There’s really no way to “skate” or “slide” (unless your booty slides) into a head-turning lower body other than to push yourself beyond your comfort zone, beyond easy fairway. If there was, we’d all have whiplash, because we’d spend all day gawking at women with big buns and thighs. While your local chiropractor would love you, the reward of a body in motion wouldn’t be so sweet without knowing you’ve done the work.
So if you’re ready to kick it up a notch, check out one of my favorite workouts to keep you lean and strong all year long.
Ladder! Ladder! Ladder! Run, jump, jump, stride!

CAUTION: Make sure your knees are up to the challenge. It is not always the promotion that can be difficult for them; the descent can also be difficult.

For this article, I’m focusing on stair running in the West Los Angeles area, which IMHO has some of the best locations for outdoor stair running.

One of my favorites over the years has been the UCLA campus on Sunset Boulevard. I have used these stairs to get in the best shape of my life when training for fitness programs specifically Ms. Galaxy and Tri-Fitness.

If you are going to UCLA here are some tips:

– Park for free along Veteran Ave. which is right off of Sunset.
– Pay attention to road cleaning signs.
– Walk the grass/dirt trail along Sunset. It’s a great warm up walk from 5-10 and you’ll get to the entrance of the campus and you can follow it to the bleachers you can see as you go up the hill.
– Parking meters are available on campus – bring plenty of change – these meters are monsters of a quarter.
– Definitely bring water and a towel.

Another great set of stairs on the west side of Los Angeles, whether you live in Santa Monica, Brentwood, or even the Palisades, are the Santa Monica Stairs, also known as “The Steps,” located just off San Vicente Blvd. and 4th St.

These stairs are world famous (seriously) and on any given day you might find some celebrity or professional athlete “sweating” running, walking or jumping down these stairs. Some tips for heading to the SM Stairs:

– There is free parking on Calle 4 and also in San Vicente. Just pay attention to signs in the area.
– Stairs etiquette: yield the right of way to faster climbers
– Peak times are in the morning before 9am and in the evening after 5:30pm So if you want to avoid the crowds and have the flexibility to do so, I encourage you. Especially if it’s your first time there, it can be overwhelming to navigate the steps and try to breathe at the same time. Just kidding, no I’m not!

And last but not least, Culver City throws his hat into the ring with the stairs at Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook. Now to be fair I haven’t personally run these but I hear they are great as part of a mini hike and offer a 360 degree view of Los Angeles and on a clear day you can see the Hollywood sign.

CAUTION: These steps tend to have different heights and some are irregular. Wear appropriate shoes!
The great thing about stair running is that it works so many different parts of your body at once, from your butt to your hamstrings, quads, and not to mention your calves. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the cardiovascular benefits. No, that was on purpose, “heart pounding outside the chest” will become a household phrase.

Be sure to wear your heart rate monitor; it will probably set a new record for maximum heart rate. There is no better way to monitor your cardiovascular fitness than running stairs. In truth, even with all the different ways I train to stay in shape, running stairs can still bring me to my knees…literally.

And the best news is that you don’t have to live on the west side of Los Angeles to take advantage of this exercise: you can find a flight or flights of stairs in an apartment or office building or, if you’re traveling, the stairs of the hotel are fabulous. ! And the stairs are usually empty as most people never take them! A crime, but that is a topic for another post.

Here are some of my favorite reasons why stair running is my number one outdoor exercise:

– Great for interval work: run, walk, run, then crawl to the top
– You will absolutely sweat
– Quick way to increase your heart rate
– Buns – Thighs – Calves
– You escape from the “four walls”
– Great calorie burning
– mix things up

So put on your favorite pair of running shoes, grab a towel and water, hit the stairs and walk away with a glute lift!