The older you get, the less time you have for exercise. But we all know how beneficial regular workouts are to our health – what can we do to ensure we still work up a sweat regularly?
Enter mini steppers: these compact exercise machines can help burn fat within the comforts of your home or office! In this article, I’ll be covering some of the best mini steppers available based on my very own research before I bought my new stepper.
Excited? Here we go:
Top 9 Best Mini Steppers 2019
Sunny Health & Fitness Mini Stepper with Resistance Bands
Review: Ever felt that you could be using your precious training time more efficiently during your regular cardio sessions? Well, you can do just that with this mini stepper from Sunny Health & Fitness – it comes equipped with two removable training bands that can help tone your chest, back, and shoulders while you’re working on your lower body.
More calories burned in less time? Count me in!
I’ve always hated the annoying, creaking sounds my old mini stepper made; I could never work out at night without waking my whole family up. I should have bought this mini stepper a long time ago: it’s built with a hydraulic drive system that ensures smooth steps.
- Removable training bands provide you with the opportunity to do more (train your upper body muscles) within your workout session.
- LCD monitor to easily keep track of the distance covered and session duration.
- Wide non-slip pedals: don’t worry about losing grip or balance: these plates accommodate all feet sizes and are textured to ensure safe footing.
- Prone to breaking.
Despite its durability issues, Sunny Health & Fitness’ mini stepper is still the best mini stepper on the market because of its extremely wallet-friendly price.
LeikeFitness Premium Portable Climber Stair Stepper
Review: An hour spent on the mini stepper can feel like an eternity when all you’re doing is the same motion – stepping up and down.
Combat your potential boredom by getting yourself LeikeFitness’ stepper! It has been designed to enable you to perform two motions: the up and down climbing motion and the side to side twisting action. This way, you can kill two birds with one stone; keep your workouts fresh and exciting, while working on your oblique ab muscles!
The stepper is equipped with textured, non-slip pedals so you can step to your heart’s content without losing grip and falling off the machine.
- The mini stepper only weighs 8 KG; you can quickly shift it around or bring it with you when you’re on the move.
- Supports up to 150 KG: safe to use even if you plan on using weights in your stepping sessions.
- Dual function allows you to perform two motions: up and down and side to side.
- Some assembly is required; you might need to spend some time to put the machine together before it’s ready for use.
If you foresee yourself whiling away your lunch break in the office with a short cardio session, get yourself LeikeFitness’ stepper. Its portability means you can bring it to the office and back home with minimal effort. Definitely the best mini stepper under the desk!
Luhan Health Fitness Mini Stepper with Band
Review: If you’re someone who continually runs out of will-power and motivation to complete your workout sessions, you’d appreciate the LCD monitor that is fitted on Luhan’s mini stepper.
The monitor clearly displays the total number of calories you’ve burned in real-time. There’s no way you’re going to cut short your session when you’ve only worked off 50 calories, but the cupcake you ate earlier contained 200 calories, right?
Also, your purchase includes a pair of removable resistance bands so you can tone your upper body muscles while you’re working on your lower body!
- LCD Monitor shows you the duration of your current session, the number of calories burned, stepping speed, and the average number of steps taken per minute.
- Adjustable hydraulic resistance allows you to vary the resistance level of the steps according to your preferred workout intensity.
- High-quality iron quality: the product has been built to last; you don’t have to worry about sudden breakages.
- Specific individuals may find the steps too close together; this can cause issues with balance and stability.
For those who struggle with staying motivated to carry on working out during a session, this is the best mini stepper machine available.
Harison Mini Stair Stepper
Review: Don’t you just hate it when a piece of fitness equipment gets delivered to your doorstep in a million and one separate components?
You then have to spend a good part of your day solving the jigsaw puzzle, and fitting all the components together. It can be an extremely frustrating process. Not with Harison’s mini stair stepper though: there’s absolutely no installation needed. The machine comes out of the box ready-to-use.
Also, the mini stepper is constructed with heavy-duty steel – it’s, therefore, extremely resistant to the usual wear-and-tear that results from daily usage.
- Adjustable height allows varying the height of your step motion on the machine to suit short bursts or long steps.
- Skid-resistant floor protectors ensure that the mini stepper stays stationary on the ground even during the most intense stepping sessions.
- Over-sized slip-resistant massage footplates offer a better grip while promoting better blood flow to your feet simultaneously.
