Using large-muscle groups continuously helps you achieve and sustain an aerobic- or anaerobic-workout intensity. Keeping rhythm usually is easier accomplished with music. Instructors who teach this type of cardio class usually have music that has a set beat per minute. Look for cardio classes tailored to continuous big-muscle-group action like indoor group cycling, step aerobics, kettle bell or water aerobics. Observe the classes ahead of time to see if the intensity is appropriate for you.
Group Indoor Cycling
Group indoor cycling is more exhilarating than pedaling away by yourself on a stationary bicycle. You go through a virtual bike race with hills, roads, valleys and incredible scenery. Your instructor coaches your cadence and presses you into high intensity. Your quadriceps and gluteus-muscle groups are your largest muscles, and cycling uses them. Cycling gives you an aerobic and anaerobic environment. Aerobic means "with oxygen." If you are aerobic, it means that you are exercising at a rate that your bloodstream and heart can deliver oxygen and fuel to the muscles as they require. Anaerobic means that your muscles are working faster than your bloodstream can resupply cellular respiration. Group indoor cycling is a continuous, interval-changing, rhythmic large-muscle workout.
Step Aerobics
Step aerobics is a mainstay for large-muscle rhythmic and continuous exercise. It is adaptable to many fitness and intensity levels within the same class. A taller or fitter person can adjust the height of the stepper for more full range of muscle involvement and higher intensity. A quality step class involves movement in all directions and thoroughly challenges all leg muscles. The music provides a motivating rhythmic stimulus. Propulsion -- or jumping -- during the routine adds a plyometric element to your training. Low-impact and hi-low impact step classes are more advisable for long-term joint safety. Go watch a class to see if it meets your needs.
Kettlebell
Kettlebells are weighted spheres with top handles. They are used as handheld weights that you snatch off of the floor and lift with squatting- and lunging-aerobic movements. A study by the American Council on Exercise states that the kettlebell snatch workout is a total-body movement performed in an interval-training fashion and provides a much-higher intensity workout than standard weight training with superior results. Your large muscle groups are used continuously throughout the workout. Use caution if you have preexisting shoulder, wrist or back problems since the kettlebell will demand full range of motion from these joints.
Water Aerobics
Movement in water provides resistance in every direction. A water-aerobic routine is designed to continuously engage your large-muscle groups with rhythmic movement. If you have joint maladies, you will enjoy the buoyancy property of water and its low-impact effect on your joints. You can control your workout intensity by using more-dynamic or less-dynamic movement. Choose water levels at your bellybutton for 50-percent displacement of gravity's effect on your body weight. Exercise in neck-deep water for 90-percent gravity displacement. If you choose deeper water, work through the water like it is gelatin for a strong cardiovascular workout.
References
- "YMCA Personal Training Manual"; YMCA of the USA; 2006
- "Water Fitness Basics, Instructor Resource Guide"; National Fitness Association of Minnesota; 1992
- "YMCA Cardio and Step Aerobics Instructor Manual"; YMCA of the USA; 2005
- ACE GetFit: What You Need to Know About Group Indoor Cycling
- PR Newswire: ACE Study Reveals Kettlebells Provide Powerful Workout in Short Amount of Time
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