Step Aerobics & Ab Workout

Fun and easy intro to step aerobics. Three enthusiastic instructors (w/o Jane) lead the high-spirited aerobics section, using simple, mostly low-impact steps and combos with plenty of modifications. Then Jane presents a one-on-one ab session using the step. Catchy music and excellent production quality (like all the recent Fonda videos).
Grade: A

This was my very first video because it came with the first step I ever bought. I'm not a huge Fonda fan, so I was relieved to find that Jane only leads the abdominal workout. I haven't done this video in years (gave it to my mother-in-law), but I remember that it was motivating and it helped me progress pretty quickly from a sedentary, unfit person to about intermediate level. The production quality is good, though I didn't care for a couple of the musical selections. Each of the 3 instructors has a distinct style, so there's something for every beginner. The instruction is clear and so is the cuing. After six months of doing this video, I was able to start jogging, which I had never before in my life been able to do without agony. I guess you could say that I liked it well enough to stick with an exercise program, which is no small thing, though it was the only video I owned at the time, so I had little to compare it to.

I ordered the video/step by mail when it first came out, did it for three weeks and threw it in the closet. When I finally got serious about getting in shape but walking wasn't cutting it I pulled this out of the closet. I really like(d) this tape. It's great for a beginner and it really makes you sweat. It does get harder to keep up the enthusiam after doing it 5 days a week for 5 or 6 months but by then you'll probably have purchased a number of other videos to switch off with. The instruction is clear and well timed. The pace is nice. It keeps moving from set to set without a jarring lull in between. Even those with the worst coordination (like me) can pick up the the moves after 2 or 3 viewings. Overall I'd give it an A for beginners.

The step section of this workout has already been reviewed and as my step career was cut short before I got started (advised against it by a physiotherapist), I shall confine my comments to the abdominal workout.

This beginner/intermediate-level 10-minute ab workout is led one-on-one by Jane, resting the feet on a step bench to protect the back. At first, I couldn't do all the repetitions and thought it was the cruellest, most impossible thing I'd ever attempted. I was so pleased when I was able to do it right through without gasping for breath (too much). I like the results I obtained, too.

The exercises include crunches, oblique work and a rather unusual move in which you lie on your side with the top leg on the bench, bottom leg bent against the bench, arms crossed with the hands in front of the shoulders, and then you lift your shoulder from the ground slightly. It took me several attempts and lots of concentration to do this. The rhythm of the music (country-style) helps you to keep up. The workout finishes with some work for the back and a couple of stretches.

I enjoy this workout, and even though I don't do the step workout, this is a tape I don't intend to part with.

Jane Fonda’s step and abdominal workout is an excellent BEGINNING step workout video. The workout is lead by three instructors, Laurel, Jeannie, and a man whose name I cannot remember. All three are very energetic and fun. There is a lot of whooping and laughing and talking during the exercise, which I enjoy, but others find annoying. There is a long warmup and stretch section followed by about seven short sections of beginning level aerobics, all sections total about 30 minutes of aerobics. The level of choreography and intensity is low. This was my first step tape, and I felt like it was very difficult when I started, but became easier everyday. Some of the sections include optional propulsion moves, so there is a lot of room to grow and improve as your fitness level increases. The cuing by all three instructors is excellent and the moves are very easy to follow. The music is allright, but not fantastic. The cool down and stretch at the end of the workout is a little on the long side, and the moves are repeated so much that I would fast forward through a lot of it. The abdominal section at the end is actually taught by Jane Fonda and is also a very good beginning abs workout, although I always thought it was boring. Overall, if you are looking to start using videos at home and have not exercised for a while, this is a great tape to start with.

I like this video. I think it is an excellent first step aerobic video. It got very easy to me after doing it daily for awhile. However, now that I have done it inbetween Firm workouts lately and have not been stepping much, I find that I can still get a good cardio workout (without being too strenuous) from it using an 8" step. (I think this is partially because I am not bored with it and am actually putting some effort into it.) It uses the smaller size step - I think a full size step might be awkward at times. I have not done the abs section many times, as I find that it makes my neck hurt every time I do it. So I'm not sure how good it is, assuming you can do it without that.

Instructor comments:

The instructors for the step aerobics section all cue quite well, as does Jane in the abs section. Laurel and Jeanie (I think those are there names) are not irritating in this tape as I find them to be in Lean Routine.

Like Wendy, this was my very first Step workout. My husband got it for me for Christmas with the Step that came with it. Boy was it hard when I first tried it. It is a very good tape for introducing someone to stepping, with lot's of breakdowns and close-ups of the feet during a move. The instructors change during each routine. They all are very good and motivating, but I find the blond (Laurel) annoying with all her "work that body" comments, etc. Before I found this site, I only had this tape, Step Reebok, Kathy Smith Step, and Kathy Smith Buns and Thighs Step. I did it regularly and thought it was a good workout. Since I bought a heart rate monitor, I now see, that I barely get 15 minutes of aerobics, and that's only because I add power and start stepping even when they are teaching the breakdown of the steps. So, I would have to say, I've outgrown this video. On to more advanced tapes! I don't know if they still sell the step that came with the video, but I would not recommend buying it. It is much wider than other steps and shorter, so it can't be used with a lot of the newer more interesting videos which use the full length of the step.