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Step aerobics

Four people exercise on plastic step devices, demonstrating step aerobics.
Step aerobics demonstration

Step aerobics, also known as bench aerobics and step training,[1] is a form of aerobic exercise that involves stepping on and off a small platform.

Step aerobics was studied by physiologists in the 1980s, and in 1990 it swiftly grew in popularity in the U.S. as a style of health club exercise, largely because of promotion by Reebok of the Step Reebok device and associated exercise routines, prominently advocated by Gin Miller. Step aerobics attracted more men to group exercise classes.[2] At its peak in 1995, there were 11.4 million people doing step aerobics.[3]

Today, step aerobics classes are carried by many health clubs.[4] Exercise routines include weights held in the hands for upper body development. Music with a medium (not fast) tempo often accompanies the routine, and learning a choreography sequence can hold the participants' interest.

  1. ^ Pickett, Betty; Mosher, Patricia (November–December 1990). "Bench Aerobics". Strategies: A Journal for Physical and Sport Educators. 4 (2): 28–29. doi:10.1080/08924562.1990.10591769.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Green1990 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Hua, Vanessa (April 22, 1999). "Firming Up Revenues". The Courant. Hartford, Connecticut.
  4. ^ "Back to the 1980s". Sports Fitness. November 14, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2020.