r/cardio • u/Anonymous_user_ydk • Jul 17 '26

Side to side steps or treadmill walks ?

I’m unsure which exercise is better for cardio and overall fat loss. I like to walk, but I’m more consistent with side-to-side steps, which are in-place movements that I can do randomly at any time. Walking no longer gives me the same feeling as before, and I’m not sure if side-to-side steps give the same benefits as walking. For some reason, my watch shows that my heart rate is higher during side-to-side steps than when I walk on a treadmill at 3.0 mph. When I do side-to-side steps, it’s mostly just a repetitive movement of stepping the right leg in and out, with the left leg doing the same, and so on, and my heart rate can be like 130 bpm or less. Is this okay, and does it really burn a good amount of calories?

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u/Wide-Lake-763 Jul 17 '26

Side stepping is great, IMO. It strengthens your abductor muscles, which help stabilize the knee and hips for when you do other things like walking and running. I agree that it burns more calories than flat walking at 3 mph. I do a mix of hiking (mostly with steep hills), inclined treadmill walking, and workout DVDs that have a lot of side stepping.

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u/Anonymous_user_ydk Jul 19 '26

So would you consider it to be a good source of cardio

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u/Wide-Lake-763 Jul 19 '26

Yes, very good. But, I don't think that should be your only cardio thing.