Could Group Fitness Classes Help Improve Your Workout?

Group fitness classes are a great way to lose weight, as the support of others in the same position to yourself can be great to help you feel motivated. Without even realising it, you will be benefiting your wellness and wellbeing, whilst having a whole lot of fun. Group exercise classes provide a feeling of camaraderie, a very important aspect to any sport.

 

Group classes are often divided into skill levels, but anyone can take part and is catered for. There are so many different classes to choose from.

 

Cardio Challenge is one such class, and it mixes low impact and basic step aerobics in a fun format that is designed to get your heart racing and your muscles working hard.

 

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is another, which is a self-defence martial art class which centres around the idea of ground fighting and gaining dominance in a fight against an opponent.

 

Fitness Training Camps are also popular with people with all levels of fitness. They generally involve 30 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise followed by 20 minutes of strength training, done in groups, often outdoors.

 

Body Sculpting is along the same lines, too, focusing on strength training and endurance using resistance bands or free weight.

 

Iron Man core classes aim to boost cardio-respiratory fitness as well as core strength. Core Conditioning is similar, but focuses on the lower body and core muscles, which has the added benefit of strengthening your abdominal muscles and improving your posture.

 

Indoor Group Cycling provides an intensive cardio workout for people of all fitness levels and of various ages, as the pedalling speed and resistance varies from person to person.

 

Pilates is a gentler type of class, and focuses on building endurance and core muscles, rebalancing the body and building strength in a long-lasting way.

Categories: class, classes, Core, Core Muscles, fitness, fitness classes, group, group fitness, nbsp, Strength Training

Which Cardio Fitness Class Should You Try Next?

A fitness class is great for adding some much-needed variety to your workout routine and these days there’s no shortage of classes to try. While the offerings may somewhat depend on your local gym, most fitness facilities will cater to universal wellbeing by offering what is, essentially, the same kind of classes as everyone else. This is especially the case with fitness class-trends, such as Zumba, as well as your classics like spinning and Pilates. Let’s take a look at some of the cardiovascular classes on offer that can help you to keep your wellness on track:

 

1. Zumba: There’s no denying the power of Zumba, at least in terms of popularity. Zumba is currently one of the hottest and most popular group fitness classes out there, combining fun Latin music and dance-inspired movements to bring you cardiovascular activity that you can enjoy. In fact, this class feels more like a dance party – albeit a high energy one – than it does a hardcore workout. Still, if you’re just starting out, don’t let the high energy demands of Zumba put you off. Zumba is appropriate for any fitness level, whether you’re a seasoned fitness enthusiast or you’ve never set foot in a gym. Anyone can obtain a challenging workout from the class and, because it’s so popular, I almost guarantee you’ll find Zumba classes are available at your local gym. If not, check out Zumba’s official website to find a class near you.

 

2. Kick Boxing: Not for the light-hearted, Kick Boxing is a great option for people looking for something high impact. As you might expect, a good portion of each class is spent focusing on various punches and also different kinds of kicks – which is great self-defence training as well as a way to get your cardio needs fulfilled. Not only this, but Kick Boxing is also good for toning your muscles, providing arm-sculpting techniques through the punches you do throughout the class, and leg-and-bum definition from all that kicking.

 

3. Boot Camp: This is really an aptly-named class – Boot Camp classes are an intense session of Boot Camp-style activity. Again, if you’re easily put off by high-intensity workouts or you’re brand new to the concept of fitness routine, Boot Camp classes may not be the ones for you. However, if you’re up for the challenge, Boot Camp can target every muscle in your body thanks to an intense set of drills, such as sprints, push ups, jumping jacks and squats. Even the sections in which you’re toning your body will elevate your heart rate, meaning you’re getting top-notch cardio, G.I. Jane-style. Basically, Boot Camp is an interval class in which you switch from toning exercises to cardio drills in order to enable the maximum level of calorie burning possible. Adding this class to your workout routine once or twice a week can help you kick your workout up to a higher level.

 

4. Spinning: This class is great if you’re looking to build your endurance. Spinning is a group fitness class where you spend the entire length of the class on a specially designed stationary bike, varying your speed and resistance as and when the spinning instructor cues you to. This class can seem a bit intimidating, but don’t let that put you off what can be a great cardio workout. The bike might take a bit of getting used to if you’re new to spinning, but the great thing about this class is that – more than any other group fitness activity – the intensity of spinning is really up to you. You manually change the settings on your bike, so you can make it as difficult or easy as you’d like.

Categories: boot camp, camp classes, class, fitness class, group fitness, high energy, Kick Boxing, local gym, Spinning, workout routine, Zumba