For those who have the new Bench/Step shown in SH

[Lannette]

I'm a cardiac rehab nurse and also do employee fitness.
I'm thinking about buying the bench/step that is shown in the SH tapes for our exercise room.

If you are using this step could you tell me how you like it? Does it feel stable in all positions?

Can you use only the topper? In other words, does the topper have slip resistant feet or pads on the bottom?

What are the potential heights that it can be adjusted to.

I found a website that carries it but it only gives a 15" measurement. When I called the website's customer info I was told that the platform alone measured 20" high and that the blocks each add 5". I found that very hard to believe (the 20" platform part) after looking at several pictures and seeing it in Cathe's videos.

Last of all do you think the club step with extra blocks would be just as good? If you have both how do you compare them?

Thanks in advance for any feedback you can give me. We're a small rehab and I have to make our dollars stretch as far as possible. (Saving for an elliptical trainer next year.)

Lannette

 

[Nancy C]

Some answers

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Dec-11-01 AT 07:26AM (Est)[/font][p][font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Dec-11-01 AT 07:25 AM (Est)[/font]

Hi Lannette, I know you asked this over at VF too and I can't remember if I responded:-hmmm..If I did..sorry for the redundancy;-)


You asked....
If you are using this step could you tell me how you like it? Does it feel stable in all positions?
I love it, but I'm only using it for strength work. I have the regular club step for cardio. It does feel stable for most of the work. The risers are tad smaller than the the older step and can cause it to feel a little wobblier for step ups with all the risers..especially on a carpeted surface.

Can you use only the topper? In other words, does the topper have slip resistant feet or pads on the bottom?
Realized I misunderstood your question, had to edit...Yup, you can use only the topper alone, all the pieces have rubber grippers on the bottoms. Back to the stability thing, I've found that it's more stable to use the two risers together as a box for step ups..and three stacked for sit and stands instead of using the full length of step with the top as a surface...they were smart to not make the center of the risers hollow..much more versitle.

What are the potential heights that it can be adjusted to.
Not 100% sure on this..the topper is 5 1/2 inches and the risers must be...5 inches:-hmmm each. So...the highest would be 15 1/2" for the step. Great for working out as a weight bench and the toppers used alone will make a 10" step up box or and 15" sit and stand stool.

I found a website that carries it but it only gives a 15" measurement. When I called the website's customer info I was told that the platform alone measured 20" high and that the blocks each add 5". I found that very hard to believe (the 20" platform part) after looking at several pictures and seeing it in Cathe's videos.
yeah..be careful asking customer info at generic stores regarding fitness questions..from my own personal experience..they are usually clueless..and have a tendancy to mis-inform;-)

Last of all do you think the club step with extra blocks would be just as good? If you have both how do you compare them?
For your purpose, I think the older club step may be more worth your while. The new one is super for strength, it's got those great knobs that allow you to be safer while working on an incline, but it's going to limit you on cardio. You only have a 5 1/2" height..and I don't think the company recommends adding risers for extra height during cardio. It sounds like you may occasionally have people who are new to fitness too...with the older version, you eliminate the worry that someone would try to use the newer one with risers for cardio...if unsupervised. Plus, the older one gives you more choices in step heights for cardio and can still be a great bench for strength work...with extra risers. IMHO, out of the two, the older one would suit your needs more and be more stable/versitle for all it's purposes.





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