How to Use the Elliptical & Stepper Calorie Calculator
Ellipticals and steppers are two of the most common cardio machines at the gym, popular because they're easy on the knees while still burning calories through the lower body. But the two machines move differently, so even at the same perceived intensity, actual calorie burn differs between them. Enter your machine type, weight, session length, and intensity, and this calculator estimates the calories burned in that session.
The estimate uses metabolic equivalent (MET) values. The elliptical is set at 5.0 for low, 7.0 for moderate, and 9.0 for high intensity. Because a stepper's repeated stair-climbing motion recruits more lower-body muscle, it's set higher: 5.0 for low, 8.0 for moderate, and 11.0 for high.
Actual burn varies with your resistance or incline setting, whether you're using the arm handles, and your individual fitness level, so treat this as an approximation. Note that actively pushing and pulling the elliptical's arm handles engages your upper body too, which can increase your actual calorie burn.
Frequently Asked Questions
At the same perceived intensity, a stepper (especially a stepmill) recruits your lower body more forcefully with its repeated stair-climbing motion, so it tends to burn more calories per minute than an elliptical. Actively pushing and pulling the elliptical's arm handles engages your upper body too, which can narrow that gap.
Higher resistance or incline forces your muscles to produce more force at the same pace, which increases calorie burn. A good marker for "high" intensity is the point where your heart rate rises noticeably and talking becomes difficult.