HELP!!! I wanna like step aerobics....

butterflygurl

butterflygurl

Cathlete
but I am just so darn un coordinated!!

HELP!! What is wrong with me! I just "finished" LIS. I did not exactly finish it b/c it was annoying me! I am so uncoordinated. I want to like step aerobics. I like straight forward step workouts; but, when you start doing all that turning and going on the other side of the step bench I get lost. I wanna do it. I wanna like it!! It is just that kickboxing came so easy for me and I like that, no love that! I love pumping iron. spinning and other cycling I love. Maybe I do not like it b/c it is challenging. I am at the point now of thinking should I just accept the fact that I do not like step and just sell all my complex step dvds or should I just keep trying??? help!!!!
 
Hey Kim,
I also have a hard time,the only thing that has helped me is previewing a couple of times,makeing sure I watch the "Lead leg". while doing it,stop and rewind,making sure I get it before I go onn! (you could even do the slow motion thing)

Today for instance,I started body max 2, I got through the warm up very well but the first combo got me frustrated so I put on(just so happens) LIS ,I'll go back to body max 2 and keep trying until I get it! Don't get frustrated and give up,it happens to all of us! You'll get it!

Hang in there girl,see ya at the WW thread:)
 
I have the same issues - when I first got a step, I got Basic Step with it, and felt like I couldn't even follow that. I was SO frustrated. So I read a lot of reviews and finally got Gin Miller's Everybody Steps. That saved me and now I do like step! If you learn with this simpler video for a while, after you master it, you can move on to more complex stuff. After doing Everybody Steps a few times I went back to Basic Step and hey, I could do it! I plan to get more of Cathe's step videos now that I am feeling more confident about it and enjoying it more.

~ Ann ~
Aim for nothing, and you'll hit it every time!
 
Your thread jumped right out at me. I hate step -- I mean I hate it, and it's for the reasons you listed. I'm so uncoordinated and always tripping over myself, even with basic choreography.

As for Cathe's step routines, I started with Basic Step. It took me several tries before I mastered it. I always got hung up on the knee ups around the world. Then I went on to Body Fusion and stuck with it until I got it down. Then I moved on to LIS. I actually cried one day out of complete and utter frustration because no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't do it. I kept getting lost in the turns. What I ended up doing was practicing the parts that tripped me up over and over again until I could do them. I was so proud of myself the first time I made it through without a mistake :+ .

Step is hard for me -- it just is. My primary form of cardio is the elliptical trainer but I still like to do a step workout at least once a week. I've resigned myself to the fact that step is not my forte. I rely mostly on Cardio Coach and iClimb workouts for my cardio because I enjoy doing them and I get a great workout -- and I can't possibly hurt myself doing it -- LOL!

Hang in there -- just take it slow and do something else that you love and you're good at, too.
 
Amelia- Thank you for the encouragement! I truly appreciate it. I was absolutely frustrated with that darn dvd!x( I will try to take it slow and I guess I will go back to Basic Step and other less difficult step workouts for now.

Ann- thanks for the suggestions. I will take a look at that one. I absolutely love the Best of Step Reebok w/Gin Miller; but the moves are much more basic than Cathe.

Michelle- I think I am going to have to come to the conclusion that you did- step just is not my thing. However, like you I want to keep it in my rotation at least once a week.

It is just difficult when you come across something that you suck at so badly. I picked up on eliptical, kickboxing and othe workouts easily. But if you put some complex moves or dancy moves- watch out!
 
I used to hate it too for the very same reasons. When you start to learn the moves it gets a lot easier. One thing that I did that helped was tolearn the steps first by putting the step on the floor with no risers. It just makes it easier to learn when you don't get soooo tired.
 
Take each step segment and learn that then move on. Cathe teaches a routine and then repeats it four to six times. That's what I call a segment. I also used the BodyBlast Timesaver and learned from that.The step wasn't as long and I could follow it. Also don't worry about your arms. You can add those movements later.You have some other great cardio that you enjoy, too. Just have fun!
Ellen
 
Try Gin Miller's Everybody Steps or the more advanced, Simply Step. These programs have basic stepping techniques to build up to more complex routines. I love stepping more than floor aerobics. Hang in there and don't give up.
 
Well, I'm a step lover. It's my passion. That said... I think it's very important that, if you want to do cardio, you find a form that you love! If you don't like step for whatever reason, it's really okay. I promise. :7 The most important thing is to find a form of cardio that keeps you moving, and keeps you looking forward to it every day.
 
this was me just a few weeks ago. what helped me is this:
1) stop feeling defeated when you can't get it the first few times and just keep trying.
2) view the videos a couple times before you actually do the workouts.
3)keep the step level as low as possible
all of these things really made it possible for me to finally do cahte's step workouts. i now love them and i'm so happy i just accepted i wasn't good at it right away and needed to practice. even if you mess up your still getting a workout.
 
I used to be of the mindset that I just couldn't do step. I have gotten some great advice from the girls on these boards to overcome and now I love step. I am still practicing but getting better every time. Here are some suggestions (which others have already mentioned, but I'll repeat) I got which have really helped.

