• 35 fitness classes

What Type of Fitness Class Should I Take

Cardio, strength, mind and body, dance or water: one kind of class to try at a press.

What Type of Fitness Class Should I Take

Show all 35
  1. Circuit trainingA round of set exercises with little rest between them; finish the round, then start again.

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All 35 fitness classes

Cardio 17

  • Aerobics Rhythmic exercise to music: a warm-up, cardio, strength work, a cool-down and stretching.
  • Aqua cycling Pedaling a stationary bike frame set under water, with the upper body above the surface.
  • Aqua jogging Running in place in a pool's deep end with a flotation belt on.
  • Boot camp Group training, often outdoors: running, push-ups, squats and intervals, loosely on a military model.
  • Boxing fitness A boxer’s training drills: hitting a heavy bag, shadowboxing, skipping rope and calisthenics.
  • Circuit training A round of set exercises with little rest between them; finish the round, then start again.
  • Deep-water aerobics Exercise while suspended in water too deep for the feet to touch the bottom.
  • High-intensity interval training Short bursts at or near full effort, each followed by a brief rest or easy spell.
  • Hooping Dance and tricks with a hoop larger and heavier than the toy, spun on more than the waist.
  • Indoor cycling A ride on stationary bikes: the instructor leads sprints and climbs, often to music.
  • Indoor rowing Work on rowing machines, which copy the action of rowing a boat.
  • Jump rope Jumping in rhythm as a rope swings over the head and under the feet.
  • Nordic walking Total-body walking with specially designed poles, similar to ski poles.
  • Plyometrics Jump training: moves in which the muscles give maximum force in a short interval.
  • Rebounding Low-impact exercise on a rebounder, a small trampoline that is not built for stunts.
  • Step aerobics Stepping on and off a small platform in a learned sequence, to music of a medium tempo.
  • Water aerobics Aerobic exercise done upright in waist-deep or deeper water, to music, for about an hour.

Strength 7

  • Barre Repeated moves at a ballet barre, drawn from ballet and contemporary dance, with light weights.
  • Calisthenics Strength work that uses your own body weight as resistance, with little or no equipment.
  • Functional training Exercise that trains the body for the activities of daily life.
  • Kettlebell Swings, snatches and cleans with a ball-shaped iron weight that has a handle on top.
  • Pilates Mind-body exercise: mat work for stretching, strength and alignment, or work on an apparatus.
  • Resistance band training Strength training against the pull of elastic bands.
  • Weight training Lifting weights to build physical strength, often alongside bodyweight exercises.

Mind and body 4

  • Qigong Coordinated body posture, movement, breathing and meditation.
  • Stretching Muscles are deliberately lengthened to work on flexibility and range of motion.
  • Tai chi Set sequences called forms, mostly done with soft motions that flow.
  • Yoga Poses, often joined in flowing sequences, that frequently end with relaxation lying down.

Dance 6

  • Ballroom dance Partner dances, learned for social dancing or for competition.
  • Belly dance A Middle Eastern dance built on movements of the hips and torso.
  • Hip-hop dance Street dance styles performed mainly to hip-hop music.
  • Line dance A repeating sequence of steps danced in rows, all facing the same way, with no contact.
  • Salsa Latin American dance to salsa music, usually with a partner, with some solo footwork.
  • Tap dance Dance in which tap shoes striking the floor make the rhythm.

In the water 1

  • Masters swimming Club swimming for adults, with lanes that run from fast racers to recent beginners.

How it works

A gym timetable is a wall of names, and many are one company’s brand. This list uses the plain ones, from indoor cycling and step aerobics to barre, tai chi and water aerobics.

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Your own pace or one routine

In indoor cycling each rider sets the resistance on their own bike, so one room holds people working at different levels. A step or line dance class teaches a sequence that the whole room does together.

Studio, park or pool

Boot camps are sometimes held outdoors in parks. Water aerobics is done mostly upright, without swimming, in waist-deep or deeper water. Aqua jogging moves to the deep end, with a flotation belt.

  • Class names change from gym to gym. Ask what a session holds before you book.
  • A masters swimming club may ask a new member to swim one length of the pool, or a kilometre without stopping.

Questions and answers

What are the different types of fitness classes?

This list sorts 35 into five kinds: cardio such as indoor cycling and step, strength such as kettlebell and circuit training, mind and body such as yoga and tai chi, dance, and classes in the water.

What fitness class should a beginner take?

Look for a class sold by level. Wikipedia notes that formal aerobics classes are divided into levels of intensity and complexity, and that most instructors offer options for different levels while teaching a routine.

What is the difference between HIIT and circuit training?

High-intensity interval training alternates short bursts at or near full effort with brief recovery. Circuit training is a round of set exercises done one after another with little rest, then repeated.

What is a barre class?

A group class at a ballet barre. Wikipedia describes repeated sequences that work one muscle group at a time, with moves from ballet and contemporary dance and light hand weights.

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