I'm a personal trainer. Here's why this retro stepper is my favorite $14 workout tool

CNN

04-04-2025

The term 'working out' has always felt like a misnomer to me. Mainly because it suggests it should feel like work. As a certified personal trainer whose job it is to get people excited about moving, I knew the HomGarden Aerobic Stepper could help frame exercise as a playful way to channel your inner '80s aerobics buff, à la Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons. I picked up a similar version of this stepper at T.J.Maxx three years ago, and it now serves as the foundation of some of my favorite cardio and strength-training sequences.
Suitable for beginners, seniors and virtually anyone looking to enhance their cardiorespiratory or muscular endurance, the $14 HomGarden stepper is a total step in the right direction because the benefits of aerobics are so well documented. Recent research from the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that just 11 minutes a day of heart-pumping exercise — like aerobics on a stepper — can reduce your risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and early death.
Here's what stood out in testing as well as everything you need to know before scoring your own totally awesome stepper.
HomGarden 31-Inch Adjustable Workout Aerobic Stepper
The HomGarden 31-Inch Adjustable Workout Aerobic Stepper is a simple, affordable way to level up your home workouts. I like its durability, slip-resistant design and user-friendly adjustability as well as its three height settings for a range of fitness levels. While its depth and riser height could use a boost for more advanced moves, it's still a fun, effective and affordable exercise tool. Firstly, you should know the exact model I purchased from athletic brand Head is no longer in circulation; however, there's no shortage of similar versions available at sporting goods retailers and online platforms, including Amazon. The model that replicates my stepper down to the exact dimensions and color is this version from HomGarden, which has several thousand reviews, and 72% of them have 5-star ratings.
For most users, the stepper is a completely safe way to engage both the lower and upper body in a low-impact manner. If you're currently suffering from knee or ankle instability, though, the act of stepping onto a stepper as well as lowering yourself down in the eccentric phase of the movement can all have negative effects on your joint health. High-impact movements such as jumping on and off the stepper might also pose a risk to deconditioned individuals, those who are new to exercise or those rehabilitating an injury. For any concerns, it's best to consult your primary health care provider or book a session with a personal trainer before incorporating the stepper into your routine.
The stepper currently comes in three colors: gray, pink and yellow. Because research suggests colors do, indeed, impact the way we think and feel, try boosting your excitement and reducing any anxiety surrounding your workout by opting for a pop of yellow or pink and save the gray for a rainy day..
Aesthetics aside, it's worth familiarizing yourself with basic aerobic step moves before investing. You can do so by attending step classes at your local gym or browsing YouTube for classes of all levels and music styles. Most gyms offer steppers akin to this one by Zeny that allow you to prop up the deck on unlimited risers. Risers sold separately are mostly compatible with commercial-grade steppers, so unless you purchase additional HomGarden steppers to raise the height, you'll be limited to a step level of about 8 inches.
It's user-friendly
One of the most common barriers to starting, and sticking to, a regular fitness routine is overly complex or intimidating equipment that leaves you breathless before you even begin using it. The stepper's construction here is simple: You've got a 4-inch deck as its base, with two risers that easily stack underneath to increase the height and add a customizable resistance level. Each riser is 2-inches high, allowing you to work with a 4-, 6- or 8-inch step. The platforms snap on and off quickly, so if you ever need to change your step height mid-workout, you can do so without losing momentum.
It's anti-slip
Slick surfaces are the enemy of a safe workout. Luckily, this stepper offers multiple forms of traction. The step itself features grooves that help keep your feet firmly planted, adding an element of grip where your shoes might fall short. Then, each riser is equipped with discreet yet effective anti-slip rubber feet to keep the unit grounded, whether you're moving laterally in knee lifts or looking to feel stabilized in a modified push-up. The stepper's legs are curved on one side and straight on the other, and I've found this silhouette helps prevent the unit from tipping over.
It's versatile
I go through phases in my personal fitness journey where I'm looking to boost either cardiorespiratory endurance or muscular strength. No matter the season, I've found profound use in the stepper. As someone with a lifelong background in dance as a choreographer and coach, the sport now doesn't typically yield a high enough rate of perceived exertion (RPE) to allow me to feel productive in my workout. Whereas standard freestyle dance might feel like a four of 10 in the effort scale for me, the addition of the stepper can easily bump it up to a seven or eight of 10. Amateur dancers, too, will find the stepper challenging to use without it feeling overwhelming.
From a strength-training standpoint, introducing the stepper into your routine provides limitless opportunities to get creative and engage your body in exciting ways. Instead of propping your leg up on a chair for Bulgarian split squats, for example (and either sullying the chair, experiencing instability or compromising your form), the stepper acts as an ideal ledge for your back leg, allowing you to shift your weight toward your working quadricep for an unmatched lower body burn. Looking to master a push-up or two? It brings a tear to my eye when clients graduate from a push-up on the knees to an off-the-knees push-up with hands planted and elevated slightly on the stepper. This full-plank position not only helps adequately recruit your core and glutes to generate more power but facilitates the transition toward a standard plank push-up as you develop strength and confidence in the movement.
Durability concerns
With a weight limit of 400 pounds, I can feel confident the stepper will support both my weight and any additional dumbbells I'm using in movements like step-ups, box jumps and offset squats. Yet, while the stepper is quite reliable overall once assembled and in place on the ground, be careful of its legs falling off when toting it around your home gym or moving it from one space to another. On several occasions, the legs have snapped off and fallen onto my toes. Profanities ensued. I would have appreciated some type of latch mechanism to securely fasten each riser.
Not enough depth
I have no issues with the overall 31-inch width of the platform. It provides just enough space for you to move laterally in a way that boosts your heart rate or engages your gluteus medius when stepping out to the side. At only 11 inches deep, however, many users may struggle to perform an elevated plank or push-up with correct form with wrists positioned just below the shoulder. What's more is that folks with larger feet might find this platform too narrow to feel stable when stepping up.
Limited riser height
In a perfect world, this stepper would come with several additional risers to step up your, well, step-ups. Additional risers would also facilitate more challenging box jumps and a more demanding aerobic routine. Progressive overload — increasing your load incrementally — is the most effective way of building strength, so working at this moderate level for weeks or even years might create a plateau in your results (unless you add an external load like dumbbells or speed).
Any time I whip out this thing, my brain is programmed to release a slew of dopamine because I know the workout is going to be enjoyable, rewarding and fly by quickly. And in a world where we all struggle to make time for more movement as responsibilities escalate, your workout should feel like a respite from it all. I can't think of a better fitness tool that might feel silly at first (especially if you pair it with a leotard and leg warmers) but delivers results that are seriously impressive.
How do you use an aerobic stepper?
How do you use an aerobic stepper?
Before using the adjustable stepper, start by performing a five-minute dynamic warmup to activate your proprioceptors (that mind-body connection), to prime your main muscle groups for large movement patterns and help prevent injury. Start by stepping onto the stepper with each foot and lowering back down again in a rhythmic fashion to boost your heart rate. Alternate your starting leg with each step to prevent muscular imbalance. If you've chosen a cardio workout, start with a beginner-friendly option with minimal upper body cues so you can focus on stepping safely.
What workout classes are the best to pair an aerobic stepper?
What workout classes are the best to pair an aerobic stepper?
The best workout classes to pair with this workout stepper include dance cardio or aerobic sessions available on YouTube across numerous popular fitness accounts like Bowflex Barbie, CDornerFitness, Get Fit With DG and Brian Syuki. Trainer-led cardio sessions ensure you're using the stepper correctly and that you're staying on beat.
CNN Underscored has a team of skilled writers and editors who have many years of experience testing, researching and recommending products, and they ensure each article is carefully edited and products are properly vetted. We talk to top experts when applicable to make certain we are testing each product accurately, recommending only the best products and considering the pros and cons of each item.
Contributing editor and writer Marissa Miller has 15 years of experience testing and reporting on all things health and wellness, while also serving as a certified personal trainer from the American Council on Exercise with a specialization in orthopedic exercise. For this article, she spent the last three years regularly programming workouts using the HomGarden Aerobic Stepper — and incorporating it into a variety of athletic scenarios — to determine if it's worth the $14 purchase.