Stair Exercise Success Story #2
I have trained using stairs for years. In my own training for track and field, I did countless stadiums. When I began to train professionally, I made all of my athletic clients do stairs. I was involved in helping everyone be the best they could be for what they needed to do. I strived to help make their lives easier and more efficient, at least on the movement plane.
A couple of years ago my perspective on stair training changed. I came across Joan and she opened my mind to how an entire new group of individuals could benefit from this form of training. She was a high risk client with lots of physical issues to deal with. But wow! Stair training has made a difference in her life as well as many of my other clients. Joan’s story has a little different twist than traditional “stair training” success stories. Joan’s main goals were not weight loss or sports performance. Her main goal was just to improve her daily life.
is a 50+ year old female. She has been diagnosed with MS, fibramyalagia, peripheral neuropathy, mild emphysema, and degeneration of the knee joints. She is also a survivor of breast cancer. Stairs were a daunting task for her, which living in Florida, could be avoided, but Joan loves to travel. We began slowly, walking up 1-2 flights sideways. She crossed the down leg in front of the up leg on the step while using the hand rail for balance. Over time we have progressed to doing 10 flights leading with each leg.
The stairs have improved Joan’s quality of life beyond what my words can describe. She has taken a cruise, explored New Zealand and is able to spend 3 weeks trekking through Ireland and Germany. Her drive and personality are a huge component of her success, but the use of stairs has helped give her the strength and confidence that she can do it! I have learned to look beyond the usual stair training methodology to see how modification of these exercises can help even some clients you thought impossible!
Jeanmarie Scordino, M.Ed.
Exercise Physiologist
ACSM-HFI, ACE Clinical Exercise Specialist,
Personal Trainer, NSCA-CSCS
scorinc@yahoo.com