Calories Burned During Step Aerobics

Sweating it out and that while you move to the upbeat music is a trend that has been long favored by most fitness freaks. Aerobics has been a name in the fitness programs for a very long time, and has almost become staple in gymnasiums and other workout programs. With the introduction of the step in the aerobic routine, there has been an elevation both physically and in the effort of aerobics, gaining importance as a calorie burning fitness program. Are you among the many that follow a fitness program with step aerobics to trigger healthy and slim bodies? Well, then you know, step aerobics sure helps you burn calories as you move to the music up and down the step, in full swing and sweat. But understanding how many calories are burned during this workout routine is important, to achieve your long term goals of weight loss and complete fitness. For those wondering on the calculations of the calories and the exercise, it is important to understand, how the basics or the elements affect the calories burned during your workout. It is observed that on an average, a person burns around 400-1000 calories per hour during step aerobics or 6-10 calories in a minute. However, this is a generalized equation. It is not a single unit that can be termed as the number of calories burned, as there are many aspects that need to be considered, during calculation.

Step Aerobics - Calories Burned

Along with your aerobics routines, how many workouts and sessions really help you get rid of that excess fat around the body? The basic of the theory of workout for weight loss is burning more or adequate calories compared to the calories consumed. Hence the requirement to understand the units. The many aspects that affect the number of calories lost during step aerobics are:

• Step Height: The most important is the step that is used as a platform. Step is what makes this different from the traditional aerobics workout. The step gives more scope for effort to push burning calories, as every step requires you climb up and down the step. Now these platforms are of various heights. The formula is, the higher the bench, more the number of calories you burn. Considering the average height and burning rate, it is found that a 4 inch bench burns 5 calories per minute, 6 inch will burn 7.5 calories while an 8 inch bench will burn 9 calories per minute. With the increase in the step height, an average of 13 to 16% of increase calories can be expected.
• Body Weight: This is one of the most important factors to consider. A heavier person, will burn more calories when doing step aerobics, while a comparatively lean person will burn less calories. The energy required to move a heavy body will be more, and a moderately heavy body will use less energy to move. So your weight is important when calculating the number of burned calories.
• Movement, Intensity and Music: This element cannot be missed, when calculating how many calories burned in step aerobics. The difficulty of the regime and class is also a determining factor. Soft and pale movement, even in aerobics will not help you the way strong and swift, full range movements will help you. The intensity of the workout is important, as the greater the intensity, higher amount of calories will be burned. Movements like hopping and propelling too can make a difference in the number of burned calories. The kind of music affects the overall energy you spend. Upbeat and fast music will make you move faster and burn more calories.
• Nature of Workout and Time: The nature of workout, is also related to intensity. In step aerobics, along with the height of the step, another aspect is the use of arms and hands when rising up and down the step. If you have movements of the arms as well along with the step, more calories will be burned, compared to using only the legs for different moves. The amount of time you spend on aerobics can make the difference in the number of calories burned.

All these aspects will affect the calories burned. Also all these are interconnected, like if you increase the amount of time and use a 4 inch step instead of the 6 inch step, you will burn the same amount of calories in lesser time but on an 8 inch step. It works this way with all the aspects mentioned above. For example, if you take an example of a 1-hour step aerobic routine with a 6-8 inch high bench, around 800-1200 calories can be burned by a person weighing somewhere between 200-300 lbs. And those whose weight is between 300 and 400 lbs, can burn about 1200-1600 calories in one hour. But again, everything is interlinked. So, a question like how many calories are burned in step aerobics has variable answers.