10 Benefits of Water Aerobics

If you’ve clicked on this article, it probably means you’re considering water aerobics for your next water workout. There are many benefits of water aerobics and we don’t think you’ll take much convincing, but here are 10 to nudge you in the right direction!

1 | Low Impact

Arguably the biggest selling point of water aerobics is that it is low impact. 

Traditional workouts fight against gravity, which can be hard on your body; working against gravity as we move through our day-to-day lives is already difficult enough without the added resistance of a barbell or a treadmill on an incline. 

Moving a workout into the pool reduces gravity’s power in this equation, creating less resistance and making you feel weightless. As a result, you get an excellent workout (advanced water aerobics is certainly as tough as any other workout on land), but the risk of falling down and creating new injuries is greatly reduced. 

2 | Great Form of Cardio

Water aerobics is, naturally, an aerobic exercise, which means it’s a fantastic form of a cardio workout. Aerobics are characterized by manipulating movement to increase your heart rate. The higher your heart rate, the faster you breathe.

When we do aerobic exercise often, our ability to use oxygen becomes more and more efficient, resulting in more energy and the ability to work out for longer periods of time. Cardio in general has its own myriad of health benefits, such as appetite control, better sleep, and managing high blood pressure. 

3 | Improves Strength 

You may be surprised to hear that you can still build strength by doing water aerobics, even without the added weight of gravity to drive your resistance. Just like with any other type of workout, you have the power to influence the affects a workout has on your body. You can veer towards a cardio-centric workout, or you can choose to focus on strength and muscle development. There are aqua aerobics exercises for every part of the body. 

We actually have an entire article dedicated to strength-building moves if you’d like to see the type of work you might be in for at your first water aerobics class!

4 | Supports Mobility

Another great benefit of water aerobics is that it supports your mobility. 

At the end of the day, what drives our love of fitness is the ability to help people move better through their daily lives, and water aerobics does just that. As you build strength in the water, you will gain (or in some cases regain), the ability to perform certain movements. Some are as simple as sitting down, while others are as complicated as jumping jacks. 

When we exit the pool, we carry the benefits of our workout with us. That’s why water aerobics is great on its own as well as being a tool that can help people build enough strength to begin working out above water on the gym floor (if that’s their goal).

5 | Reduces Stress

One of our favorite benefits of water aerobics is that it reduces stress! 

Like any form of exercise, aquatic exercise including water aerobics releases endorphins, the hormones responsible for dealing with stress and pain and leave you feeling good, so you can rest assured that you’ll leave your pool exercise feeling even better, both physically and mentally, than when you walked into it. Group classes are also a fun way to connect with others, which can also provide a source of reduced stress. 

6 | Relieves Joint Pain

Working out on land is tough on weight-bearing joints—the primary ones being the knees, hips, and ankles. If this type of pain sounds familiar to you, heading into warm water will allow you to strengthen your body while relieving the usual pressure on those joints. 

7 | Burns Calories

While weight loss might not be on your list of fitness goals, water aerobics certainly gets your body moving, burning calories along the way. 

8 | Improves Balance and Coordination 

Sometimes, movements as simple as lifting our groceries from the trunk of the car into the house can cause pain. This can be especially risky with the hard ground beneath you to stop your fall. 

In order to get through the day in a way that allows you to not have to worry about falling-related injuries, working on your balance and coordination is so necessary. Fortunately, water aerobics can help you strengthen the core muscles necessary for balance and helps you gain better coordination. 

9 | Boosts Confidence

Another important benefit of water aerobics is that it boosts your confidence. When we lose our ability to perform day-to-day functions, like walking without pain or bending down to tie our shoes, for example, we can lose confidence in ourselves. Water aerobics can help to regain confidence, which is just as valuable as any physical benefit. 

10 | Accessibility 

Last but certainly not least is accessibility. Water aerobics is available to people of all ages, sizes, backgrounds, and abilities. It’s a healthy, safe environment to work out in, and it’s hard to go wrong with a great fitness class in the pool. 

