Both the term and the specific exercise method were developed by Dr Kenneth H.

Cooper, an exercise
physiologist, and Col. Pauline Potts, a physical therapist, both of the United States Air Force. Cooper, an
exercise enthusiast, was puzzled about why some people with good muscular strength were prone to
perform poorly at activities such as long-distance running, swimming, and bicycling. He began using a
bicycle ergometer to measure sustained performance in terms of a person's ability to use oxygen. In
1968, he published Aerobics, which included exercise programs using running, walking, swimming and
bicycling. At the time the book was published there was increasing awareness of the need for increased
exercise due to widespread weakness and inactivity. Cooper published a mass-market version "The New
Aerobics" in 1979.[1][2]

Aerobics gained worldwide popularity after the release of Jane Fonda's exercise videos in 1982.

Step aerobics Edit

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Step aerobics is a form of aerobic exercise that uses a low elevated platform, the step, of height tailored
to individual needs by inserting risers. Step aerobics classes are offered at many gyms.

Step aerobics was developed by Gin Miller around 1989. After a knee injury, Miller consulted an
orthopedic doctor, who recommended she strengthen the muscles supporting the knee by stepping up
and down on a milk crate; from this she developed the step regimen.

Aerobics using dumbbells

Step aerobics can also be involved in dancing games, such as Dance Dance Revolution or In the Groove.

Moves and techniques Edit

Often moves are referred to as Reebok step moves in reference to one of the first makers of the plastic
step commonly used in gyms.[3]
The "basic" step involves raising one foot onto the step, then the other so that they are both on the
step, then stepping the first foot back, followed by the second. A "right basic" would involve stepping
right foot up, then the left, then returning to the floor alternating right then left.

Some instructors switch immediately between different moves, for example between a right basic and a
left basic without any intervening moves, effectively "tapping" the foot without shifting weight; tap-free
or smooth stepping alternates the feet without "taps"

A step with 2 risers

Common moves include:

Basic Step

Corner knee (or corner kick)

Repeater knee (aka Triple knee)

T-Step

Over-the-Top

Lunges

V-Step

Straddle Down

L-Step

Split Step

I-Step

Choreography Edit

Many instructors will prepare a set of moves that will be executed together to form the choreography of
the class. Usually, the choreography will be timed to 32 beats in a set, ideally switching legs so that the
set can be repeated in a mirrored fashion. A set may consist of many different moves and the different
moves may have different durations. For example, a basic step as described above takes 4 beats (for the
4 steps the person takes). Similarly, the "knee up" move also takes 4 beats. Another common move, the
repeater knee, is an 8-beat move.

Classes vary in the level of choreography. Basic level classes will tend to have a series of relatively basic
moves strung together into a sequence. More advanced classes incorporate dance elements such as
turns, mambos, and stomps. These elements are put together into 2–3 routines in each class. One learns
the routines during the class and then all are performed at the end of the class. Regardless of the
complexity of the choreography, most instructors offer various options for different levels of
intensity/dance ability while teaching the routines.