How to Increase Intensity of Step Workouts without High...

Ines

Member
Cathe and/or anyone who has experience in this matter:

I am loathe to do most of the high impact because inevitably my knees and shins start to kill me.

I am at the stage where where I don't feel as challenged keeping it all low impact while doing Body Max and Step Jam. (I am probably not modifying in the most effective way.)

Here's are my questions:

1.) Would it make sense to put on light ankle and wrist weights?

2.) Would this also contribute to weight training and if so add to the muscularity of my legs which is a source of concern to me?

3.) Are there any safety implications to using weights in this way in a step work out?

thanks so much!
 
RE: No ankle or wrist weights

Thanks for posing the question; it comes up frequently, but it bears revisiting.

There are profound negative safety implications in putting ankle weights on for any rhythmic, up-tempo/paced cardio workout. Your center of gravity is thrown off, excessive load at the end of the leg lever can be thrown off and cause injury to the ankle, knee and low back, and the minimal increase in caloric expenditure simply does not justify the risk. This is true for step, kickbox, hi/lo, or even low-impact fitness walking or running. You may see people putting on ankle weights for leg-oriented cardio work but they are foolhardy.

The safety implications of using light wrist or handweights while stepping are a little foggier. I personally am opposed to doing this, because unless one's form is absolutely perfect and one's upper body strength/endurance/range-of-motion are great, the risk of injury, again to the back but even more so to the shoulder joint, are profound, and again there is minimal increase in caloric expenditure. There are many who disagree with that position, including many fitness professionals, but I'm not the only one who feels this way.

Plus, when extra load is artificially added to the leg or arm lever, one usually unconsciously decreases range of motion during the workout anyway, so the benefits are subtracted.

It is extremely difficult to increase the intensity of a step workout without including impact. The only suggestion I would have is, depending on your own physical height, to increase the height of your step platform, as long as the increase does not cause your knee to flex any sharper than 90-degrees when stepping up. Also pay attention to your arm form; although arms contribute significantly less to the effort, strong, long arms (no floppy wrists or elbows) and big, controlled movements of the arms can indeed make a difference.

Hope this helps.

A-jock
 
RE: No ankle or wrist weights

I agree with A-jock about the weights and big, controlled arm movements.

Instead of using impact, you can sink deeper into moves like repeaters, power 3's/15's, power L's, straddles, etc. Remove the jumps, and squat lower into the movement, with full extension (but no locked knees) at the top, giving the hip extension your full power as you push off with the ball of your foot.

Adding risers should be done with extreme caution. Most people can get a good workout on a 6" bench, no matter what their leg length, if they are stepping properly.

-Roe
 
RE: No ankle or wrist weights

To add to what A-jock and Roe have said, I recently found that I have intensified my stepping inadvertently by using proper form on planting my foot.

Before, I often used the ball of my foot as in a ball-change when actually Cathe managed to get her whole foot, heel and all, planted on the ground. For example, during a "box-lunge" sequence, the foot on the floor. This whole-foot planting (toe-ball-heel) takes more effort and faster motion, and increases intensity while decreasing chances of injury.

You may already be doing this, like you should, but even after stepping with Cathe for 1-2 years, I noticed I wasn't, and I still probably need to do it more. HTH

-Connie
 
RE: No ankle or wrist weights

To add to what A-jock and Roe have said, I recently found that I have intensified my stepping inadvertently by using proper form on planting my foot.

Before, I often used the ball of my foot as in a ball-change when actually Cathe managed to get her whole foot, heel and all, planted on the ground. For example, during a "box-lunge" sequence, the foot on the floor. This whole-foot planting (toe-ball-heel) takes more effort and faster motion, and increases intensity while decreasing chances of injury.

You may already be doing this, like you should, but even after stepping with Cathe for 1-2 years, I noticed I wasn't, and I still probably need to do it more. HTH

-Connie
 

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