To much stepping?

I'm not Cathe, but IMHO it is indeed true. When you perform the same mode of exercise over and over again, be it running or kickbox or hi/lo or even swimming, you're working the joints through the same motions over and over again and that can lead to overuse injuries.

IMHO doing ANYTHING, stepping or anything else, six times a week to the exclusion of all else can be very risky.

That's why I'm so glad Cathe is so good at hi/lo and kickbox and step-kickbox and strength training.

A-Jock
 
Really Annette, even swimming? I thought it was one of the best cardio exercises you can do b/c there's no impact on the joints at all. Don't tell me I'm wrong! I hate being wrong! :p
 
I used to do step 6x a week way back when & had experienced very bad knee & joint problems. My knees started locking up on me had a very difficult time going up & down staircases. Now I only do step once a week cross training w/kickboxing, hi low or plyometrics. Kathy:D
 
Hi, Maxi - impact forces are not the only issue to consider when thinking about joint stress. Because swimming is an overwhelmingly upper body activity, the shoulder joint especially can become overstressed especially if one does not vary the stroke. This is particularly true if one does the front crawl and only turns to one side to breathe (which is often the case) - the opposing side that is performing the downstroke has to do a lot more work. You can offset this some by varying your stroke among crawl, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and sidestroke, but IMHO only to a certain degree.

Also, IMHO traditional swimming isn't one of the best cardio exercises out there, primarily because again it is an overwhelmingly upper body activity (and the upper body muscles are much smaller than the lower body muscles albeit more numerous) and because you are performing it in a horizontal position planing the surface of the water. The whole point of swimming skill is stroke efficiency - i.e. getting the most distance out of each stroke with the least amount of effort.

I often suggest to people that if they want to keep traditional swimming in their program as an integral part of their cardio training, to frequently alternate their traditional swim laps with kickboard drills that force the legs to work alone without any help from the upper body. Flutter and dolphin kicks are good for these.

a-jock
 
Oh OK, now I understand & that makes sense.

Perhaps "best" was the wrong word--maybe "safest" was what I was going for.
 
Me TOO Kathy! I was step queen and was so upset when Cathe started doing weights - what was up with that girl??? I found out!! My feet and knees started killing me after a while so I had to start doing other things or quit working out as much. THANK goodness Cathe had just started putting out weight tapes, so I begrudgingly (sp?) bought them. BEST thing I ever did ;-)

Now as long as I buy new shoes often and have incorporated a nice variety of step, circuit, kickboxing and weights, [knock on wood] I haven't had any problems literally for years!!

Sami
 
Have to disagree slightly here. Impact exercise done x6 per week could indeed lead to injury. But I disagree that swimming x6 per week will necessarily lead to injury. I used to swim x5 or x6 per week, for several years, with no injury at all. And the legs are in fact as much a powerhouse in swimming as they are in many sports, with the exception of Butterfly stroke, where swimming does indeed become an overwhelmingly upper body activity. Try taking the legs out of breast stroke and see how far you get! Painful to even think of doing this experiment.....;-)

Clare
 
ANY repetitive motion can result in injury over time. Not only an acute injury, but also injury from wear and tear on the joint, which in turn can lead to the formation of spurs and other degenerative changes. Too much stepping is one good example, and A-Jock is right about the swimming. Doing the same motion with a joint, over and over again, can lead to chronic changes in the joint, which in time can lead to an injury because of the added stress on it. It also predisposes that joint to an acute injury. A good example of an occupationally related chronic, progressive injury is a machinist who develops carpal tunnel syndrome in his or her dominant hand.

I'm an RN who now works for an insurance company doing medical chart review. We see this type of chronic, progressive injury all the time being aggravated by an automobile accident or a fall. It's very real, and it involves any joint, but especially knees and shoulders.

Hope this helps everyone!

Carol
:)
 
I have to agree with A-jock. I used to do mostly stepping until my knees were always kind of achey. When I finally started mixing up step,running,Kickboxing and my NordicTrack the aches subsided. Now I won't even do step 2 days in a row. Plus it's so much more fun to mix it up! :) Susan
 
I find it best not to do ANY type of workout two days in a row. With the exceptions of doing an upper-body weight workout one day, and a lower body workout the next (though I still usually don't , because I lift heavier and need the rest), and yoga/stretching.
 
Oh, yes, doing the same thing over and over is asking for trouble. Especially as you age; everything you did as a crazy young kid comes back to haunt you! I am just getting back into stepping after a knee injury and I'm betting the physical therapists and doctors would have a fit to know that:) But as long as I keep my sessions short (no hour long stepping routines yet), and alternate with hi-lo aerobics and strength training days, my knees are pretty happy. And getting stronger and more stable every day.

Be kind to those knees, you younger gals. Our knees are particularly susceptible, something about our experiences with child-bearing and being women...
 
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