Aerobics

Rhythmic exercises performed to music. During an aerobics workout, dance steps are mixed with callisthenics, running and jumping. Ballet, disco, jazz, rock, and other types of music supply the tempo and rhythm for the exercises. A well-structured session works the entire body, and takes muscles and joints through their full range of movement, enhancing flexibility and improving strength. A good workout can also develop stamina and help maintain bone mass, vital for women around the menopause and beyond.

To avoid injury, it is essential to have a good instructor who is properly qualified. Good instructors insist that participants always perform appropriate warm up and cool down exercises to reduce the risk of injury and muscle soreness. They are sensitive to the ability of each member of the class and ensure that the exercise level is neither too low nor too high (many instructors offer graded classes taught at different levels of intensity). Particularly good instructors will expect participants to check their pulse two or three times during the class. They are able and willing to explain how to perform the exercises and the reasons for performing them, and readily correct anyone's poor technique.

An aerobics session may consist of high-impact or low-impact movements, or a combination. High-impact movements include running on the spot and jumping up and down. These can cause stress injuries, such as shin splints and lower back pain, especially if done on a hard floor (concrete floors are worse, sprung floors are best). Low-impact movements are performed keeping one foot on the ground all the time. They have a low incidence of injury but have to be performed at a high intensity to improve aerobic fitness. Low impact aerobic movements are sometimes combined with upper body conditioning in which exercisers use their own body weight (or light hand weights for added resistance) to improve muscle strength and toning.

Many people join aerobics classes to lose weight, but most studies show that, although muscles are toned, there is no significant change in the body weight of the majority of participants.

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1. A form of aerobic exercise popularized by Kenneth C. Cooper in the 1960s. He evaluated the demands of particular exercises for oxygen, and their subsequent effects on the heart and lungs. He then devised exercise programmes, giving them points according to their duration, frequency, and intensity. To develop cardiovascular fitness, a person is expected to earn at least 30 points per week.

2. A type of aerobic exercise consisting mainly of continuous callisthenics performed to music.

1. describing conditions in which gaseous or dissolved dioxygen is present.
2. describing an organism or process that requires or is able to use dioxygen.
3. of or produced by an aerobe. Compare anaerobic.

An aerobics class.

This article is about the type of exercise. For the exercise physiology topic, see Aerobic exercise.

Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness (flexibility, muscular strength, and cardio-vascular fitness). It is usually performed to music and may be practiced in a group setting led by an instructor (fitness professional), although it can be done solo and without musical accompaniment. With the goal of preventing illness and promoting physical fitness, practitioners perform various routines comprising a number of different dance-like exercises. Formal aerobics classes are divided into different levels of intensity and complexity. Aerobics classes may allow participants to select their level of participation according to their fitness level. Many gyms offer a variety of aerobic classes. Each class is designed for a certain level of experience and taught by a certified instructor with a specialty area related to their particular class.

Contents 1 History 2 Aerobic gymnastics 3 See also 4 References

History

Both the term and the specific exercise method were developed by Dr. Kenneth Cooper, M.D., an exercise physiologist, and Col. Pauline Potts, a physical therapist, both of the United States Air Force. Dr. Cooper, an avowed exercise enthusiast, was personally and professionally puzzled about why some people with excellent muscular strength were still prone to poor performance at tasks such as long-distance running, swimming, and bicycling. He began measuring systematic human performance using a bicycle ergometer, and began measuring sustained performance in terms of a person's ability to use oxygen. His groundbreaking book, Aerobics, was published in 1968, and included scientific exercise programs using running, walking, swimming and bicycling. The book came at a fortuitous historical moment, when increasing weakness and inactivity in the general population was causing a perceived need for increased exercise.

Aerobic gymnastics

Aerobic gymnastics, also known as sport aerobics and competitive aerobics, is a type of competitive aerobics involving complicated choreography, rhythmic and acrobatic gymnastics with elements of aerobics.^[1] Performance is divided into categories by age, sex and groups (individual, mixed pairs and trios) and are judged on the following elements: dynamic and static strength, jumps and leaps, kicks, balance and flexibility. Ten exercises are mandatory: four consecutive high leg kicks, patterns. A maximum of ten elements from following families are allowed: push-ups, supports and balances, kicks and splits, jumps and leaps. Elements of tumbling such as handsprings, handstands, back flips, and aerial somersaults are prohibited. Scoring is by judging of artistic quality, creativity, execution, and difficulty of routines. Sport aerobics has state, national, and international competitions, but is not an Olympic sport.

See also

• Freestyle aerobics
• Step aerobics
• Sport aerobics
• Water aerobics
• Yoga postures

References

1. ^ "The Aerobic Gymnastics". FIG - Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique. http://www.fig-gymnastics.com/cache/compo/12588-6249-99999999999999999999999999999999999.html. Retrieved 2008-07-04. ^{[dead link]}

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