The creation of step aerobics was serendipitous. Atlanta exercise instructor Gin Miller suffered a knee injury. Her physical therapists told her to strengthen her leg muscles by stepping up and down on a milk crate. Gin got bored, and put her physical therapy routine to music. The program was so much fun, that she presented it to her local gym. The rest is aerobic exercise history. In the years that followed, Miller and other instructors developed different types of step workouts.
The Basic Step
The original step aerobics program involves stepping onto and down from a 6- to 12-inch-high platform. Movements include propulsion moves, which travel straight and diagonally across the board, and movements that involve stepping up with one leg and performing a knee lift, side kick or leg curl with the opposite leg. Step instructors choreograph 32-count movement patterns. Students perform each pattern twice; once leading with their right leg and once leading with their left.
Sculpting Workouts
The adjustable platforms used for step aerobic exercise lend themselves to muscle-toning workouts. It's possible to adjust the bench so that it has a low end and a high end, facilitating incline and decline muscle conditioning. Some companies design specialized elastic resistance bands, which fit under the step risers and provide effective upper body resistance training. BodyPump, developed in Australia, is a group barbell training method, which uses the step in lieu of a weight bench.
Power and Interval Step
Power step is an advanced form of step training, which uses plyometric, jumping and running movements. Instead of stepping up onto the platform, you leap or jog up. Power stepping also incorporates moves like the hop turn, which involve stepping up with one leg and hopping to the other side of the bench. Some power step classes incorporate sport-specific movements. Interval step, which should not be confused with circuit step, alternates between basic stepping and power moves. Instructors design sequences that require one to two minutes of all-out effort, and follow them with a recovery period that features easier movements.
Circuit Step
Circuit step is often confused with interval training, because it alternates between intervals of muscle toning exercises and step aerobic movements. Class participants tuck hand weights and resistance bands under the bench, and perform upper and lower body toning exercises between aerobic segments. Most circuit step classes save the abdominal and other supine exercises for the end of the workout, to avoid the potential blood pooling effects associated with quickly getting up and down from the floor.
Dance-inspired Step
Step aerobics lends itself to many dance inspired moves. These workouts often integrate movements on the bench with movements on the floor. The music influences the class theme. Latin music, for example, inspires mambos and cha-chas. performed on and off the step. Some instructors use specially designed classical music tapes, with standardized beats that conform to the typical step aerobic tempos. These classes use ballet-inspired movements such as the arabesque, which involves stepping up with one leg and kicking the other leg back behind you.
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