Good morning!
Yesterday was another whirlwind day. After I published my morning blog post, I drove straight from Jacksonville to Ocala, dropped Sadie off at home and headed into work. It was a busy day and I didn’t get home until close to 10 p.m. I slept like a baby last night!
During my time at the gym yesterday, I covered for another fitness instructor’s step aerobics class. No, I do not know how to teach step aerobics!
Unfortunately no step aerobics teacher could cover for the instructor who was out, so my boss asked me to teach a boot camp class in its place. I figured I’d use the step to maintain some kind of continuity in the class and in the end, I think most people enjoyed it. At least I hope they did!
It was a fast-paced workout and since I know many of you out there share my love for quick and sweaty workouts, I figured I would share it with you!
Here are a few links to video demonstrations of some of the exercises:
The class left looking nice and sweaty which is always a good sign!
Breakfast
Breakfast this morning had to be quick because I am in a bit of a hurry to head out the door.
I made another egg white and oatmeal protein pancake and served it with a dry cup of cereal. ‘
Gotta run!
Questions of the Morning
- Have you ever taken a step aerobics class? What did you think? Would you ever want to take a step aerobics class?
I’ve taken a step aerobics class a few times in my life and always left feeling like I was the most uncoordinated person in all the land.
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I thin you know the answer to that question. (me walking around and around my step because I don’t know my left from right foot or arm….you should have seen me trying to grapevine in my class yesterday…Jesus take the wheel.)
Hahaha! I miss our room 12 Tae Bo workouts! 🙂 Can’t wait to see you this weekend!!!!!!
I have taken a step aerobics class, and I LOVED it! I was in high school at the time, and I was the youngest person in the class by probably 20 years. But actually, it ended up being tons of fun! I was very apprehensive because I was out of shape, over-weight, and had never done a class like that. But the instructor was SO MUCH FUN! She really made it worthwhile. She kept giving that extra encouragement, and she really explained things as we went (so I didn’t feel as completely stupid as I feared I might). I am still really not a huge class person because I would rather be outside if I can, but I still have fond memories of that class. And I would take one again if I could find one near me…
I gave up on step aerobics due to coordination issues. I just didn’t like that feeling of being one step away from a sprained ankle. Jari Love has a lot of good strength training moves on the step: squats, slow stepping while doing shoulder presses, and she uses it as a bench for the chest press. So for that, the step is brilliant!
No one offers step aerobics in this area – I get the feeling step is being pushed aside for all the Zumba and body—- classes. (Not that I’m not a HUGE bodypump / bodycombat fan). I have a lot of step DVDs though (favorite is Cathe’s step workouts) and I love them. It’s a great workout; wish I could find some classes around here!
I took a step aerobics class in college and I did enjoy it, but it wasn’t my very favorite. Spin, Zumba and yoga seemed to be my go-to classes when I get the opportunity to take one. I have never tried your beloved body pump before (none near me!), but I think I would love it because I enjoy weight work!
I’ve never taken a step class, but I bet I would feel much like you did — I’m not terribly coordinated either! 🙂
I have never taken a step aerobics class, I don’t think one is offered at my gym. It sounds like it could be fun! My favorite classes to take at the gym are yoga, there actually the only classes I take. This workout looks like fun!
I have done step aerobics once or twice and it’s not my thing but this variation looks more fun to me!!!
Step aerobics is by far one of my favorite classes! I moved to a very tiny remote area and am now without a gym (gasp!) and my beloved group fitness. I do have my own step bench and a few DVDs, but I find doing things solo in the basement is totally not the same as group fitness.
I love step! My mom and I used to do it together when I was young. I’m not great at it but it’s fun!
I took a step class and left dry and frustrated. I have zero rhythm and I know practice makes perfect but I was just tripping over myself the whole time. It is definitely not for me. I just joined Zuzka Light’s Zgym and am hooked!
Haha I’ve taken step aerobics and I spent most of the class standing there confused! Also – I LOVE snacking on dry cereal! Haha now I need to go buy some, it’s in my head!
I’ve never taken a step class before and I could only imagine having to teach one at the last minute! I’m sure your students loved it cause I would totally take your class. There are a ton of group fitness classes I’ve never gotten to try because of my schedule, but I think it’d be fun to explore some.
Haven’t taken a step class yet, but I’d like to try it once, sure. I may or may not trip over the thing, but that’s a different story!
Totally unrelated, but I was watching Friends last night and this clip totally made me think of your blog. Watch till the end for Joey’s commentary about Monica’s potential wedding food list:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezLdRddU1Yk
Great job at winging it! Sounds like it was a fun workout. I always feel the same way as you after taking a step class – so uncoordinated and because of that, I typically don’t feel like I got in a great workout.
I like the workout you came up with! That look like fun! I’m not sure I would like step aerobics, Mostly because I would feel the same way, very uncoordinated haha, and I can guarantee I would trip at some point.
It is good to see that I am not the only one who eats cereal dry a lot…most people give me weird looks for doing that! 😉
Dry cereal was one of my favorite snacks as a kid! 🙂
Aerobics is not my thing, BUT in order to not get injured running I’ve tried to start some knee strengthening activities. Definitely learning that cross training is a necessity.
