Atlanta aerobics instructor Gin Miller introduced step aerobics in the late 1980s. Miller had suffered an overuse injury and her physical therapist advised her to step up and down from a milk crate to rehabilitate the muscles supporting her knee. To avoid boredom, she put the movements to music and created a new form of aerobic exercise. Step exercise creates less joint impact than high-impact aerobics, but performed incorrectly, its potential for causing injury is equally high. Reebok helped Miller devise the program and create a list of safety protocols.
Platform Height
Aerobics steps come with risers, which adjust the height of the step from 4 to 10 inches. Miller suggests that people in need of conditioning start with a 4-inch platform. Fit individuals who are new to step start with a 6-inch platform. Advanced steppers can increase the step height, but they should not use a platform so high that it creates more than 90 degrees of knee flexion. When setting up the bench, make sure the risers are evenly stacked and secure.
Postural Alignment
Your alignment determines your efficiency at different step heights. To avoid twisting an ankle or damaging your Achilles tendon, you must place your foot at the center of the step and roll your entire heel into the floor when you step down. This is impossible if you are too far away from the step, especially if you are using a higher platform. Stand directly behind the step, keeping an upright spine. Stepping too far away from the step causes you to bend at the waist, performing what instructors call "Groucho stepping." Bending at the waist puts too much pressure on the spine.
Music Tempo
Music tempo is one of the most controversial issues in step aerobics. The aerobic benefits of the technique come from its large, full-body movements. This requires slower beats per minute than tempos used for high-impact aerobics. Reebok consulted with Michele Scharff Olson, Ph.D., a researcher from the Human Performance Laboratory at Auburn University Montgomery, to analyze the step research and create a position stand on music tempo. Olson determined that 118 to 128 beats per minute is optimal for efficient step training.
Propulsion and Repeaters
Repeaters and propulsion moves add intensity to a step aerobics workout, but they can also put excess strain on the joints. Repeaters involve stepping onto the platform with one foot, lifting the opposite leg for multiple repetitions as you bend and straightening the leg on the platform. Performing more than five lifts of the nonweight-bearing leg during one repeater puts excess stress on the weight-bearing knee. Propulsion steps, such as lateral movements across the board, cause greater impact stresses. Limit propulsion movements to one minute at a time.
Member Comments