The stepping exercise seems to rely a lot on calve muscles. Will it make calves grow bigger? I want to slim down my lower body, especially calves.
941727
I've been using it for two days now and I haven't noticed any kind of soreness or anything in my calves. It makes my quadriceps sore and that's what I feel is being worked out the most. Depends on how you step on it really! If you step with your toes (like tip-toeing) then it will work your calves but if you keep your foot flat and push down with your entire leg then it mostly focuses on your quads like I said before. I have big calves and I mean big as in muscular. My sister always said I had man legs so I avoid working them out and I like this little stepper.
532934
The leg curl does allow a full range of motion.Yes, your heels would touch your glutes.I have had this machine about two weeks. It works, I have sore muscles
1177012
There is strength training. This workout is similar to the T25 workouts. You will work all muscle groups and get cardio in with each workout. There is a lot of jumping so if you have weak knees beware.
721351
You need to be careful how you step. When lifting the leg, pull you knee up and get up on your toes, then when stepping down, make sure your heel is down. This should help with knee problems. Good form is always important when exercising.
1812184
Tried it on feet just to answer your question & yes it feels pretty good to roll back & forth with foot. Engages calf muscle a bit too.
934429
There is a strap on the device that you adjust to either help you more or less with pull-ups. I think the more resistance the more body weight it's deducting so its easier. Your foot won't hit the floor if you do it correctly. I would not try with your knee. The instructions say to not have the loop more than 3 feet from the ground so you would not be able to reach the bar with your knee in the loop (unless you're tall I guess).This product is awesome. I tried the workouts using the chair method but I felt like I was not getting anything out of that. I went from doing no pull-ups on my own to doing 4 so far & them I use the band to do more. There is a strap on the device that you adjust to either help you more or less with pull-ups. I think the more resistance the more body weight it's deducting so its easier. Your foot won't hit the floor if you do it correctly. I would not try with your knee. The instructions say to not have the loop more than 3 feet from the ground so you would not be able to reach the bar with your knee in the loop (unless you're tall I guess).This product is awesome. I tried the workouts using the chair method but I felt like I was not getting anything out of that. I went from doing no... » Read More There is a strap on the device that you adjust to either help you more or less with pull-ups. I think the more resistance the more body weight it's deducting so its easier. Your foot won't hit the floor if you do it correctly. I would not try with your knee. The instructions say to not have the loop more than 3 feet from the ground so you would not be able to reach the bar with your knee in the loop (unless you're tall I guess).This product is awesome. I tried the workouts using the chair method but I felt like I was not getting anything out of that. I went from doing no pull-ups on my own to doing 4 so far & them I use the band to do more. « Show Less
1438122
Diet, pure and simple. There's no spot-reducing, that is, you'll lose where you need to on a proper diet. There's no guarantee your calves will go down. What does your mom, grandmom, etc. look like? If they are slim and have big calves, you probably will too. Hey, I'd love to have them. Try to look at your body as a whole and find other women your size that look really good. There's all kinds of big celebrities that are beautiful. Just don't feel too bad about yourself while you're trying to lose weight. For every one thing you don't like about yourself, there's someone else that would love to have it. Good luck.
538401
While this can help strengthen muscles and increase flexibility, I do not think it will help with weight loss at all. There is a possibility that it could help with the APPEARANCE of less inches in some places. I would not bet on it, however.
1384157
If you are performing the exercise doing wide steps,it can be quite difficult(these bands don't stretch too much),but if you will perform short steps(which is what I usually do) you will find it as a perfect fit. Try to watch some videos online to get an idea of different positions that monster walk can be performed. I hope it helps
1860225
Yes, but like all exercise it depends on the length and intensity of your workout. Since you cannot increase resistance or elevation on the machine you might try faster pacing and hand/legs weights to increase calorie burn. Also experiment with different hand holds and leaning.
518519
Yes for sure. You can do just a slight angle which I recommend to start with. I started at a pretty good angle and it made my legs really sore. I think I stretched the muslces out too far too fast. Believe it or not, just a slight angle for just 30-40 seconds does have an effect. You may not feel it right away but trust me, it's working!!!! I found that out the hard way! Hope this helps.
2266054
No, resistance is too great for that. You need to use your body weight for each step.
966709
I believe it does. I exercised on a treadmill and lift weights prior to getting this, and my weight has maintained/lost since using this-just is less stressful to the body. Any type of exercise is beneficial, plus you will be more willing to use this if it is easier on you back/knees or what ever hurts.
179980
I would imagine if you improvised the way in which the machine is traditionally used you might be able to use it for calfs. However, i use this machine regularly and can only use it for the anterior muscle development. As a side note I'm sure if you turned your back to the unit and put both kness on a bench so that ur legs could extend towards the calf machine it might be possible to do calfs in this manner. Hope that helps ;-)
1500841
Since yoga doesn't involve much stepping generally, I don't think yoga would advance you toward your daily goal (set by the device) as much as you might like. The same goes for swimming, biking, and any other exercise where your feet don't step down on a hard surface. However, my device counts vigorous rocking from one hip bone to another while seated as steps toward my goal. Roll a little of this into your yoga if you think it's appropriate. It is a good workout for the obliques, but also is pretty hard on a chair, so do it on a floor, picnic bench, bath tub, etc. No joke. This really works, and is a vigorous workout in its own right, and your Garmin will count it. Since yoga doesn't involve much stepping generally, I don't think yoga would advance you toward your daily goal (set by the device) as much as you might like. The same goes for swimming, biking, and any other exercise where your feet don't step down on a hard surface. However, my device counts vigorous rocking from one hip bone to another while seated as steps toward my goal. Roll a little of this into your yoga if you think it's appropriate. It is a good workout for the obliques, but also is pretty hard on a chair, so do it on a floor, picnic bench, bath tub, etc. No joke. This... » Read More Since yoga doesn't involve much stepping generally, I don't think yoga would advance you toward your daily goal (set by the device) as much as you might like. The same goes for swimming, biking, and any other exercise where your feet don't step down on a hard surface. However, my device counts vigorous rocking from one hip bone to another while seated as steps toward my goal. Roll a little of this into your yoga if you think it's appropriate. It is a good workout for the obliques, but also is pretty hard on a chair, so do it on a floor, picnic bench, bath tub, etc. No joke. This really works, and is a vigorous workout in its own right, and your Garmin will count it. « Show Less
574059
I believe it will be too slow for you... it was very elementary and did not get my heart rate up. I am nearly 70! I have some trouble keeping up with a Zumba class at a gym where folks are your age or younger and thought this would help me get the steps down... it didn't. I also bought the Step It UP Zumba DVD and didn't like it either... it requires a new step up device that's round which is not included.
1387941
I am a group fitness instructor and purchased the stepper to practice choreography. It is very small and the step is very low compared to one you would use in a normal health club. The DVD that is included with the step is very basic 25 minute cardio routine. Before beginning any new fitness routine/diet program, consult your physician. I workout at least 5 days a week for at least 2 hours a day because it is my job. Generally, you would like your routine to include 3-5 days of 30 minute aerobic work, 2-3 days of resistance training, and 1 day of flexibility/stretch. Incorporated with a healthy, balanced diet should help you get results over time. Of course, you would want to start slowly and work up to this level. Best of luck!