Back to Gym Classes – Hurrah!!!

Back before I injured my hip, I thought going to the gym was for wimps.

Bo Jackson

As life slowly returns back to some semblance of normality, I’m delighted to be returning to some of the activities I’ve yearned for in months! This week I’ve been out for a curry AND last night a few of us went to my favourite local Tapas restaurant – last weeks blog made me hungry for it! Another joy this week has been getting back into classes at the gym and OMG, I’ve got aching muscles in places I didn’t know I had places – but it was worth it.

If you’ve never been tempted to try a gym class and the names sound a little weird, give it a go! To help you choose the class that’s potentially right for you, this week I thought I’d give you a brief summary of what some of the more popular classes wish to achieve through what sorts of activity.

Zumba

Come on, everyone’s heard of Zumba, right? There is no doubt that Zumba takes working out and converts it to something fun and upbeat that doesn’t feel like working out! A Zumba class offers a series of energetic dance routines that provide a great cardio workout by mixing low intensity and high intensity moves for an interval-style, calorie burning, dance fitness party! The biggest key to joining a Zumba class is to not be worried about your dance moves, because everyone else is on the same boat and everyone at least initially is as uncoordinated as yours truly! Anyone who loves to dance and is looking for a fun routine that disguises traditional, mundane workouts into fun and engaging dance would enjoy this type of group fitness class.

Barre

Perhaps something a little more obscure but actually one of those things that seems to be gaining in popularity! Barre is a ballet-inspired fitness class uses high repetitions of small, precise movements to tone muscle, build strength, teach muscle control, and improve overall posture. Quicker-paced classes can serve as a cardiovascular workout and condition muscles. Participants feel the burn in their arms, abs, glutes, and thighs with this strengthening and lengthening routine. Interestingly, whilst I was researching for this week’s blog, I came across an article about a link between Barre and its original purpose to improve women’s sex lives – I’ll read a little more and come back to you on that one!

Yoga

If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you’ll know I’m a bit of a fan of Yoga, I’m no expert, far from it, but I do love how it makes me feel! Once seen as a bit of a solitary activity, there are now plenty of classes that bring people together. Most people are already familiar with the concept of what Yoga is about however, this type of exercise has nearly a dozen variations of its own, with the most popular styles including Hot Yoga, (Bikram Yoga), to Vinyasa Flow and Gentle Yoga. The exercise itself consists of deliberate, concentrated movements and postures designed to promote flexibility, tone and strengthen muscles and align the body. Most often, breathing techniques are also encompassed along with the movements, allowing participants a relaxing experience coinciding with the movement. The end of the class typically ends in a ‘Savasana’ or meditative pose on the back to conclude the practice. Yoga classes are ideal for someone looking for a relaxing, quiet routine that helps them release the day, while building muscle tone and flexibility. What’s not to love!

Bootcamp

Bootcamp classes are normally a little tougher than most and are designed to push you outside of your regular limits through a hybrid combination of high intensity, cardio and strength-training movements. If you go to a Bootcamp class, you can expect to encounter anything from push-ups and burpees to bursts of sprints, sit-ups, pull -ups, barbell and weight lifting, as several examples. The variety of these movements keeps your body guessing and working, which has been shown to effectively maximize your progress and long-term development. As intimidating as a bootcamp class can sound, this class is ideal for someone who is up for a good challenge and seeking the deepest, most rewarding level of exercise.

Spinning

Nope, not spinning around in circles, this king of spinning takes place on a fixed bike! Spinning is a form of indoor cycling that is offered in large gym chains and boutique fitness clubs around the world. An enthusiastic instructor, (ours is a bit over enthusiastic sometimes which finds me surreptitiously taking the resistance down a notch or four!!), guides participants on specialized, stationary bikes through an intense, 40- to 60-minute cardio workout that focuses on strength, endurance, intervals, high intensity bursts, and active recovery. The group pedals along with motivating music timed to the instructor’s choreography.

CrossFit

CrossFit is a little masochistic similar circuit training, hurts like hell but you feel fabulous after it! CrossFit combines a series of cardiovascular exercise, bodyweight strength training, gymnastics, and weightlifting into fast-paced, total-body workouts. Workouts harness the power of metabolic conditioning circuit-training, requiring participants to complete each set of exercises as quickly as possible while still maintaining proper form. The varied movements and little rest make for a tough workout that lasts anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes.

Full Body Fusion

A Full Body Fusion class is a hybrid mix designed to torch calories, tone physique and emphasizes variety in the movements each week, so it’s never the same which is the main reason I like it. Unlike the Barre style workout, which focuses on development and strength of the lower body through ballet inspired movement, a Full Body Fusion class combines these techniques with some of the more intense movements you would also see in a Bootcamp-style class. There is a healthy mix of strength-training paired with cardio and pilates. This class is ideal for someone interested in a workout that is a little more dynamic compared to Yoga and offers the best of both worlds – flexibility and toning movements, as well as strength building.

So, if you have a yen to try a class in this brave new world, give one of these ago however, always check with an experience instructor, a personal trainer or even your doctor before taking any of these on if you’ve not done much for a while!

What’s on this week?