Questions about a work routine i'm trying out

[RM1985]

Hey all,

First time poster.  Recently been making changes toward a healthier lifestyle.  I'll try to make this as short and sweet as possible and appreciate any opinions or information or answers.  

For reference I try to get to the gym before or after work and get a minimum of 20 minutes of cardio keeping it at a good heart rate.  Right now building endurance so I try to go for 30.  I am also incoporating strength training as well slowly.

I work a desk job that is NOT conducive to doing things at the desk.  So meeting my daily goals on some days are harder than others.  What i've done now is set outlook reminders for every hour to pop up and say "Hey go away for a second".  These aren't exactly "authorized" breaks so I try to make them 3 - 4 minutes tops.  I would say probably 3 - 4 times a day I do this others are actual breaks and lunches etc.  Here is what i've been doing so far

Squats

Planks

Stretches (Working in different types feel free to recommend anything!).  

Walking/Running/Stairs

Today I started sprinting up the stairs to get a good heart rate raise.  In a usual "break" i'll go down 80 stairs and up 80 stairs.

So here are MY questions:

Any suggestions, warnings, opinions or anything on this method?  
 

Is there any real benefit to sprinting stairs and raising heart rate more for that short period versus walking stairs or just walking down the sidewalk and back casually?  

Any feedback is appreciated!

[Tave]

Welcome to the forums!  In my case I find no real benefit to sprinting up stairs.  Walk up stairs for any period of time, especially 80 stairs, and your heartrate will increase.  Are you in a building with an elevator?  I ask because I wonder it would be better to take the elevator down and just come up the 80 stairs again instead of going down them.  I do this since my knees are bad.  

Otherwise great job.  Any activity is better than none.  Even walking.  Walking comprises 75 to 80% of my avtivity, along with proper eating habits (pay attention to this too), and the results have been great.  

Good luck 🙂

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@RM1985 wrote:

Hey all,

First time poster.  Recently been making changes toward a healthier lifestyle.  I'll try to make this as short and sweet as possible and appreciate any opinions or information or answers.  

... 

Is there any real benefit to sprinting stairs and raising heart rate more for that short period versus walking stairs or just walking down the sidewalk and back casually?  

Any feedback is appreciated!

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[Mukluk4]

As long as your after BO is not killing your office neighbors, whatever works to get those extra steps in helps (some more than others)

[residentjc]

Nice work, love the stairs workout. I work at a desk job also and try to get away to do some push ups, squats, and sit ups if possible. Keep it up. It’s a great cardio exercise. Walking the stairs will elevate your heart rate probably only to the fat burning range, which is great. Sprinting up the stairs should push it into the Cardio/Endurance range which is what I prefer. Walking the sidewalk is great if you got nothing else to do, keeps the blood flowing and the heart pumping. I think you can alternate between all of them depending on how you feel that day. This way you continue to move and “get steps”.