Got lost during my first class today

hello77kitty
hello77kitty Posts: 260 Member
edited October 6 in Fitness and Exercise
I decided to try out 24. S.e.t. at my gym today well the instructor said its now actually called Core Central..anyway..it was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the simple step moves. I thought I was doing well considering I have never actually used a step before. Then came the combination steps :( I could not for the life of me get the turn step/kick/over combo. I am still puzzled as to how to do th step turn. I also noticed I am much less coordinated on my left leg! So while everyone was looking cool doing the combo I was just kinda standing there trying to figure out where to put my foot next. *sigh* please tell me everyone starts out like that.

Replies

  • Nic620
    Nic620 Posts: 553 Member
    Lol! That's the reason I've never taken any classes ever! Ive been afraid I'd get totally lost! I'm ure thou if you stick to you- it'll get super easy! It's just something new!
  • ESVABelle
    ESVABelle Posts: 1,264 Member
    Thank God there's no video of me learning to kickbox. That's all I gotta say.
  • DaniellePF
    DaniellePF Posts: 308 Member
    Everyone starts out like that. ALSO--it just feels like everyone else gets it and looks cool....but most do not, and they are so worried about getting it right and how they look doing it that no one saw if you screwed up. Keep with it--group exercise is such an effective and fun way to achieve your goals! :drinker:
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    Everyone starts out like that, and for some reason, society doesn't realise it's the instructor's failure when a student becomes lost.

    No other class in the world would we pay money and just be expected to struggle on blindly.
  • daydream58
    daydream58 Posts: 572 Member
    Just keep doing it, the repetition will kick in and you'll be looking cool way sooner than you think!
  • christine24t
    christine24t Posts: 6,063 Member
    When I took Jazzercise, all of the older ladies had to help me because I'm so hopeless at dancing. I'd give it a few more classes and see if it's easier to catch on. If not, you should try and find another class that is less focused on coordination like I did! :)
  • shydaisi
    shydaisi Posts: 788 Member
    Yes, most people start out like that. Just keep moving if you can, even if it isn't what the others are doing. The rest will come. Ask the instructor to show you the move in slow motion after class.
  • jessicaloubell
    jessicaloubell Posts: 12 Member
    I'm right with ya. Although I can't really go to a gym due to lack of funds and babysitting help, I did just start this great Crunch video I found on Netflix. It's a combo of Yoga and Pilates. It's really tough but low impact which is great cause I have a back problems. When I started it the other day I felt so silly and I kept getting the moves totally wrong. At one point I thought I was doing it perfect and then realized my legs were bent when they were supposed to be straight or something. I'm so glad no one was around to watch. You are way braver than I. Hats off to you!
  • loveliisa
    loveliisa Posts: 47
    maybe you can ask the instructor either before or after class to go over it with you! don't be afraid to ask for help!
  • loveliisa
    loveliisa Posts: 47
    ^^ that's what i had to do with a zumba class and my instructor was happy to help me
  • whiskey9890
    whiskey9890 Posts: 652 Member
    i have no co-ordination what so-ever so i know exactly where you are coming from, i am the person moving in the opposite direction to everyone else. i no longer permit myself to do step classes despite enjoying them as there are only so many times you can fall off one without injuring yourself or the person next to you. and don't even get me started on my experience of gospel aerobics that still gives me nightmares
  • spottedlee
    spottedlee Posts: 372
    Me,,, good example! I am deaf with total loss and I rely on others for next step/movement. Of course, needless to say, I can't hear the music to stay on beat.

    If I decided to take step or zumba or whatever class.... I am always lost or a step or two behind. Trust me, I would still be doing what they had done when everyone else switched to do something else,, oh well. I found that if I am TOTALLY lost, I just dance my way and make a fool out of myself... After all,, KEEP MOVING is the key to calories burns.

    Hint, Hint,, be at back of class!
  • hello77kitty
    hello77kitty Posts: 260 Member
    Yes, most people start out like that. Just keep moving if you can, even if it isn't what the others are doing. The rest will come. Ask the instructor to show you the move in slow motion after class.

    I was totally going to ask her after class but there was a class coming in the second we were done. I don't know how I can get a chance to talk to her. There is a cycling class right before the class I was taking too. I am thinking of watching youtube vids and practicing on the steps when a class isn't in session.
  • iamvillanueva
    iamvillanueva Posts: 63
    I fell off the step during my first class, but that was a long time ago. Keep with it and don't be embarassed. Everyone in your class went through the same thing when they started. If the instructor is too busy to go over a step with you, ask another member. I've found people in group classes are usually very encouraging and don't mind helping a newbie at all. I think checking out you tube would be a great way to learn the steps and the names for them. Half the battle is knowing how the instructor calls out the next step. It might also be a good idea to stick with the same instructor until you catch on because they sometimes will call the same step by different names. I love stepping and when you can get the advanced choreography, the classes go by so fast. Good luck!
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
    I don't do a lot of classes as they don't usually fit into my schedule but if I get stuck I just do jumping jacks until I get it back. there is a dvd I do at home that I haven't figured out yet and I honestly jump and wave my arms until they get onto chorerography I get...I look funny but I still get a good workout...and anywho I would rather look goofy with a fit body.
  • katkins3
    katkins3 Posts: 1,359 Member
    I was very lost and discouraged when I started Jazzercise, but stuck with it.
    I found it easier to watch a person in front of me sometimes rather than the instructor. Probably because we are facing the same direction.
    Sometimes I would have the instructor go over a tricky move with me. Later I made friends and would ask a Jazzer-buddy to walk through a tough move with me.
    Hang in there!
  • daphnemoon
    daphnemoon Posts: 216 Member
    aahhh you're definitely not alone.

