History of Step Aerobics

The term aerobics, meaning "with air", came from Dr. Kenneth Cooper, of the San Antonio Air Force Hospital. He designated it as the name for the system of exercises he employed to prevent coronary artery disease. It is appropriate nomenclature given that the exercises are designed to condition the lungs to more effectively use oxygen and to strengthen the cardiovascular system. For those who choose to use it, aerobics is an important part of fighting heart disease and obesity.

One way to get a great aerobics exercise is step. With step equipment and instruction, you can loose weight and feel great. Let our fitness expert, Alice Monsaert, show you how to do some step exercises. She shows you how to warm up, and how to begin step exercises. So, what are you waiting for? With free exercise videos, you have no excuse. Learn how to do step exercises today!

"Step was first introduced into the fitness industry in about 1990 by a woman named Jen Miller. Jen had injured her knee and was going through rehab. As part of her rehab, her therapist had her stepping up and down on a bench to strengthen the muscles around the knee joint. With a little creativity and a lot of ingenuity, step Reebok was born. Step has remained one of the most popular forms of fitness, even today, about twenty years later. The beauty about step is that it has its own special lingo. Each class that you enter will talk about specific steps on the bench so that when you go and travel from club to club, fitness center to fitness center, you'll understand the movements. We're going to go over those movements today so that you have a better understanding when you come into step class for the first time. It can be a little challenging to do so. So, with the remainder of our clips learning the basic movements, you'll be much more comfortable in a step class."