Step & Slam

Partners, one step and one slam ball between two — the loudest, happiest 45 minutes on your timetable

HIIT
All levels
45 min
Works for 8–24 (pairs)
1 instructor
Effort 4/5
Studio floor with forgiving flooring
partner
step
slam-ball
intervals
full-body

The ClassPlans programming teamLevel 3 group-fitness qualified · 10+ yrs teaching

Kit: One step (two risers) and one slam ball (3–6kg) per pair, mats. Odd numbers make one trio — the plan tells you where to put them.

Warm-up6 min

Meet Your Kit, Meet Your Partner

RPE 3

Setup: Pair stations in a grid with generous spacing: step lengthways, ball sitting on it, mat alongside. Two metres minimum between stations — slam balls bounce and steps trip. Pair members by rough energy, not friendship; a trio takes the station nearest you.

How it works: Two minutes of marching and arm swings on the spot, then teach the two skills of the night at walking pace. Step school: full foot on the platform, step up-up-down-down, no looking down after the third rep. Slam school: ball overhead tall, hinge and throw it down just in front of the toes, meet it low with a flat back — never catch the bounce, let it die. Sixty seconds of easy practice at each, swapping kit within pairs.

What to say

“Whole foot on the step every rep — half a foot is how ankles make the newsletter.”
“Slam it down the front of your toes, then pick it up like it's shopping — flat back, bent knees.”
“Let the bounce die — this ball is not for catching on the way up.”
“Learn your partner's name — you're about to count each other's reps for half an hour.”

Easier

Step at one riser or flat floor taps; slams become squat-and-place with no throw.

Harder

Step practice at double tempo for the final 20 seconds.

Workout12 min

Round One — You and the Step

12 × [40s work / 20s swap]RPE 7

Setup: Timer at 40 seconds work, 20 seconds swap. Partner A starts on the step, partner B on the ball; they trade jobs every interval, so rest is built in as the lighter job, not as sitting down. Trios rotate step, ball, mat-rest.

How it works: Twelve intervals alternating jobs. Step jobs rotate through three moves you call each time: basic up-up-down-down, step-up knee drives, and toe taps on the corner. Ball jobs rotate through slams, squat-and-press to the ceiling, and around-the-worlds at the waist. The 20-second swap is choreography — kit down, high five, new job — and the high five is not optional, it is the class.

What to say

“Drive through the heel on the step, stand all the way up at the top — tall finishes count double.”
“Every slam starts proud and tall and ends low and flat — the middle is where the fun lives.”
“Your partner's rep count is your target next interval — keep it honest, keep it kind.”

Easier

Step stays at basic tempo all round; slams at squat-and-place; work 30 seconds with 30 to swap.

Harder

Knee drives add a hop for the springy; slams chase a target of 12+ per interval.

Workout12 min

Round Two — Stack the Combos

12 × [45s work / 15s swap]RPE 8

Setup: Same stations, timer moves to 45 seconds work, 15 seconds swap. Demo the two combo moves during the water break: the step combo (up-up-down-down into one squat off the back) and the ball combo (slam into one push-up on the ball).

How it works: Twelve intervals, jobs still trading every beep, but the moves are now combos and the middle four intervals become the partner AMRAP: the pair counts total combined reps and tries to beat that number in the final four. Write pair scores on the board or shout them into the room — the scoreboard is imaginary and the effort it buys is completely real. Watch slam form hawkishly from interval eight onwards; tired hinges round first.

Rounds: Middle 4 + final 4 as pair AMRAP

What to say

“Combos are rhythm — find the beat by rep three and let it carry you.”
“Slam, drop, push — the ball push-up wants proud shoulders over the ball, wrists straight.”
“When your back starts writing cheques on the slams, squat deeper and throw shorter.”
“Beat your own pair, nobody else — the scoreboard only has two names on it.”

Easier

Combos un-stack back to single moves; AMRAP counted in tens rather than announced.

Harder

Push-up on the ball goes feet-wide and chest-deep; step combo adds a knee drive on the exit squat.

The rest of this class plan is free — along with 3 more this week.

ClassPlans programming team

Free on ClassPlans — new class plans weekly.