I recently took my body on a journey to experience STEP Xtreme, a full body fitness class in Mission Viejo, CA. I was gifted four free classes and decided to give it a try. Although I had taken a step class before, it was far different from what my body had previously endured as I worked through 60 minutes of movement including stepping, climbing, jumping, squatting and most importantly SWEATING. Pushing through each sequence of the hour-long High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) I got a full body workout including cardio, weights, resistance training and more.

The workout definitely pushed me past my comfort zone and challenged me to

• Keep the beat 

  Each segment of the workout is choreographed to high energy tunes, which made some moves hard to keep up with and some easier to endure.

• Lift higher

  My body is the only weight I lift on a regular basis, so picking up dumbbells for the first time in a while made those segments of the class difficult for me as I struggled to complete reps.

• Push harder 

  The hardest part of the work out is controlling your weight on the machine as you try to prevent the steps from sinking too low to the ground unless you’re climbing or high stepping. The jumping was my favorite part. Just when I was ready to give up the jumping segments came, and I was in the game again. In the beginning of the workout Level 1 seemed difficult but by the end of the hour I had surpassed Level 125. With each level I passed I felt stronger and more confident.

• Grow stronger 

  Although I am pretty active and try to complete the recommended 10K steps daily and three days of cardio each week, Step X revealed some of my weaknesses, mostly in my arms and gave me motivation to gain more strength.

Throughout the workout I had several sources of inspiration including:

• encouragement from my instructor,

• the leader board showing top performers,

• the metrics of ladies working out next to me,

• fear of embarrassment if I stopped,

• the clock on my phone letting me know I only had 30, 20, 15 minutes to go and

• the voice in my head telling me I could get through it.

After the workout everyone is rewarded with a refreshing cold towel, and I got feedback on my performance, which motivated me to return to fight again.

Step X is a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) that joins motion and music for a unique fitness class including jogging, running, sprinting, shuffling, high knees, climbing, jump rope, jump squats and more.

Classes are hosted every day with morning and evening options available. The classes are affordable with all packages less than $15 per class. Lockers and showers are also available should you decide to take a class before work, a dinner party or date night. For more information, visit StepXFitness.com.

Although I haven’t scheduled my next session due to social isolation to stop the spread of coronavirus, I look forward to my next class. Have you ever taken a step class on a machine? How was your experience? Share below.

Hugs & Handshakes,

Jasmine C. Tate