How to calculate calories burned from climbing stairs

[akm3]

All the stair calculators only give you a "time" variable.

But, it seems to me if you weigh more, you burn more calories climbing stairs.

Also, since I'm climbing REAL stairs there are irritating moments where I am walking in the hallway to the elevator to go down to the first floor again.

So it seems FLIGHTS of stairs should be a variable (or actual steps, actually)

It is 10 flights, at 44 steps per flight or 440 'steps' per ascent. With some walking between the smaller sub flights and as I said earlier the elevator trip down to start over again (I go Ele' down instead of walking it because it is better for my knees)

So, does anyone know of a calculator that will let me figure out Calories for a "X" pound person climbing "Y" steps?

P.S. On the way up, if i hurry, it feels like my heart is going to explode.

-Allen

[Bitenose]

Yes, here's a really easy way to calculate:

1 Calorie = 3086 foot-pounds.

Take your weight and your vertical ascent and you have the amount of energy it takes to go up that flight of stairs. That's the easiest way to do it.

Of course, you'd have to factor in energy lost due to heat, biomechanical energy lost, resting metabolic rate, mechanical energy lost, energy due to horizontal distance traveled, it's actually pretty amazing what an inefficient machine the human body is when you do these calculations. I have them at work somewhere, did it a couple of years ago .

[akm3]

Originally Posted by Bitenose

Yes, here's a really easy way to calculate:

1 Calorie = 3086 foot-pounds.

Take your weight and your vertical ascent and you have the amount of energy it takes to go up that flight of stairs. That's the easiest way to do it.

Of course, you'd have to factor in energy lost due to heat, biomechanical energy lost, resting metabolic rate, mechanical energy lost, energy due to horizontal distance traveled, it's actually pretty amazing what an inefficient machine the human body is when you do these calculations. I have them at work somewhere, did it a couple of years ago .

Ahh some very good points.

So it is because of our in-efficiency that doing 10 flights in 10 minutes burns more Calories then doing the same 10 flights in 20 minutes, right?

It's complicated. I should spend more time climbing stairs and less figuring out the impact =D

But still, I'm curious.

-Allen

[punkchip]

Easier way would be to have a heart rate monitor that accurately tracks calories, like the Polar F11.

[Bitenose]

Originally Posted by akm3

Ahh some very good points.

So it is because of our in-efficiency that doing 10 flights in 10 minutes burns more Calories then doing the same 10 flights in 20 minutes, right?

It's complicated. I should spend more time climbing stairs and less figuring out the impact =D

But still, I'm curious.

-Allen

Absofrigginlutely.. Is your skin hot to the touch after sprinting 1/4 mile or walking 1/4 mile?

You could get a heart rate monitor, you could manipulate the equations and do all the equations yourself, you could even make a fancy excel database... But you will never truly know, 100%, beyond the shadow of a doubt how many calories you burned..

And for that matter, even if you were to look at a packaging label of food, you will never know exactly how many calories you will absorb.. There are so many factors that vary from individual, stimulants/fiber in your system, the state of your intestinal fauna..

You can crunch numbers all day long, but it's all relative.. And it is only useful to the point where you can define metrics for yourself after multiple iterations of trial and error..

Less talk, more action.. that's always been my philosophy when it comes to fitness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhN6-nWzKIA <--- Yesssssss!

[Gordo]

Originally Posted by Bitenose

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhN6-nWzKIA <--- Yesssssss!

Ha-ha right on

(I can't believe I watched that whole video......even more embarrassing is how many of those movies I recognize ).

[Gordo]

Originally Posted by Bitenose

You can crunch numbers all day long, but it's all relative.. And it is only useful to the point where you can define metrics for yourself after multiple iterations of trial and error..

Best take home point..... don't bother figuring out the calories burned. It's better to stay consistent and then try to best your numbers occasionally. In other words, after doing 10 flights for a while bump it up to 11.
Or if you did 10 flights in 3 minutes, try to shave off 10 secs next time and so on. The actual calories burned is really not all that useful to know and would be hard to determine. Better to just remain consistent. Even if the calories burned determined on a treadmill is completely inaccurate, you can still use that number as a baseline for measurement and adjust your program around it. Ditto on weighing and measuring food. Consistency is the key, the accuracy of the actual number, you don't have to worry over as much.