Aerobics

What is an aerobic workout?

Aerobics is a cardiovascular training with music support. During the workout, different sequences of steps are adapted to the music, whereby the whole body is involved. The main focus of the exercises is to maintain and build endurance and coordination. Various aids (dumbbells, rubber bands, balls, etc.) can increase the training effect and offer variations. Other forms of training such as body styling, step aerobics and body shaping also work with basic aerobic elements.

How was aerobics developed?

The word "aerobic" comes from the Greek and means "dependent on oxygen". Aerobic is therefore a workout that takes place in an oxygen-rich environment and is not too strenuous. In English, the adjective aerobic became a noun in the 1960s: aerobics, probably in reference to the word gymnastics. The term was spread by Kenneth H. Cooper, sports physician and astronaut trainer, through the book "Aerobics" published in 1968. Cooper propagated cardiovascular training to increase fitness and his book triggered the jogging wave. The American Jacki Sorensen, for example, later mixed jogging (in a small space) with dance and gymnastic movements, added music and has been considered the originator of aerobics ever since.

What is trained during aerobics?

Aerobics is a dynamic fitness training, which trains the condition and coordination. This improves strength, endurance and mobility. The training can be made particularly varied through its many different types of aerobics. Thus it is possible that elements from different dance or martial arts are preserved and aids such as dumbbells are used to strengthen a muscle group once again in a targeted manner.

An aerobic training session is usually structured in such a way that the participants in the group first warm up. This is followed by the cardiovascular training phase and finally the aerobic participants cool down slowly and stretch. The music tempo increases during the training session and slows down again towards the end.

Basic steps of aerobics

In aerobics there are six basic steps, which are used as a basis for all choreographies in aerobics and step aerobics. The steps are generally divided into "High Impact" (steps with high impact) and "Low Impact" (steps with low impact). Low Impact movements involve putting the foot down gently, just like walking. With High Impact, however, the load is higher, and many steps are jumped.

• Push-Touch – The foot is briefly put on in a certain direction and then pulled back again.
• Lift Step - The knee is lifted.
• March - Walk on the spot.
• Step Touch - Step is placed in one direction and the supporting leg is pulled back, briefly placed next to the other foot and finally goes back to the old position.
• Hop - One-legged jump, landing again on the ankle.
• Jump - Bipedal jump, landing is done in a wide stance with the tips of the feet turned slightly outwards.

Step Aerobics – The workout that is easy on the joints

Step aerobics is one of the most popular sports and first appeared in the late 1980s. After a knee injury, fitness trainer Gin Miller developed the principle of step aerobics, whose knee-sparing effect was later confirmed in scientific reports. Ascending and descending from the step aerobics exercises mainly the gluteal and leg muscles. The increased use of the arms also trains them. In step aerobics, the intensity of the workout can be adapted to your own condition by increasing the sequence of steps or the stepper. Regular training (about 30 minutes, three times a week) can achieve visible results and strengthen the cardiovascular system.