Review: Advanced Step Challenge 3

Advanced Step Challenge 3 (ASC3) is a long step workout by Amy Bento. I think it is the easiest choreography and intensity wise, but do not be fooled, the length of the cardio portion makes this an advanced workout.

ASC3 is made up of 5 combos. After a 6 min warm up (that combines some floor moves with step moves and a brief post warm up stretch, you move into the cardio portion of the workout (which is 67 in long not including warm up or cooldown!!). Combo 1 contains mostly athletic choreography. Combo 2 is athletic as well. After completing combo 1, you do combo 2, then you do a combination of 1 and 2. Then you move onto combo 3, which is the most intense of the 5 combos (including jump kicks, over the tops (using the step laterally), and air jacks. Combo 4 is the 'danciest' and contains the trickiest choreography. Then you combine combos 3 and 4. After that, you move your step into the vertical position for combo 5. This combo is athletic and moves quickly. After combo 5 you move your step back to the horizontal position and put all 5 combos together. Then it's time for a cooldown and stretch.

The stretch is fantastic. It is 14 min long and quite thorough. You do some standing stretches using the step as a balancing stick, then some more standing stretches using a towel, and some seated and lying stretches using a towel.

There are two abdominal workouts. A 15 min kettlebell/step ab workout, and a 15 min tubing/step ab workout. I like them both, but the tubing segment is probably my favorite of the 2. It uses things like balance to engage the abs.

In each of Amy's Advanced Step Challenge workouts (there have been four so far - I really hope she makes many more!), she includes a Power Ups chapter. The 'power ups' are usually around 3 min or so, and are made up of ~3 drill-type anaerobic segments. I think ASC3 has the toughest Power Ups of all the ASC workouts. They include lunges off the sides of the step with a plyo heel click, a jump over the step and back, and a jump onto the step then off with a fast shuffle back behind the step.

This workout contains 6 premixes and the powerups and at least one of the two abs sections is included in most of the premixes.

ASC3 is a long workout but it is fun and Amy's energy is infectious. When you're past the 60 min mark and Amy yells, "Are you with me?!?" you can't help but smile and think (or say), "Yes, I am."

For those of you who want to try Amy's step but are worried about or intimidated by the complexity she uses in her choreography, I would suggest starting with ASC3. Out of the 4 ASC workouts she's made, I would rate them this way, in terms of complexity, from easiest to hardest:

ASC3
ASC1
ASC4
ASC2

Sweat factor: 7.75/10
Fun factor: 8/10