- Don't try to use the same height as what's shown on the videos. Take it to just the platform with no risers so you can concentrate on the moves.
- Hit rewind, alot. Don't be afraid to keep practicing the move until you have it down. You'll still be burning calories. :)
- Start with Cathe's earlier tapes, like cardio hits. They are broken down more and easier to follow then her later ones.
- Imax's are great for learning some of Cathe's moves in short segments.
 
>Well, I'm a step lover. It's my passion. That said... I think
>it's very important that, if you want to do cardio, you find a
>form that you love! If you don't like step for whatever
>reason, it's really okay. I promise. :7 The most important
>thing is to find a form of cardio that keeps you moving, and
>keeps you looking forward to it every day.
>

I couldn't have said it better myself!
 
Kim,
I feel your pain. I rarely do the step workouts because I work out to get rid of frustration, not increase it. I also find step - for lack of a better word, a little "geeky." (no offense to those who love it). I am coordinated, but have difficulty with these - particularly because I'm working out at home in a confined space - not in a studio. Just because you have difficutly keeping up, DO NOT assume the problem is you. If you can follow kickboxing, you ARE coordinated. I have to say, Cathe's one weakness is that her step tapes are very poorly cued (at times, they are barely cued). The more advanced the tape, the less cuing there is. Personally, I much prefer the Drill Max, Bootcamp and Kickboxing type cardio workouts. I find them more fun, more challenging (in the good way) and just more "my style." Find the workouts that you enjoy and stick with those. If step turns out not to be your thing, that's fine!! I say, go with what works!!
 
Kim,

You got some great advice on here. I too am like you with not feeling coordinated doing step but I don't get too frustrated. With each new step workout I review it a couple of times(usually when I walk on the treadmill) and then I do the legs only for a couple of times and then try to add the arms. I am not a "dancy" type person but I really enjoy the workout the step dvds give me even though I look like a clutz.

Good luck and I hope you give it one more try.
Kathy
 
You should also check out turnstep.com. They break down all the basic steps (and some fancy ones!) into really easy to follow, copy the footprints pictures.

I have to disagree that Cathe's step tapes are poorly cued. I think her cuing is, for the most part, impeccable, especially when you compare her to lots of other step instructors, who seem to think that "go" is a cue:p

That being said, you will find them easier and easier to grasp the more of them you do. My first Cathe step tape was Bodymax and I was like Michele - crying because I couldn't get it. The more I've done of hers, the easier it gets, because you get to know what she's talking about:)
 
When I come across a move that I don't pick up right away, I find it helpful to just remove the step and map out the steps on the floor. I remember having difficulty with the step-sweep move the first time I tried it, but when I removed the step and just walked through it, I realized it was just 3 steps forward with a pivot on the 3rd step.

If you run through it a couple times, you develop a sort of muscle memory, and don't have to think about it so much.

I also completely disagree with the person that said Cathe's step workouts are poorly cued. I think they are perfectly cued, and that's one of the reasons I love them. A lot of times, I don't even have to look at the tv to tell what to do next.

Also, I think that kickboxing and step aerobics require a different kind of coordination. Kickboxing is more about balance and step is more about rhythm, IMO.
 
>I also completely disagree with the person that said Cathe's
>step workouts are poorly cued. I think they are perfectly
>cued, and that's one of the reasons I love them. A lot of
>times, I don't even have to look at the tv to tell what to do
>next.

As bad as I am at step, I have to agree that Cathe's cuing is great. I don't need to look at the TV for moves that I'm familiar with. It's a matter of realizing that Cathe usually cues with the move and not too much before it. For example, I can't do Christi Taylor's workouts because she cues so far ahead of the move that I completely lose track of where I am. Nothing against Christi -- she has an infectious personality and I love her music -- it just boils down to what you're used to.

ETA that I have worked out on my elliptical while watching some of Cathe's and Christi's step DVD's:7
 
I also agree that Cathe's cuing is excellent! I am a total klutz, but thanks to her excellent cuing, I was able to get Step Blast the very first time I did it. Step aerobics takes pratice, and knowing the basic moves helps a LOT. Once you get the basics down, it's much much easier to follow. :)
 
Kim, I have the same problem. It's odd though, because I don't usually think of myself as "uncoordinated". I mean, I don't think of myself as a klutz, but if uncoordinated means not being able to follow direction, then I'm VERY uncoordinated. I never even mastered Basic Step, but then, I didn't try that hard. I became impatient and gave it up after 2 tries.

I think step aerobics is great exercise. I love the idea that by stepping up on a platform, you can raise your heart rate without much impact. I think part of my problem is that my living room where I work out is carpeted. My foot motion isn't fluid because of my sneakers getting "stuck" in the carpeting. I've taken step classes which were done on a wood floor and liked them a lot better. I might be more willing to learn the steps if I were on a wood floor, because I think that would add more of a fun factor.
 
Thanks for all the wonderful advice. I do like step- especially b/c this morning I woke up, got out of bed and could feel the 25 or so minutes of LIS in my thutt area and quads! I will try to break it up and learn it little by little. It is just hard to find the time, but since I really want to do learn it I will find the time!

Thanks again!
 
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