    Having tried one of the Les Mills Body Step classes and not been too bad, I thought I'd also try the freestyle class offered at my local gym. OMG it was so hard. That was even with a technique class before the main class where all the moves were broken down. I've been going to it for about 6 weeks now and it does get a little easier. I definitely find that some moves are easier on one side than another, and any move that involves the instructor turning around and me having to copy them while they are doing it, forget it! Because I wanted to get better, I thought I'd try another step class. But it was just awful - the teacher had no mike to tell us what moves were coming up, the floor was slippy, and the fancy stuff they were doing in the WARM-UP was beyond belief! Half the class walked out, including me I'm sad to say. And she had said it wasn't an advanced class!

    The bottom line is, if you enjoy it, the atmosphere is good, you feel you are working hard and the teacher is good, then keep going - the satisfaction you get when a move suddenly clicks (in my case, the 'around the world') is well worth the wait :)

    BTW if you want a laugh, look on youtube for step aerobics (multi-step) - it is amazing how people can manage with upwards of one, two, three steps - and after watching those you will never be afraid of a single-step again :)
  • Shoechick5
    Shoechick5 Posts: 221 Member
    I love the first couple of weeks of January at the gym...there are so many newbies taking classes that it's a good time for me to sneak in for a first time class... nobody notices how uncoordinated i am, we're all in the same boat.
  • jenniferg83
    jenniferg83 Posts: 278 Member
    well of course you didn't know the moves, it was your 1st time. go a few times and you will catch on :) good luck :flowerforyou:
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
    Don't be discouraged! My Sister-in-law keeps getting me to go to a Zumba class with her. I've been there 4 or 5 times and I still get lost a little...the more you go the easier it will get. Nobody can expect to get it perfectly right without lots of practice. :flowerforyou:
  • hello77kitty
    hello77kitty Posts: 260 Member
    Don't be discouraged! My Sister-in-law keeps getting me to go to a Zumba class with her. I've been there 4 or 5 times and I still get lost a little...the more you go the easier it will get. Nobody can expect to get it perfectly right without lots of practice. :flowerforyou:
    You are a brave woman! There is no way I could keep up with a dance class lol. My brain can't keep track of all the steps lol.

    Thank you all for the encouragement, I am really looking forward to the next class :) Even though I wasn't perfect it was still fun!
  • HollyMac20
    HollyMac20 Posts: 259 Member
    Step is the worst in regards to catching on and keeping up. BUT once you learn the steps, calls and how the instructor teaches, I think it is the most fun class. I walked about halfway through my first step class, now 6 months later, I am in the front and leading the pack. Just keep with it, you will learn the moves. EVERYONE is like that in their first few step classes. Don't worry about it. Step makes me feel like I am in dance class :-)

    But even for those of us in the front of the pack, we still stumble, litterally. I was all jazz hands like, jumping high, exagerated movements one day and BAM! down to the floor I went, steps and risers everywhere. It happens. The instructor stopped the class to see if I was ok. We are all human.
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
    I've been a certified group exercise instructor for 15 years and I still can't follow other peoples choreography. In order to become certified as an instructor, I had to take a 3 day intensive class (8 hours per day) learning the various moves. Then we had to put together our own choreography at the end. Because I could put my own choreography together at the end, I passed the certification. But we all had two left feet the whole time we were there! My best advice is to get a video and do it at home for a while. Practice each individual move, not the choreography. Then start practicing one combo at a time. Eventually, you will be able to string together a routine. If you're like me, though, and still can't follow anyone else, go get certified and teach it yourself using your combos they way your body likes to move. :laugh: Regardless, if you want to go back to the class, just stick with a step you know and keep moving while the instructor is doing more advanced combos. She may take the hint and make her choreography less intimidating. But even if she doesn't, you're still going to keep your heart rate up and get a good workout in while learning the steps.
  • igmom
    igmom Posts: 90
    Don't give up! Try other instructor's classes.
  • shydaisi
    shydaisi Posts: 788 Member
    Yes, most people start out like that. Just keep moving if you can, even if it isn't what the others are doing. The rest will come. Ask the instructor to show you the move in slow motion after class.

    I was totally going to ask her after class but there was a class coming in the second we were done. I don't know how I can get a chance to talk to her. There is a cycling class right before the class I was taking too. I am thinking of watching youtube vids and practicing on the steps when a class isn't in session.

    Does she teach all three classes? Even if it is outside of the room, maybe you can snag her for a moment?
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