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.