An Overview of Aerobics
Aerobics improves your
coordination, muscle strength and mobility. The term "aerobics" refers to a series of
rhythmic, large muscle exercises, usually done to music in a class led by an
instructor. However, for many people it's much more than that: it's music, a
movement, a philosophy, a lifestyle. On the one hand, it's a modern form of
total body exercise. On the other hand, it's a motivating form of exercise that
is social and fun.Aerobics is a cardiovascular workout that improves
coordination, muscle strength and mobility. It also improves your physiological
and functional capacities, promoting general well-being. Aerobics provides a
whole host of health benefits: it burns calories; reduces the risk of cardiac
diseases by lowering blood pressure and slowing down atherosclerotic processes;
improves aerobic fitness, muscular endurance and flexibility and mobility;
improves muscular strength, posture and body performance in all age groups;
reduces stress and increases self-esteem by helping with weight management.
With a wide range of styles and classes offered at almost every major gym and
fitness center, aerobics caters to the individual needs of exercisers,
motivating people of all ages to participate and enjoy its benefits. But
because there are so many different options, you should review the following
sections carefully to figure out what kind of aerobics class would be best for
you. Before you start doing aerobics, think about your exercise
goals.
Are you most interested in weight
management, overall fitness, improved endurance, muscle toning, improved
posture, general well-being or relieving stress? You should choose your
aerobics classes based on your goals. Since different types of classes can help
achieve different ends, talk to instructors to find out what would work best
for your needs.
When choosing a gym or health club, compare their
facilities, class selection and instructors qualifications. Getting a friend to
sign up and plan an exercise routine with you can be especially motivating!
Plan your weekly workout schedule in advance. If you miss a scheduled
class, try to find time to make it up another day, and remember that after a
two-week break youll probably have to start up again at a slightly lower
intensity than youd worked up to. The more regular your workouts, the better
your results, but dont forget to give your body sufficient rest between workout
sessions. Doing aerobics every other day is generally better than every day,
with five to six days a week at a maximum. There are a wide variety of
aerobics classes you can choose from, but you’ll be best able to pick if
you’re familiar with the criteria
Level of intensity – Classes are
generally intended for either beginner, intermediate or advanced exercisers. If
you’re a beginner, you probably shouldn’t take advanced classes,
since it’s no fun struggling to keep up with the rest of the group! (And
you could injure yourself by trying too hard.) Talk to your instructor when you
feel you’re ready to move up to the next class level, so you get a
professional perspective on your progress.
Impact Aerobics is usually
classified into two sub-categories:
- High-impact, meaning that both
feet regularly lose contact with the floor, as with running, jumping and
hopping.
- Low-impact, meaning that at least
one foot retains contact with the floor throughout the workout session.
Low-impact aerobics generally involves
a smaller risk of injury than high-impact, because theres considerably less
stress on the feet and joints when you land. However, high-impact aerobics
tends to offer a more rigorous and intensive workout.
While most gyms
and health clubs today still offer classes called either "low" or "high"
impact, its much more common to see the label "high-low" or "mixed-impact" on
the class schedule. These classes alternate between low- and high-impact
exercises for the optimal balance between a lower risk of injury and maximum
workout intensity. Pure "low-impact" classes sometimes contain a greater
variety of interesting and challenging moves and often emphasize traveling
around the classroom to help bring the intensity level closer to that of
high-impact classes.
If youre just starting to work out, you should
look for lower intensity classes of 25-60 minutes that you can take at least
three times a week. You shouldnt find low-intensity aerobics very exhaustingit
should feel equivalent to a brisk walk (or a jog, to a more experienced
exerciser). The types of classes you might want to look out for may have names
like beginners aerobics, easy step aerobics, low-impact aerobics and aqua
aerobics.
If youre a more experienced exerciser, you should look for
medium intensity classes of 35-60 minutes that you can take at least four times
a week. Medium intensity aerobics usually mixes high impact with very low
impact and large ranges of motion. For a beginner, the intensity of these kinds
of classes will feel equivalent to climbing stairs (or, for a more experienced
exerciser, running after a bus). These types of classes may have names like
high/low impact, step, circuit training and body sculpting.
If
you´re an active exerciser, you should look for high intensity classes of
25-50 minutes that you can take at least five times a week. Look for class
names like high/low impact, interval, athletic/power step and boxing aerobics.
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