Step This Way

Kristin Kagen
Year Released: 2001

Categories: Step Aerobics


Total runtime: 76:00
Warm-up/Stretch (6:00)
1st half (Combos 1-3) (28:00)
2nd half (Combos 4-5) (24:00)
Cool Down (4:00)
Abs (7:00)
Stretch (7:00)

Workout Structure:
Combo 1, Blast 1, Combo 2, Combos 1 & 2 (2x), Blast 2, Combo 3, Combos 1- 3 (2x), Combos 1-3 spliced (2x), Combo 4, Blast 3, Combo 5, Combo 4 & 5 (2x), Blast 4, Combo 6, Combos 4- 6 (2x), Combos 4-6 spliced (2x)

Cathe is my step staple, but Step This Way is now one of my top 10 favorite step workouts. I liked it so much I converted it from VHS and chaptered it on DVD. It’s athletic step that really gets my heart rate up with just the right amount of complexity to keep my brain busy. There are some mambos, cha-chas, and pivoting moves in addition to more straightforward athletic moves. It took me several weeks to learn the warm-up and all of the combos, but I generally take a while to learn new choreography and only worked on it about 15 minutes at a time a few days a week.

This step workout is led by Kristin Kagen with 2 female and 1 male backgrounders. Kristin teaches each combo and then runs through the finished combo 4x. There are four simple one minute blasts. While I do not feel there is excessive TIFTing while teaching each combo, I do feel there is too much TIFTing when it comes to combining completed combos. Thankfully combos 1-3 are not revisited in the second half of the workout, although I would have appreciated combining combos 1-6 at the very end. Because of this, the workout is easily divided into two halves and I often do just one half when I’m short on time or combining it with another workout.

Kristin is an excellent cuer, usually cueing a couple beats before the move, although a few of her step terms are different than terms Cathe uses. Kristin usually teaches a simpler, usually low impact, version of a move before the advanced version, so it was very easy for me to modify this workout down to my level. However, choosing the lower impact move in all cases does reduce the intensity. I usually do at least some of the higher impact options and quickly work up a sweat. The only move I don’t enjoy is the pizza guy move in combo 6 where you hop on one leg in a circle on the floor. I also am undecided about if I can safely perform the quarter hop to fast feet in combo 5. What especially impressed me about the choreography is how well the combos fit together, even when spliced, i.e. I’m always positioned correctly for the next combo and they all seem to flow very well together.

Ab work includes bicycles, reverse curls, regular crunches, side crunches & a one minute plank.

Music: BPM seemed just slightly faster than I’m used to when I was learning the footwork, but now seems perfect. I actually like the music; while most songs don’t have lyrics, the beat is decent. I recognized a lyric-less version of “Love Rollercoaster,” some remixed retro songs such as “We Will Rock You,” “Everybody Dance Now,” “I Like To Move It,” and “Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit” (with a few lyrics sprinkled in).

Set has a red back wall adorned by what looks to be a bleached cow (?) skull and dreamcatcher. Other background props include a corner cactus, southwestern blanket, and zigzag motif along the top of the walls and floor edges.

Instructor Comments:
Kristin is cheerful & professional.

adawn

03/06/2014