The Infonian

Background

Aerobics refers to the type of physical exercise that involves aerobic routines, which refers to exercise that involves or improves oxygen consumption by the body, by the application of rhythmical movements. In particular, it defines the concepts of: Flexibility, which is the amount of movement in a joint or muscle that is attainable with the help of a partner or the use of a certain piece of equipment.

Aerobics are usually performed to a background of music and is normally enacted in a group setting led by an instructor, who leads and guides the group to ensure continuity. However, it can also be undertaken as a solo exercise, and without musical accompaniment, although it is argued that this is not as beneficial as in the group setting.

The benefits of aerobics are not only the development of physical fitness, but also the ability to either prevent, or at the very least, reduce the incidence of certain illnesses.

The prescribed actions involve the participants performing a series of different dance-like exercises. In order to achieve the best results from the participants, aerobics classes are normally performed at different levels of intensity and complexity depending on the abilities and physical fitness of the performers.

Many gyms offer the facility of aerobic classes. Each class is designed to accommodate a certain level of experience of the performers and is taught by a certified instructor with experience related to their particular class.

Aerobic gymnastics

Aerobic gymnastics, also known as sport aerobics or competitive aerobics, refers to performing complicated and high activity movements to music, which originate from traditional aerobics, with a high level of perfectly executed movements which are defined as difficult.

It combines aerobics, sports aerobics, coordinating gymnastics with music, dance movements and choreography of the entire performance.

In order to introduce fairness, the performances are structured under various categories according to the age, gender and composition of the group, whether individual, mixed pairs or trios.

The judging is based on the following movements: strength exhibited whilst stationery and in motion, jumps and leaps, kicks, balance and flexibility. There are three compulsory exercises: four successive high leg kicks, four successive push-ups, and a program which begins with four jumping jacks, and leads into 32 elements of standing movements and patterns. Performers are allowed to choose up to ten techniques from following selection: push-ups, supports and balances, kicks and splits, jumps and leaps. However, the following maneuvers may not be included in the routines: handstands, tumbling, back flips, handsprings, or aerial somersaults.

The performances are judged on the basis of the quality of the artistic content, the creativity exhibited, how well the performance was executed, and the extent of the difficulty of the routines presented.

Sport aerobics is represented in competitions at state, national, and international levels, but is not established as an Olympic sport.

Aerobic Exercise

This refers to a particular form of exercise which can either help or even improve the consumption of oxygen by the body. The word Aerobic means “an association with oxygen”, and involves the use of oxygen in the body’s metabolic process by which energy is generated.

In general, Aerobic exercises are associated with a level of exertion that tends to be low, and over longer periods of time. A warm up period should precede any aerobic session for best results. This should then be followed by 15-20 minutes of either moderate or ranging through to intense exercise which utilizes large muscle groups. The session would end with a short period of cooling down.

Historical Development

The concept of aerobic exercise was developed by Dr Cooper, an exercise physiologist, and Col. Potts, a physical therapist, both of the United States Air Force. Dr. Cooper, who was himself a keen exercise enthusiast, could not understand why some people with excellent muscular strength were still unable to give good performances with tasks such as long-distance running, swimming, and cycling.

In order to measure the work done by the exerciser, he used a bicycle ergo meter, which consists of a stationary bicycle fitted with a system of measuring the amount of energy expended. He began by measuring the performance achieved using this apparatus in terms of an individual’s ability to use oxygen. The results of his work, which were published in 1968, included different types of exercise programs.

Around that time in the US, there was growing concern, in certain quarters, at the increasing weakness and inactivity in the general population, coupled with a lack of suitable exercise. His research results became the yardstick for most aerobics exercise programs which are focused on an individual’s oxygen-consumption.

Comparison

When a high level of activity is achieved, sugars are converted into energy and it is this process that forms the basis of anaerobic exercise. This type of exercise is helpful for athletes to generate power when they are involved in non-endurance sports. It is also used by body builders to build up muscle mass. Muscles trained under such conditions develop in a different way. Such exercise can help performance over short periods of time.