- Tends to make loud, squeaky noises when stepped on.
With its unique feature of ‘massage’ feet plates, Harison’s mini stepper is definitely the best portable stepper for you if you have tired, sore or achy feet.
SereneLife Fitness Exercise Elliptical Twister Stepper
Review: Always wanted to get yourself a mini stepper but have never found a suitable one for yourself because you have big feet?
Don’t lose hope! SereneLife’s fitness twister stepper boasts ‘wing style twist’ pedals that are designed to accommodate large-sized feet. That’s not all – the pedals are textured so your feet will stay planted on the stepper no matter how intense your stepping sessions get.
Also, the mini stepper is equipped with a digital LCD display control unit so you can keep track of calories burned, workout time, and stepping speed in real time.
- Brand’s unique ‘wing style twist’ pedals are specially designed to accommodate people with large-sized feet.
- Digital LCD display allows to easily keep track of your progress; you can see the number of calories, time spent on the workout, and stepping speed in real time.
- Heavy-duty: this mini stepper is built to last; it’s made of reinforced steel.
- Resistance is not adjustable.
If you’re someone who has big feet, this is an excellent option for you.
Efitment Fitness Stepper Step Machine
Review: Always dreaded assembling your furniture from Ikea? Me too, which is why my eyes lit up when I saw that EFITMENT’s fitness stepper machine – it arrives at the doorstep fully assembled! You can literally step right into your workout once you take the device out of its box.
You never need to worry about waking your partner up from his or her sleep in the middle of the night when doing your late night cardio sessions either.
The mini stepper is built with a hydraulic drive system that ensures smooth and quiet workouts – each and every time.
- Hydraulic drive system allows to workout in peace without being subjected to squeaky noises that would annoy both you and whoever is (unfortunately) in the room with you.
- LCD display helps you stay focused and motivated by showing you how many calories you’ve burned in your current workout session.
- Non-slip pedals ensure you never have to worry about slipping off the mini stepper during your workout.
- The default resistance is pretty high, and it’s not adjustable – might not be suitable for those just starting out on their fitness journeys.
Looking for a mini stepper that doesn’t wake your whole family up in the middle of the night? This is the best choice for you.
Xsier Commercial Mini Stairmaster
Review: Sick of plasticky mini steppers that look like they were made for children? If you’ve got the extra money to spare, get yourself Xsier’s commercial mini Stairmaster. It’s sleek and made of cast aircraft alloy.
And it doesn’t just look pretty:
It’s claimed to be the only stepper available that can be used for sprint training. Yes – you read that right: sprint training! You can say goodbye to monotonous, slow workouts on your old stepping machines – you can easily cram in an intense, HIIT session on this mini Stairmaster in less than 15 minutes.
- Support up to 180 KG provides you with the flexibility to incorporate additional weights into your workouts.
- This lightweight mini stepper only weighs 6 KG; you can quickly bring it around with you as you go about your day.
- Easily adjustable resistance allows to alter the difficulty of the stepping motion to suit your preferred intensity.
- Pricey: costs nearly 8 times more than your typical mini stepper available on the market.
Embarrassed of your old squeaky, plasticky mini stepper and have the cash to spare? Get yourself Xsier’s mini Stairmaster!
Flexispot Home Exercise Stepper Machine
Review: There are so many mind-boggling options available: if you’re getting a headache from choosing one, you won’t go wrong with Flexispot’s stepper machine. It’s affordable, simple, and yet fully functional.
Foresee yourself using the mini stepper every day?
No worries: its heavy-duty steel construction ensures that it’s durable and resistant to wear-and-tear. Also, it’s fitted with oversized slip-resistant footplates that provide grip to feet sizes of all kinds. The mini stepper features an electronic monitor as well; you can, therefore, track your progress in real-time.
- Electronic monitor allows you to track your strides, exercise time, and calories burned.
- Oversized slip-resistant footplates accommodate to all feet sizes and ensure sufficient grip, so you don’t slip on the machine.
- Adjustable resistance you can tweak according to your preferences.
- It can get squeaky and noisy after a few months of usage.
You cannot go wrong with picking FLEXISPOT’s stepper machine if you’re in the market for a simple, yet functional mini stepper.
Golds Gym Mini Stepper
Review: This compact mini stepper from Golds Gym provides you with a low impact workout that is effective in targeting your entire lower body – calves, thighs, buttocks, and hips.
