JOE continues with its weekly exercise tips to help you tone up and drive towards your ideal physique. This week, we look at the basic but effective step-up.
Step-up exercise is a form of aerobics. An easy to perform exercise, it is extremely practical as you can step up from pretty much anywhere.
They have beneficial effects on your human health and appearance, so they are definitely worth giving a go.
How do you perform step-ups?
For performing step-ups, you will need a step platform or step box with a height of at least four inches; depending on how intense a workout you want.
When you’re ready to start, stand directly in front of the step platform about five inches back. Place both your hands on your sides. Lift your right leg and place it on the platform. Now, lift your left leg and place it on the platform. Only hold this position on the top of the platform for a second. Then, bring your right foot back to the floor, and then move your left foot to the floor straight away after.
Repeat this movement rapidly, while keeping your back straight at all times. Never bend your knees more than ninety degrees when mounting the platform.
Start slowly, maybe thirty step-ups at one time. As you get more used to it, increase the amount you perform each time.
What are the benefits of step-ups?
Step-ups increase your heartbeat, as they make you move your body at a fast pace. When the heart beats faster, you are pumping more blood so as to meet the requirements of the legs and other body parts involved in fast movement.
This causes the body to use its fat deposits. Due to this, you lose fat, as well as reducing body size. So, the main benefit of the step-up is weight loss.
This exercise is also an excellent way of building leg strength, and is the equivalent of going for a run or a jog, without having to leave the house!
If that’s too much to digest, just watch the video below. She explains it perfectly!
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