Step & Strength Circuit is an awesome metabolic strength workout. It is a cardio + strength workout but I found the strength work more cardiovascularly intense than the step cardio! Jessica even commented that she was breathing harder during the strength work than during the step cardio. I was, too! The strength work is very metabolic. I used this as a metabolic cardio workout not as a strength workout. I really enjoyed this workout. In order to increase intensity, you can always increase the height of your step. And the step work is very basic–so no complicated choreography.
Step & Strength Circuit is 38 minutes long; 4:30 minute warm up and 2:30 minute stretch. Equipment needed: square step @ 6 inches and at least 2 sets of dumbbells (one heavier and one lighter; Jessica is using 5 and 10 pound dumbbells). The weights listed below are what I used.
- Step cardio
- Wind up lunge and row (one foot on step, tap other foot onto step then lunge leg back while doing one arm row) (one 15# DB)
- One row + one swing back (one foot still on step, do one arm row then swing straight arm/DB behind you) (one 15# DB)
- Straddle step and push DB straight in front of you then pull back into chest, alternate tapping foot on step and squatting when pulling DB to chest (one 15# DB)
- Squat swing w/ one foot on step (kettlebell swing w/ DB), at top of swing tap other foot on top of step (one 15# DB)
- Repeat 2-5 on other side of body
- Step cardio
- Hammer curls w/ step ups on step (10# DBs)
- On top of step, do tricep kickbacks while tapping one foot on floor (or kicking the leg out behind you–but that is a balance move) (8# DBs)
- Still on top of step, do rear delt fly while standing on one leg (8# DBs)
- Wide bicep curls w/ step ups on step (10# DBs)
- Repeat 9 & 10 on other side of body
- Step cardio (plank based)
- Deadlift w/ cobra at the top (pull arms/DBs behind you when you stand while also rotating DBs so palms face in front of you when pulling DBs behind you) (15# DBs)
- Push ups
- Repeat 13-15
- Tricep push ups w/ hands on step, on one knee and one leg extended; changes to bringing extended knee in under body to nose then extending leg behind you; changes to pulsing knee to nose under body; repeat w/ other leg
- Chest press w/ hip bridges (heels on step); changes to just pulsing the hips up (15# DBs)
- Step cardio
For more info on JessicaSmithTV and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.
