Fitness Videos - Step Aerobics

Hi All!

I have just begun step aerobics and am using "Gilad's Step Aerobics" DVD. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who is has done step aerobics in the past or who is doing step aerobics now. I'm taking it slowly and doing a lot of repeating sections before moving onward. I'm becoming more coordinated and better able to follow Gilad and the instructors with more and more practice.

I have a lot of respect for those who make it LOOK simple!

Cheryl:exercise:

Hi Cheryl!
I do step aerobics four or five times a week, one hour each time. I have never done it from a DVD.. but I'm guessing it is much the same as the classes I take at the gym.
When I first started, I felt so silly. I kept making mistakes and really had no idea what I was doing :) The people around me all seemed to know exactly what to do and when to do it and there I was, making missteps and sometimes stopping because I was confused.
After a few times though, I started to feel more confident. I picked up what the steps were called and learned to listen to the instructor to prepare for the next coming move.
My advice would be to just stick with it! The more you do it, the more comfortable you will become. If you find you're getting messed up on a few moves, it may help if you practice them on the floor without the bench. Also, if you learn to count your steps to a consistent beat that can help a lot too. Once you become more familiar with the step itself and the moves, you can push a little harder and kick it up a notch.
Congrats on trying something new! It's great that you're willing to learn. Keep at it and let us know how you progress :)

Hi juliebee!

Thanks for responding and for the tips and the encouragement! I got better with the turn step today and it really helped to go back to the beginning of the sequence INSTEAD of going ahead and getting more frustrated. I DID get better at it!

I really enjoy Gilad! He's a decathlon champion and very nice to look at, too! He's encouraging and quite charming as well!

Oh! I found a very cool website called Turn Step, and they have a step DICTIONARY that you can use to look up each kind of step. They also have a moving diagram of feet on a step to help you! I had NO IDEA that there were so many different moves!

Good luck on your step classes! I do mine in my familyroom with just family members around to occasionally check out how I'm doing.

I was AMAZED how sweaty I got doing the step routines! I think it's as much as when I do Turbo Jam, another challenge that I began a few months ago!

Congratulations on your progress!

Cheryl

I agree with juliebee. Practice, practice. I got my step last Christmas and love it. It's my favorite piece of home equipment and use it about 5 days a week. It took me a while too, to get used to all the different steps but you will get there. You'll find that each time you get a new video, you'll be a little clumsy until you catch on, and different instructors can do things a little differently.

THis Christmas I told my husband that I want the high step (12-15 inches high). I'm hoping that I'll like that too!

Good luck!

I do step aerobics three times a week since that's as many days a week as my old knees can take it!! :o Favorite instructors/dvd are: Charlene Prickett. Crazy for Step and Gin Miller, Simply Steps. Kathy Smith also has a good step workout as do some of the older Jane Fonda tapes.

If you haven't discovered collagevideo.com I really recommend it. You can see short clips, read real user reviews and also buy tapes/DVDs. And then have LOTS of step DVDs !!

Hi All!

It's good to hear that everyone else felt a bit clumsy when starting the step routines, too! (I am a non-athletic type in a family of athletes, so I ALWAYS feel pretty clutsy!) Our oldest son (Black Belt, shot putter and discus thrower) who just ran his first marathon after losing 75 pounds has been VERY supportive of all my efforts with the step, Turbo Jam, and yoga. He said what you guys have been saying- that it just takes time and practice. I guess I haven't realized how much practice others have put in to look as good as they do!

Our youngest who plays football, basketball, soccer and also rollerblades and ice skates actually hugged me today when I was all sweaty after my workout! He said, "Mom! You are really MOVIN'!!!"

It's GREAT to get encouragement...particularly when people recognize that the effort on my part has been substantial!

I have TREMENDOUS respect for those who can get their bodies to do what their mind wants them to do!

Thanks for answering my post! :exercise:

Cheryl

Cheryl,
I'm glad to hear you're doing well! Way to go! Isn't it great to learn something new? It really gives a sense of accomplishment.
Thanks so much for mentioning that website. I had never heard of it before and it's FANTASTIC!

Nice job Cheryl! I'm also a fan of step aerobics. Once you have mastered the basics, check out Cathe Friedrich's tapes. They are very challenging, but keep you engaged. Her Body Fusion tape is a good place to start.

Thanks, Remotely!

I WILL check out the DVDs! I did SOOOO much better with Gilad's DVD yesterday! I actually followed the first TWO routines one after the other and kept going without losing my momentum. I am proud of that. I truly am in awe of coordinated people whose bodies do what their minds want them to do. I now know how big a part practice plays in learning something so new.

Cheryl

Cheryl - hi! I ADORE Gilad :D I do my exercise at home, with vhs videotapes. And I have the following Gilad tapes - Step and Tone; Fat Burning Workout; Sculpt and Tone Workout; Split 45/45 Toning Workout; and his Quik Fit System.

I like doing anything with a Step and also use light handheld weights and ankle weights to make it more strenuous. If I'm drippy sweaty and feeling the ache in my muscles, then I know it's working!

best wishes with your program. And you have such a supportive family, that is GREAT! :carrot:

oops - I kinda missed the point of your post. Yes, I think any video is difficult if not down right impossible the first time you do it....then the second time it's a bit more familliar, then after a hundred times you'll remember when the perspiration starts to dot the workout people :D

If you get completely 'lost' at any point, just keep stepping and moving while you find yourself.

