Step aerobics is a classic cardio workout that has stood the test of time, delivering results for decades. It involves stepping up, around, and down from a raised platform, typically 4 to 12 inches high, in various patterns. This dynamic activity boosts heart rate and breathing while strengthening muscles.
Introduction
For those seeking a fun, social workout to incorporate into their routine, step aerobics presents an excellent option. It's a high-intensity cardio workout that's easy on the joints and can be adapted for all fitness levels and ages. Whether you're looking to torch fat, strengthen your cardiovascular system, or simply boost your mood and energy levels, step aerobics offers a multitude of benefits.
What is Step Aerobics?
The "step" is an adjustable raised platform. You step up, around, and down from the platform in different patterns to boost your heart rate and breathing and strengthen your muscles. Step aerobics moves range from simple to advanced. The most basic is a step-up, step-down. Once you get more experienced, you do moves that take you over the top and around the step forwards, sideways, and backwards.
Most people take step aerobics classes at a gym, with an instructor showing you each move. The instructor and the upbeat music motivate you to keep going. Your class will start with a warm-up, followed by choreographed routines on the step, and a cooldown at the end. In some classes, you'll use hand weights for strength training moves off the step. The intensity level depends on how high you make the step and what kinds of movements you do on it.
For the lowest intensity, put the step flat on the floor. To make it more intense, add risers that raise the step's height. Use your arms, too. The more you raise your arms overhead, the harder you'll work.
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Benefits of Step Aerobics
Step aerobics offers a wide range of physical and mental health benefits, making it a valuable addition to any fitness regimen.
Weight Loss and Calorie Burning
Want to burn significant calories? Then step aerobics is for you! Stepping up on an elevated surface is weight-bearing activity, meaning your body is working against gravity. Step aerobics is effective for weight loss because it combines both aerobics and weights.
Step aerobics is a great way to get your cardio. Is aerobic stepping better than walking? Both workouts are good options, but aerobic stepping is of higher intensity and may help to burn more calories than walking. The amount of calories you can burn in any given workout depends on many factors, including your weight. A 125-pound person can burn about 210 calories during step aerobics, but someone who weighs 185 pounds can burn up to 294 calories.
Jewel Hall, a 29-year-old single mother, lost 75 pounds through a cardio exercise program called Xtreme Hip-Hop with Phil, which utilizes a step aerobics platform and hip-hop music.
Cardiovascular Health
This form of working out strengthens your cardiovascular system over time. Aerobic exercises are good for the heart, lungs, and the rest of the cardiovascular system because they promote better heart contractility and pumping of blood throughout the body. Step aerobics can help you drop weight and lower your bad (LDL) cholesterol as well as your blood pressure. Lowering these helps prevent heart disease. It can raise your good (HDL) cholesterol, too.
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Strength and Muscle Toning
Stepping up and down works the muscles in your calves, legs, and buttocks. All those step-ups strengthen and tone your buttocks. You'll use the muscles in your lower back with each step. Plus, maintaining balance while doing single-leg moves during a step class challenges your core. Step not only tones and strengthens the lower body but steppers utilize the upper body with fun arm patterns making it not only challenging but super fun.
Bone Health
As a weight-bearing exercise, stepping can be great for bone health. One small 2017 study published in Osteoporosis International found that when postmenopausal women did 10 weeks of regular step aerobics, they experienced better bone metabolism (where old bone is replaced by fresh stuff). Another 2021 study published in the same journal found that six months of high-impact step aerobics increased bone mineral density among premenopausal women far more than resistance training did.
Improved Balance and Agility
As you shift your center of gravity from one foot to the other, and from down on the floor to up on the step while trying not to trip-and keep up with the rhythm!-both your balance and your agility get a healthy challenge.
Mental Health Benefits
Step is a complete mind and body workout. Constantly engage both the mind and body throughout the entire workout, which will help with coordination, balance, and cognitive function. Step is exercise that keeps participants focused and in the present moment. We’re able to disconnect from our phones, the internet, helping to reduce stress and depression, as well as boost the mood. Time flies because participants are kept so engaged through each session. Exercising on a regular basis secretes chemicals such as endorphins that are a type of happy hormone that help with stress and anxiety management. Research has even shown that doing step aerobics can boost mood and energy levels.
Flexibility
The fluid motions of stepping can improve your flexibility.
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Low Impact
You usually keep one foot on the bench or ground, so step aerobics can be a low-impact program.
Versatility and Adaptability
Step aerobics is adaptable for all fitness levels and ages. As you can easily change the height of the step to fit different fitness levels, step can be a good choice no matter what shape you are in.
There are many ways to make step work for any fitness level. For more of a challenge, and to burn more calories, participants simply raise the height of the step bench, add in propulsion movesments, and make leg and arm movements bigger. To make the step workout low-impact, keep the step bench at the lowest height. While stepping, keep your hands on hips, or let arms swing naturally without adding any arm patterns until comfortable.
Muscles Worked
When you do step aerobics, the areas you work on include:
- Core: Your core muscles stabilize you as you're stepping. You'll also burn fat and get stronger abs.
- Arms: Your lower body is the star of step aerobics, but you may also use your arms and do strength training exercises with weights specifically for your arms.
- Legs: Stepping up and down works your calves, quadriceps, and hamstrings.
- Glutes: All those step-ups strengthen and tone your buttocks.
- Back: You'll use the muscles in your lower back with each step.
Getting Started with Step Aerobics
If you like low-tech workouts or the option of working out on your own in front of a screen, then you will like step aerobics. You also have the choice of joining a class where an instructor can take you through the steps. Think music, dance moves, and stomps.
