The movements you make on mini steppers require extra energy. Find out how many calories mini steppers burn and how they compare to alternatives.
The average person can expect to burn around 118 – 203+ calories per 30 minutes of using a mini stepper at a moderate pace.
It is important to keep in mind that these are rough estimations. Details like your body weight can make a big difference in what end of the range you are on.
For example, burning around 118 calories while using a mini stair stepper for 30 minutes is the estimation for a 125-pound (56 kg) person whereas the 203 calories are the estimation for a 215-pound (97 kg) person.
On top of that, mini stepper workouts can vary a lot in terms of intensity.
I will also go over more in-depth estimations for different body weights, how much mini stepper usage intensity can make a difference, how good alternatives are, etc.
Factors that influence how many calories mini steppers burn
While not everyone will like this, it is a fact that estimating and even measuring the number of calories you burn with mini steppers is hard to do.
At the same time, there are still differences between very bad and suboptimal estimations.
By taking a few factors into account you can make your estimations of the number of calories burned with mini steppers somewhat better.
These factors can also help you modify your mini stair stepper workouts in ways that make them burn more calories. A few examples of factors include:
- Body weight: The human body uses calories throughout the day to function and move. People with higher body weights tend to burn more calories which applies to mini stepper sessions too.
- Muscle mass: How much muscle mass you have compared to body fat also plays a role. An amount of body fat tends to burn fewer calories than the same weight in muscle while using a mini stair stepper.
- Mini stepper intensity: There is a difference between casually stepping in front of the TV and really going at it with extra arm movements. The closer you get to this second type of using mini steppers, the more calories you tend to burn.
Estimations calories burned with a mini stepper
The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention mentions you can burn around 3.5 to 7 calories per minute while using a stair climber machine at a light to moderate effort pace (1).
Luckily, there are also ways to get more precise estimations. For example, MET values can be helpful in a situation like this.
MET values are numbers that estimate (or measure if there are studies) how intense certain exercises and activities are. You can then use these numbers in the formula below to get calorie-burning estimations for mini steppers.
Formula: METs x 3.5 x (your body weight in kilograms) / 200 = calories burned per minute
Unfortunately, there are currently no MET estimations for the mini steppers specifically.
However, there are estimations for slow pace stair climbing (4) and fast pace stair climbing (8.8). We can take the average of these for a rough estimation of the MET of moderate-pace stair climbing (6.4) (2).
Using a mini stair stepper at a moderate pace will more or less resemble stair climbing at a slow pace. Similarly, the moderate pace stair climbing will resemble using a mini stepper at a vigorous pace.
These METs are far from perfect but do help you get an idea of how many calories mini stair steppers will burn.
You can find estimations for the calories burned when using mini stair steppers at a moderate pace in the first table below.
After that, you can find tables comparing the usage of a mini stepper at a moderate vs a vigorous pace and how the mini stepper compares to popular exercise and equipment alternatives.
It should be clear that the MET formula does not include all important factors. In simpler words, your results can still be different from the estimations.
Calories burned with a mini stepper
Instead of something like counting your steps, most people will prefer knowing how many calories different durations of using mini steppers burn.
| Time Weight Person | 1 Minute | 15 Minutes | 30 Minutes | 45 Minutes | 60 Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 125 Pounds (56 kg) | 4 calories | 59 calories | 118 calories | 177 calories | 236 calories |
| 155 Pounds (70 kg) | 5 calories | 73 calories | 146 calories | 220 calories | 293 calories |
| 185 Pounds (83 kg) | 6 calories | 87 calories | 175 calories | 262 calories | 350 calories |
| 215 Pounds (97 kg) | 7 calories | 102 calories | 203 calories | 305 calories | 406 calories |
Calories burned different mini stepper intensities
The numbers above are for a moderate pace.
You can also do separate mini stair stepper sessions where you really go step fast to burn more calories and other health benefits.
The differences per 30 minutes in the table below can convince you to consider these more intense workouts.
| Mini Stepper Intensity Weight Person | Moderate Effort | Vigorous Effort |
|---|---|---|
| 125 Pounds (56 kg) | 118 calories | 189 calories |
| 155 Pounds (70 kg) | 146 calories | 234 calories |
| 185 Pounds (83 kg) | 175 calories | 280 calories |
| 215 Pounds (97 kg) | 203 calories | 325 calories |
Calories burned mini stepper vs other activities
How many calories mini steppers burn is likely not the only thing you want to know. The effectiveness in this area of other activities matters too.
In the table below you can find estimations of calories burned with mini steppers, mini ellipticals, treadmills, walking, StairMasters, exercise bikes, and mini bikes when doing the activities for 30 minutes.
| Weight Person Activity | 155 Pounds (70 kg) | 185 Pounds (83 kg) | 215 Pounds (97 kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini Elliptical (Standing) | 95 calories | 114 calories | 132 calories |
| Mini Bike (Moderate Effort) | 128 calories | 153 calories | 178 calories |
| Walking (3 mph/4.8 kmh) | 128 calories | 153 calories | 178 calories |
| Mini Stepper (Moderate Effort) | 146 calories | 175 calories | 203 calories |
| StairMaster (Moderate Effort) | 220 calories | 262 calories | 305 calories |
| Mini Stepper (Vigorous Effort) | 234 calories | 280 calories | 325 calories |
| Stationary Bike (Moderate Effort) | 249 calories | 297 calories | 345 calories |
| (Treadmill) Running (5 mph/8.1 kmh) | 366 calories | 437 calories | 508 calories |
How to burn more calories with a mini stepper
From the differences in intensities, it should become clear that mini stepper workouts can burn very different amounts of calories depending on how you do them.
You can use this to your advantage to get more results per minute of exercise.
The most straightforward way to burn more calories with a mini stepper is going at faster speeds.
Besides that, you can make the steps harder to do for your body.
You can do this by building some extra muscle mass with resistance workouts outside of your mini stair stepper sessions.
In theory, you could also wear a weighted vest if your mini stepper is strong enough to hold the extra weight.
Lastly, you can add a variety of upper body movements with for example resistance bands to your mini stepper workouts. These extra movements will require more calories from your body.
How long does it take to see results from mini steppers?
The amounts of calories above may sound nice but you are likely interested in other benefits. It is true that a mini stair stepper can help you lose weight but there are conditions.
More specifically, you still need to make it so your body uses up more energy than is coming in.
That aside, let’s say your current routine keeps you at a weight loss plateau. In that case, adding mini stepper sessions can help you lose some weight.
A 155-pound (70 kg) person can burn an extra 584 calories or about 0.17 pounds (0.7 kg) by using a mini stair stepper for 30 minutes four times a week.
If this same person continues the same stair stepper routine for four weeks, they can burn an extra 2336 calories or about 0.67 pounds (0.29 kg) of body fat.
As this person (and you) loses weight, they will have to make their mini stepper workouts more intense to keep seeing the same results. Another option for this is making other positive changes.
Are mini steppers a good workout for burning calories?
Mini steppers can be a decent workout for burning calories if you really pick up the pace and move at intense speeds.
One benefit of mini steppers is that you can use them while doing other activities like for example watching tv. This can make your calorie-burning sessions more enjoyable and can benefit workout consistency.
That being said, you also need to know that there are many more effective exercise options too.
Even if you want something to do at home in front of the TV, something like a stationary bike can help you burn more calories per minute.
So whether you should choose a mini stepper or something else to burn calories depends a lot on details like your personal preferences, budget, and space to work out.