Conversely, Aerobic exercise involves less intense activities over a longer time periods. Examples of such activities include cycling, swimming, running and walking. In each case, a huge volume of oxygen is needed in order to generate the required amount of energy needed for exercise over such prolonged periods.

Weight training and strength training are good examples of Anaerobic exercise.

These two forms of exercise differ not only in terms of the time involved and level of intensity of the muscular contractions involved, but also by the way in which the energy is produced within the muscle itself.

During Aerobic exercise, glucose is broken down, using oxygen within the bloodstream, to generate energy. In the absence of these carbohydrates, such as glucose, fat is produced instead. Fat lowers an individual’s level of performance since it takes a long time for it to be formed.

Conversely, Anaerobic exercise relates to the initial warm-up exercise, or to any short burst of intense exertion, in which the glycogen is consumed without oxygen, and is a far less efficient process.

Aerobic and Anaerobic Comparison

There are countless forms of aerobic exercise. However, the most common format is when it is performed at a steady pace and over a relatively long period of time. To illustrate the point, consider the following examples:

Running a long distance at a moderate pace is classified as an aerobic exercise, whereas sprinting is not.

Playing singles tennis, which involves almost continuous activity, is typically regarded as an aerobic activity, whereas playing golf or doubles tennis, which involves brief bursts of high activity punctuated with more frequent breaks, is not regarded as predominantly aerobic.

Accordingly, some sports may be designated as inherently “aerobic.” On the other hand, some aerobic exercises, such as Fartlek training or aerobic dance classes, are designed specifically to improve aerobic capacity and fitness.

Fartlek means “speed play” in Swedish. Most Fartlek program last for at least 45 minutes. They can include anything from aerobic walking to anaerobic sprinting. Fartlek training is normally synonymous with running, but can include almost any kind of exercise.

Becoming involved in a regular program of aerobic exercises can produce some very desirable benefits, such as:

Strengthening the respiratory muscles that will help to improve the flow of air in and out of the lungs.

Not only strengthening but also enlarging the heart muscles which will help to improve the efficiency of its pumping action and reduce the heart rate when at rest.

Toning up the muscles throughout the body.

Increasing the efficiency of the circulatory system and reducing blood pressure.

Substantially increasing the number of red blood cells in the body which in turn assists in transporting oxygen throughout the body.

Improving overall mental health. This may include reducing the level of stress and helping to lower the possibility of depression.

Accordingly, the aforementioned point to the fact that aerobic exercise can assist greatly in reducing the risk of dying from heart disease. Further, high-impact aerobic activities, which include jogging or jumping rope, are able to stimulate bone growth. Also, they are known to reduce the risk of osteoporosis. This is a disease in which the bone is liable to break at the slightest opportunity.

Apart from the health benefits, there are many performance benefits. Consider the following:

Endurance will be increased as a result of the storage of more energy molecules, such as fats and carbohydrates, within the muscles.

Neovascularization, which is the formation of functional micro vascular networks with red blood cell perfusion, of the muscle sarcomeres, which give skeletal and cardiac muscles their striated appearance, to increase blood flow through the muscles.

If the rate of aerobic metabolism was increased within muscles, this would allow a greater proportion of energy for intense exercise to be generated aerobically.

If muscles are able to use fats during exercise more easily, this will help to preserve intramuscular glycogen, which is a form of glucose, and functions as the secondary short term energy storage.

Muscles recovering from high intensity exercise being made much easier.

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We all know that if you want to lose weight or tone up you need to exercise. Well, aerobics requires a trip to the local YMCA or gym and can be quite inconvenient not to mention some people do not want to be on display at a crowded gym. running is great, but it has two major downfalls.

One, obviously, is that you probably will not do it in the rain or any extremely adverse weather. The other is that running does cause impact injuries from the constant jarring. An elliptical trainer is the answer. It is the quintessential perfect workout machine and offers the ideal way burn mega calories safely and lose weight fast.

