When it comes to losing weight, there are myriad of choices for people to do that.
The internet is filled with a plethora of exercise forms and fad diets that support weight loss.
However, cardio, weightlifting, and dieting can become monotonous after some time, making you lose interest and eventually motivation.
In that case, looking into step aerobics can be a spectacular solution to gearing yourself back to the zeal you crave.
This is a unique form of exercise that helps you shed off extra pounds, renders several health benefits, and adds a change to your run-of-the-mill routine.
Step aerobics is basically a high-intensity exercise that combines cardio with weightlifting. It involves sequential stepping up and down on an elevated platform.
It can be your aerobic step bench, stairs, stepping block, or a stationary box in front of you.
The best advantage of this exercise is that it can be tailored as per your height. It targets your core, legs, glutes, and back. You can either decide to use your own bodyweight to perform it or use dumbbells to upscale the intensity.
As you perform step aerobics, you actively augment the number of calories that your body burns.
When you do so, your body burns the stored fat, especially the stubborn ones around your stomach.
This is usually the most aggravating ring of fat that everyone wants to get rid of. While this exercise acts as a perfect strategy to evoke the long subject of frustration among humans, it also comes with the bonus of toning and shaping your body.
You can perform a wide variety of exercises, including the basic step-up, side to side, the “I,” “A” steps, and turn step.
If you’re working out with the primary goal of burning fat, these exercises might be just what you’re looking for. Have a look at some of the compelling health benefits of step aerobics:
1. Cardiovascular Health
The top benefit of step aerobics is its ability to boost cardiovascular health. The exercise promotes better heart contractility and easily supports blood pumping to the entire body.
Step aerobics is a fantastic way to work your heart and lungs. Making them work signifies making them stronger.
With a highly functioning heart, you’d be much less likely to experience heart diseases.
Since more blood and oxygen is being pumped into your muscles, you would experience a drastic improvement in your workout performance.
You would have way more stamina and would recover faster too, which works to your benefit to losing weight quicker.
2. Stronger Bones
The next reason that can push you to start practising step aerobics is that it enhances your musculoskeletal health.
This means that step aerobics can aid with increasing your bone density and strength. The stronger your bones, the more problems you will be able to ward off in the future.
Step aerobics is a weight-bearing exercise.
Due to constant stepping up and down in the exercise, you will be generating more mass in your bones.
When your bones bear the strain, they are provoked to build more bone cells, resulting in increased mass, density, and strength.
The growth of bones is similar to the growth of muscles; the more you work on them, the more they grow.
3. Step Aerobics is Low Impact
One of the best benefits of step aerobics is that it is a low-impact exercise. This refers to those exercises that always keep one foot on the ground, resulting in lower stress on the joints.
High impact exercises work well for people with already strong joints; however, if you already endure weak joints, high-impact exercises can be harmful.
If you suffer from degenerative bone disease, weak knees or ankles, then low-impact exercises are more beneficial for you in order to build strength in them without unnecessary stress.
Plus, if you have just started exercising, then beginning with strenuous exercises wouldn’t be your forte.
Therefore, you must begin with low-impact exercises and make your way up the laborious ones.
4. Weight Loss
The chief advantage for which most of you will be starting with step aerobics is weight loss.
Being a weight-bearing exercise, you will be burning an impressive number of calories, especially around the ones around your waistline.
If you burn more calories than you devour, you’ll start burning the existing fat in your body as well.
A journal shows that an individual can burn up to 450 calories with the step-up exercise of 45 minutes.
It’s critical to note that the number of calories burnt does not depend on the intensity of your exercise. You can burn about hundreds of calories with a simple stepper exercise.
Since you are following step aerobics for weight loss, this explicitly indicates that you can easily trim off fat from your belly if you keep a good diet.
If you want to lose more weight quicker, then high-impact step aerobics can be a fantastic way to do that.
To do that, you can increase your speed of stepping up and down, plus increase the height of the steps.
5. Leg Strength
Since step aerobics involve the use of legs at the maximum capacity, building strength in them over time is a given. Due to the unilateral movement, you constantly stress your leg muscles.
As the exercise is tailored to use one leg at a time, you work on both your legs separately.
This increases your single-legged stability, balance, and strength as well. It helps tone your legs and glutes as well.
If you follow a cyclist or running routine, this exercise will complement your routine exceptionally.
More Efficient Metabolic Rate
Another instrumental benefit of step aerobics is the drastic boost in the metabolic rate.
Metabolism is stimulated by proteins that function by breaking down fats in your body. This includes the calories you consume plus the existing fat storage on your body.
The more you exercise, the more DNA your body will modify, which would result in the higher generation of these proteins. Hence, more fat would be burnt.
The most captivating thing about this is that it will allow you to eat more, burn more fat and keep your weight under the radar. Win-win!
Number of Calories That You Can burn with Step Aerobics
The number of calories burnt depends upon a variety of factors such as weight, age, intensity, etc.
However, certain estimations can be stated on how many calories you can burn through step exercises in comparison to other workouts.
- 4-Inch Step: 201 calories
- 6-8-Inch Step: 275 calories
- 10-12-Inch Step: 348 calories
- Water Aerobics: 149 calories
- Stretching (Hatha Yoga): 186 calories
- Rowing, Stationary (moderate): 260 calories
- Bicycling, Stationary (moderate): 260 calories
- Elliptical Trainer (general): 335 calories
Here are a couple of stepper exercises for weight loss that you can incorporate into your workout routine.
If you are considering joining a program, you can try to practice these at home or create your own at-home program:
- Basic Right
When it comes to stepping exercises for weight loss, this simple exercise works wonders:
- Step on the elevated platform in front of you with your right foot.
- After you have stepped up, move your left foot up too.
- Step down with your right foot.
- Then put your left foot down too.
- Turnstep Move
This is another interesting step exercise for weight loss:
- Stand sideways to the aerobic step bench.
- Step on the block keeping your right foot first.
- Turn your body as your push your left foot on the block.
- Step your right foot down.
- Now bring your left foot down too.
- A-Step Move
When following step aerobics for weight loss, this exercise can be beneficial:
- Stand next to the bench, facing it sideways.
- Step on the centre of the bench with your right foot.
- Lift the left foot to meet the centre.
- Step down with your right foot, then take off your left one too.
- Across the Top Move
This stepper exercise for weight loss is slightly different from the rest:
- Face the bench sideways.
- Step on the aerobic bench sideways, putting your right foot first.
- Lift your left foot up as well.
- Step off on the other side of the bench with your right foot.
- Step your left foot down too.
- Tap and lift your right foot upon the bench again.
- Move to the other side of the bench, repeating the same steps.
- Step and Kick
This is a fun and engaging cardio or warm-up exercise to try:
- Step on the bench, right foot first.
- Lift your left foot up and kick it in the air in front of you.
- Step back on the floor. Put your left foot first, then right.
- Keep alternating your legs.
If you are a beginner who has freshly begun exercising to tone up muscles and build leg strength, step-up aerobics is an amazing way to begin.
However, to practice that a step bench is essential. We would recommend an Aerobic Stepper by DMOOSE.
The adjustable height, sturdy material, and durability make it an ideal match for you to start up your high-intensity cardio.
Conclusion
Step aerobic exercise is an interesting and engaging workout to add a twist to your cardio routine.
It works in an outstanding manner to boost your cardiovascular health, strengthen your bones, lose weight, build leg strength, and increase metabolic rate.
It burns hundreds of calories with a simple cardio routine. This routine can include basic exercises like step-ups, step, and kick, A-step move, etc.
If you want to improve your agility, control, and balance, this is the exercise to go for!