Is Step Aerobics Right for You?
Step aerobics is not for you if you'd rather be outside. If you want to take a more meditative approach to fitness, walking and yoga are better picks.
Safety Considerations
- Health Conditions: If you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes, your doctor has likely told you to get up and get moving. Step aerobics is a great way to do this. If you already have heart disease, check with your doctor first, so you know what activities are OK for you. If you have prediabetes, aerobic exercise is a proven way to help keep it from becoming diabetes. Step aerobics can also help manage existing diabetes, when combined with good nutrition and any medication that you are on. Follow your doctor's diabetes treatment plan for exercise. If you have arthritis, step aerobics can be a good weight-bearing exercise for you, as you can adjust the step's height and the intensity of your workout. If you have hip, foot, ankle, or knee pain, step isn't for you. Ask your doctor or physical therapist about other activities you could do instead.
- Pregnancy: If you have been doing step aerobics before your pregnancy, you can usually continue as long as your pregnancy is going well. Confirm that with your doctor. To keep you and your baby healthy, take these precautions: lower the step as your belly grows and your center of gravity changes, drink water, and don't overheat.
- Consult Your Doctor: Check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program, especially if you haven't been active in a while.
Equipment
You need a step and enough risers to lift it to the height you want. If you're planning to do step aerobics at home, you'll need to buy a step and risers, which can run anywhere from $17 to more than $100. You may also want to buy a DVD to walk you through the moves. You can also take a step class at a gym or community center, which will have membership or class fees.
Basic Moves
Here’s a routine that you can use as a base to build your own program. Alternate sides and don’t use the same leading foot for longer than a minute.
- Basic right: Step onto the step with the right foot. Step up with the left foot. Step down backward with the right foot. Step down backward with the left foot.
- Basic left: Step onto the step with the left foot. Step up with the right foot. Step down backward with the left foot. Step down backward with the right foot.
- Turnstep move: Begin standing sideways to the step. Step up with the right foot. Turn as you bring the left foot up onto the step. Step down with the right foot. Bring the left foot down to meet the right.
- A-step move: Begin standing next to the bench, facing sideways. Step up to the center of the step with the right foot. Lift the left foot to meet the right. Step down and back to the opposite side with the right foot. Bring the left foot to meet the right.
- Across the top move: Start facing sideways. Step up sideways with the right foot. Step up with the left foot. Step off the other side of the step with the right foot. Step down with the left foot.
- Tap up: Step up with the right foot. Step up and tap step with the left foot. Step down with the left foot. Step down with the right foot.
- Charleston: Step forward with the right foot to the left side of the step. Step forward with the left foot and raise your knee, kick, or tap the floor. Step the left foot back. Step backward and lunge back with the right foot.
- Hop turn: Stand sideways and step up with the right foot. Raise the left knee as you pivot on the ball of the right foot. Bring the left foot down on the other side of the step. Step down with the right foot to meet the left.
- Step around: Stand sideways and step up with the right foot. Step the left foot up in front of the right. Step the right foot off the far side of the step. Step off with the left foot.
Tips for Safe and Effective Stepping
- Use a non-slip surface: For safety, use a non-slip board.
- Adjust the height of your step: The height of your step can range from 4 to 10 inches high depending on your fitness and skill levels. Lower the height if you experience pain or discomfort. Use a height that doesn’t cause your knee joint to bend more than 90 degrees when your weight is on this leg. Don’t hyperextend your knees or spine.
- Practice your form and posture: Maintain good posture and alignment by gently engaging your abdominals and gluteal muscles. Keep your chest lifted as you draw your shoulders back and down, tucking your pelvis slightly under. Keep your neck straight and relaxed.
- Use your ankles and legs: To step up, bend from your ankles rather than your waist. Press firmly into your grounded foot as you lift the other to step up. This prevents you from putting too much stress on your lower back.
- Take a complete step: Place your entire foot on the step without any part hanging over the edge.
- Step softly: Don’t pound your feet when stepping. Use soft steps.
- Take small steps: When stepping down, place your feet no further than one shoe length away from the platform and press into your heels for shock absorption. If a move requires you to step further back, press into the front of your foot.
- Get comfortable with the footwork: Make sure you have a solid handle of the footwork before adding in anything extra. Start in a beginner class until you get the hang of it and want to advance your practice.
- Use your arms to up the difficulty: While you’re learning footwork or working on your cardio and stamina, keep things simple by holding your hands on your hips or at your sides. If and when you want more cardio, add arm movements into the routine.
- Caution with weights: Some classes use jump ropes, resistance bands, and kettlebells. You can make it more difficult by using ankle or hand weights and incorporating arm movements. However, all of these should be used with caution since they can lead to injury.
Step Aerobics in the Modern Era
If you equate step aerobics with leg warmers and spandex, well, you’re not wrong-but you’re stuck in the 1980s version of it. Now, the intensity ebbs and flows as instructors throw in exercises from boot camp classes, like jump squats and mountain climbers. The choreography in class also feels more contemporary. You might be moving on and off the platform in all directions, doing a mambo or cha-cha as you ascend and descend.
Many of the most popular step videos on social media feature Xtreme Hip Hop classes, which set fast, dance-y combos to a hip-hop soundtrack.
Alternatives to Step Aerobics
- Zumba: The intensity level for both Zumba and step aerobics is based on your experience with the exercises. They both target your core, legs, and glutes; but step aerobics also works your back and arm muscles.
- Walking: Both workouts are good options, but aerobic stepping is of higher intensity and may help to burn more calories than walking.