Is there anything as too much step?

C

crgardner

Active Member
Hello to all,
I was wondering if there is there anything as doing to many step workouts? Since I am getting back into exercising and needing to lose weight, I have pulled out all of my workout DVD's. Majority of them are step except for my Taebo. Is this a bad thing? I did Cathe's Basic Step on Monday and yesterday I did Cathe's step part of MIC and tonight I plan on doing Cathe's Step Max.
So is this too much step? Do I need to incorporate some other things in my workout week?
Thanks :)
 
IMHO yes there is such a thing as too much step, just as there's such a thing as too much running, too much kickbox, too much hi/lo, too much strength training. For a couple of reasons:

If you do the same mode of exercise over and over again, you run the risk of overuse injuries to the joints that are recruited in the same way; in step's case the knee and hip joints in particular;

If you do the same mode of exercise over and over again, you become too efficient at that mode, and you lose the intensity "edge" that comes with variety.

I'd suggest doing either the hi/lo segment (including warm-up) or your Taebo tape ONLY up to your current abilities this evening (modify to lower impact and/or reduced range of motion as needed, and pay attention to your productive breathing in your training zone) since you are just getting back into things.

Also, you haven't mentioned any strength training, and you definitely need to have that as an integral part of your weekly program.

As I'm sure you're aware, Cathe's got an oceanful of fine productions in ALL modes of cardio (step, hi/lo, kickbox and some delicious step-kickbox here and there, as well as our beloved Boot Camp), ALL modes of resistance training from strictly endurance to pure strength, a really fine variety of circuit workouts blending cardio and resistance cycles, that are already available to purchase. And of course the Hard Core Series which is to be filmed this week will give us all an oceanful more.

HTH -

A-Jock
 
Hi A-Jock,
Thanks so much for your information.

The workouts that I have are:
Cathe Basic Step DVD
Cathe Bootcamp VHS
Cathe High Step Circuit DVD
Cathe RS, MIC, Interval Max DVD
Taebo Cardio DVD
Cathe CTX Servies DVD
Cathe Step Max VHS
Karen Voight Strong and Streamlined DVD

I know there is strength training on most of those DVD's. I have tried it before but maybe my form is wrong because I am always like oh, let me skip that part. I also hate doing lunges. I will have to slowly work my way up to that.

Thanks so much
:)
 
I 100% agree with A-Jock. It would do you a world of good to mix things up a bit. It looks like you have several non-step workouts in your collection. I'd mix in some kickboxing and definitely some weights. You might want to invest in a pure weightlifing workout or two (it looks like you have alot of circuits already). From your list, CTX probably is the best for weights, but Cathe has made so many other ones that are fun to do. You could start with a CTX rotation. That series alone will mix things up for you.

Take Care,
Shelbygirl
 
I was ready to reply, but then scrolled dowm to AJ's response. I completely agree with AJ and couldn't have said it half as well. Re- read her response and print it if you need to!
Judy
AKA "Likes2bfit"
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Hi, CGardner. You very much need some targeted total body strength training every week. The CTX series is the best of your current collection for that right now. Understand that for a lot of people, myself included, strength training is an acquired taste; its slow, focused pace takes some getting used to after the bouncy-wouncy funsies of music-based cardio. But once you get into it you'll get addicted to it and, as our Favorite Felon Martha Stewart is wont to say, "it's a good thing."

The Boot Camp video is good for a more muscle endurance-oriented workout; would you consider replacing it with its DVD counterpart, which has Upper Body Only, Lower Body Only, and Core Only premixes AS WELL AS the entire Muscle Endurance workout which also has ITS premixes and bonus premixes?

A-Jock
 
I agree (with everybody!). Yes, you can definitely have too much step. I personally try to avoid doing the same type of exercise two days in a row (except for doing a lower body weight workout, followed by an upper body weight workout) to make sure that I am not doing the same types of movement to the extent that I might develop overuse injuries. I think it also helps with body balance. Step works the quads a lot, but it doesn't do much for the hamstrings.

I'd recommend only doing step 3 times a week at most. For some people, that might even be too much, and they do better with only 1 or two step workouts.
 
>The Boot Camp video is good for a more muscle
>endurance-oriented workout; would you consider replacing it
>with its DVD counterpart, which has Upper Body Only, Lower
>Body Only, and Core Only premixes AS WELL AS the entire Muscle
>Endurance workout which also has ITS premixes and bonus
>premixes?
>


That could be my Christmas gift to myself.
I was thinking of buying myself an elliptical machine or joining the YMCA so I could add swimming or water aerobics to my workout regime.
 
I also have tried yoga and pilates and I could not get into either one of them. I do enjoy kickboxing. Is there anything else I am missing??

Thanks :)
 
Hi again, CG - no, I think yoga and pilates can wait for awhile (I confess I'm not into either of those as ongoing modes either). I think your main goals should be to build consistency through variety of cardio modes, getting as good at hi/lo, kickbox and bootcamp drills as you are with step, AND STRENGTH TRAINING. I can't emphasize enough how important that is to your overall health AND to your ability to bring power into your cardio.

Re signing up at the Y for swimming or water aerobics: if you're already good at swimming that might be a good thing to join if you know its pool schedule. If it's water aerobics you're interested in, TAKE A COUPLE OF THEIR CLASSES AS A GUEST BEFORE YOU COMMIT YOURSELF. I've been a water aerobics instructor for a long time and I'm here to tell you it's tough to find a challenging and entertaining aqua class. That's why I became an instructor in the first place: to be the kind of kick-butt instructor I wasn't finding.

A-Jock
 
>Hi again, CG - no, I think yoga and pilates can wait for
>awhile (I confess I'm not into either of those as ongoing
>modes either). I think your main goals should be to build
>consistency through variety of cardio modes, getting as good
>at hi/lo, kickbox and bootcamp drills as you are with step,
>AND STRENGTH TRAINING. I can't emphasize enough how important
>that is to your overall health AND to your ability to bring
>power into your cardio.
>

Hi there again A-jock,
If you don't mind me asking . . . What exactly is Strength Training?

Thanks again :)
 
Strength training is slow, purposive weight lifting with the goals of becoming able to lift heavier and heavier weights as well as add healthy muscle mass to the limbs and core (back and abs). The isolated-muscle sets after the cardio portions of CTX and CTX's Leaner Legs workout have that strength training focus, and the ab / core routines are designed to strengthen and condition the ab and lower back muscles.

A-Jock
 
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