How Many Calories Does a Mini Stepper Burn?

Did you set out to burn calories with cardio only to find out it’s too cold for running, walking, or cycling? Are you trimming costs by ending your gym membership?

You can set up a home gym even if you live in a small house, apartment, by adding a mini stepper for cardio. For the best mini steppers check out our comparison article.

Dumbbells or resistance bands and a yoga mat can make any room a workout space when you add a mini stepper.

You may be wondering how many calories a does a mini stepper burn?

Well this depends on a number of factors, but a good rule of thumb to follow to give you an estimate of mini stepper calories burned is:

  • 5 minutes – 29 kcal
  • 10 minutes – 58 kcal
  • 20 minutes 117 kcal
  • 30 minutes – 175 kcal
  • 45 minutes – 263 kcal
  • 1 hour – 350 kcal

Bear in mind this depends on factors such as age, fitness level, weight and gender. Lets dive into this in more detail.

burning calories mini stepper

What’s a Mini Stepper?

A mini stepper is a smaller version of a Stairmaster-type machine. Consisting of two pedals that move up and down, mini steppers give a step workout, burning calories and toning legs.

Some mini steppers have handles to help users keep their balance when standing to use the machine.

They can also be used while seated, which adds versatility.

A mini stepper can be an affordable and space-saving option for cardio at home if you don’t have the space or budget for a large piece of gym equipment.

How Many Calories Can You Burn on a Mini Stepper?

The number of calories you can burn while using a mini stepper varies, depending on several factors. Larger people torch more calories since it requires more energy for them to move. But I always recommend using a calorie counting watch to accurately count for each workout like this:

Fitbit Inspire 2 Health & Fitness Tracker with a Free 1-Year Fitbit Premium Trial, 24/7 Heart Rate, Black/Black, One Size (S & L Bands Included)

Typically, a 160-pound person will burn about 250 calories by mini-stepping for 30 minutes, according to The Arizona Republic’s website AZ Central. Heavier people will likely burn more calories, and lighter people will burn fewer calories.

Mini stepping can also be done seated, but it doesn’t burn as many calories that way. Using a mini stepper while sitting at a desk can burn about 100 calories an hour.

Running beats mini-stepping as a calorie-burner. Running for about a half-hour will burn 280 and 520 calories, depending on your weight and speed.

Using a full-size stepper or a mini stepper will burn about the same number of calories, but experts say that using a larger machine may result in a more intense workout.

Are Mini Steppers Good for Weight Loss?

A calorie burned is a calorie burned. The best exercise is the one that you’ll do, building the good health habit of getting cardiovascular workouts most days of the week.

Calories burned on a mini stepper, woman looking at machine

Just exercising your heart and lungs for 30 minutes a day with a light to moderate workout will show results in a short time.

How Much Weight Can You Lose With a Mini Stepper?

Experts say that weight loss is 80 percent what you eat and 20 percent exercise. By making wise food choices and faithfully using your mini stepper, even 30 minutes of exercise daily will add up.

Burning 250 calories in 30 minutes of mini-stepping five days a week for a month will burn off 5,000 calories, or more than a pound, even if you made no changes in your diet.

Because of their convenience and the number of calories burned, mini steppers can be an effective part of your health and fitness regimen.

Seeing the mini stepper results will help you lose weight but be patient. Lasting mini stepper weight loss and fitness will take time.

Mini Stepper, Maximum Impact 

Using a stepper exercise for mini stepper weight loss adds up in calories burned. Using our figure of 3,600 calories burned in a month by using a mini stepper for 30 minutes five days a week, you could lose more than 12 pounds over a year, even if you made no changes in your diet.

These little exercise machines can have a large impact on your cardiovascular health, too, helping you keep your heart and lungs healthy with regular exercise.

Since mini steppers are convenient and affordable, using them at home couldn’t be easier.

How many calories you burn on your mini stepper depends on your weight and how long and intensely you exercise. Regular exercise at a moderate rate will pay off more than heavy exercise done less often.

A mini stepper regularly used for just a half-hour can burn a surprising number of calories.

Adding a mini stepper will turn any spot in your home into your workout space. Mini steppers will pay maximum benefits, if you put the work in. Let’s look at how to burn more calories on a mini stepper.

How to Burn More Calories on a Mini Stepper?

Increase the intensity

The more intense of a workout routine you do, you’ll ultimately burn more calories. Using the benefits of the mini steppers versatility allows you to not only change the resistance of the steps but also the speed.

Doing either of these naturally increases the intensity of your workout. You can increase the resistance and stride length by adjusting the tension on the mini stepper.

increase intensity of mini stepper

Some are equipped with an adjustable incline which can also be utilised to increase intensity of your mini stepper workout.

Interval Training

A popular workout protocol for burning calories is high intensity interval training (HIIT). This type of workout involves alternating between bouts of moderate to low intensity exercise and high intensity in a given time period.

This type of workout works well on a mini stepper and increases overall calorie burn. A big benefit of doing interval training is that it decreases the amount of time you’re using the mini stepper because you work at a higher intensity over a short period of time.

Increase Duration

If high intensity training isn’t for you and you prefer a steady state workout then simply increase the amount of time you’re using the mini stepper. The number of calories burned does depend on the weight of the individual but everyone can benefit from adding an additional 5 minutes onto the end of their workout.

The best way to increase duration is to do this gradually. If you are doing your mini stepper workout daily, add 1 minute on per day to steadily increase the intensity and calorie burn.

Add Strength Training

We’ve already established that using a mini stepper burns calories but incorporating a supplementary strength training programme adds fuel to the fire. While mini stepper offer an element of muscle strength training you can add in body squats or push ups if you’re working out at home.

strength training on mini stepper

Alternatively, try carrying some hand weights or wearing ankle weights which will make the movement more difficult.

Calories Burned Step Machine

Ultimately the mini stepper workout provides a great cardiovascular exercise and burns calories. Calorie burn does depend on a lot of factors such as age, height, weight and fitness levels. But if you want to burn calories at home, step your way through a fat loss journey on a mini stepper.

Most mini steppers display calories on their built in console on the frame which can help monitor your daily calorie burning targets.

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An ex-triathlete, fitness coach and writer with a Masters in Sports Physiology. Fitness is my passion and I've had my fair share of home fitness equipment tried and tested!

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