By Phillip Tomlinson
Personal Trainer and Martial Arts Instructor

Thinking of doing the two-step?

Better think again.

May not be such a good idea.

But before I explain, let me take you back to the day something caught my eye – as I sat soaking up the sun.

Yes, there it was – this little ball of grey – making its way up a flight of stairs leading to someone’s front door.

The kind of action, I’m sure, that has inspired mousetrap manufacturers to riches.

But it wasn’t this attempted house invasion that caught my eye.

No, siree.

It was the way that mouse went up the stairs:

One step at a time.

Well, not that it had any other choice, except staying put.

But that’s just the point:

Rather than a recommendation for staying put, this is an endorsement for “mousing.”

Yes, just call it your own invasion of a different sort.

Body-fat invasion.  No fancy equipment needed.

You see, if you find a set of stairs and followed that mouse’s lead, you’ll be going a far way in effectively incinerating fat.

No two-stepping allowed.

That’s because taking one step at a time will cause you to log more steps per minute, resulting in greater muscle contraction and metabolic burn.

In fact, when scientists took a look they found that climbing five flights of stairs five times per week – one step at a time – burnt an average of 302 calories as opposed to 260 when a two-step strategy was employed.

But that’s only part of the story, considering all the bonuses.

You see, as your legs pump like pistons in your ascent, you’re taxing your biggest muscles and that action encourages the secretion of growth hormones that benefit the rest of your body.

Need any more prodding to usher you toward the concept of bigger, faster, stronger, more shredded and, by extension discovering a worthwhile two-step?  You know, that smoother one on the dance floor?

Yup.  Unless, of course, you’d like to throw some dancing in while climbing.  But we’re not talking about Zumba

But I’d suggest you keep them separate – especially if you’re looking to incinerate those pounds by doing