Norris beats Verstappen for pole position at F1’s Singapore Grand Prix

TOKYO (AP) — If you’re trying to lose weight and want a new way to do it, stair-climbing as a regular exercise — or just adding a few flights a day — might be for you.

It’s accessible, and research shows it’s more effective than walking on level ground.

“Overall, it is a fact that stair-climbing gets you fit faster and consumes more calories,” said Lauri van Houten, vice president of the International Skyrunning Federation, which oversees a wide range of disciplines that involve vertical climbing.

This includes disciplines like mountain running above 2,000 meters (about 6,500 feet) or events like the Stairclimbing World Championships.

These competitions are for the very fit, but we’re talking here about adding a few minutes of stair-climbing as a daily routine and raising awareness about its effectiveness for all ages.

“How many calories will I burn is the question everyone wants to know,” van Houten said. “Here’s the good news: The overall energy expenditure of the exercise depends on your weight. Therefore, the more you weigh, the more you burn.”

Stair-climbing burns calories — fast

Research shows you burn about 20 times more calories going up stairs than walking on flat ground. Even going down stairs you burn roughly five times more, the muscles being worked to slow the body’s descent.

That might be all you need to know if you are trying to lose weight.

Dr. Alberto Minetti, a physiologist and biomechanist at the University of Milan, has done extensive research of human locomotion — including stair-climbing.

“It is an exercise everybody can do,” Minetti told The Associated Press. “You always have stairs nearby you — free of charge compared to a gym.”

Minetti did the math to explain why going up stairs is so effective for burning calories in a short amount of time.

“To move 1 kilogram of body mass over 1 horizontal meter, you expend 0.5 calories,” he said. “If you move 1 kilogram of body mass vertically on stairs it’s 10 calories. So it’s 20 times the calories moving vertically rather than horizontally.”

Trained as a physician, Minetti has spent his career in research rather than treating patients. He suggested “watching your speed” for the not-so-young and beginners. He does his own stair-climbing at his third-floor residence in Milan. He said he often takes a few deep breaths before ascending, which makes him feel fresher at the top.

In a scientific study, Minetti makes the point that using the arms in stair-climbing adds extra power. Handrails offer safety, too.

The journal notes that handrails are available in most stairwells in skyscrapers, which maximizes “the muscle mass involved and, consequently, the mechanical/metabolic power of the ascent” by getting the arms involved.

“They are relatively small muscles in the arms, but better than nothing,” Minetti said.

Stairs are everywhere

If stair-climbing was an Olympic sport, Suzy Walsham would own a handful of gold medals.

She’s won 10 races up New York’s Empire State Building — officially 1,576 stairs. She’s claimed titles in more than 100 international stair races, and was once regarded as the No. 1 woman in the discipline.

Five times, the Australian has won climbs up the Eiffel Tower.

This was all too easy, apparently.

When she was living in Singapore, Walsham climbed up her 29-story building — 37 consecutive times. It took over four hours, riding the elevator down each time after reaching the top with short breaks for coffee or water. She covered a vertical distance of 3,200 meters (10,500 feet).

But let’s get grounded. What are the advantages of stair-climbing as a regular exercise routine for the rest of us?

“You get a lot of bang for your buck,” Walsham told the AP. “Many people struggle to run as they age. The impact of running gets harder on the joints. But stair training is a great alternative.”

Stairs are everywhere — one flight, two flights at home, inside skyscrapers, in stadiums and arenas, at work, in shopping malls, in the subway.

One giant advantage of stair-climbing is it doesn’t take much time. It’s easy to build up, adding a few flights of stairs every day or week, and it improves balance.

On the down side, it’s not very scenic, particularly in the stairways of towering skyscrapers.

Stair-climbing can be worked into your daily routine

Yuri Yoshizumi won last year’s women’s division of the Stairclimbing World Championships in her native Osaka, Japan, a 285-meter (935 feet) climb — 1,610 stairs — that she finished in 10 minutes, 20.06 seconds.

“Stair-climbing is an easy sport for beginners and the general public to get into,” Yoshizumi told the AP in an email. “Elite athletes push themselves pretty hard, so it’s pretty tough. But it’s good for you to strengthen your muscles and your cardiovascular system in a short amount of time.”

She added another advantage, particularly living in a large metropolis like Osaka.

“It’s possible to do it in the city,” she said. “Just using the stairs instead of the escalators at (subway) stations and department stores is a good way to get some exercise.”

VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) — Eleven years after winning the title as a 20-year-old prodigy, Matteo Manassero moved into position to capture the prestigious BMW PGA Championship again on Saturday.

Manassero shot 9-under 63 to take a three-stroke lead after the third round.

Victory would cap a career revival for Manassero, who as a teenager was widely expected to become a golfing superstar. His game went into freefall, dropping the Italian onto the third-tier Alps Tour and to a world ranking of 1,705.

Back on the European tour this year, he won in South Africa in March and is in sight of a victory over a stacked field — containing Rory McIlroy — at the tour’s flagship event.

“Thinking of the difficult years, to be standing here right now in the lead — it feels amazing,” Manassero said. “My perspective has changed. I’m going to go out and enjoy tomorrow.”

