Originally Posted by
Machka
I can cycle 1000 km months including 500 km in one weekend ... but if I ease way back on my stair climbing for a few weeks in order to do that, and then resume my stair climbing, I'm stiff and sore for a week.
Are you going up and down? If so it’s likely the going down that causes soreness. Walking downhill results in eccentric (muscle lengthening) contractions which are absent in cycling.
I have no problem hiking a local steep climb (850m elev in 2.9km) and taking the gondola down but running up and down 50m of steps/trail 6 times will make me sore for a week if I’m not used to it.