Five Things You Need to Know About Freestyle Step Health
Freestyle Step is real fun. Of course, if you've tried it before then you'll know that already. On the other hand, if you're new to the wonderful world of Freestyle Step, then the very fact that you're finding out more suggests that you think it looks reasonable. Well, I can assure you that it's more than reasonable. There are countless reasons why Freestyle Step Aerobics is a top-notch way of keeping fit. However, every hero has its weakness. Freestyle Step might be fantastic, but it's not without its dangers! If you're not careful, you could find yourself running into a whole heap of trouble. Here's a quick run-down of the top five things you need to know about staying fit and healthy while you enjoy Freestyle Step.
1. Go cardio!
One of the biggest benefits of Freestyle Step is that it's a seriously powerful cardiac workout. It will get your heart racing and your chest pumping as you move on, over and around your step. Don't forget that your heart is a muscle too. Exercise it and it will build up strength and stamina just like any other. Many other types of exercise will get your heart race up - even some other types of aerobics are good for your heart. However, none are quite as effective as Freestyle Step.
2. Work your head to your toes
You'll be working every inch of your body during a Freestyle Step class. Quite literally everything from your head to your toes will be getting exercised! Skilled instructors might throw in a move that gets you twisting (working your abs), reaching (stretching those arms) or lunging (toning those thighs). You've probably heard your friends talk about 'leg day' at the gym, or the fact that they missed 'arm day'. Why go to all the hassle of dividing up your workout, when you can tone up everything at once?
You'll work out your whole body in the space of just a single evening.
This really does include your head, as well. You might not think that exercise can help your grey matter, but you'd be wrong. Freestyle Step can be very intense physically, which needs a lot of mental concentration. If you want to keep up with the class and co-ordinate your feet to move in time with your arms, your cogs will have to turn pretty quickly. Don't be surprised if you underestimate the mental workout that you can get from Freestyle Step.
3. Piling on the pressure
Freestyle Step is a gruelling workout, but there are some risks involved. It's the same with every sport - how often do you see a member of your favourite sports team get side-lined due to injury? If it can happen to the professionals then it can happen to anyone. Such is the case with Freestyle Step, where one of the most common injuries is to do with the joints in the leg.
Think about it. Every time you step up, you're putting your whole weight onto just a couple of bended joints. Every time you step down or lunge you're doing the same. Your poor knees and ankles get pounded time after time after time! After time this can get a bit much for your joints to handle, especially when you take into account any twisting, flexing and stretching you do - and this is all on top of all the walking you do during everyday life.
There are several things you can do to prevent this. Start with the obvious, which is placing your feet a bit more gently than usual, rather than stomping around like you're trying to put your foot right through the floor. If your joints do start giving you grief, then call in support! There are numerous grips, supports, anti-inflammatories, lotions and potions which you can use to give you relief while the joint heals.
4. Don't go breaking your heart
We've already seen how Freestyle Step is such a good way to get your heart pounding and your lungs working. However, there does come a point when you can overdo it. If you already have a weak heart or an underlying condition (which you might not know about yet) then you're at much greater risk of facing complications).
If you have been diagnosed with a heart condition already, then speak to your specialist before joining any Freestyle Step class. The last thing anybody wants is to have you experiencing chest pain, a weakened heart - or something even worse - in the middle of a workout.
Know your body. That's the best advice that anybody can have when it comes to heart health, especially when you're keeping fit! Working out will raise your pulse, so make sure you know what feels normal for you and what doesn't. If anything at all doesn't feel right, it's ok to stop. It's OK to slow down a little. It's ok to skip out some of the moves. Keep your heart healthy for a healthier you.
5. Open up about your feelings
Ok, so you've reached the point where you've been working out, and now your body is really feeling it. What do you do?
If you're feeling good and your muscles feel well exercised, then warm down gently. Every Freestyle Step instructor should automatically incorporate this into their classes, so that you go home feeling comfortable. Continue with gentle exercise until your next class, which should be soon after. Don't leave too long a gap between classes or Freestyle Step won't be as effective. Lastly, don't forget to tell your instructor how champion it made you feel!
Conversely, if you feel like things aren't working for you at any point then you must let your Freestyle Step instructor know. Whether you're mid-way through a move and you feel an injury, or whether you only start to feel pain once you return home, your instructor will be able to help. They won't mind if you need or want to take it easy for a few weeks, as they want you to enjoy the class too! In fact, they'll probably be able to suggest some easier, less strenuous steps that can be tailored to suit you, so that you can still get involved but without pushing your body over the edge. That's the beauty of Freestyle Step. It's all about being an individual. Allow your instructor to fit the moves to you.
By now it's no secret that Freestyle Step is a pretty awesome option. It's a marvellous workout for your heart, your mind, your soul - in fact, pretty much everything about you! It'd be easier to list what parts of the body Freestyle Step isn't good for, but quite frankly that list doesn't exist.
However, you must still be aware that accidents can happen. If you push your body further and further, don't be surprised if something can't take it anymore. Injury and over-working yourself are very real problems within the Freestyle Step world, so you need to be careful. Take care of yourself so that these things are less likely to occur. Pretty much every negative impact on your health is preventable in one way or another, so arm yourself against injury. You've heard it before: prevention is better than cure!
Despite all this, it should be no reason to put you off Freestyle Step. These are risks that you face in everyday life anyway, so similar caution should be taken. If you're careful, then Freestyle Step is still one of the best ways of keeping fit that the world has ever seen!
