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The Benefits of Exercising with a Group
The biggest
benefit of exercising with a group is that you never get fed up with the
sometimes monotonous nature of the workout schedule. While we all
realize that constant exercise is necessary to keep up our fitness at
optimal levels, still we ourselves manage to find one reason or another
to be non-punctual for our daily sessions. The basic reason why people –
ordinary mortals and not fitness freaks – respond in this way is the
lack of interest they develop over a period of time in their workout
routines or exercises. If they did not find anything interesting or
entertaining in the sessions or life inside the gym, they simply
wouldn't bother to turn up for another couple of hours of boredom in the
gym. But, group exercises are a definite solution to this attitude.
After all, who on this earth doesn’t like to be in the company of
others?
But, here
it must be kept in mind that those exercises that can be done in a group
are very much limited. Even though, new discoveries are invariably tried
in various gyms, still the proven ones are the conventional group
workouts only. But most of these provide – in its very nature and design
– a means for boosting fitness at an overall level than limiting to any
particular muscle or body part, which in fact makes it indispensable for
most gymnasiums. Popular workouts in that genre include Hip Hop, Yoga,
Pilates, Cycling, Cardio Splash, and as mentioned earlier in the
paragraph, the various hybrid workout forms.
In Hip Hop
– followed in various names and variations all across the country – this
form of dance, choreographed to follow certain steps according to the
music played in the background. For those who love dancing and music,
they will certainly feel at home with hip hop or its local variants.
Yoga, on the other hand, is an Indian philosophy – almost 5,000 years
old – that brings together body and mind in a mutually supportive
existence. It is in fact one of the most effective of all group
exercises in vogue today. But for better results, one must be through at
least the second stage of yoga classes. Stage I is for beginners.
Pilates –
pronounced as puh-LAH-teez – is a hybrid group exercise form, its steps
borrowed heavily from other workout formats such as yoga, calisthenics,
and stretching. To put it more technically, it is a non-impact,
non-weight bearing workout model that helps in developing strength and
overall flexibility sans any real muscle building. People who constantly
practices Pilates – usually tennis sportsmen – have their muscles long,
lean and strong, and sans any solid build.
Cycling
uses stationary bikes for ‘riding’ the participants while the instructor
mouths the necessary suggestions to do the act. Since being in a group,
the participants may not feel bogged down so quickly, or they’ll be
trying to outsmart their immediate neighbor in cycling as fast as
possible. As mentioned earlier, it is this fun that makes group
exercises a big hit.
Finally,
cardio splash is an exercise form that lasts for an hour and it includes
about 40 minutes of rigorous fat burning workouts, followed by 20
minutes of toning of muscles for overall body conditioning. The session
concludes with a relaxing 5 minute stretching.
Belly
dancing, cross interval training, mixed bag etc. are other group
exercises that are beneficial. Check out your nearest gym for the exact
nature of the workouts.
But, for
the real benefits of exercising with a group, the important aspect is to
be punctual in all sessions. It is both exercise and fun. After all,
many of you turn to group workouts to kill boredom as well, don't you?
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