For the average user, the weight limit of 113 KG is more than sufficient as well.
It also features an electronic display that tracks your steps per minute and per workout. Need extra motivation? You’re covered: the electronic display shows you the calories burned during the active session in real-time!
- Supports up to 113 KG which more than sufficient for the average user; additional weights can be used in conjunction with the machine as well.
- Textured foot pedals provide grip to your feet, so you never have to worry about slipping off the stepper machine.
- The electronic display keeps you motivated by allowing you to track the progress of your workout in real-time.
- Issues with durability.
This sturdy and compact mini stepper from Golds Gym is an excellent choice.
What to Keep in Mind Before Buying a Mini Stepper
I get it: buying something new that promises you a fitter body can be exciting. Don’t just rush into your purchase of a new mini stepper, though.
Here’s a quick guide on what you need to look out for before parting with your money on the very first search result that comes up from ‘best mini steppers 2019’.
Resistance Level
If you desire to have the flexibility of being able to adjust the resistance level of your mini stepper, it goes without saying that you’ll need to look for one that features adjustable resistance.
There are also two different ways through which the resistance can be altered: certain machines have dials that you can turn, while others have bands that you need to tie to the stepper to add or remove tension.
Which you choose ultimately depends on your personal preferences, but I’d choose the ones that come equipped with a dial. It’s just more convenient.
Pedal Movement
Afraid that you’ll get bored of the same, repetitive up and down movement? You can consider getting a stepper machine that supports twisting motion – this can help break up the monotony and provide you with the opportunity to work on your oblique abs muscles.
Also, there can be variations in how your feet drop when you depress the pedals. Do you prefer that your feet stay flat throughout, or would you feel more comfortable if your heel was allowed to fall? Of course, pedals that enable your heels to drop provide a more natural stepping gait.
But be sure to test out all options to be a 100 percent sure!
Step Height
Other than adjustable resistance levels, certain mini steppers also allow for the alteration of step heights. The higher the step, the harder your leg muscles need to work; this is because you need to cover a more significant distance.
If you’re someone who’s been working out for quite some time, you will be able to appreciate this flexibility. You can choose to increase the step height, in addition to the resistance level of the stepper machine to intensify your workout sessions.
Weight Limit
Always keep an eye out for a mini stepper’s maximum weight capacity. Unfortunately, many stepper machines break because of the user’s weight. You don’t want to risk injuring yourself from a sudden fall because you weigh 100 KG, but the device only supports 80 KG.
Also, this factor is crucial if you plan on using dumbbells in your workouts – make sure to factor any additional weights you might use during your sessions when buying a new mini stepper!
FAQs
What Exactly is the Mini Stepper?
The mini stepper is a piece of small fitness equipment that allows you to exercise by stepping against resistance on two independent pedals that move up and down.
Is Buying a Mini Stepper Worth It?
If you’re someone who struggles with achieving sufficient cardio activity, a mini stepper is definitely worth your money.
You can get your workout session even when you’re working on the latest budget report for your manager or watching your favorite Netflix series.
But before going all in on a mini stepper, take a look at the best mini exercise bikes that are another great piece of equipment for your home or work space.
What are the Benefits of a Mini Stepper?
- Cardiovascular fitness – the stepping motion mimics walking – a moderate aerobic activity that can contribute to better cardiovascular health.
- Tones your lower body muscles – the mini stepper requires to use nearly all of the same muscles as you would in regular climbing – your quads, hamstrings, calves, and butt.
- Promotes weight loss – supplementing your daily activities with some time on the mini stepper can help you burn extra calories over a day; this helps with weight loss in general.
What Can I Do With the Mini Stepper?
You can refer to the following video for exercise inspiration:
Conclusion
The mini stepper is a piece of great compact fitness equipment that you can add to your home gym if you struggle with getting sufficient cardio activity.
Sneak short 10-minute sessions into your day, and you’ll find that you’ve hit your target in no time at all! Of course, be sure to buy a mini stepper that fits your goals and preferences.
Enjoyed our article on some of the best mini steppers available? Check out our other posts, like this one on the best group fitness classes! Also, subscribe to our newsletter for more informational content – trust me, you don’t want to miss out on our free downloadable workout guides!
Hi, I’m Emma Lynn
I’m a proud mother of two wonderful children and a wife to a loving, affectionate husband. I enjoy exercise – yoga (yes, I teach yoga as well), running, and going to different fitness classes from time to time.
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