This tried-and-true workout helps support lower-body strength.
There’s one simple, low-impact functional exercise that’s packed with goodness: the step-up. Step-ups help support lower-body strength, mobility, balance, and bone density, all of which naturally decline with age, making them essential to address. This unilateral movement—meaning you work one leg at a time—strengthens the core, legs, and glutes while improving proprioception, the body’s ability to know where it is positioned at any given time. This skill helps you climb stairs, tackle uneven pavement, or step over the curb of a sidewalk.
All that’s needed to perform step-ups is a sturdy workout bench, low step, or plyometric box—and you can start stepping your way to stronger legs in no time. In fact, we spoke with Chris Anderson, Learning Facilitator (Health Sciences) at Torrens University Australia, Exercise Physiologist, and Exercise Scientist, who says that if you can do this many step-ups without stopping after 60, your leg power is considered “elite.”
Step-Ups Show How Your Heart Handles a Workout
According to Anderson, step-ups were among the first workouts ever used in fitness assessments. They offer a simple yet productive and reliable way to test cardiorespiratory health. Plus, they require little space and equipment—typically just a step, metronome, or stopwatch.
“There are many kinds of step-up tests used worldwide, most of which are directly correlated to overall fitness and physical health,” Anderson tells us. “A key characteristic of step-up tests is that they are not necessarily about the number of steps you can endure, but how your heart rate responds to the endurance challenge. Because step-up tests are a direct measure of your heart and lungs, they are an excellent check for risks of poor health and premature death.”
What Makes the Step-up Beneficial for Real-World Strength and Fitness
As you age, your real-world function and ability to complete daily tasks become more dependent on single-leg strength, balance, coordination, hip and knee extensor power, and the ability to control your body while moving vertically.
“This is why step-up tests in older age groups are highly researched! The main muscles being tested (quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, calves) are some of the biggest muscles in our bodies, and using them for repeated movements puts a great deal of stress on our cardiorespiratory systems. So, performing a step-up test at any age is a reliable way to check physical function and therefore overall health,” Anderson explains.
Step-up Benchmarks To Strive For
While there isn’t a universal “gold standard” step-up benchmark, a reasonable goal is to tackle five flights of stairs (about 50 to 60 continuous step-ups) without stopping.
“The simplest version of a step-up test requires a standard 30cm (12-inch) step, and some method to keep a pace of 24 steps per minute (“up, up, down, down” is one step; 96 beats per minute on a metronome),” Anderson explains. “You will need to keep a 24 steps per minute tempo for 3 minutes continuously. Then, rest in a chair and take your pulse for exactly one minute (count the number of beats over from minutes 3-4).”
Form Tips and Mistakes To Avoid
Maintaining proper form is more important than aiming for a high rep count. Here are some tips to follow:
- Place your entire foot on the step.
- Drive through your leading leg instead of springing off the back foot.
- Keep your knee tracking roughly over the middle of your leading foot.
- Maintain a stable and level pelvis and hips.
- Stand up tall at the top.
- Use control as you descend.
In addition, there are several common mistakes to keep in mind.
“The common mistakes are using momentum, pushing too much from the trailing leg, letting the knee collapse inward, placing only the toes on the step, leaning heavily on a rail, or rushing the lowering phase,” explains Anderson. “For most adults over 60, a 6-inch step is a sensible starting height for assessment or training, because it is high enough to challenge the legs but low enough to preserve form and safety. A higher step may be appropriate for fitter adults, but an easier way to improve lower-limb strength and power using stairs could be to wear more weight on your body instead—take a backpack and add some water bottles, or hold some heavy books to your chest while you step up and down!”
