Why is 'Step' not so popular anymore?

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Replies

  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I use steps to exercise all the time, both at work and at home. I have never heard of a step DVD or anything. I'm trying to figure out what it would consist of, since stepping up and down stairs seems pretty self-explanatory.

    Not at all, there can be some really complicated choreography.

    Complicate choreography? For going up and down stairs? That definitely does not sound good. Just the word "choreography" makes me shudder. :laugh:
  • klhessling
    klhessling Posts: 48 Member
    I adore step aerobics! Lifetime Fitness has a few classes a week and my instructor is a former Alabama cheerleader. She's awesome and the choreography is fun and there's something new each week. I am drenched in sweat at the end of class and can't imagine my fitness regimine without it
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    My name is Singingflutelady and I am a step addict. My Y offers group step (BTS program) 6 times per week and almost every class is always full. It is the fastest growing program at my gym so it is definitely not dead. We do a lot of squats, twisters (squats with one foot on step and you jump up and twist in air and land in squat position with other foot on bench), jumping squats, lunges, running, explosiveness and dancing. The new release is coming out soon and the instructor said that it is even more athletic and has burpees.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    I use steps to exercise all the time, both at work and at home. I have never heard of a step DVD or anything. I'm trying to figure out what it would consist of, since stepping up and down stairs seems pretty self-explanatory.

    Not at all, there can be some really complicated choreography.

    Complicate choreography? For going up and down stairs? That definitely does not sound good. Just the word "choreography" makes me shudder. :laugh:

    um, step aerobics is not going up stairs, it uses a step bench LOL
  • perfekta
    perfekta Posts: 331 Member
    Since I work out at home, I picked up fitness and workout games for my wii. WiiFit an EA Sports Active: More Workouts both have step workouts. I bought an adjustable step platform to put the wii board on, and then you can adjust the tempo based on how fit/ how intense you want the workout. 30 - 40 minutes is enough to get me to burn 350-400 calories, and keeps my heart rate up, so I love it. Boring? Yes, but if you get the latter of the two games, it mixes it up with different steps that help you to keep focused. The latter game also gives you the option of stepping with out the balance board, so you can use whatever stepper you have on hand for the game.
    thanks, I love my Kinect, so I may try the EA sports one. :-)
  • LdyPsych
    LdyPsych Posts: 79 Member
    I do step 1-2x each week and find that it's at least equal to a 12 min/mile pace (and usually more). Miller, Kathe F, and Manza are my favorites (I have others, but with some instructors the choreography is insane :ohwell: I picked up a step at a Play It Again sports resell store (w risers) for $30. Fabulous workout!
  • ♥ChUbByCoyLe♥
    ♥ChUbByCoyLe♥ Posts: 267 Member
    I love step!! It's a shame it's not so popular anymore.
  • sa11yjane
    sa11yjane Posts: 491 Member
    I seem to recall that it was found to be too high impact on people's knees and could potentially cause damage to them x
  • sheshappynow
    sheshappynow Posts: 88 Member
    I use to love to go to my gym and do step. I found a nice (step) at good will in my town for 3 dollars:) I use it every now and then to switch things up. Turn up the volume on your favorite CD and squeeze that beach ball LOL
  • eejayess
    eejayess Posts: 5 Member
    I adore step, for me Keli Roberts is the best.
  • katkins3
    katkins3 Posts: 1,359 Member
    I lost interest the few times I tried it because the variations got too complicated. The instructor would start with a few basic steps, then add a little kick or something, but before you know it they had a confusing string of variations that I just couldn't follow. What started out as a class had become a performance....were we supposed to clap when she finished her solo? I just got discouraged and decided to try something easier to follow.
  • pcdoctor01
    pcdoctor01 Posts: 389 Member
    I would say the 21st century step is the BOSU and the Step 360.
  • Flixie00
    Flixie00 Posts: 1,195 Member
    I would say the 21st century step is the BOSU and the Step 360.

    I would imagine that step on a Bosu could get quite messy :sad:
  • avababy05
    avababy05 Posts: 930 Member
    I have one at home and when I workout out inside I incorporate it into my workout which is a combo of step,jumping jacks,running in place and dancing.

    I call it "jumping around like a lunatic for as long as I can and sweating while the cat stares at me"
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
    I used to do step classes when I was in college between '97 and '01, but then the gym started bringing in kickboxing classes...and now they have like 1 step class a week, but 1 kickboxing class per day.

    With the right instructor, I thought step was a lot of fun!
  • Justkeepswimmin
    Justkeepswimmin Posts: 777 Member
    And it's dull. I have five different DVDs and all of them bore me to tears. I've started just doing it while watching TV so I don't want to kill myself quite so much.

    I have a class I do every other week that is only 1/3 step - and it really is (after only 3 months) making me want to cry of boredom. I do like the weight balance crunch part of the class so I keep going for variety on that spectrum.

    I think I'd rather run if it were JUST a step class.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I use steps to exercise all the time, both at work and at home. I have never heard of a step DVD or anything. I'm trying to figure out what it would consist of, since stepping up and down stairs seems pretty self-explanatory.

    Not at all, there can be some really complicated choreography.

