Step Reebok 10-Year Anniversary: Revised Workshop Activity

2 parts 63 minutes long.

This video was created as a "video" workshop to introduce new choreography and to show how new choreography can be created. However, it can also be used as a tape to workout with. It is about 63 minutes long and is separated into three parts: a step routine with the bench horizontal to the screen, a step routine with the bench vertical to the screen, and a flexible strength cooldown.

It's basically Gin Miller on a wooden deck outside at a retreat home of hers, chatting and giving out pointers throughout the workout. The tape can be intermediate to intermediate-advanced depending on the step height used. The choreography also starts out basic and quickly progresses to more complex patterns. One thing I particularly liked was that the pace was not as fast as some tapes are currently being done at, allowing for better form. It is also a great tape to use if you want to start increasing the level of your step. One caveat, this video is not for beginners. It is best for people who have been stepping a while and know the terminology, and can modify a workout to their level.

The stepping routine contains mostly athletic moves and blends movement on the floor as well as the step, similar to AeroStep. I liked that the choreography progressed quickly because usually drawn-out "learning" processes tend to kill the longevity of a tape for me. In the first part the warm-up is repeated throughout the process, which gives the first part an interval feel but didn't interfere with me dropping out of my cardio rate since I used an 8 inch platform. There is a break, where you don't have to turn off the tape you just get some water and turn your step and march in place and then the second part begins.

In the second half you learn a new routine, then she throws a new aspect in, she decides on the fly to do the same choreography that was used on the horizontal section on the vertical section. You get to go along with her to try and work out the choreography to fit this angle. It was a nice seeing how she came up with ideas, and also what ideas I came up with. If you are looking for a routine without this kind of interruption, don't get this tape. However, I find the "play-time" here really interesting. I was thinking that you could take another tape that you have (about a 30 minute sequence) and then redo it trying the step in a different direction and see what you came up with. You then take this new pattern and blend it with the vertical routine you started with.

The last part of this is a flexible strength cooldown, simple and nice. I try to stretch more afterward as well. There's not a lot of stretching in this so you just have to do this on your own.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed doing this tape. When I watched it the first time I was noticing the bugs flying around the camera from time to time, and the fact that you couldn't always see Gin's that well in the first part due to the tree patterns that went across the area. When you do the tape you are focusing on the routine and spending more time listening and you can here Gin's humor come through even more. This tape also reminded me on what a great cuer Gin Miller is. I hope that she does another tape for home use too in the future.