Another Instructor for low impact step aerobics

I

iluvstartrek

Member
Hello:

I bought a step from a local store and it came with a DVD. The DVD was Cathe's Basic Step DVD. Perfect for me since I hadn't done step in decades-I've been doing cardio machines at the gym. I really enjoyed it and went on to buy several more of Cathe's DVD's. My problem is that I really need them to be mostly low impact. Some jumping around is o.k. but not a lot. I really love Cathe's Low Max and intend to buy any other low impact aerobic stuff she makes. I love her cueing,her coreography, music, her style, heck everything. I recently bought IMAX 2 and would love to do it but it is too high impact. It looks like a lot of fun too. I've been watching clips of all of her DVD's and they all look like they are mostly high impact. I could be wrong though. I just can't afford to buy them, try them, and not be able to do them. It is hard to tell by watching clips. I kind of have to do them to find out how they feel on my ankles.

Anyway, does anybody know of a different instructor that I should look into in? That way I could do something in addition to doing Cathe's DVD. It is nice to have a variety anyway. (I feel like such a traitor even asking this.)

Thank you,
Sherri
 
Gin Miller is a good instructor and has some low impact and beginner workouts to choose from. You might like Simply Step.
 
Kari Anderson is another good instructor. I've seen her beginner step dvd "GO" at stores like Ross and Borders. Cathe has a "Basic Step Body Fusion" dvd that is very good.
 
Rob Glick is really good with the low impact step stuff, fun and good choreography without numbing your brain.
 
Sherri: I use The FIRM workouts. Most of them are pretty low impact. Even the portions that are bouncing around you could do low impact and get a great workout. There is an instructor on these DVDs that show you the beginner or low impact version of the moves. I really enjoy using these workouts along with the Cathe workouts. Good luck.
 
I second Gin Miller's Simply Step. Charlene Prickett has low impact workouts, but in my opinion she's a bit annoying. Another option is just modifying some of Cathe's workouts to do them low impact by taking out the jumps or lowering your step height. With the exception of a few Cathe's step routines ie. IMax, IMAx2 you can make most if not all of Cathe's moves low impact. Cathe's Low Impact Step is really good if you haven't checked that one out yet.
 
Thank you everyone for your help. I belong to Netflix and have some Step Aerobics DVD's in my queue. I have already received and watched the Christi Taylor's Mission: Possible. I have several more of hers on the way. I didn't know about the Firm workouts, however, there are a lot available to rent off of Netflix. I also noticed some of Kathy Smith's DVD's on Netflix, so I'll try hers. I'm going to try all the one suggested if I can find them on Netflix. If I like what I see, I will buy the workout DVD. I just don't want to buy them and not use them. Mission Possible looks like it would be good for a beginner but it looked too easy for me. Low Impact though and her moves are easy to follow. She cues pretty good. I've read on line that the rest of her workout DVD's are dancier. I think I'll end up just getting more of Cathe's and modifing them. I really love the ones I have of Cathe's. I love the IMAX 2 but will never use it so I'm going to try to sell it.

Thanks again
Sherri
 
Hi Sherri,
You dont mention why impact is a problem to you, only that your ankles give you trouble? Just curious, as I wondered if doing the blasts on a rebounder would be an option? I quite often do several of the blasts on the rebounder and find this greatly reduces the impact without losing much in the way of intensity. Obviously it can be a bit of a space hog having the step and a rebounder out at the same time so if space is an issue for you this may not be an option.
Other than that, I nearly always modify the impact down. The lunges in Imax 2 (Blasts 1 and 2) are easy to modify by removing the jumps. For the genie hops in (Interval 3, I think?) I modify to one legged squats, still keeping the arm movements strong and do the knee lifts around the step without the jumping. For the Interval where you are doing ski hops side to side, I do BIG side steps, or speed skaters and step up onto the step rather than jumping up and for the tuck jumps I do knee smashes, or a vertical jump. Where Cathe and Crew do plie squats, I do grounded plie's with a little jump in the middle, if that makes sense?
I'm struggling to think of the other intervals at the mo, but thought these modifications might help if you wanted to give the workout another try before selling.
:)
 
Thank you for the modifications you gave. I'm figuring that a rebounder is some kind of tramboline type thing, but small of course that goes in the house. I would probably have room if I move more things around. I have lament floors in my house so it isn't that much trouble to move the furniture.

I'll have to watch IMAX 2 again and keep the modifications you mentioned in mind. I actually never thought about modifing. I'm not a creative person at all, and it has been decades since I've done any kind of aerobic classes. The last classes I did take were aqua aerobics. Jumping was no problem of course :) . I've been doing cardio machine. I just wanted to add some kind of aerobics to my workout. I figured that the lateral movement is good for me and it is nice to do something different.

I don't know how to describe how the impact made my ankles feel. Maybe it was just that I am not use to it and what I was feeling was more of the soreness you feel when you do something new. Not a bad soreness, if you know what I mean.

Thank You,

Sherri
 
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