Article Link Benefits of Step Aerobics

[Sharaz]

Just came across this article accidentally. It’s 2 years old. First time I read an article dedicated to this subject. Step is one of my favorite cardio exercises. I came across this type of workout in 2000 at a local gym. I remember attending the Step class weekly faithfully. Then got a Step after I discovered workout DVDs later on.

I enjoy following choreography, the cardio benefits and working my legs at the same time. I hope to continue stepping for years to come.

Benefits of Step Aerobics You Absolutely Need to Know

1. Cardiovascular Health
2. Musculoskeletal Health
3. Low Impact
4. Weight Loss
5. Mental Health
6. Leg Strength
7. More Efficient Metabolic Rate
8. Versatility


http://www.fitandme.com/benefits-of-step-aerobics/

[wendug]

Great article! I had no idea an hour of step aerobics is equivalent to running 7 miles! I am also a lover of step aerobics so it's nice to hear all the benefits of it!

This is a timely article as I've been acquiring some older Firm BSS series workouts because I'm loving the step with weights. I did Ultimate Calorie Blaster today with Stephanie Huckabee and I'm happy with all the step in the workout (using the 6, 8, and 14 inch options as well as the incline). The choreography was easy to follow and my legs do feel worked!

[JackieB]

I miss step. I can't do it anymore...it just loads up my lower back. But wow, I loved it back in the day.

[bolieikl]

Thank you so much for this article! I have always felt like I got a better cardio workout with step than anything. For the past 12 or 13 years, I have mostly run for cardio and when I would throw in a step workout, my thought was that it was more intense than running I remember Kathy Smith saying the same thing that the article said about step being the equivalent to running 7 miles. I am ready to start stepping again! lol

Linda

[Cher]

Thanks for sharing! Great article! I love step and still do it frequently but miss that not too many instructors are making new step workouts.

[Usia]

Originally Posted by JackieB

I miss step. I can't do it anymore...it just loads up my lower back. But wow, I loved it back in the day.

This. I stepped a lot and as recently as last year, but it also aggravates my lower back and right hip - so sadly, no more step workouts for me. Too bad because I really, really like it.

[Joni O]

I always loved step, but now it kills one of my knees and doesn’t do my lower back any good either.

[adrien_73]

I love step, and used to be a step instructor. Unfortunately, it bothers my knees now and causes severe plantar faciitis flareups!

[hch]

Originally Posted by wendug

Great article! I had no idea an hour of step aerobics is equivalent to running 7 miles!

The idea is at least as old as research from the time of Step Reebok. A search leads to this March 1990 New York Times article and this December 1990 AP article, neither of which I'd seen before but maybe others here have:

ON YOUR OWN; Step Up (and Down) To Sharper Workouts

Step Aerobics: The Next Step?

Step training by well-conditioned athletes at an aerobic cadence of 120 beats per minute can use more energy than running at 7 miles an hour on a treadmill, said researchers Peter and Lorna Francis of San Diego State University in California.

I'd like to know about some others of the "several studies" mentioned in the original article of this thread.

Searching for "step aerobics" and "METs" (which came to mind when I read "more energy") led to a news article that used, among other sources, something called the Compendium of Physical Activities Tracking Guide (link to PDF on the website of the University of South Carolina).

The 2000 edition (page 1 of this document, under the heading "dancing") gives 8.5 METs for "aerobic, step, with 6 - 8 inch step" and 10.0 METs for "...10 - 12 inch step." To my slight annoyance, no cadence or speed is given--and I've read that step classes would vary in cadence. (Other "dancing" numbers include 6.5 METs for "aerobic, general," 5.0 for "aerobic, low impact," and 7.0 for "aerobic, high impact.")

Roughly comparable activities for 8.5 METs include "moderate" bicycling (12-13.9 mph), running at 5-5.2 mph, walking at 5.0 mph, "slow" crawl swimming (50 yards/minute), and "vigorous" stationary rowing (150 watts).

Roughly comparable activities for 10.0 METs include "fast" bicycling (14-15.9 mph), running at 6 mph, "fast" crawl swimming (75 yards/minute), and "vigorous" stationary bicycling (200 watts).

At least to me, these comparisons aren't unimpressive. Of course, the usual cautions apply--for example, don't assume that a certain level of ability in one activity will simply transfer to a similar level for another activity.

I'll write later about my limited recent experimenting with steady-state bench stepping (up, up, down, down ), which I haven't done before (I've done intervals). I can compare my subjective thoughts with some of the other activities just mentioned.

[hch]

A little extra reading time led to this news article from December 1992, which has additional detail.

The Ups (and Downs) of STEP AEROBICS

(From reading the article, I think that "downs" is just wordplay about stepping up and down: I see safety tips, but I don't see a mention of any particular disadvantage of step aerobics. The safety tips here, from an article nearly 26 years old, may or may not reflect current thinking--check before you begin a new activity.)

This article discusses a study commissioned by Reebok and conducted by the Francises and others.

The activities compared here were walking at 3 mph on a treadmill, running at 7 mph on a treadmill, and a "step exercise routine" at 120 beats per minute on a 10-inch platform. They were measured at an average of respectively 3.9, 11.5, and 12.2 METs.

(The closest matches in the Compendium of Physical Activities Tracking Guide are 3.3 METs for walking at the same speed on a "firm surface," 11.5 METs for running at the same speed on an unspecified surface, and 10.0 METs for step aerobics on a 10- to 12-inch step at an unspecified cadence. I don't have enough information to say anything specific about why the numbers differ the most for stepping.)

Notice that 10 inches is a higher step than others use; my impression, which may be wrong, is that most VFers who've recently mentioned step height (though this sample maybe isn't very large) don't use 10 inches or higher for an entire workout. I wonder how much generally using a lower step height influences the comparison to running.