Three gym classes you should try to help improve your fitness

Whether it’s going out for a run or following a workout video at home, it can often be hard to motivate ourselves to exercise. If you’ve had a busy day at work, often it feels like exercising is the last thing you want to do in your spare time. Even when you do start exercising, it can be just as easy to give up mid-workout when you start feeling the burn. That’s why many people choose group fitness classes to help motivate themselves to exercise. Not only do you have a real-life instructor at the front of the class shouting motivating messages at you, having people around you is also a great way of making yourself believe you can carry on. If you’ve never attempted a group gym class before, here are three that you should try to help improve your motivation and fitness:

Spinning

A spinning class is a great way of improving your fitness. If you’ve never heard of it before, it’s basically like an indoor cycling group where you’re pushed to your limits. Everybody sits on a stationary bike and then follows the instructor through bursts of intense cycling. It’s a great way of losing weight, as each class is said to burn anywhere from 400 to 650 calories in an hour. It’s also a great form of cardio, making your heart healthier while also increasing muscle definition.

Just like with any exercise, it’s important to make sure you stretch well before and after any spin class. Once the spin class has ended, you might be tempted to jump straight in your car and go home and shower but it’s important to complete stretches after spin class to protect your muscles, increase your flexibility and help your body recover from the intense workout. While it feels like your legs are doing most of the work during the class, it’s important that you stretch all of your muscles before going home.

Zumba

If you’re looking for a fun way of losing weight, then you should definitely give Zumba a try. Unlike most fitness classes, Zumba was developed by a dancer and choreographer rather than a fitness expert. It’s basically a very high speed, high-intensity dance class. You’ll complete a number of moves inspired by traditional dances like salsa, samba, and even tango, in a short amount of time. Not only will the Latin and hip-hop inspired music help motivate you, but the fun of dancing with the rest of your group will help spur you on even when you feel exhausted.

CrossFit

Just like Zumba, CrossFit is a very modern way of exercising. The company was founded in 2000 and has only found real global fame in the last few years. The classes use interval training to help work a number of different muscles each session. It can involve anything from squats and jumps to lifting, or even pulling, weights. Just like the other classes, the high-intensity instructions from the instructor mean you’ll burn a lot of calories from just one session.