Gym or home? Do you prefer going to a gym, or doing workouts at home with a DVD player, YouTube video, or the like? The type of aerobic genre. There are many types of workouts, including: Targeted audiences: Aerobics for senior citizens, men, pregnant women, and so on. Themes: boot camp, martial arts, hip hop dance, Latin salsa, and more. Instructor. Classes tend to focus around the directions of the leader, (whether in real life or virtual) and if it is not a good match for you, it can ruin the experience. Different aerobics instructors will have different personalities, sensibilities, and demeanors. High versus low-impact. A more lengthy explanation of the pros and cons are below. Your current fitness level. If you are in great shape, maybe a very energetic program is for you. But if you are just starting out, you will need a more beginner program.
The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults get at least 2. 5 hours of moderate aerobic exercise (low-impact aerobics) or 75 minutes of strenuous aerobic exercise (high-impact aerobics) per week. [2] X Trustworthy Source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services Go to source So one hour-long low-impact aerobics class per week isn’t enough to meet professional standards for a healthy lifestyle. Set aside enough time throughout the week to reach your exercise goals. Another way to approach your routine is to elevate your heart rate for half an hour every day, taking a day off here and there. [3] X Trustworthy Source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services Go to source If you are trying to lose weight, you should increase the amount of time you dedicate to exercise, as these recommendations are a minimum guideline for healthy living.
Aerobic exercise: obviously, you want to keep your heart rate elevated throughout. This is why aerobics instructors ask you to march in place in between steps rather than stopping and taking a break. If you can speak easily, you’re not working out hard enough. Strength training: Holding hand weights while performing your aerobics routine will help build muscles in the arm, while adding ankle weights will build leg muscle. Core strength: Incorporate moves that target the muscles in your abdomen — windmills, for example. The addition of hand weights while performing windmills will result in an even better core workout. Balance training: Many moves in aerobics require you to shift your weight from one foot to the other. Focus on the slow, deliberate transfer of weight and the balance of your body when doing these steps. Hamstring curls and ski jumps, for example, are a good opportunity to focus on balance. Flexibility: When performing steps that require stretching, commit all the way to the stretch. Windmills are a great example of an exercise where you may not be able to reach your feet at first due to poor flexibility. With some attention and practice, your flexibility will increase over time.
Arm circles can help increase the range of motion in your shoulders. Hold your arms out straight to form a T. Make small circles with them for ten seconds before reversing the direction of the circle. Raise your arms in front of you before bringing them straight above your head. Try to bring them down as far back behind you as they will go. Move them back to starting position, and repeat. Lie down to do hip and knee bends. Bend your knee as you bring it up towards your chest. Slowly straighten it back out again. Repeat with the other leg.
Low-impact aerobics are not only for people with “issues”. Many workouts designed for minimizing impact are just as effective as high impact, without as much risk of injury. Not all “low-impact aerobics” are appropriate for everyone. It is not risk-free. A very overweight or out of shape person may still get injured if he or she is working out at too high a level. Using improper form or incorrect movement patterns may also cause injury. Cycle through a variety of different motions. It doesn’t matter what order you go in, but stay in each motion for at least one or two minutes before moving on to the next motion. You should repeat the same motions repeatedly throughout your workout. If you are having difficulty with a more advanced move, return to more basic movements, such as stepping back and forth. Once your muscles stop burning, go back to the more difficult motions.
Your arms can hang naturally at your sides, or you can swing them in a sharp, but controlled motion to work out your arm muscles as well. Make sure to lift your knees enough to cause your legs to burn over a period of time. Simply shuffling in place will not make you sweat! Do this for at least two minutes to warm your body up in preparation for a wider range of more demanding movements. Get into the music! Clap your hands if you feel like it. The more fun you’re having, the more likely you’ll be to continue exercising.
Repeat motion for as long as you’d like, until you get bored of it and want to move on to a new movement.
You can combine this with any number of arm movements, from controlled arm swings to shoulder rolls. A shoulder roll is simply when you pull one shoulder forward slightly, then roll it up and back. Alternate shoulders to the beat of the music, working out your shoulder and back muscles.
It’s important to keep a straight back during this step to prevent back pain.
Kick your leg out to the front on the last beat (when you would normally simply tap one foot to the other) to increase your activity rate. Begin the movement to the left with your arms down, and slowly lift them out to your sides and up over your head in a deliberate, wide motion, with your hands meeting over your head on the fourth beat. Bring your arms down during your movement to the right so the return to their beginning position.
You can push your arms forward as though pushing the air away from your chest on the leg curl, then pull your arms back into your chest when you return your foot to the ground. You can also do bow-and-arrows with your arms: extend one arm out directly to the side and tuck the other into your chest while keeping your elbow pointed out to the side. Alternate sides to match your feet movement. The motion should look a little bit like using a bow and arrow. To increase the muscle exertion, you can double or triple up on the curls you do on each side before moving on to the other leg. This way, you muscle doesn’t get to relax immediately, and the workout is a little more difficult.
Low impact step aerobics Low impact Zumba classes: though Zumba, a dance exercise that incorporates Latin and world music, usually involves a good amount of jumping and bouncing that can be stressful on joints, look for a class that offers a low-impact alternative. Power yoga: power yoga is a more athletic form of yoga that was invented in the United States. It’s a rigorous exercise that will increase your heart rate without stressing your joints, but make sure to look for a beginner’s class. A spinning class: these classes involve riding a stationary bike, but are often set to workout music chosen by the class’s instructor[14] X Research source Water aerobics: these classes take place in a pool. The water’s natural buoyancy protects your joints, but also provides greater resistance to your movements, resulting in a safe and vigorous workout. [15] X Research source
Just as with low impact aerobics, you will create your own combinations and routines from a range of steps, all performed to high-paced music.
From a standing position, jump so your left foot is forward and your right foot is back. Jump again, switching the position of your feet. You should switch foot position for each beat of the song you’re listening to. Make sure to center your balance. Put your arms out to the side to stabilize yourself if you feel like you’re going to fall.
Keeping your arms straight through the elbow, reach your right arm down to touch the instep of your left shoe. Do you best not to bend your knees. Your left arm should swing behind your body, and your face should rotate to look out to the left. Return to your original position, then repeat on the other side, touching your left hand to your right shoe. Keep your abs contracted. Make sure that your back straight as flat as possible instead of letting it slump and get rounded.
From your bending position, jump up and to the right side, making sure you jump with both feet at the same time, then land with both feet at the same time. Balance your weight over your heels and sink down into your bent stance again. The jumping movement should be completely lateral, not forward and back. As you’re completing the jumping motion with your legs, bring your hands up to the sides of your head as you extend into the jump, then bring them down to your sides, keeping elbows bent, as you land and go back into your bent position. Jump from left to right, repeating this motion. To increase the level of difficulty, place an object next to you to jump over. By increasing the required height of the jump, you’ll get a better workout.
Step aerobics Zumba, a dance exercise that incorporates Latin and world music[19] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source Crossfit training, a demanding exercise program that cycles you through a wide variety of exercises and styles[20] X Research source Capoeira, a Brazilian martial arts form that incorporates dance and acrobatics set to music Tae Bo, an aerobic exercise form that combines elements of Tae Kwon Do, karate, boxing, and dance. Call your local gyms and inquire into the high impact aerobic classes they offer.
