I am humbled. I am ashamed. I am thrashed after my stage 1, workout A5 today. I owe apologies to anyone who read my posts where I commented that step ups are easy for me and I am ready to use barbells instead of DBs. Don't listen to me, I'm an idiot. I was doing them wrong, bringing working leg all the way down on every rep, and.... (blush blush)...CHEATING! yes, cheating, and thinking I wasn't. Oh, I can do them with 20 lb. DBs I said. Oh, I can do the 18" step height with said DBs I said. Now I bow my head, thoroughly ashamed.
I read all the threads on proper step up form. Oh, I'm not supposed to bring my working leg down every rep, I said. Easy, I said. How much difference can that make? I asked. Oh, I'm only supposed to brush the floor with the back leg on the way down, I said. Easy, I said. How much difference can that make? I asked. Well, today I did them with the PROPER form, and I want to cry they were so hard. I'm not pushing THAT much with the back foot, I said. So today I tried to step up without pushing at all, and guess what? Easy? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I couldn't even get two reps without pushing. Brush the floor? Easy? HAHAHAHAHA. When that back foot felt the floor, it was like gravity just grabbed it and wouldn't let it back up in the air without a good solid landing first.
Wahhhhh.....and then I had to do jackknives. I used to love them; I was doing pikes aplenty after the long step up sets. Today? HAHAHAHAHAHA.....I was so tired from the step ups that I could barely get the required 12, and on the second set only managed 10, and the third set only 9, had to do 3 tucks at the end and almost didn't manage those.
That's how I feel. Embarrassed. (although those emoticons don't express embarrassment as well as the yahoo animated ones do.)
Listen to the seniors on this forum, newbie women. Their wisdom is awesome, literally.
(Apologetic groveling, humility aplenty) I will do better next time, and I WILL master proper step ups!!!