Training on Stairs with a Weighted Backpack

Have you considered training on stairs with a weighted backpack? There are many advantages. If you have access to a good long set of stairs you could easily put on a backpack and climb the stairs for exercise. If you want to increase your training effect, simply add more weight into the backpack. This is a simple variation on rucking, and is easy for many people to do. You could even train on stairs with a weighted backpack in the stairwell at work. If you have several floors of stairs to ascend it is quite a good workout.

I recommend starting with a lower weight load. 5% of your bodyweight should be sufficient for a beginner. Advanced trainees can work their way up to 25% or more or their bodyweight. For a 200 lb trainee that would be 50 lb in the backpack. That is quite a load and it is best to work your way up gently to such a high weight. Safety is a big consideration in training on stairs with a heavy pack. You don’t want to fall and hurt yourself. For long stairways it could be a long fall. Please be very careful not to become injured.



This video illustrates a workout session I did a few years ago while working on my book Summit Success: Training for Hiking, Mountaineering, and Peak Bagging. The paperback is a perennial best seller among all my books on Amazon and has several 5-star ratings. It was the foundation of my recent Rucking Simple Treadmill Training Guide. It just became available on Amazon so check it out and let me know what you think.

Going forward I’m in the process of creating a stairs version of the guide, directed at those using a stepmill or other stair climber cardio machine. That’s a lot of fun and I’ve spent many hours ascending thousands of feet.

If you want to know more about Rucking and Weighted Backpack Training be sure to subscribe to this website so you have updates of every article.