Why Do People Quickly Step Up Stairs?

[BicycleTree]

I generally walk at a leisurely pace, maybe two steps a second or so, which I have found results in a walking speed slightly faster than the average. When taking stairs, however, I do one of two things: I either maintain the same leisurely pace, climbing two stairs a second, or if I'm in a hurry I take two stairs at a time, and because I'm basically running my pace is also faster and I cover maybe 6 or 8 stairs a second. But I have noticed that some people, particularly women, hurry up stairs taking one step at a time but stepping quickly, but walking at a moderate pace (generally slower than myself) before the stairs and resuming that moderate walking pace after the stairs. What I'm wondering is, why?

Is it for fitness? Then why not run when not on the stairs? Is it that they try to maintain a fixed speed instead of a fixed cadence? Is it just a cultural habit? Is it because a quick-single-stair-stepping manner is the optimum when descending stairs, and they somehow don't make the distinction between descending and ascending? Is it so that they climb the entire stairs before their muscles stop working anaerobically? If anyone does this, I am interested to learn the reasons.

 

[brewnog]

http://dact.co.umist.ac.uk/Location/a_mss.jpg

I once ran to the top of this building, 2 steps at a time.

Never before have I felt more at risk of having a heart attack.

Anyway, if I'm just going slowly up stairs, I still tend to take 2 at a time. It's just more comfortable, there's less chance of tripping up, I get to stretch my legs a bit more, it makes less of a noise, and my knees don't hurt at much.

 

[Gale]

i take my stairs that way. i like it better. walking slow requires more muscle, and you look sluggish.

 

[Moonbear]

I don't know. I walk fast all the time, and take stairs fast too. I'm short, so take stairs one at a time because my legs simply won't do two at a time unless they're unusually small stairs. I haven't really noticed people running up stairs then walking slow before and after, usually they either have a fast pace, or they are slow all the time. People are always telling me to stop rushing when I'm not rushing, I just walk fast normally.

Oh, well, yeah, then there's when you run up the stairs and then realize you shouldn't have and are winded so slow down after the stairs to catch your breath. And sometimes when I don't feel like I'm getting enough exercise during the day and just need to invigorate myself, I'll take the stairs at a jog instead of my usual fast walk just for the aerobic benefit.

But I'm also really bad about being incredibly impatient if someone is walking too slow in front of me and I can't get past them (I work in a building with a terribly designed staircase that isn't quite wide enough for two people to easily pass...if you're going down and someone else is going up, one person has to turn sideways and smoosh up against the rail to let the other past, or stop at the landings to let them pass, so you can't always get around a slow person).

 

[DocToxyn]

But I'm also really bad about being incredibly impatient if someone is walking too slow in front of me and I can't get past them (I work in a building with a terribly designed staircase that isn't quite wide enough for two people to easily pass...if you're going down and someone else is going up, one person has to turn sideways and smoosh up against the rail to let the other past, or stop at the landings to let them pass, so you can't always get around a slow person).

Ride the rail Moonie, it's a lot faster and people will definitely get out of your way!

 

[Moonbear]

Ride the rail Moonie, it's a lot faster and people will definitely get out of your way!

I'd probably slip over the side and plummet 5 stories to the lobby. On the one hand, having a very open staircase inspires people to take stairs better than a dingy enclosed stairwell (though the incredibly slow elevators seem to have more of an effect in inspiring taking stairs...it's fun to see someone getting on the elevator as you're starting to take the stairs and then stand at the top waiting for them when the elevator gets there), but on the other hand, with so many people needing lab space, it's painful to see the entire center of a building that could have been another dozen or so labs or a lot more offices just wasted as open, unusable space for the sake of a fancy yet less than functional staircase. Though, I've always been tempted to bring in one of those superballs and stand on the top floor and drop it down to the lobby and see how far and where it bounces. Maybe I should do that some night when not many people are around. Wouldn't want it to land in someone's coffee cup or hit someone in the head.

 

[FredGarvin]

I wonder if this pace gets the heart rate up...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9189-2004Feb3.html