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The gym is too boring, and the usual Pilates and strength training have become a routine? An overview of the new possibilities to give yourself the joy of movement.
For those of us who are not drawn to the regular gym, today there are other opportunities to give ourselves the joy of movement. Our journalist discovered three new, unusual directions for herself and attended these classes.
Zumba: move to the rhythm of Latino
This dance fitness program was created by Colombian fitness instructor Alberto Perez, based on popular Latin American dances and the principle of aerobics. Salsa, lambada, bachata, rumba, merengue, mamba, samba – each dance has its own rhythm and mood. Zumba is simple and fun. Perhaps this is the secret of her incredible success in Europe, the USA, and, more recently, in our country. Zumba is one of the top XNUMX most popular fitness programs in the world this year*.
How is the training going? It just doesn’t look like a workout. Rather – to a friendly party: after the second dance, even beginners begin to smile at each other. Turns, jumps, squats – the movement does not stop for a minute, and there is barely enough time to take a sip of water and dab your face with a towel. As the track changes, so do the movements. But there is no reason to worry: “The compositions are simple,” says World Class instructor Mikhail Andreev. – And they are easy to remember even for those who have never practiced before. Under this rhythmic music, the body itself opens up in the dance, and the mood soars up. At the same time, the muscles of the legs, arms, back and abs come into tone, and the shoulders and neck relax. In the course of the lesson, the rhythm accelerates, and at the end, slow compositions sound that allow you to restore your heart rate and finally relieve tension. It seems that an hour session lasts 15 minutes – no more!
Why do it? A great way to relieve stress and improve your mood. Without boring and exhausting exercises, the muscles come in tone and the silhouette improves.
Where to study? Fitness clubs World Class. You can also find the nearest club on the zumba.com website where classes are conducted by a certified instructor. Dr. Loder and Bright Family fitness clubs offer a new aquazumba in Russia – it is practiced in the pool.
* According to the American College of Sports Medicine, the largest sports organization in the world, acsm.org
Aqua Step: dance underwater
In fact, this is a type of water aerobics, which requires an aqua step – a platform 20 centimeters high with an anti-slip surface and rubber suction cups on the legs that fix the simulator on the bottom of the pool.
How is the training going? A step on the step, a jump, a knee lift, a swing of the leg, as if you are kicking the door … From the outside, everything looks like people are splashing cheerfully in the water. In fact, this is an intense workout, during which you have to make a lot of effort. It is necessary to constantly keep the muscles of the press and buttocks in tension: this is the only way to maintain an upright position. In addition, aqua-step is a combination of power and aerobic loads. “In the air, we strain our legs and arms, only raising them, but here we overcome the resistance of water with every movement,” explains Dinar Zinatullin, an instructor at the Planet Fitness club. Despite this, fatigue is not felt. “Water restores strength, instantly relieving some of the tension,” he continues. “And the heart rate is lower here than on land. It’s harder to withstand the same load in the gym.” In this case, the body loses more calories: they are spent on self-heating.
Why do it? Strengthening the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, a slender fit figure and relaxation.
Where to study? Fitness clubs “Planet Fitness” in Moscow; “Planet Fitness Tatarstan” in Kazan; “Spring” in Irkutsk.
AntiGravity Yoga: get off the ground
Based on traditional asanas, Broadway choreographer Christopher Harrison has developed various poses with telling names: for example, “Mariah Carey” or “Spider-Man”. All of them are performed using a large canvas made of durable fabric, suspended at both ends from the ceiling. Such canvases, reminiscent of hammocks, have been used in their shows for many years by his famous troupe of aerial acrobats, who performed, for example, four years ago at the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama.
How is the training going? We either sit on the canvas, like on a swing, or we throw our legs on it, like on a barre in a ballet class, thus stretching and strengthening the muscles. When performing some poses, the fabric tangibly massages the armpits and places under the knees. “This is a wonderful massage that stimulates the lymphatic system and helps cleanse the body,” comments Vitaly Semenov, AntiGravity Yoga instructor at the Copernicus fitness club. But the most interesting begins later. Hang upside down? It turns out that everyone can do it! And it is really simple and absolutely safe. “The fabric can withstand up to 400 kilograms,” the instructor reassures. “The main contraindications are pregnancy, unstable blood pressure and glaucoma, and in other cases, coups are a great gift for the body.” Feelings while being upside down are unusual: in the first seconds, the whiskey pulsates strongly and slightly “floats” in the eyes, but the condition quickly returns to normal and after a few minutes you don’t want to go back. “In the first lessons, it’s worth turning over for a minute or two,” the instructor continues. “But gradually, the time spent in these positions can be increased to 20 minutes.” The fabric clearly fixes the body and gives self-confidence. Oddly enough, hanging upside down is not at all scary and even fun.
Why do it? Stretching, strengthening muscles, relaxing – all this is pleasant, but not unique. “The main advantage of the classes is inverted poses that are performed in the air,” says Vitaly Semenov. “Even a beginner can do it with ease. Staying upside down not only normalizes the work of the hormonal, lymphatic and cardiovascular systems, but also stretches the spine, frees it from clamps and compression of the discs. Indeed, in AntiGravity Yoga, unlike traditional yoga, we do not rely on our heads.” The activity helps to surprise yourself. During this lesson, you seem to yourself very strong, flexible and beautiful. And perhaps, in fact, you become like that.
Where to study? In any club of the company “Fitness Holding”, the official distributor of AntiGravity Yoga in Russia (fitnessholding.ru), and since the beginning of 2013 – in the World Class.