If you've ever lived in a walk-up apartment, you know that climbing stairs is more strenuous than walking. Stair-stepper machines are a popular workout options for just that reason.
Calories Burned
HealthStatus, which provides calorie burn information on various exercises, says 150-pound person burns about 240 calories in 30 minutes of exercise on a stair-step machine.
Body Weight
Body weight is one of the major factors affecting how many calories an exercise burns. A heavier person carries more weight, and thus works harder in every activity. A 180-pound person doing the same 30-minute workout on a stair stepper would burn 280 calories. A 130-pound person would burn 210.
Exertion
The other factor that affects your calorie burn is your level of exertion. How fast you climb, how high you set the resistance and unique factors between different machines can raise or lower your caloric burn. The possible factors are literally endless. But most stair steppers have built-in calculators to help you gauge how exertion affects your calorie burn.
References
- Ben Cohn; Fitness Coach; Hillsboro, Oregon
- "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy"; Walter Willett, et al; 2006
- HealthStatus: Calories Burned by Exercise
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