If you equate step aerobics with leg warmers and spandex, well, you’re not wrong—but you’re stuck in the 1980s version of it. As TikTok videos that have amassed millions of views show, the retro workout has been updated for the 2020s crowd, appealing to a wider range of exercisers and packing an even greater variety of benefits.
Today’s step classes are typically designed as high intensity interval training (HIIT) rather than the steady-state cardio format that gave the class the “aerobics” moniker decades ago. “Back in the day, the [beats-per-minute] of the songs kind of stayed the same or similar throughout the entire class,” Veronica Peterson, CPT, owner of Bodied, a Denver fitness studio that teaches step classes, tells SELF. Now, the intensity ebbs and flows as instructors throw in exercises from boot camp classes, like jump squats and mountain climbers.
The choreography in class also feels more contemporary. “We’ve elevated all the base moves to make them a little funkier, a little spicier,” Adrienne Capers, CPT, a step instructor at a Life Time fitness club in Johns Creek, Georgia, tells SELF. It’s not just knee raises and box steps. You might be moving on and off the platform in all directions, doing a mambo or cha-cha as you ascend and descend, and giving a little ’tude while you’re at it. Many of the most popular step videos on social media feature Xtreme Hip Hop classes, which set fast, dance-y combos to a hip-hop soundtrack.
Couple all these fun additions with its bread-and-butter staple—yes, you’ll use the classic platform to step up and down, over and and over again—and it’s no surprise that tons of folks want to give it a shot. Sound enticing? Here are the benefits of step aerobics you can expect if you decide to, well, step into a class.
1. You’ll get your heart pumping in a joint-friendly way.
One of the main reasons people head to step class is to amp up their heart rate. After all, bringing your bodyweight up and down off of the platform over and over again gives you a serious cardio workout. Plus, classes are designed to keep you moving the entire time. Instructors call out the next move while you’re still on the previous one so that you’re never wasting time standing still—or letting your heart rate dip.
To boost your cardio work even more, you can get your arms in on the action too. (Instructors might demo this themselves as part of the choreography or offer it as an option.) “The more you actually engage the upper part of your body, the higher you’re going to get that intensity, the higher the heart rate,” Crunch instructor Tamara Robbins, CPT, tells SELF.
And this is important, since cardio exercise can do a whole bunch of great things for your body: It can strengthen your heart, lower your blood pressure, and decrease your risk for all sorts of health conditions, like type 2 diabetes, stroke, and certain kinds of cancer.
What’s more, stepping is traditionally a pretty low-impact workout, which can be appealing to folks with certain knee or ankle issues. Even in high-energy contemporary step classes, you can pretty easily keep things relatively gentle as long as you skip any jumps the choreography might include. “You're able to get a very intense cardio workout where your heart is racing, you’re sweating a lot, but you never feel that intense impact on your joints,” Peterson says.
2. Stepping strengthens your lower body and core.
With all that hoofing it up and down, you’re probably going to feel your lower legs the next day. “Even if I miss one week of step, when I come back, my calves are sore,” Capers says. By stepping with proper form, instructors say you can also engage the rest of your legs, including your hamstrings, quads, and inner thighs, plus those glutes. Bonus: All those knee drives where you’re bringing your knee toward your chest target your abs too. But even when you’re not thinking about it, your core will be firing throughout class to keep you steady each time you shift your weight up onto one foot.
3. Your balance and agility get a boost.
Staying upright and steady can become more of a challenge as we age, but stepping can help. “Balance doesn't just stay with us like [when] we were 20,” says Capers. “Being a stepper and moving in that fluid motion helps us with our coordination. It helps us with our balance.” As you shift your center of gravity from one foot to the other, and from down on the floor to up on the step while trying not to trip—and keep up with the rhythm!—both your balance and your agility get a healthy challenge.
Just be sure to always put your entire foot from heel to toe on the platform. Otherwise, “there’s a good chance your heel can slip back and you can fall,” says Robbins, who also points out that letting your heel hang off the edge could strain your Achilles.
4. Your bones will thank you.
As a weight-bearing exercise, stepping can be great for bone health. One small 2017 study published in Osteoporosis International found that when postmenopausal women did 10 weeks of regular step aerobics, they experienced better bone metabolism (where old bone is replaced by fresh stuff). That’s important, since estrogen, which regulates our bone metabolism, decreases as we enter menopause, so our risk of osteoporosis goes up if we aren’t proactive about it.
Another 2021 study published in the same journal found that six months of high-impact step aerobics increased bone mineral density among premenopausal women far more than resistance training did. That’s not to say you should skip the weight room—that brings plenty of its own benefits—but it does suggest step workouts can be a particularly smart move for your skeleton if lifting isn’t your favorite way to move your body.
5. It’s like Sudoku for your feet.
Step class isn’t the time to let your mind wander. “The moment you check out, you’re missing what’s coming next,” says Peterson. Because instructors cue your next phase in advance, you have to think ahead while your feet are working on the coordination for a different move. This gives your brain its own workout. Research shows that performing choreography can improve our executive functioning (mental skills that allow us to focus and multitask) and processing speed (how long it takes to respond to info). So while your mouth might be muttering a few choice four-letter words after that tricky new eight-count, your brain will be benefiting from the challenge.
6. You might pick up a few pals.
If you attend group classes in person, don’t be surprised if you get invited to a post-gym happy hour. Since these workouts have everyone moving as a group rather than, say, doing burpees on your own time, you might feel satisfyingly in tune with your fellow steppers. “We're all moving together, like an ocean wave. And it kind of creates some fun creativity amongst the members,” Capers says. There’s a slew of interesting research that shows moving in sync can strengthen social bonds, make us like each other more, and even foster more compassionate behavior. That might explain why step friends can make for some of the best friends.
7. It’s seriously fun.
A good step class can be one of those workouts that’s such a blast you forget it’s even exercise. “We're like three or four songs in, and all of a sudden you’re dripping sweat, not really realizing how hard you’re working,” says Peterson. “It’s super fun.” The major mood boost of moving together to that beat can stay with you even after class ends. Remember: The best exercise is the kind you actually like enough to keep doing consistently, so while it might not sound super significant, having fun could actually be the most important perk of them all.
So how can you get started?
If you want to take a step workout at a studio near you, Peterson suggests heading to their social media pages for a vibe check: Take a peek at their clips so you can see if it’s the kind of class and choreography you’re after.
There are also options to step at home. Just know that many of the videos that pop up when you search for “step workouts” on YouTube are the old-school style of step aerobics from decades past. But there are some fitness studios that stream a more modern take. For instance, you can watch Capers’s classes on the free Life Time app (no need to be a paying member of the club), or catch a step workout on platforms like obé, Les Mills, or Studio Sweat on Demand.
Wherever you’re stepping, just remember to give yourself a little grace while you get used to the movements. Capers suggests trying at least three classes to get the hang of it. Start without any risers underneath the platform, or even take the whole class (or just the most challenging parts) on the floor until you get confident with the footwork. “I always try to remind people it’s okay if you mess up,” Robbins says. “Just have fun, breathe, and keep moving.”
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