Super Step Safety

Maureen Rae, RN OFC ACE AFAA and GoodLife Certified

Step exercise technique is compromised significantly by adding hand weights to the cardiovascular stepping portion of the class.

Step down comfortably close to the platform on each lunge, lunging to far away causes the spine to become misaligned.

Discourage increased step heights (over eight inches).

Energy expenditure increases by only 7% when moving from 120 to 128 bpm, and therefore increasing the speed of stepping is not an acceptable way to boost exercise intensity.

The question of whether step exercise is a safe, low-impact training activity has been the subject of a tremendous amount of research by exercise scientists over the past few years.

Because step is still quite new, this research is still in its infancy. However, the results have provided valuable perspectives on this fitness trend, and we are only just beginning to see the developments emerging from this research and to put some of the recommendations into practice. As participants and instructors become more comfortable on the step, music tempo has become a major concern in some classes. I evaluated a class just the other day in which the speed was 142 bpm! Super Step, indeed!

It's time to review our safety considerations:

Active warmup should contain transitions to some platform stepping skills to prepare students for the stepping patterns during the workout.

Warmup should not in include the stretch from the top of the platform while the heel stretches to the farthest point. Overstretching the calf and achilles tendon may occur. This stretch is also questionable during the cooldown. There are other, safer stretches.

Step exercise technique is compromised significantly by adding hand weights to the cardiovascular stepping portion of the class. One pound hand weights do not add to energy expenditure. While two pound hand weights may add energy expenditure and may add an anaerobic component this may not be appropriate, depending on the goal of the class. Interestingly, the heart rate goes up with two pound weights, but the VO2 max increases almost insignificantly. Since the additional caloric expenditure with hand-held weights is fairly small (about 20 additional Kcal in 20 minutes), and the potential for injury is perhaps greater, hand weights should be used selectively.

Do not over-use lunges. Lunges should perhaps not be used at all with some classes, depending on age, flexibility and fitness level variables. When doing alternate side lunges, students have a tendency to lean too far forward at the hip, which can lead to lower back injury.

Many instructors include a thousand lunges right at the end of the cardio. This leaves participants feeling that they've had a great workout. Realistically, however, it's just at this point in the class that muscles are fatigue and the risk for injury is high. Don't save all your lunges for the last five minutes of cardio, and don't put them all into your program at the same time . . . use sparingly!

Remember to aim for intermittent peaking in your class:
a: Teach lunges at half tempo first.
b: Step down comfortably close to the platform on each lunge, lunging to far away causes the spine to become misaligned.
c: Place hands on thighs for support or use bilateral/symmetrical arm movements. Single (unilateral) arm reaches or overhead reaches may cause over-rotation of the torso. Arm movements should be limited to shoulder range.

Discourage your students from stepping with a bounce. This action causes them to remain on the balls of their feet.

Recommend to all your students that they lower their step height while learning advanced stepping techniques.

Step training puts demands on the lower leg that can be different from those that exercisers are used to experiencing. Avoid "pounding" on both the step and the floor. A flat foot placement on the step is necessary to maintain balance, and will also reduce the amount of stress on the leg, ankle and foot.

Ensure that students place the entire foot on the step, not allowing any part to hang over the edge.

Discourage increased step heights (over eight inches). While unpublished data from Jan Jose State University suggests that improved cardiovascular gains can be achieved with greater heights, it also changes other variables, including posture, knee stability and lower limb risk. The recommendation to avoid flexing the knee more than 90 degrees is a conservative guideline that is easy to observe and enforce. For advanced stepping, the degree of knee flexion should be even less . . . between 60 and 90 degrees, certainly not more than 90 degrees.

Never pivot on a loaded knee. Unload the knee before pivoting. Watch the teaching surface. If teaching on carpet, caution your students to exercise care when pivoting.

Always step up onto the platform on the downbeat of the music when stepping from the front of the step. The greatest impact force occurs on the first descending step off the platform. If this step is performed in combination with the downbeat of the music, even greater impact force will occur.

Stepping speed can become a contributing risk factor in virtually every area of potential injury. Complicating this issue are the movement techniques and abilities of each of your students.

There is no documented research that specifies the most appropriate tempos for eliciting a cardio-respiratory effect. Music speeds from 118 to 126 bpm appear to he relatively safe and common in most step classes. Tempos over 126 bpm may be too fast for many students to sustain. For sustained Power Stepping classes, music tempos of 118-122 bpm are recommended. Energy expenditure increases by only 7% when moving from 120 to 128 bpm, and therefore increasing the speed of stepping is not an acceptable way to boost exercise intensity.

Faster tempos may not give the knee enough time to extend completely. This can lead to knee overuse problems. To increase intensity, movement, step height and arm choreography are your variables of choice. Teach individual intensity. Many students just come in and go through the motions. Teach students how to put resistance into the movement.

Jumps repeater moves can certainly elevate heart rates In most cases, however, the step is just wide enough to provide support for a carefully placed foot in the centre of the platform With the step placed in the vertical plane, the space for foot placement is decreased by two thirds The speed and reaction time required for repetitive jumps necessitate a high degree of coordination on the part of the participant. There is some concern over the number of repeater moves that can be safely performed on one side. When the n the same leg propels rapidly off the ground, avoid doing more than 4 or 5 repeaters on one leg at one time.

Choreograph routines with variety rather than too much repetition to avoid overuse injuries.

Be attentive to the cool-down phase . . . very important to help promote physiological recovery, psychological relaxation and to prevent delayed-onset muscles soreness. The major muscle groups that need stretching after step are the soleus and gastrocnemius, quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, hip flexors and the torso.

This article is reproduced with consent from "Membership Matters"; Ontario Fitness Council Vol. 13, No. 1, 1997.