Imax 2 - aching arches and foot pain

[mojolisa]

I am anxiously awaiting my DVDs for the new intensity series, so I was really excited when I saw that SNM posted a clip of Imax 2.

I just watched this, and I noticed that Cathe does a lot of the side to side hop-jumps and lunges off the end of the step. I think she calls these straddle taps. Mindy Mylrea does a lot of these too, and this move really hurts the arches of my feet. Does this happen to anyone else? I'm pretty sure it's not my shoes. I wear Ryka fitness shoes, and I change these a couple times a year. I also don't think it's my fitness level, I'm pretty advanced.

Cathe & crew are using 6" steps, the same that Mindy uses. Does this seriously alter the intensity of this move? Whenever I watched others doing that straddle tap, I never liked the way they 'jumped' from the step to the floor. When I first learned step aerobics, I was told that to jump onto the step was okay, but you should never jump off (or bounce off) the step. Am I missing something?

Lisa

 

[clareMc]

Hi Lisa:

I don't get pain doing any of these moves, sorry.

With the lunges of the end of the step, you are not really jumping onto the floor, your weight is not entirely centred on the foot that will tap down, so I don't think it is a dangerous move.

If it hurts you, you can avoid that lunge off the end move for Interval 1 and just keep doing the side 'swimming' lunges if that is OK for you.

As for the straddle taps, this is one of my favourite intervals, I don't find it hard or painful, it's a very quick move and you have one foot on the step at all times, again spreading your body weight so I don't think this is a dangerous move either. I do this on 8 inches, there's no pain, so it's not inherently a dodgy move.

Again, if this causes you pain, why not make it into the power threes as Cathe does and then some other move to replace the straddle taps, like star jumps on the spot for the same count, or plyo jacks? Your choice here.

We don't always have to do each interval just as Cathe does, as long as you are reaching the high end of your anaerobic threshold, which is the objective here, do whatever you want and what feels good, without causing injury.

Good luck,

Clare