steps/flight). Normally it is adequate to start with three flights, but you can progress to 5 flights or more.  A set of stadium steps would be great if you have access to this.

3.    Bring two 10 or 15lb dumbbells to the bottom of the stairs. These might seem like chicken weights to start with, but after 3 sets of 3 flights of stairs, your thighs will feel like they belong on a rubberized chicken. Of course if they do not, then you should select a heavier set of dumbbells on your next session. Within a few weeks you will be able to do 20 lbs in each hand.

4.    Grab the dumbbells firmly but let your arms hang straight down from your shoulders. Take your first step upwards with one leg and take the next step with your other leg. For the subsequent steps start to explode upward.  Explode upward for the remainder of the three flights as fast as you can go.

5.    At the top, do not rest but turn around and come down the steps with a controlled medium pace. Do not hurry down and make sure this is a controlled descent. This should not be a controlled free-fall.

6.    Once you hit the bottom step, rest for about 2 minutes then start your climb upward, again exploding as fast as you can with each step.

You should have an enormous pump in your thighs after the first trip up and down the stairs. By the third set, it will be difficult to fully control your thighs, and it is therefore time to stop. Two days after your first session, your thighs will likely feel sore. Most of this will be the eccentric damage that results from controlling your steps coming down. Although this is not as difficult as the way up, it is tougher on the structure of the fibers, and they will incur some micro tear damage. But do not fear, this will help to recruit new muscle nuclei and your thighs will not only become more cut and dense, but they will grow as well.

Add stairclimbing at the end of your thigh training. It will be pretty brutal to finish your three sets of stairs with only the two, 10-15 lb dumbbells. When you get stronger, and you will, do not be afraid to use wrist straps to avoid forearm fatigue when holding the dumbbells during your sets of stairclimbs.

The stairs will provide greater cuts and separation in your hamstrings, gluteals and quadriceps than you thought were possible, especially if they are added about three months before a bodybuilding competition (although stop them during the final couple of weeks before your competition). You won't need to be Rocky or play "the eye of the tiger" to appreciate the effectiveness of the stairs on developing new shape and granite-like density in your thighs, hamstrings, gluteals and calves. 


References
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