    Complicate choreography? For going up and down stairs? That definitely does not sound good. Just the word "choreography" makes me shudder. :laugh:

    um, step aerobics is not going up stairs, it uses a step bench LOL


    That still sounds scary! hahaha (I am sure I would trip over the thing!)

    I use stairs as part of my routine, but it's going up and down flights of stairs, not just a stool. I am able to run up two flights now before getting winded and jelly-legged. My goal is five flights.
  • Victavius
    Victavius Posts: 1
    Have taught step since it first came out......and still teaching it today without injury or boredom. No injuries because i dont go over 128 beats per minute and I dont teach the "watch me" patterns......my cueing is what its all about...allowing the participants to listen rather than watching me, enabling them to focus visually on their step and not trip or stumble. Reagarding boredom, it's not just the participants finding themselves bored, doing the same patterned class over and over again unless the instructor changes it (often once a month .....twice if the instructor puts in the effort to vhange it arounf). Personnaly i just about die of boredom in every patterned step class but i stay till the end out of respect. I realize its tough for instructors to try and create new patterns.....which is why I would suggest to them to slowly drop the pattern style and focus on their cueing abilities and creativity. Throw some freestyle into the mix and make the class up as you go along. The main reason i nor any of my students have ever been bored is because ive never prepared for a class and make it up as we go.....in over 15 years.....no class has ever been the same. Its always fresh and the students never know what move is coming next. This keeps them attentive and before you know it, an hour has passed. Its sad to see step dying off in so many clubs......but yeah, its totally understandle at least from my perspective.
  • cookiekrunch
    cookiekrunch Posts: 65 Member
    I do step classes 5 days a week and absolutely love going. It is about consistency. Our classes at the Y stay full on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays.
  • bigsistruck
    bigsistruck Posts: 125 Member
    I LOVE Step. I think it was just one of those many "fads" and I'm sure once the next one came along people forgot about step. The fun routines do require a pretty good learning curve as well, but that's why I love it! People saying that it's boring have not done the right step routines! It has to be challenging choreography. I have one that took me 4 months to learn completely. I have many step DVDs and will do the ones I find on YouTube often as well. Jenny Ford has amazingly awesome ones for all levels that you can download as well. Also, the real size health club step is ridiculously expensive, usually $100 or so which I'm sure turns a lot of people off. I'm not happy about how I have to gorilla glue the top piece of plastic down constantly either, but I love my step and it's really been the main reason I've lost 30 pounds this time around!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    I LOVE Step. I think it was just one of those many "fads" and I'm sure once the next one came along people forgot about step. The fun routines do require a pretty good learning curve as well, but that's why I love it! People saying that it's boring have not done the right step routines! It has to be challenging choreography. I have one that took me 4 months to learn completely. I have many step DVDs and will do the ones I find on YouTube often as well. Jenny Ford has amazingly awesome ones for all levels that you can download as well. Also, the real size health club step is ridiculously expensive, usually $100 or so which I'm sure turns a lot of people off. I'm not happy about how I have to gorilla glue the top piece of plastic down constantly either, but I love my step and it's really been the main reason I've lost 30 pounds this time around!

    Well, complicated choreography is good for some.....but not all. If you have limitations in that area (I do) there are easier videos too. I think step can be fun when it's simple (for some of us).

    My first venture into step-dom was Basic Step by Cathe Friedrich, and Go! Step for Beginners by Kari Anderson....these took a few tries to master (yes, I'm that bad). After trying several more complicated DVDs (and getting frustrated)....I finally settled for simple easy to do step videos. I do step occasionally. A couple other simple DVDs....Christie Taylor Mission Possible, and Debra Mazda Let's Get Stepping.

    For more complicated step (in addition to Cathe Friedrich) other names (for current step DVDs)......Christie Taylor, Patrick Goudeau, Kelly Coffey Meyer, Tonya Larson, and Jenny Ford whom you already mentioned.

    This site gives video clips & reviews of dozens of step workouts: https://www.totalfitnessdvds.com/category-s/190.htm
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    Gyms in my area all have step classes...
    I don't care for it because I just trip the whole time and I'm afraid I'd really injure myself.
  • htimpaired
    htimpaired Posts: 1,404 Member
    LOL, I stil; remember my mom in the 80s... "up up down down" VHS going, she had this thing she would step up and down on.

    Also, my mom was a big fan of Charlene Prickett. Anyone remember her circa 1985?? Haha, Youtube it if not. Funny 80s aerobics.

    Yeah my mom did the Jane Fonda one, and the Reebok Step one. The Reebok was hysterical, it took itself super serious, they were in this warehouse or something, and played this bad techno (redundant) music.

    I think I had that Reebok one, with Gin Miller? Yea, the men in spandex was pretty stellar.

    I love Step, it's how I got into exercise back when I was 18. I stopped going at my gym because I don't like the new teacher. I miss my old instructors. The instructor really makes or breaks the class.
  • hmaddpear
    hmaddpear Posts: 610 Member
    I liked Step...until I discovered how bad it was for my knees. Definitely not low impact...

    You and me both. I'd finally just started to get good (well, co-ordinated enough not to feel like a fool), and then there it was - the dreaded *ouch*.

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