EXERCISE AUDIT

How to do the perfect…step up

DO: Stand in front of a step or platform and place your right foot on it, keeping your arms by your sides. Step up by pushing the right heel and foot into the platform, following through so that you raise your left leg off the floor.

Return to the start position and repeat 20 times, before switching legs. Repeat the routine after taking a 30second break. DON’T: One mistake people often make is to start with a step at the wrong height. If you can’t step up without leaning forward, it’s too high.

For a beginner, the ideal height should be halfway up teh shin. ‘You shouldn’t push off your rear leg,’ says personal trainer Dalton Wong.

‘Your aim is to strengthen the muscles of the leg you are stepping with — or you rely on momentum rather than strength to pull you up.’