Group exercise classes are available using a variety of workouts from yoga to Latin dance. Two of the most common group fitness classes are aerobics and boot camp style classes. Do not let the names of the classes change your opinion of the workouts. Although boot camp sounds more intense than aerobics, both types of classes provide challenging workouts given by motivating instructors who want to help you reach your fitness goals.
Goals
Participants in boot camp style and aerobic dance classes have similar goals. If you seek to burn calories, lose weight, improve your cardiovascular system and overall health while participating in a social activity, group exercise classes are the place for you. Both boot camps and aerobic dance classes provide a cardiovascular workout to increase your heart and breathing rates. Both types of classes encourage a variety of participants with similar health goals so you will meet people, engage in conversations and motivate others.
Impact
Aerobic exercise classes often use combinations of movements, or choreographed patterns for the cardiovascular exercise. Aerobic dance classes originally included high-impact movements but evolved over the years to feature low-impact exercises. Instructors made the changes due to the number of leg injuries that resulted from high-impact, repetitive dance movements.
Boot camp style classes use high-impact movements such as jumping jacks and leaps to improve your cardiovascular system. Boot camp classes are not choreographed and do not include combinations of movements. You perform one high-intensity exercise followed by a recovery interval, so as to reduce overuse injuries.
Strength
The addition of strength training exercises to the workout separates boot camp classes from aerobic classes. During a boot camp class you will perform calisthenic exercises such as pushups, situps, pullups, squats and lunges. Depending on your instructor and the setting, you may use free weights for strength training as well. Aerobic classes concentrate on the cardiovascular workout. You may finish your session with situps, but the goal of an aerobic class is an aerobic, cardio workout.
Setting
Aerobic dance classes are usually found indoors. The floating wood floor of most exercise rooms provides appropriate cushioning for the lower body during the workout. Most rooms have mirrors so you are able to monitor your form during the workout.
Boot camp classes may be conducted indoors and outdoors. Indoor boot camps use equipment such as aerobic steps and free weights, while outdoor boot camps may use obstacle courses that require running, hill sprints and relay type races.
References
- IDEA Health and Fitness Association; Sample Class: Indoor Boot Camp; Eve Fleck, MS; November 2008
- Georgia State University: Aerobic Dance
- American Council on Exercise: ACE Says Budget-Friendly and Boot Camp-Style Workouts Among Most Popular Fitness Trends in 2009
- IDEA Health and Fitness Association; How to Succeed at the Business of Boot Camp; Fraser Quelch; April 2007
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