Holly mentioned doing step while using hand-weights.

Just a note to novice steppers -- I would avoid having anything in your hands until you get completely comfortable with stepping (and even then, you may want to keep your hands free for good balance). Really watch the instructors on the tape and try to get good form to prevent injury, especially at the learning stage or when trying out an unfamiliar tape.

I also felt the same as you in the beginning, but once you stick with it its like riding a bike; you never forget and it becomes second nature (I had stopped for a few years and then went to a class and had no problems getting back into it). My advice would be (1) forget the hand movements at first until you have the feet down; just move your arms up and down only and (2) when things get complicated, keep going with the work out instead of stopping, but switch to the basic step so you are watching the complicated stuff and learning it while continuing to exercise by doing the basic; also, if you find yourself getting tired (the more complicated moves also often have you breathing heavier, just switch to the basic for a little while til you catch your breath.

Hi Holly!

I visited Gilad's website today and saw his Quick Fit system. It seems good, and they also mentioned three newer DVDs that he has to offer. Could you tell me a bit about the Quick Fit system? I also have Turbo Jam which I use and also Karen Voight. I like both of those, too. I'm trying to decide if Gilad's might be too similar to others that I have like Turbo Jam etc.

I LOVE FITNESS DVDS!!!!!:carrot:

Cheryl

Hi Mami!

Thanks for the tips! I get really excited when I can keep up with the people doing the DVD! Today I did the 4th session on Gilad's step aerobics THEN went back and did the first three. My goal tomorrow is to do the whole DVD without stopping. It's a really cool feeling when I come to the realization that I'm less clutsy than I used to be.

I'm finding that I somehow expected to be PERFECT the first time, which was SOOOOOO unrealistic! My son keeps reminding me the value of PRACTICE. I guess I have lots of experience practicing MANY things, but exercise and other physical pursuits are relatively new for me to practice!

Thanks for the encouragement!

Cheryl

good morning Cheryl! I'm afraid i don't have the time before work right now but I promise to get back to you (tonight) to tell you about the Quik fit tapes.

good point about beginners NOT using hand-held weights until you are completely familiar with the routine, and confident that you wont' injure yourself.

Okay, I'm back :D

I'm not sure what is on the website, but there are 7 separate tapes (I chose VHS). Three are just cardio - they range from 32 minutes to 36 minutes long, so they are what you are supposed to do first before a strength workout.

He has alot of his newer boxing-type moves in the cardio tapes, which I'm not all that comfortable/familiar with, but one of the tapes doesn't have that many of those punch-jab type moves, so I do that one more frequently.

The strength tapes are : Chest & Back; Hips, Thighs and Buns; Abs; Shoulders and Arms. I already to alot of upper body work with my other step routines, so I hardly ever do the Shoulders/Arms nor Chest/Back. However, the Abs routine and the Hips Thighs and Buns are killer!

The strength tapes are also relatively short - 15 to 20 minutes only.

The idea is to get a great workout done relatively quickly, with doing a cardio tape first, then choosing a strength tape.

Gilad suggests a workout routine with starting slowly at first, then building strength and endurance. He has a suggested schedule for each day of the week.

Also in the System is an "eating guide" which tries to simplify good eating by color coding foods - there are pages of foods listed, in order from good ones (green) to okay occasionally (yellow) to bad stuff (red) (refined sugars, refined flours, bad fats, etc.)

There's also a blank booklet that's to be used as your personal workout schedule/log. There was a CD rom also, but I had trouble with it with my Mac computer, so I never used it.

Was it worth it? for me, yes. The workout tapes are solid and proven strength builders.

Hope this helps!

btw, my unfortunate weight gain this summer happened 'cause I just about ceased to exercise, a big change from exercising 5-6 times a week. I also ate kinda whatever I wanted. I guess I got off lucky 'just' gaining 20 pounds. I can still squeeze into size 13 jeans, but it's not all that pretty :devil:

Thanks SO much, Holly! Sounds like a GREAT program! The color-coding of the foods sounds interesting, too!

Did you mention before that you had Gilad's "Step and Tone" tape? I did that one today and really liked it. I have also been doing his "Step Aerobics" one.

I really like Gilad! The fact that he's a decathete really got me interested. My biggest supporter has been my oldest son who coaches track and field and has played virtually every sport at one time or another! I KNOW how much practice goes into track and field ,so Gilad is a fantastic role model for me!!

You will lose the weight again! Just do what you did before, which obviously worked for you.

Thank you for the review of the Quick Fit Program. I think I will go for it! :carrot:

Cheryl

You're very welcome! I'm glad it was helpful. I think we all need to treat ourselves to different tapes every so often, to keep our interest and to challenge our bods.

Yes, I have Step and Tone...it should be in the step aerobics Hall of Fame :D

best wishes to you!:carrot:

Hi Holly!

I know that Gilad TOLD me to use one pound weights to start in his "Step and Tone" DVD, but the smallest I had was three pounds. I sure can feel my muscles today!!!! I'm going to get some one pound weights soon!

I agree with you that it is a GREAT video!

The idea of getting cardio benefits AS you weight train is a super idea! I LOVE using my dumbbells and keep them right under my coffee table where I KNOW I'll remember to USE THEM!

Good luck on your progress!

Cheryl