After Jack LaLane popularized resistance training, weight lifting and fitness centers in the 1950s, the explosion of workout programs took off. LaLane removed the mystique of the early bodybuilders and showed Americans how they could incorporate exercise in their daily lives to become healthier, prevent disease and tone their bodies to reveal strong, attractive physiques.
Aerobics
Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper, an exercise physiologist at San Antonio Air Force Hospital, published the first book outlining the principles and techniques for doing aerobics in 1968. The dynamic exercises involved in an aerobics workout originally were designed for astronauts to get physically fit and later were used for the general public as a way to combat obesity, which was on the rise in the 1960s. Aerobics usually are done in a group with a leader who takes participants through a series of challenging steps set to upbeat music designed to provide continuous increased heart rates.
Jogging
University of Oregon track and field coach Bill Bowerman is credited with starting a jogging program in the 1960s after a visit to New Zealand where he observed widespread acceptance of jogging as a viable means of keeping fit. In addition to using jogging as a training technique for his teams, Bowerman wrote a book called "Jogging for Fun and Fitness" and led a small local group of recreational runners. Jogging is a slower, more relaxed form of running.
Yoga
The physical and mental benefits of yoga became popular in American during the 1960s in large part because of the Beatles, a British rock band that dominated the music scene in the 1960s. Millions of copies of Richard Hittleman's book, "The Twenty-Eight Day Yoga Plan" furthered its popularity. Hittleman also brought yoga into American living rooms through his television appearances. While the practice counts its roots in ancient Eastern cultures, Americans looking for healthy exercise options didn't begin to take up the exercise routines until the 1960s in earnest.
Jazzercise
Piggybacking off the popularity of aerobics fitness classes, dance instructor Julie Sheppard Missett developed a workout called Jazzercise in her Evanston, Illinois dance studio in 1969. The workout incorporates a number of dance techniques set to fast-paced music. Workouts typically last an hour and use dance steps ranging from rumba and swing to jazz and hip-hop.
Member Comments