14" step??

M

Marisa

Active Member
I read that a few of the videos in The Intensity Series require a 14" step, which I am guessing is the "mini step." I was just curious what all you ladies out there who already have The Intensity Series (I am anxiously awaiting mine :-jumpy) have done to get this 14" step. I thought that I read that this step was not yet available to the public (not until February), so what is everyone doing until then? I would think the only available solution at this time would be to buy extra risers for your current step, which I would be perfectly okay with doing. I might even prefer doing this over buying the "mini step" when it is made available because I don't know if the "mini step" would suit me well. I have a tendency to sometimes get a little overzealous while doing Cathe videos (don't we all :)), and I am worried that I would be more apt to injure myself on this teeny, weeny step. I guess if the moves done on it are slower(like strength training), I might be okay. But if this step is used for any type of cardio workout, forget it! ;-)
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jan-07-03 AT 08:12PM (Est)[/font][p]I haven't gotten my intensity series yet (I'm waiting on the DVDs), but I've used my regular step, with extra risers, in PS and other workouts that use the mini step. I just turn it lengthwise so it looks like a mini step from the front. I bought my extra risers at fwonline.com (fitness wholesale).

I have enough risers to make my step go to 18", which works well as a support for bent-over rows and for sit-and-stand squats (in PS, Cathe uses 1"6-18" for these, and Rhonda, who is more my height, seems to use 18"-20")
 
Hey Marisa!~
NOOOO the 14" step is not for cardio. Just for weight work/non cardio ..

I sometimes get overzealous doing my workouts too, I think if I did cardio on a 14" step, I would keel over! :)

I use a rubbermaid stool that I bought for $9 at Ace Hardware for any stepping up work (like leg presses in Leaner Legs)
Or my couch, it is 14" exactly, so i step up on that too!

I have the rubbermaid from my FIRM obsessed days, I never bought the fanny lifter, but I think you could use that too, or the wooden box the FIRM used to sell
:)
jaime
 
I missed the part in the original message about cardio. As Jaime mentioned, tHe 14"step is for weight work only, and that's what I am refering to in my post as well.
 
Thanks Jaime,

I never thought of measuring the height of my couch !!!! :D
Would the seat of a dining chair be just as good, as long as the back of the chairis pushed up to a wall ???????

Anna :)
 
I think that Cathe uses the 14" for leg presses and my couch would be to squishy to do those. I use my Firm Tall Box, since I spent a lot on it and it is 14". A lot of ladies use a Rubbermaid stool too.
 
Hey Anna!
I was looking at my couch one day, and I was like..hmmm. I wonder how tall that sucker is!
It was 14" exactly! I have a very hard couch though, it isn't a nice cushy one, so that is the reason I sometimes use it for a step up thingy... I wish I did have an old FIRM tallbox though..but I am DEFINITELY buying the mini step when it comes out!

Anna, I think you could do that w/the chair, if it is stable of course...you know, there is a link floating around that I keep forgetting to save, on instructions to make the FIRM's 14" tall box, I wonder if someone saved that ( I think it was from the old FIRM forum..)

oh, and marisa, the mini step probably would only be used for strength work, not cardio..it would be too little to do the step moves...
If you do decide to get more risers, I just ordered some from spriproducts.com, and each riser was $7.50, which isn't bad, but to get to 14" for me, I would need to buy $45 worth of risers! eek!


what else could be used? hmmm...
Jaime ;)
 
Thanks for the responses ;-)

Well, I do have four extra risers at home which, if used, would make that sucker.....only 12"! Darn, I guess I'll still have to suck it up and go out and get another set to get to 14".....or maybe not. Hmmmm, I am only 5'1, so maybe 12" will work for me, because I know that step height depends on how tall you are. Of course Cathe only looks about 5'3 or so, and she uses 14", so I guess I could probably handle it. (Does anyone know how tall Cathe is exactly??)

Thank you for the web address Jaime ;-) I'll have to check that out because when I bought my extra four risers, I think I spent about fifty bucks for four, only I can't remember for the life of me where I got them from. Somewhere on the internet, thats all I remember....

Anyhow, I am glad that I can even use my extra risers :D!! I bought them about 5 months ago because I noticed gradually that whenever I would do any step work, my step would kind of bounce up on one side. Does that make sense?? It didn't do this on both sides, but when I would do any type of jumps or anything on the right side of my step, the left side would bounce up a bit. Must just be getting worn down from all that intense step work that I am doing, whew :7!! So anyhow, I thought that replacing the risers would fix this "bouncing" problem, but unfortunately that didn't help. Also, I wasn't able to find a website that sold just the step platform alone, so I had the choice of buying new risers or a whole new step. I thought that I would try buying new risers first because it was a less expensive option. And now I am happy that I can use them!! They've been collecting dust for the last 5 months!

I am also glad that I have found a website that sells the step platform alone, and I found it on a posted message right here on this very forum (you guys are so wonderful :-shy)!! Only for now, I don't have the $$ to buy this, so until then...I guess I'll just have to deal with my bouncy step!!

Marisa :-cool
 
Re: "bouncy" step. I've found that some of my risers seem to be a bit uneven. If I use them as the lower riser, my step is a bit unstable. If I change which riser is on the bottom, or sometimes if I even turn the risers around, I can find a set up that is stable.
 
Thanks Kathryn! Actually, I have tried this too. It worked for me for a while, but I think that I have finally turned my step and risers every way that I possibly could. No longer works :-(
Oh well....
 
Marisa,

To ensure that you are using an appropriate step height for the "tall step" work, the Firm had recommended that you place one foot on top of your step & check the alignment & angle of your thigh. If your thigh is at more than a 45 degree angle, your step is too high. I have a friend that is 5'1" & she uses a 12 inch step for Cathe's work. She says 14" is way to high for her & she has a great rear view. Yeah, so tell me you don't look at other women's behinds! lol

I suggest that you don't really need those extra risers because you could be setting yourself up for an injury. Just be careful.

http://www.mindundermuscle.com/web pages/banners/HelpBanner.gif
 
Thanks Gettingfit!
I will have to try out my 12" when I get the new Intensity Series and see how that works for me, but it sounds like 12" probably will be enough.

And regarding checking out other women, I think all women do that, don't you?? I wonder if men do it nearly as much as we women do. But when I see a woman on TV with great abs or a great rear view, it just pushes me that much more to keep working on my own so that someday soon they will be just as fit as I want them to be.
 
Thanks for telling me Nancy. I've wondered for a while how tall she was because I've read on many posts that she is shorter than a lot of the women who work out to her videos, I just didn't how tall she was exactly (or how short exactly, I suppose I should say).
Also- Cathe usually looks shorter than a lot of the other women in her videos.
Little people unite!! :)
 
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