Just like with any other form of exercise, please make sure to ask your doctor before getting in the water, and if you’re new to water exercise, make sure you start out under the supervision of an instructor. If you’re with us at one of our 30 Chuze facilities, our Aqua Fit class is a great place to begin!

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8 Water Aerobics Exercises to Try Today

Water aerobics is a fun way to build strength, endurance, and mobility while reducing the amount of stress on your joints and the gravity-fueled risks of working out on the gym floor. 

If you’ve ever found yourself eyeing pool-goers at the gym, it might be time for you to get in the water and give it a try. If you’ve already done a water aerobics class or two and you’d like to do some extra work on your own, here are 8 water aerobics exercises to try today!

Before we get to the good part, we need to note that you should only do water aerobics with permission from your doctor and under the supervision of an instructor if you aren’t completely confident in your ability to move into, through, and out of the water safely. Additionally, all of the activities listed below should be done in a pool that is deep enough to submerge the length of your body up to at least shoulder height. 

Walking + Jogging 

This first water aerobic exercise is exactly what you’d think—you’re just going to walk in place on the pool floor, lifting your knees as high as you’re comfortable. Once you’ve got walking down, you can take things up a notch with some jogging, which, we admit, may look more like bouncing up and down—but we promise it’s a whole lot of fun.

Leg Lifts

Next are leg lifts, which will fire up your core and legs, promoting improved balance.

Use the side of your pool for balance support by reaching for the deck or by grasping the gutter.  Root one foot into the pool floor and carefully lift the other leg in front of you. Once you’ve lifted the leg as high as you comfortably can, lower it back down to the ground. Now repeat the movement, but this time lifting your leg out towards the direction of the knife-edge side of your foot.  When you no longer can lift your leg higher, bring it back down. Now, try to lift your leg up and out behind you (it doesn’t have to come very high off the ground) and then place it back down. 

Finally, turn around so your body faces the other direction, use the hand closest to the pool wall for balance support, and repeat on the other side. Eventually, you can try this movement without the support of the side of the pool at all. 

High Knee Lift Extensions 

Similar to the previous water workout, begin by holding the pool’s edge, working away from it as you build strength and balance. 

Root the foot closest on the same side as your balancing hand into the pool floor, then raise the opposing knee until it is bent at a 90-degree angle with your thigh parallel to the floor. Hold this position for a moment and then begin extending your leg straight out in front of you. Straighten your leg as far as it can before bending it again and bring it back down to the ground. Then turn around to switch your balancing hand (if you’re holding onto the pool) and repeat on the other side. 

Arm Curls 

Arm curls in the water are just like arm curls on land, but underwater. Consider using water weights for an added challenge. All you have to do is extend out and hold your arms in front of you with your palms facing the sky. Curl your arms in towards your body until your arms are fully bent, or your palms touch your shoulders, then uncurl your arms and release them back down. Repeat until you feel your muscles fatigue.  

Arm Raises

To perform arm raises, start with your arms extended straight out to your sides at shoulder level, palms facing up. Lift one arm toward the ceiling until it creates a 90-degree angle with the other arm. Repeat on the other side, and then continue until you feel your muscles fatigue. 

Flutter Kicks

Flutter kicking is a fantastic way to increase your heart rate and improve your cardiovascular fitness. We recommend using a kickboard, but if you’re a confident swimmer, you can replace this with a traditional lap swim. 

To do flutter kicks, hold the kickboard out in front of you, putting your weight onto it for support. Launch off the ground and flutter your feet in small kicks to propel you across the water. Do as many laps as you see fit.

Jumping Jacks

Taking jumping jacks into the pool provides the same benefits as on-ground jumping jacks (cardio, balance, strength), but the water minimizes impact, making them much softer on the body. 

Stand with your feet together and arms out to the side. Jump your feet out while bringing your hands out and over your head to touch (or get close to touching). Jump your feet back together while simultaneously bringing your arms back down to the surface of the water. Repeat from there!

Standing Push-Ups

Our final pool exercise, standing push-ups, are the low-impact version of a traditional pushup. 

