Walking 10,000 steps a day takes more than 90 minutes, leading fitness coach Jeremy Ethier to test 11 faster alternatives for burning calories, Men’s Health reported.
That daily step target is treated as gospel for fat loss and fitness. But the time investment remains a major hurdle for anyone trying to squeeze a workout into a packed schedule.
A review published in The Lancet Public Health found that walking just 7,000 steps a day was associated with a 47% lower risk of all-cause mortality compared with 2,000 steps. Ethier wanted to see if more efficient movements could match the caloric expenditure of the standard 10,000-step baseline without requiring an hour and a half of steady pacing.
“Walking 10,000 steps a day is one of the simplest ways to lose fat. But there is one problem with it. Time,” Ethier told Men’s Health.
Ethier recruited two participants, Melody and Dennis, to test 11 different exercises alongside him. The trio used specialised equipment measuring oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production to track exact energy expenditure across various body types and fitness levels.
Walking the baseline 10,000 steps burned 418 calories for Ethier, 438 for Melody, and 342 for Dennis. The alternatives ranged from Japanese walking and rebounding to burpees and the StairMaster.
Japanese walking involves alternating three minutes of brisk walking with three minutes at a slower pace for 30 minutes. Melody burned 249 calories during this test, while Ethier burned 144 and Dennis managed 114.
“She actually managed to get her heart rate quite high and it stayed relatively high even during the slower intervals,” Ethier told Men’s Health.
Incline walking at 3mph on a 9% incline for 20 minutes proved to be one of the most effective exercises tested. Ethier burned 166 calories, Melody reached 252, and Dennis hit 124.
“The incline forces your big lower-body muscles like your quads and glutes to work harder. And the higher the incline, the harder these muscles work,” Ethier told Men’s Health.
The StairMaster at level 7 for 20 minutes generated even higher numbers. Melody burned 300 calories, Ethier recorded 224, and Dennis burned 136.
Other movements yielded mixed results over a 10-minute window. Bodyweight squats burned 81 calories for Ethier, 78 for Melody, and 29 for Dennis. Rebounding on a mini trampoline yielded 62 calories for Ethier, 66 for Melody, and 41 for Dennis.
Rucking with a 20lb weighted vest for 20 minutes increased calorie expenditure by roughly 20% to 30% compared to regular walking. Vibration plates generated just 22 to 33 calories in 10 minutes.
“I just don’t want people to take this literally and just not do any walking. I think it shows how even plain old walking, it does burn calories and it’s very easy to do,” Ethier told Men’s Health.
“Whether it’s incline walking, jogging around your living room, or plain old walking, the best exercise is rarely the one that burns the most, but the one you can actually stick to,” Ethier told Men’s Health.
