Step Up Exercise

Step up exercise is a form of aerobic exercise. It stated gaining popularity among the fitness conscious people in the early 1980s. Step up workouts are easy to perform, can be performed anywhere and are observed to cause a number of beneficial effects on human health and appearance. These are the reason that makes it recommendable by health and fitness experts to the beginners of exercising.

How to do Step Up Workouts

For performing step up exercises, you need a step platform or a step box that is 4-12 inches high. This is the basic step up workout equipment. If you don't have one, then you can use stairs or a very sturdy box to meet the purpose. Choose any of these suggestions to perform step up exercises. Let's learn how to do step up workouts by assuming a step box as a platform. Stand straight at a distance of about 5-6 inches from the step box. Place both your hands on the sides. Lift your right leg and place it on the step box. Now, lift your left leg and place it on the step box. Allow this position of the legs on the platform only for a second. Bring your right foot back on the floor. Immediately, move your left foot back on the floor. Again, do not allow the placement of both the legs together on the floor to exceed a second. Perform these steps rapidly. Make sure the pace is comfortable to you.

Begin with a count of 20. Gradually, try to increase the count to 50 in a week's time.The number of counts depends only on your comfort and requirement. You can make the exercise sessions more interesting and entertaining by lining the movements with music. As you become adept with the movement and feel confident with the step up workout technique, you can add arm punches, twists and jumps, etc to the basic movement of step up exercise.

What are the Precautionary Measures Associated with Step Up Exercises

There are certain precautions that you must take while performing these exercises. You should make complete contact between the entire sole of the foot with the platform. Avoid staying on your toes while your leg is up on the step box. Secondly, stay at a comfortable distance as you step down. Thirdly, perform all the step ups gently and softly. Do not unnecessarily strain your legs and feet. Fourthly, avoid flexing your knees beyond 90 degrees while stepping up. Choose a step box with the recommended height only, to avoid over flexing. Finally, keep the upper part of your body straight while doing step ups. This is necessary to get good results for leg strengthening and toning.

What are the Benefits of Step Up Exercises

Step up exercise increases the rate of heartbeats as they make you move your body at a rapid pace. The heartbeats faster to pump more blood so as to meet the requirements of the legs and other parts of the body involved in the rapid movement. In the process, the body utilizes its fat deposits. As you lose fat, you lose weight as well as reduce size. Therefore, the foremost benefit of step up exercises is weight loss. You become slimmer and fitter by performing these exercises regularly and properly.

Step up exercises are considered to be one of the best exercises for all the leg muscles. When you perform a step up workout , your legs' movement resembles that of running and jogging. The benefits include increased strength of leg muscles and bones. You increase your stamina of walking, running or jogging. You tend to tire less by standing, walking or running for long durations. You lose fat from the legs and strengthen the muscles. These two are the basic requirement of toning a body part. Since these requirements are getting fulfilled for your legs, they keep getting toned with increase in duration of exercise.

Furthermore, the benefits that you derive from them are numerous. You must consider including it in your exercise regime. In case, you are a beginner or have just started exercise, you can start with step up exercise. However, do discuss your medical condition with your doctor. Look forward to step up workout only if he gives you a 'go ahead'. A doctor's permission is necessary to keep yourself on the safer side.