This article looks at mini stepper machine benefits and limitations and whether or not the small, portable version can give you as good a workout as a full-sized step machine.
There’s no question that stair machine workouts are excellent for toning the lower body, boosting cardio health, and assisting with weight loss.
But not everyone has the room for full-sized exercise equipment, and the cost can be prohibitive. For such people, the mini stepper may be an attractive alternative.
They are undoubtedly cheaper than full-sized models, but you will still be shelling out your hard-earned dollars to buy one.
And you will still need to put in time and effort, and no one wants to spend months on a fitness regimen that doesn’t bring results.
So are mini steppers effective or a waste of time?
Keep reading to discover the mini stepper machine benefits and limitations and decide for yourself. We will also look at how to use a mini stepper when seated and standing.
Table of Contents
Who can benefit from using a mini stepper?
Mini stepper workouts can help anyone get in extra exercise and burn additional calories.
While some models are used standing, others can be utilized while seated, making them ideal for anyone with mobility or balance issues. The latter can be used under a desk or table or while seated reading or watching the television.
Mini steppers are also a convenient option for anyone with limited space for fitness equipment.
What muscles do workouts target?
Workouts target the glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, and hip flexors. When using a mini stepper without handles, your core muscles will come into play to enable you to balance.
Do mini steppers burn belly fat?
Although it’s impossible to spot-reduce body fat, mini stepper workouts will increase your heart rate and burn calories. With regular sessions, weight loss will occur.
So, while aerobic exercise can help you lose weight, research does not support the idea that using mini steppers will specifically burn belly fat.
How Mini Steppers Work
Most exercise equipment gets results by elevating the user’s heart rate. This could be through running on a treadmill, using a bicycle, an elliptical trainer, a step machine, a mini stepper, or other equipment.
Their results come from repeatedly moving a part of our body that contains the largest muscle groups: our legs and thighs.
During this process, your heart and lungs are continuously engaged, so they become stronger, and you will burn a lot of calories. If you do this regularly, your fitness will improve, and you will lose weight.
The mini stepper works in much the same way as its larger counterpart. Comprising two footplates attached to a frame, most operate through a hydraulic drive system.
Mini steppers with adjustable resistance and a digital display panel that shows workout stats, such as time, distance, and the number of steps taken, will need batteries.
Some standing machines have handles to help you balance, while others do not.
15-Minute Mini Stepper Workout Video
How to use a Mini Stepper while Standing
If your machine has handles, standing to the right of the footplates, grip the left handle in your left hand and the right handle in your right hand.
Carefully place your left foot on the left footplate to lower it towards the floor, then put your right foot on the right footplate.
Press down on the right footplate, then the left, in a stepping fashion, to simulate climbing stairs.
The more effort you put in and the greater resistance you work at, the more calories you will burn.
If your stepper doesn’t have handles, you may initially want to use it near a wall or solid piece of furniture to help you balance.
Using a Mini Stepper While Seated
Using a mini stepper while seated will enable you to burn calories while reading, watching TV, or working on your PC.
Put the stepper on a rubber mat or place something heavy behind it to stop it from moving across the floor.
It should be close enough to your couch or chair that your knees are bent at approximately 90 degrees.
Sit up straight near the edge of your couch or chair.
Place your right foot in the middle of the right footplate and your left foot in the center of the left one.
Press down with your right foot, then your left foot, alternating this movement for the duration of your workout.
The higher you raise your knees as you step, the greater your thigh and buttocks engagement will be, and the more calories you will burn.
If you plan to use your mini stepper while seated in an office chair with wheels, lock them before you start.
If your mini stepper has a control panel, switch it on before beginning your session.
Valuable Mini Stepper Machine Benefits
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Affordable
Not everyone can afford a step machine, but most will be able to afford a mini stepper.
The price range varies, so you can pay anywhere from under $100 to several hundred dollars. One in the
latter category that I can’t recommend highly enough is the Xiser Portable Mini Stairmaster.
It is incredibly sturdy, with a weight load capacity of 400 lbs, and it can also be used for burst training.
If the Xiser is outside your budget and you want a machine with a generous user-weight capacity, check out the Sportroyals Stair Stepper.
While it doesn’t offer the weight capacity of the Xiser, it can support 330 pounds, which is impressive for a budget-priced fitness aid and a testament to its solidity.
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Compact
If you have limited space for fitness equipment, you should still be able to fit in one of these compact machines. Their size varies, but if you have a couple of feet of free space and enough headroom, you’ll be good to go.
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Portable
Being light as well as small, step machines are very portable. You can pop one into your car and take it to your office or any place you’d like to exercise outdoors. You could even take it on vacation, so you don’t have to let your exercise routine slide.
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Low-impact
Among the most appreciated benefits of a mini stepper is that workouts are low-impact, so they won’t place a lot of stress on your joints. This makes them ideal for anyone with painful joints that restrict their movement.
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Improves fitness
Regular sessions can improve your fitness, stamina, and cardiovascular health.
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Improves balance and coordination
One of the most valuable benefits of a mini stepper is that regular use of a standing model will improve your coordination and balance.
Good balance and coordination benefit all and are especially advantageous for seniors to help prevent a fall that could result in broken bones and lengthy rehabilitation, or worse.
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Increases bone mass
Another of the benefits of a mini stepper is that it offers weight-bearing exercise. When done regularly, over time, you can build stronger bones and so help prevent osteoporosis.
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Aids weight loss
Workouts burn calories, helping you to lose weight.
The number of calories you burn depends on your gender, your weight, how much effort you exert, and the length and frequency of your sessions.
For example, if a 150-lb person exercises for 30 minutes at an intensity level of 8, they will burn about 281 calories per hour.
Someone of the same gender putting in the same effort for 30 minutes weighing 130 lbs would burn only about 195 calories.
In other words, the heavier you are, the more calories you will burn. And the more effort you put in and the more extended and frequent your sessions, the faster you will lose weight.
If you want to calculate how much weight you could lose using a mini stair stepper, use this equation:
Weight loss = (weight in pounds) x (total number of minutes exercising) ÷ 60
So, if we take our hypothetical 150-pound person working out for 30 minutes at an intensity level of 8 as an example again:
Weight loss = (150 lbs) x (30 minutes) ÷ 60 = 510 grams lost
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Tones and strengthens muscles
The mini step machine gives a great lower body workout that tones and strengthens the thighs, buttocks, and calves.
Some models, including the Sunny Health & Fitness Twister Stepper, come with attachable resistance bands that allow you to simultaneously target your upper and lower body muscles as you step.
Those without handles also enable you to work your abs and core as your body continuously makes slight adjustments to remain upright.
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Can be used while standing or seated
Depending on the model you choose, these machines can be used either standing or seated.
Used seated, you can exercise while working on the computer, surfing the net, or sitting and watching the television without stressing your joints.
A standing model will improve your balance over time and burn additional calories.
Mini Stepper Machine Limitations
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Workout intensity
Mini steppers offer light and moderate-intensity workouts, but due to their shorter step height, you won’t get as challenging a workout as you can on a full-sized stepper. This makes them more suited to strength and muscle toning than cardiovascular training.
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Monotony
Using a mini stepper can become monotonous, causing some people to quit. Working your upper body with fitness bands simultaneously will add some variation.
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Burns fewer calories than a full-sized stepper
Mini stepper workouts burn fewer calories than full-sized stepper workouts.
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Won’t build bulk
Mini stepper workouts will improve your lower body strength and muscle tone. However, they don’t offer enough range of motion or resistance to build a lot of bulk.
Mini Stepper Machine Benefits Summary
As you can see, there are numerous mini stepper machine benefits.
Mini steppers are portable, compact, affordable, and suitable for people of any fitness level.
Regular workouts can improve your balance and coordination, build stronger bones, and help you lose
weight.
Depending on the model you buy, you can get a lower or a total body workout.
One of the most valuable mini stepper benefits is its versatility, which makes it possible to get in some exercise and burn calories as you work on the computer, read, or watch TV.
Workouts won’t burn as many calories as a full-sized stepper nor offer the same aerobic benefits.
Still, they are useful for busy people with limited space for fitness equipment and those with minimal spare time who want to multitask.
They can also supplement a broader fitness program or be a stand-alone regimen for seniors.
Click here to read reviews of popular steppers and stair steppers.