The elliptical trainer was designed to follow the natural leg movement and range of motion while also including your upper body. It is a very low impact machine that will utilize more muscles through a wider range of motion (which makes it far superior to even a treadmill as most do not offer any upper body workout). Exercising on an elliptical machine is aerobic and similar to cross country skiing, but different in that it is akin to cross country skiing up a steep and continuous incline (like a stair climber).

The elliptical machines give a much more intense and more rounded workout that places more emphasis and burn on the hip and thigh areas. It also uses the wider range of motion and resistance which only an elliptical trainer can do in its leg movements further intensifying the workout which the cross country machines can not do.

Generally it is stated by most exercise experts that with these machines the more you weigh the more the calories you will burn. It all depends on your weight, the difficulty setting chosen and proper use and motion.

With an elliptical trainer many people have the tendency to use it wrongly and not get the optimum results. Just go to any gym with elliptical machines and watch the people using them. Many tend to bounce way too much and use their body weight to ride down each side. This is incorrect.

The goal is to try and hold your hips as stationary as possible instead of letting them bounce all over the place. By holding the hips in place you take in a much greater range of motion and greatly intensify the workout and it now becomes a mega calorie burning machine and an ultimate method for fast weight loss.

Proper motion on an elliptical trainer is akin to isometric exercises. Try and hold your motion so that your legs and arms do all the work and movement and that your hips stay parallel without bobbing up and down. If you bob up and down, its like riding a bike where the only exercise you get is on the down stroke and if you stand up and use your body weight it becomes almost effortless. The same is true for the elliptical training machine.

Now try this on the elliptical trainer and let your legs and arms go through their fuller range of motion while your core stays stationary. This will be hard to do at first, but you will burn 10 times the calories of someone not doing this and greatly increase your metabolism over time. You can also make it even harder by using the arm attachments like an isometric exercise by pushing and pulling on them at the same time. This goes to show that going fast does not necessarily mean you are getting the most from your workout.

Going slow while using the kinesthetics of the elliptical trainer while also using isometrics to further pump your muscles will give the optimum results and help you lose weight faster than ever. If you do not believe me on this, just try it and you will be a believer! If its too hard, do not be afraid to lessen the tension or difficulty level and work your way up.

The best part of working out on an elliptical trainer, besides the great caloric burn and intense workouts (when used correctly) is that it is very low and almost non existent impact. You can also roll the machine in front of a TV and watch the news, a movie, or even reality TV. This will help take your mind off the workout (just do not forget to hold your hips level throughout the workout and use isometrics with your arms to up the resistance and workout intensity like never before).

When used properly, the elliptical trainer is difficult to beat for its wide range of motion, mega caloric burn, weight loss properties, low to moderate cost (a good home unit can be had for under $500) and convenience.

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Are you looking for fun, different ways to get good exercise? Tired of running on a treadmill? Here are some great, fresh ideas for exercise.

1: Dance

Dancing can be a great form of exercise, especially more energetic dances like swing, salsa, polka, and cha-cha. If you really want a lot of exercise from dancing, take up English country dancing – dances like the Virginia reel, the snowball reel, or any of the other reels and jigs danced during colonial and Victorian time periods. For many of these dances, you won’t necessarily need a partner.

2: Hiking

Go hike a mountain! It’s great exercise, and you get to enjoy the great outdoors. It’s also a very healthy form of exercise, as you get to be out in the forest, breathing fresh, clean mountain air. Hiking also exercises more muscles than just running on a treadmill – you have to run, hike, walk, climb, descend, and use a variety of muscles. Be sure that you take plenty of water with you. When hiking at higher altitudes, you’ll need a lot more water than you would at lower altitudes.

3: Whitewater Kayaking

If you want a full body exercise wrapped up with adrenaline pumping thrill, go whitewater kayaking. If you find a tour guide that uses inflatable kayaks, you won’t need any experience at all. You can learn as you go. Expect to be sore the next day, though – white water kayaking will work your entire body out as you fight to control, steer, and paddle your kayak through the rapids.

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