Aerobic step: giving new life to a retro prop

  Fitness trends have changed a lot in the last four decades. The 80s aerobic craze ignited a health revolution, inspiring millions all over the world to move their bodies with easy to follow routines and upbeat music.

My step bench, got it from my grandmother

 As a result of the demand for novelty in aerobics, routines became riskier and more bombastic, leading to an increase in injuries during class due to the excessive intensity. Gin Miller, at the time an aerobic instructor, had to undergo physical rehabilitation and was advised to stay away from high impact exercises. Inspired by having to step on a milk crate for her recovery, Miller developed the step, a prop for low impact exercises for all levels. The step started as a long wooden bench (24 feet long/7.32 meters long) with heights of 10, 11 and 12 inches available. The routines, then known as Bench Blast, were fairly slow with simple moves, small hand weights were also used to add resistance for the upper body. In 1989, Miller partnered with apparel brand Reebok and the original step was further redesigned as an individual bench made of plastic. The aerobic step became a worldwide trend, with video classes being released from the home workout market.

My fitness journey using YouTube

    Like million others during the pandemic, I browsed YouTube for easy workouts. My fitness experience prior to the pandemic was just walking and dance classes when I was a child, encountering outrageous promises like 'Get Abs in Two Weeks' and 'Lose 8 Kilos in 30 Days' caught my unexperienced eye. One of the first workout channels I used was Eva Fitness, their aerobics inspired workouts seemed easy enough for an uncoordinated beginner. 

One of the first videos I tried from Eva Fitness