Margaria-Kalamen Power Calculator

Margaria-Kalamen Power Calculator

The Margaria–Kalamen stair-sprint is a classic field test of alactic anaerobic power — the explosive energy system behind jumps, sprints and lifts. Enter your body weight, the vertical height you climbed and the time it took, and this calculator returns your power in watts and your relative power in watts per kilogram. Use it to benchmark explosiveness, compare athletes fairly by W/kg, and track power across a training block.

The Margaria–Kalamen test measures alkactic (ATP-PC) anaerobic power: you sprint up a staircase and power is body weight × gravity × vertical height ÷ time. It reflects pure short-burst explosiveness, separate from speed or endurance. Trained male athletes often exceed 2000 W (about 20+ W/kg); relative power (W/kg) is the fairest way to compare people of different sizes. Use precise timing gates and the same flight of stairs to track change.