Step Up Position
Put one foot on the bench or step in front of you, and the knee of that leg should be at or close to 90 degrees. The knee of the raised leg should be directly over the foot and the knee should not be past the toe line for that foot. The back and head should be as straight as possible and in an upright position. If you are using dumbbells you should have them in your hands resting by your side, and if you are using a barbell that should be resting on the back of your shoulders.
Action of a Step Up
The action of the step up should start by leaning slightly forward and then pushing off with the straight leg. The push off leg should remain straight throughout the motion and the bent knee should be the one that moves from a flexed position into an extended position. The push off leg is not meant to help throughout the motion it is merely there for balance and to help start off the motion with a slight push off from the floor. The majority of the movement and raising of the body should be done by the bent leg.
Things to be Avoided with Step Ups
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do not bend you back leg or the straight leg
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do not let the knee on the bent leg to pass the toe line during any part of the movement
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try to avoid any lateral movement of the knee of the bent leg during the movement of the step up
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try to keep you back as straight as possible and only allow a slight forward motion when you start the step up movement
Muscles Worked by Step Ups
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vastus medialis
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soleus
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semitendinosus
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semimembranosus
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sartorius
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biceps femoris
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gastrucnemii
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gluteus maximus
Step Ups are not the most popular exercise for the legs, the squats and lunges win in that category. However step ups should be considered as they offer good training for balance and stabilizer muscles, and can be a good way to switch up you workout routine. If you are looking to pack on the muscle then step ups are really not the leg exercise you will want to go with, you would be better off doing a squat exercise. If you want to train legs and at the same time some balance then step ups might be for you.
