Wow, a whole week has passed us by.  And for me, it has been a bit of a busy week for sure.   I did manage to step up my workouts though and am quite pleased with my progress this week.

In addition to my twice daily 20 minute walks to school, I got in an extra three 3km  power walks and two strength training workouts.  I should have gotten in three, but my muscles were yelling at me, so I didn’t want to push it for fear of hurting myself.  Hopefully this week I will get in three full workouts.

For this week because I was able to step it up a bit, I thought I would share another of my favorite exercises, the Step Up.

The Step Up is, to me, essential in getting in shape.  If done correctly it works out several muscles at the same time, thus shortening your overall workout and getting you into shape faster.

The tools you will need are:

 A good pair of running shoes, you do not want to do this in bare feet, unless you never wear shoes, then go ahead do it at your own risk.

A set of weights.  Depending on your level choose your weights accordingly.  I use 7lb weights until I get going and then move up to 10 and 15.  But, if you are really just starting out, using 2lb weights or even large soup cans is perfect.

And a step.  I use this step that Hubby built for doing power squats (in the picture above).  It is the perfect height for me to start off with.  Once I get into shape I usually switch to using the workout bench, which is a bit higher.   Now, for the record, I am 5’10”, if you are not quite as tall feel free to use a lower step.  If you have an aerobics step, perfect.  If you have a step stool that will work well too.  And if you have none of those you can also use stairs.

 The first or second step is idea, but if you are feeling it then Step Up to the third step, it will only make you stronger.

I should have taken some self portraits of me doing this exercise, perhaps I will do it next week but for this week you will have to try to follow my instructions.

Hold the weights in your hands, arms down at your sides and step up onto the step, raising your opposite knee.  Step down and switch feet, stepping up and raising your knee again.  That’s it!  Now do 12 – 15 repetitions (on each foot).  Rest for 30 seconds and do another set (12 – 15 repetitions).

When starting out doing two sets is a great start working up to three sets after a few workouts.  It is also important to rest in between sets.  Unless you are doing a circuit.  A circuit is when you go from one exercise to another without resting (usually 8 – 10 different exercises) resting and starting your circuit again.  Do not do two sets of the same exercise in a row without resting as your muscles need the rest to grow.

Another thing that is important is your posture.  Make sure you are standing straight and planting your feet firmly.  Standing straight causes you to use your muscles properly, try not to look down but straight ahead of you (as long as you are comfortable that you know where your step is)  and planting your feet firmly  helps keep you from rolling an ankle.  If you get sloppy with your feet you will not benefit from the exercises as you will end up hurt.  It is better to do 12 repetitions correctly than 15 repetitions slouching or sloppy.

Happy Stepping Up!

**disclaimer: I am in no way a Doctor or Physical Trainer.  I am going to share with you my thoughts and ideas about how to get into shape again.  I strongly advise consulting a medical professional prior to starting any workout routine as well as a professional trainer.  I am in no way responsible for any injury you may sustain from trying any of my suggestions.