So, despite my love of step and longing to find a good step workout DVD that doesn't require a PhD in Dancing with the Stars to be able to follow, I gave up my search. I decided it just probably didn't exist.
The world has moved on from step to other fitness trends. You know how much I hate trends. Social evolution is not the same as progress. Often we move from one trend to another because of social, cultural or economic influences, not because we are improving on what we had in the past. The fitness industry is a perfect example of that!
Step is such an amazing cardio, fat burning, low-impact, weight bearing workout, yet we have since moving to spinning, barre and boot camps and tossed the step aside. Why why why? What makes step better than spinning, for example, is that spinning is a singular, repetitive movement and not weight bearing. With the step you move in all planes and directions and therefore work all the muscles in your lower body.
A few weeks ago after doing one of my Cathe DVDs that has a traditional step cardio warm-up, and realizing just how much I miss doing step, I decided to start searching again.
Low and behold, I finally found it! Finally, a step cardio DVD accessible to the masses! No degree in dance lessons required.
Its called Timeless Step Workout by fitness celebrity, Kathy Smith. I felt like she was reading my mind, with the title...step is timeless!
Admittedly, there are some aspects of this DVD that are mucho dated. When I turned it on, Adam exclaimed, "Oh my god, what is up with that guy in the back, does he think its the 1970s?" So I replied, "Okay, yeah, he has a mullet, so what?" Adam exclaimed, "No, I'm talking about his short shorts."
Yeah, its bad. The women are all wearing thong spandex. Adam couldn't believe it when I told him I wore thong spandex for years. With tights on underneath, mind you, seriously, I'm not a sicko!
The workout has a warm-up, and then 3 segments: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced, and abs and toning at the end. You can do all the segments to make it a more advanced full hour workout.
It is super straightforward choreography, so if you want a Dancing with the Stars kind of thing, this is not for you. Instead, check out these DVDs. It is good for beginner steppers as it slowly introduces the basic moves and progresses the level of difficulty. Nevertheless, by adjusting step height, and adding ankle and/or wrist weights (like I did), you will definitely start sweating and get your heart rate up. Its perfect for me to shove into the DVD player at 5am when my brain isn't fully awake yet. No wasted time staring at the screen trying to follow ridiculously complicated moves and getting pissed off because I am not getting a workout whatsoever. Its fun, and a good workout, and for me, that makes it perfect.
Remember, the best workout for you, is the one you'll do, so make it fun. Working out should not be a punishment, it should be a celebration of what you can do.
Have a happy, healthy and active weekend!
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