Face the pool wall, gripping the side of the deck or gutter gently at slightly more than shoulder-width distance apart. You should stand about the same length of your extended arms reaching the wall; if you need more weight resistance and are looking for more of a challenge, move your feet farther away. Similarly, if you need less resistance, move closer to the wall. 

Now, bend your elbows so your chest moves toward the wall. When your elbows are bent at 90-degree angles, press back up. Looking to try some water exercise classes? Water aerobics is a fun, approachable, accessible way to get a great workout, and the pools at our 30+ locations are just calling your name, waiting for you to jump in and give it a try!

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Smith Machine Workouts for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know

So you’ve decided to move towards the weight room at the gym. Congrats! Let’s start getting you familiarized with weights using the Smith machine. This functional piece of equipment targets areas all over the body, so here are some beginner full-body smith machine workouts! 

1 | Modified Squat

Squatting is one of the most efficient exercises you can do, especially for the lower body. The modified smith machine squat is a way to start familiarizing yourself with having weight on your back and shoulders. 

What you’ll need to do is adjust the bar to sit at shoulder height. Don’t worry about adding any weight—just use the bar by itself. Put the bar on your trapezius muscles (the ones on either side of the neck) and hold it there with your hands. Place your feet hip-width distance apart, ever-so-slightly in front of your shoulders to accommodate for the straight vertical movement of the bar. While putting most of your weight in your heels and keeping your chest up, bend your knees until your thighs and shins create a 90-degree angle (you can place a box or chair under your butt at that angle so you know where to stop), making sure that your knees don’t extend out farther than your feet or wobble to the left or right. Then, using all of the muscles in your legs (and not your back!) stand back up and do it again. Here is an example of what the form should look like. 

Squatting on a Smith machine requires very different form than squatting with free weights because free weights require more core stabilization. If you decide to make the transition from a Smith to free weights, make sure you consult a fitness professional or team member at your gym (our team is always happy to answer questions like these) beforehand to make sure your form is correct and you’re moving weight safely. 

Repetitions: 12

2 | Modified Push-Up

Working towards the perfect floor push-up is one of the best exercises for the upper body using  the Smith machine. Push-ups work your chest, shoulders, triceps, abs, and the serratus anterior muscles.

Put your arms out straight from your shoulders and retract them: that is what the bottom of your push up should like (here’s a great example of the form, which can be easily adapted on a Smith). Start the exercise by raising the bar just below shoulder height. Grab the bar a little farther than shoulder-distance apart, step your feet away from the bar at whatever angle feels comfortable, and bend and extend your arms while keeping your head in a neutral position (don’t let it hang down but don’t look straight up). 

While you may barely be leaning forward at all when you start, over time, you can lower the bar and step farther away from it until you’re completely horizontal. This method is also better for your wrists than doing push-ups on the ground! 

Repetitions: 10

3 | Hip Thrusts

Hip thrusts target glutes, core muscles, hamstrings, obliques, and hip flexors. This is one of those ultimate butt exercises that is guaranteed to create strength and lift. 

Hip thrusts on a Smith will require a box or bench behind you. Sit on the floor with the barbell in your hip crease, right where your lower body meets your torso. Put your shoulder blades against the bench or box behind you. Using mostly your glutes and hamstrings, thrust your hips to the sky while maintaining their position; keep the feet and knees pointing straight forward and don’t let them move anywhere. Make sure your back remains perfectly flat throughout; you should be rocking back onto the box or bench behind you.

If it feels too easy with just the bar, add weight to the barbell. Start with 10lbs on each side and work up from there. 

Repetitions: 12

4 | Modified Inverted Row

A perfect inverted row is the gateway pull-ups and, to nobody’s surprise, is extremely difficult (this is what it looks like). Having a Smith machine to work your way towards it is the absolute best way to get there. 

To start easy, set the bar at or just below shoulder level. Grab the bar a little farther than shoulder-width distance apart. Walk your feet out to the other side of the bar so you’re leaning back and holding your body up with your grip on the bar. Now, all you do is pull your body up towards the bar while maintaining a perfectly-stiff body until your chest taps it. Then, slowly release back down and repeat. 