For the month of December I want to compare my two Freestyle Step idols, Steve and Fabian. “Steve Boedt and Fabian Kühn: Two of the Industry's Best Freestyle Step Instructors” This article's aim is to compare the styles of Steve Boedt and Fabian Kühn. Not only on how similar are they, but specially on their differences.
Until the first week of December... I hope that no matter what you do, from time to time you have fun while stepping around your step!
Bruno Jimenez
November 2014
TWITTER - https://twitter.com/FreeStyleStep
FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/StepXTRVGNZ
YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVpN8YvJ_2er0rw8B3q-sbA
INSTAGRAM - http://instagram.com/freestylextrvgnz
# TAGS - #freestyle, #FreestyleStep, #step
1. Go cardio!
One of the biggest benefits of Freestyle Step is that it's a seriously powerful cardiac workout. It will get your heart racing and your chest pumping as you move on, over and around your step. Don't forget that your heart is a muscle too. Exercise it and it will build up strength and stamina just like any other. Many other types of exercise will get your heart race up - even some other types of aerobics are good for your heart. However, none are quite as effective as Freestyle Step.
2. Work your head to your toes
You'll be working every inch of your body during a Freestyle Step class. Quite literally everything from your head to your toes will be getting exercised! Skilled instructors might throw in a move that gets you twisting (working your abs), reaching (stretching those arms) or lunging (toning those thighs). You've probably heard your friends talk about 'leg day' at the gym, or the fact that they missed 'arm day'. Why go to all the hassle of dividing up your workout, when you can tone up everything at once?
You'll work out your whole body in the space of just a single evening.
 |
|
'110107-F-2616H-003'
by Kenny Holston
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3. Piling on the pressure
Freestyle Step is a gruelling workout, but there are some risks involved. It's the same with every sport - how often do you see a member of your favourite sports team get side-lined due to injury? If it can happen to the professionals then it can happen to anyone. Such is the case with Freestyle Step, where one of the most common injuries is to do with the joints in the leg.
 |
|
Full knee
support with KT Tape' by Maria Ly, via Flickr
|
There are several things you can do to prevent this. Start with the obvious, which is placing your feet a bit more gently than usual, rather than stomping around like you're trying to put your foot right through the floor. If your joints do start giving you grief, then call in support! There are numerous grips, supports, anti-inflammatories, lotions and potions which you can use to give you relief while the joint heals.
4. Don't go breaking your heart
We've already seen how Freestyle Step is such a good way to get your heart pounding and your lungs working. However, there does come a point when you can overdo it. If you already have a weak heart or an underlying condition (which you might not know about yet) then you're at much greater risk of facing complications).
If you have been diagnosed with a heart condition already, then speak to your specialist before joining any Freestyle Step class. The last thing anybody wants is to have you experiencing chest pain, a weakened heart - or something even worse - in the middle of a workout.
Know your body. That's the best advice that anybody can have when it comes to heart health, especially when you're keeping fit! Working out will raise your pulse, so make sure you know what feels normal for you and what doesn't. If anything at all doesn't feel right, it's ok to stop. It's OK to slow down a little. It's ok to skip out some of the moves. Keep your heart healthy for a healthier you.
5. Open up about your feelings
Ok, so you've reached the point where you've been working out, and now your body is really feeling it. What do you do?
If you're feeling good and your muscles feel well exercised, then warm down gently. Every Freestyle Step instructor should automatically incorporate this into their classes, so that you go home feeling comfortable. Continue with gentle exercise until your next class, which should be soon after. Don't leave too long a gap between classes or Freestyle Step won't be as effective. Lastly, don't forget to tell your instructor how champion it made you feel!
Conversely, if you feel like things aren't working for you at any point then you must let your Freestyle Step instructor know. Whether you're mid-way through a move and you feel an injury, or whether you only start to feel pain once you return home, your instructor will be able to help. They won't mind if you need or want to take it easy for a few weeks, as they want you to enjoy the class too! In fact, they'll probably be able to suggest some easier, less strenuous steps that can be tailored to suit you, so that you can still get involved but without pushing your body over the edge. That's the beauty of Freestyle Step. It's all about being an individual. Allow your instructor to fit the moves to you.
By now it's no secret that Freestyle Step is a pretty awesome option. It's a marvellous workout for your heart, your mind, your soul - in fact, pretty much everything about you! It'd be easier to list what parts of the body Freestyle Step isn't good for, but quite frankly that list doesn't exist.
However, you must still be aware that accidents can happen. If you push your body further and further, don't be surprised if something can't take it anymore. Injury and over-working yourself are very real problems within the Freestyle Step world, so you need to be careful. Take care of yourself so that these things are less likely to occur. Pretty much every negative impact on your health is preventable in one way or another, so arm yourself against injury. You've heard it before: prevention is better than cure!
Despite all this, it should be no reason to put you off Freestyle Step. These are risks that you face in everyday life anyway, so similar caution should be taken. If you're careful, then Freestyle Step is still one of the best ways of keeping fit that the world has ever seen!
For the month of December I want to compare my two Freestyle Step idols, Steve and Fabian. “Steve Boedt and Fabian Kühn: Two of the Industry's Best Freestyle Step Instructors” This article's aim is to compare the styles of Steve Boedt and Fabian Kühn. Not only on how similar are they, but specially on their differences.
Until the first week of December... I hope that no matter what you do, from time to time you have fun while stepping around your step!
Bruno Jimenez
November 2014
TWITTER - https://twitter.com/FreeStyleStep
FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/StepXTRVGNZ
YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVpN8YvJ_2er0rw8B3q-sbA
INSTAGRAM - http://instagram.com/freestylextrvgnz
# TAGS - #freestyle, #FreestyleStep, #step
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