Additionally, walking is traditionally a fairly low-impact workout, which may be attractive to people with specific knee or ankle problems. Even in high-energy modern step classes, you can easily keep things relatively mellow as long as you skip any jumps that the choreography might include. “You can do a really intense cardio workout where your heart is pumping, you’re sweating profusely, but you never feel that intense impact on your joints,” says Peterson.
2. Stepping strengthens your lower body and core.
With all that horseshoeing up and down, you’ll probably feel your feet the next day. “Even if I miss a week of walking, when I come back, my calves are sore,” Capers says. By following proper form, trainers say you can also engage the rest of your legs, including your hamstrings, quads and inner thighs, as well as those glutes. Bonus: All those knee moves where you bring your knee toward your chest, targeting your abs as well. But even when you’re not thinking about it, your core will fire throughout the class to keep you stable every time you shift your weight to one leg.
3. Your balance and agility are enhanced.
Staying upright and steady can become more of a challenge as we get older, but walking can help. “The balance doesn’t just stay with us [when] there were 20 of us,” says Capers. “Being a stepper and moving in that fluid motion helps with our coordination. It helps us with our balance.” As you shift your center of gravity from one foot to the other and from the bottom of the floor to the top of the step while trying not to trip—and keep up with the pace!—both your balance and agility are given a healthy challenge.
Just make sure you always put your entire foot from heel to toe on the platform. Otherwise, “there’s a good chance your heel will slide back and you’ll fall,” says Robbins, who also points out that letting your heel hang over the edge could strain your Achilles.
4. Your bones will thank you.
As a weight-bearing exercise, stepping can be great for bone health. A little 2017 study published in Osteoporosis International found that when postmenopausal women did 10 weeks of regular aerobic exercise, they experienced better bone metabolism (where old bone is replaced by fresh material). This is important as estrogen, which regulates our bone metabolism, declines as we enter menopause, so the risk of osteoporosis increases if we are not proactive about it.
Another 2021 study published in the same journal found that six months of high-impact aerobic stepping increased bone mineral density in premenopausal women significantly more than resistance training. That doesn’t mean you should skip the weight room—which brings plenty of benefits of its own—but does we suggest that step workouts can be an especially smart move for your frame if lifting isn’t your favorite way to move your body.
5. It’s like Sudoku for your feet.
Step class is not the time to let your mind wander. “The moment you check out, you miss what’s next,” says Peterson. Because the trainers indicate your next phase in advance, you have to think ahead while your legs work on coordinating for a different move. This gives your brain its own workout. Research shows that performing choreography can improve our executive function (mental skills that allow us to focus and multitask) and processing speed (how long it takes to respond to information). So while your mouth may be mumbling a few four-letter choices after this tricky new octameter, your brain will benefit from the challenge.
6. You might make some friends.
If you attend in-person group classes, don’t be surprised if they invite you to a happy hour after the gym. Since these workouts have everyone moving as a team instead of, say, doing burpees on your own time, you can feel pretty coordinated with your partners. “We all move together, like an ocean wave. And it creates some fun creativity among the members,” says Capers. There is a number of interesting research that shows that we move in sync strengthening social tiesmake us like the other moreand even a contractor more compassionate behavior. This may explain why step friends can make some of the best friends.
7. It’s seriously fun.
A good step class can be one of those workouts that’s so impressive you forget it’s even exercise. “We’re like three or four songs in, and all of a sudden you’re dripping with sweat, not realizing how hard you’re working,” says Peterson. “It’s a lot of fun.” The main thrust of wanting to move together at this pace can stay with you even after the class is over. Remember: The best exercise is the one you actually enjoy enough to keep doing consistently, so while it might not sound like much, having fun could actually be the most important perk of all.
So how can you get started?
If you’re looking to take a workout step at a studio near you, Peterson suggests heading over to his social media pages for a vibe check: Check out their clips to see if it’s the kind of class and choreography you want .
