Do Step Classes Burn the Same Amount of Calories as Running?

Doing step aerobics on a regular basis can definitely help you achieve or maintain a healthy body weight. The amount of calories you’ll burn in step classes versus running depends on the intensity and duration of your workouts. A 2009 review published in the “Ochsner Journal” suggests exercising 20 to 60 minutes, plus a warm-up and cool-down period, most days of the week. Running generally burns more calories than step classes, but this isn’t always the case.

  1. Step Aerobics Calories

    • You can burn just as many calories doing step aerobics at a high intensity as you can running. Harvard Medical School reports that one hour of low-impact step aerobics usually burns 420 to 622 calories, depending on your body weight, and high-impact step aerobics usually burns 600 to 888 calories per hour. The higher your body weight, the more calories you’ll burn performing step aerobics at the same intensity as a smaller person.

    Calories Burned Running

    • The faster your running pace, the more calories you’ll burn. According to Harvard Medical School, you can burn 540 to 800 calories in one hour running at a pace of 5.2 miles per hour, 600 to 888 calories running 6 miles per hour and 660 to 976 calories in one hour running at a pace of 6.7 miles per hour. As with step classes, the heavier your body weight, the more calories you’ll burn.

    Stair Step Machine

    • Step aerobics classes usually burn more calories than using a stair step machine. Step classes may also be more fun and interactive than being on a stair step machine for any length of time. Harvard Medical School reports that using a stair step machine typically burns between 360 and 532 calories in an hour, depending on your body weight.

    Considerations

    • Regardless of the calories you can burn working out, the amount of calories you eat is the most important factor when it comes to maintaining a healthy body weight. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 suggest that most active men need 2,400 to 3,000 calories daily, while active women usually require 2,000 to 2,400 calories each day for healthy weight maintenance (page 14). For weight loss in overweight and obese individuals, 1,200- to 1,600-calorie meal plans are often effective, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.