I hope you didn’t sleep like my baby last night. You’d be very tired 🙂
Ha! Good call! 🙂
I haven’t taken a step aerobics class but I would love to try one! I don’t know if it would be a class I would do regularly but I would be up to give it a shot!
Awesome workout!
No, I have never taken a step aerobics class – my mom does all the time though and she seems to like it!
I’ve never taken a step aerobics class, but I’d totally do it. I’m always open to trying out different exercise routines! Love the workout! Looks like a good sweaty one too!
I’ve never taken a step aerobics class, but I’m always up for new workouts!
You totally just got me w/the dry cereal. I ALWAYS eat my cereal dry. I love crunchy snacks!
I always felt like such a spaz in step aerobics!!
I love my Step class. They use basic moves and repeat them for an easy following. I have been in classes , though,where I had NO idea what they were doing because the moves were so fancy and they kept changing the move.
I haven’t taken a step aerobics class since college, but I remember loving it!! Such a good change of pace from running!
I love step aerobics!! I think you just have to be willing to flail around for the first few classes until you pick up on the moves 🙂 I can’t tell you how many times I ended up on the wrong side of the step!
I’m not a fan of step aerobics classes but I love this bootcamp workout!
I haven’t taken a step aerobics class because I immediately think of the high school gym classes with step aerobics videos. Those scarred me FOR LIFE. I always hated those classes because you left SO sweaty in the middle of the school day.
I love step aerobics! I think it’s so fun but for some reason I’m usually the only person under 60 when I go to the class at my gym. 🙂
That is awesome that you covered for the teacher–so nice of you! It’s hard to go into a class & change it up on the participants (sometimes they hold a grudge against that ‘sub’), but it sounds like you did an awesome job. Way to go!!
It looks like a great workout too. And yes, step is super hard. I would never ever teach it. I can do it okay, but it’s not my fave!
I used to take a lot of step classes when I was first getting into group fitness classes….I’m not a big lover of it anymore!
I’ve never done an official step class but I love adding some step-inspired moves into my circuit workouts to get my heart rate up!
i’m not a fan of milk, so i love dry cereal – especially dry multigrain cheeros. yum!
i’ve never taken a step aerobics class at my gym, but i’d love to try it (even though i’m seriously uncoordinated!). i think it would be fun, plus it’s a great form of cardio. 🙂
I think it’s awesome that the steppers had to *step* (ha!) out of their comfort zones to do boot camp! It’s cool that you incorporated the step still, but maybe this experience will encourage a few of them to try a boot camp class sometime. It’s always healthy to try new things–for the teachers and the gym goers!
I did a lot of step aerobics classes. I even had 2 Cher workout tapes. Cher wasn’t the instructor, just another student like us, with her big hair and everyonce in a while she would sing a bit, so funny to think of it now. But I think they are going by the wayside, it takes too much to learn the moves, and I am like another reader, scared of spraining an ankle.
I like using it for some moves in a circuit. I do one that I call the Charleston (like the dance)…mostly a backstep with touching the floor and step up on the step with a front kick with Jazz hands. lol, sounds funny, but anything that gets you feeling happy while you workout makes it easier.
My mom used to have the ‘buns of steel’ step workout VHS and when I was a teenager, I started doing them at home so regularly that I eventually knew all the moves and transitions (and the instructors commentary) by heart! It became more like a dance, which made me enjoy it more and I still have fond, somewhat comical memories of those VHS’s. I wonder if I went back and did them now, if it would all come back to me just as easily? ha ha
I took a class once and let me tell you it was one time too many! I took dance classes from the age of 3 through highschool so I thought this would be a piece of cake…uh no! I looked like a fool! Never ( I repeat )NEVER AGAIN!!!
Surprisingly, yes i have taken steps aerobics class! Despite my lack of coordination and rhythm to the music I was able to make it through successfully, ha ha! But it took me a long time to get used to going left to right and around the steps. I would always go the opposite direction but thankfully the class didn’t change much throughout the semester so I got used to moves. 😀
Taken one step class, and it was a train wreck. I felt like the instructor didn’t explain/slow down at all for a first timer, and she really lacked the cuing. Never gone back haha
Such a fun and clever workout idea!!
I’ve never taken a step class but I am always open to trying new-to-me classes 🙂 I’m actually surprised I haven’t done a step class. . .
And smart to put the dry cereal in a bowl. I tend to eat it straight from the box and that just leads to trouble. One box = one portion, yes?
I spent years doing ballet but put me in front of a step and I’m the world’s most uncoordinated human being…. I’ve tried it a few different gyms to experience different teachers and its just not for me
I’m with you-I’m far too uncoordinated for step!!
Never done step… I honestly really only enjoy yoga / pilates classes for the most part. I have taken a few classes at equinox that were boot camp / functional training and those were great. I am just not the best with being on time haha
I did step aerobics back in middle school PE during the “circuit workout” unit. I was horrible, but so were the other 13-year olds in my class 😉
I took this class during university that was called ‘step body bootcamp’ and it was the BEST THING EVER! I haven’t taken a step aerobics class since, but def miss it!
I used to LOVE step class. My old company used to have step classes during lunch and I thought they were so fun 🙂
That workout looks like a butt kicker!
I just tried the workout you posted and it is awesome! I was definitely sweaty. I am def going to give PBfingers a shout out on my blog 🙂