Wednesday, March 18, 2015

30 Minute Step and Sculpt Workout

I stepped out of my comfort zone today and taught a Step & Sculpt workout for my Employee Fitness class at Tech.

Share this workout  

I will occasionally incorporate basic step patterns into our circuits as part of our functional cardio. Step choreography has always been really intimidating for me so I kept it simple for this workout. I timed the  intervals so we didn't have to worry about staying on the beat. Everyone could go at their own pace. No rhythm required and minimal coordination needed. It was cardiotastic! 

The combination of step patterns with some muscular conditioning work was a great way to balance the workout. The circuit included a 5 minute warm-up, 20 minutes of conditioning, and 5 minutes of cool down. Each exercise lasted 30-60 seconds. We got in cardio, lower body, upper body, and core. The Plank Walk Up was our finisher move. 


The Move "Plank Walk Ups":
  • From a kneeling prone position place both hands on the ground on opposite sides of the step. 
  • Engage the core to create a straight line from the shoulders to the hips. 
  • Lift 1 hand off the ground and press the hand up onto the step. 
  • Repeat movement on the other side. Once both hands are atop the step reverse the movement and walk the hands down the step. 
  • Repeat for 30-45 seconds.
  • The primary position of the plank utilizes the transverse abdominus and multifidi muslces of the spine to stabilize the core; during the walking phase of the movement there is also some shoulder stabilization, horizontal abduction, and adduction utilizing the muscles of the pectoralis and anterior deltoids 
Do you use a step/box/bench during your workouts?

Have you ever tried any of these moves before?

Comment below with your step experience.

My group loves step and really enjoyed today's workout and I got to work on my step aerobics skills.

Health and Happiness
Larissa

Resources:
Green, D.J(ed) (2010). ACE’s Essentials of Exercise Science for Fitness Professionals.
           SanDiego, CA: American Council on Exercise.

No comments: