Let's Get Fit Intervals w/step

Hey, I remembered that I had an aerobic step under my bed, so I looked for a step workout with weights and ran across this one. It was pretty challenging, but not too hard (if that makes sense) but you need a step and some weights. You can probably get by with just light weights, but if you typically do weight training, you might keep a heavier set as well. I used some 5s and 10s depending on the exercise. And, if you don't have a step, you could just do it on the floor, but the step definitely makes it more challenging. You can find the workout here on YouTube-->
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkGZ20zZC0w







What I Liked:

• It was intervals, so you do some cardio and then break for some weights or strength training. My heart rate average was 129, which doesn't sound great, but there are parts where you are just holding in a plank or not moving, so it's a little misleading. It was a good workout.
• You don't constantly use the step, but she works it in. I liked some of the motions on the step (half lunges and squats, hop ups, triple jumps) and they really increased the heart rate. 
• Check out the ups and downs on my heart rate chart! Good stuff!

Concerns:

• Push-ups. Enough said. But, I did them. It is a little heavy on shoulder and if you have shoulder problems, she does address some modifications.
• It is a little repetitive. Some people like that and some don't. You might like doing three rounds of something because after the first time, you know what you are doing (I had a basketball game on... ugh, Razorbacks on the road...) and you can just watch TV and listen for cues. 
• There is quite a bit of jumping and hopping. And, some of lateral hopping, which is tough on the knees. I heard lots of popping as I stepped and hopped. So, if you have knee problems, you might want to pass (or opt for trying it without a step). I just fought through it since I liked the workout. 

Recommend? I think it's a good workout. It was a little bit longer from start to finish than I generally like. There were a few places I felt she paused too long and the end has two minutes of talking, but you need at least 35 minutes to get through it (though she says it's under a half hour).