Manassero, now ranked No. 101, pumped his fist after curling in a 12-foot putt at the last to seal a birdie-birdie-birdie finish and a back nine of 31 on the storied West Course that was drenched in heavy rain for much of the round. He made seven birdies and an eagle 3 at No. 4, and was 18 under for the tournament.

“I have to be honest, one of the best rounds I’ve ever played,” Manassero said.

McIlroy shot 66 after getting up and down for par at No. 18 after hitting into water off his second shot. The No. 3-ranked Northern Irishman, who won the event in 2014, was tied for second place with 2021 champion Billy Horschel, whose round of 65 included a run of seven straight birdies — featuring holed putts totaling 130 feet — from No. 8.

“The hole looked like the size of the Atlantic Ocean,” Horschel said.

Overnight leader Matthew Baldwin, who is ranked No. 363 and was dropping off packages for Amazon two years ago, shot 71 and was alone in fourth place after a round that began in pouring rain — necessitating preferred lies — and finished under a sunny sky outside London.

McIlroy, who also has two runner-up finishes at Wentworth, came from seven shots back at the start of the final round to win a decade ago and said catching Manassero might be just as difficult on Sunday.

“It’s good to see him back playing the golf that he is and where he’s supposed to be,” McIlroy said of Manassero, “so it’s going to be an exciting day.

“But if I get off to a fast start, it’s game on.”

Adam Cockerill of Teulon, Man., shot a third-round 71 to trail Manassero by 10 strokes.

Manassero would be a popular winner given the journey he has been on.

In 2009, he won the British Amateur, the silver medal at the British Open for low amateur and became No. 1 amateur in the world.

Within four years, he’d won four events on the European tour, capped by winning at the BMW PGA Championship to move into the top 25 in the world. Six years later, he briefly stepped away from a game he no longer loved, but is now back in the big time.

A victory would put him on track to qualify for next year’s Ryder Cup and to claim one of the 10 PGA Tour cards available each year from the European tour.

“I know what I’m doing much more,” Manassero said. “It’s not easy to compete at such a high level in tough conditions. It’s not like the ideal comfort zone but that’s what we work for. That’s what we try and achieve. Just happy where I am.”

___

AP golf:

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

TORONTO – Rebuilding the Toronto Raptors and making them one of the top teams in the NBA again is a project that starts from the ground up.

The Raptors 905, Toronto’s G-League affiliate, held open tryouts Saturday at the OVO Athletic Centre, the training facility for the NBA club.

Luke Winn, the organization’s director of prospect strategy, said the 905 were looking for at least one player from the tryout to attend training camp.

“I think this is a really important stage for the youth movement on the Raptors,” said Winn near the baseline of one of the practice courts. “We did four draft picks this year and a number of undrafted rookies we think are intriguing and our goal first and foremost is to develop them in a competitive and winning environment.

“It will be a success if those (rookies) are ready to contribute for the Raptors, regardless of what happens this season.”

A 15-game losing streak saw the Raptors finish last season 25-57 after a series of trades radically changed the roster and effectively ended the team’s 2019 NBA championship era.

Toronto then picked shooting guard Ja’Kobe Walter 19th overall in the NBA draft on June 26. Power forward Jonathan Mogbo (31st), point guard Jamal Shead (45th), and forward Ulrich Chomche (57th) were selected the next day.

Training camp begins Oct. 1 in Montreal and it’s not clear if any of those four will stick with the Raptors. It is, however, very likely that all four picks will spend at least some time with the 905, who play out of the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in nearby Mississauga, Ont.

“Those projects are all very important to us,” said Winn on creating an environment that will push the picks to work their hardest. “We have guys competing for spots right now in Raptors training camp and the ones who do not necessarily make it will move on to the 905 within the next few weeks and that’ll build the core of our team.”

Combo guard Gradey Dick, who Toronto selected 13th overall in the 2023 draft, is a perfect example of that. Although he started last season on the Raptors’ roster, he shuttled back and forth from the 905 a few times including a conditioning stint in December and January that turned his season around.

“We had a very conscious mindset of what we wanted (Dick) to get out of his assignment stints with the 905,” said Winn. “Development’s not easy. The G League is so talented right now that you don’t get anything handed to you that way.

“You have to go through some things. When (Dick) came back to the Raptors later on in the season, he was ready to contribute in a meaningful way.”

Creating that proving ground on the Raptors 905 begins with their new head coach Drew Jones. The 37-year-old Jones was named the G-League team’s sixth-ever head coach June 24. Saturday’s tryout was his first time meeting with media.

“Habits, hard work, our environment, is going to be key,” said Jones. “Who we are matters, the way the building feels matters.

“I’m excited about the season, for sure, but I’m more excited about creating the atmosphere where our talent can really grow and thrive.”

That care was evident during the tryout.

Jones stopped one scrimmage to tell players that if someone is knocked to the ground that everyone should help him back up. After the morning session wrapped up, he called a huddle of the four dozen players together to thank them for their time, but then told them it was important that they thank every coach and referee at the tryout too.

“Guys have got to want to be here,” said Jones, who played professionally in Europe before coaching the Oklahoma City Thunder’s G-League affiliate. “I think it starts with us, our staff, our culture, who we are.

“Guys have got to want to come to work and feel like we’re investing in them, in their development.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 21, 2024.