Over time, you can move the bar lower and lower while inching your feet out farther and farther. Eventually, your arms should extend straight down and your body straight out. 

Reps: 10

5 | Weighted Calf Raises

A lot of people tend to overlook their calves, and we just can’t have that in this full-body strength training!

Calf raises are relatively simple: put the bar on your shoulders in the same position you did in the squat. Place your feet hip-width distance apart. Rise onto your toes, keeping the weight toward your big toe to maintain alignment in your ankles. 

If you’re feeling a little extreme, place a weight or a top step under the balls of your feet, like this pro does. 

Repetitions: 8

Now, once you’ve done one round, repeat it at least two more times. You’ll want to do 3-5 rounds of this to really get your body working through this Smith machine workout routine for beginners. 

If you are new to the gym and would like to start weightlifting, we recommend the smith machine for beginners. Stop in at any of our locations, say hello, and don’t be afraid to ask questions—we are here to help. 

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How to Do Smith Machine Squats: A Helpful Guide

The Smith machine is an excellent piece of equipment on which to try a bunch of different strength workouts. Amongst these is the squat. Today, we want to go over how to do Smith machine squats. So, let’s get into that now.

How To Do Smith Machine Squats

Smith machine squats are great if you are working out alone without a spotter, or are learning how to squat with weight across your back. 

1 | Adjust the bar

When starting with Smith machine squats, you will want to make sure that the bar is at your shoulder height. You will want the bar to be high enough that it lays at your shoulders, but low enough that you can slightly lift it to “unlock” the bar. 

2| Add Weight

If you are new to Smith machine squats, we recommend starting small. If you are used to using a squat rack or have not squatted before, you will need to get used to doing this workout with proper form. So, load the bar equally on each side with a small amount of weight, lock it on, and see how it feels. 

3| Place the Pad

Having a bar lay across your back can make your trapezius uncomfortable at first. Locate the nearest bar pad and wrap it around the center of the bar where your neck will be. 

4 | Get into position

Stand in such a way that the bar is lying across your shoulders and lightly resting on the back of your neck. Place your hands wide on the bar, and, take your legs hip-distance apart, and point both of your feet forward as if they are mirror images of one another to finish your stance. You will play with this as you learn, and adjust to your most comfortable starting position. 

5| Squat 

Now is the fun part. Engage your core, sit back on your heels, and begin to squat down. You want to make sure that you are pushing your glutes back and keeping a firm stance. Come down to 90-degrees, ensuring that your knees don’t go over your toes. When you go down to 90-degrees (or as far as you can make it), keep a strong core and push back up into the starting position. Then repeat 10-15 times. 

Mistakes to Avoid

1| Forgetting to lock the weight back into place

One of the main benefits of using the Smith machine for squats is that you can lock the weight back in at any time. So, if you are coming to the gym alone and don’t have a spotter, it’s a great way to be able to work on those glutes. However, you must remember to lock the bar at the end of your set or when you need a rest. If not, the bar will still fall. So, before you begin your first squat, get comfortable with the locking and unlocking of the bar, and then remember to do so when you are finished! 

2| Misaligning feet

If one foot is forward and the other is back, or if one foot jets out to the side and the other is straight forward, you will be susceptible to injury. So, as always, be very mindful of form. Make sure that your feet are aligned in a strong stance to lay the foundation for a perfect squat. 

3 | Not Paying Attention to Form

If you are learning to squat in a Smith machine and hope to take that knowledge over to your other squat workouts, you need to have proper form. Proper form is essential in every single workout to avoid injury. Take the time to make sure that your body is aligned correctly, that you are engaging your core when you do your squat, and that nothing feels “off.” If you feel like something doesn’t feel right, stop. Readjust. Ask for help. Look up advice. Our greatest hope is that you get through all of your workouts injury-free and with beautiful form. 

Remember when taking your squats off of the Smith machine and doing them in any other way that the form will be different. We must always remind ourselves to correct our form for the specific workout at hand, whether that be a Smith machine squat, bodyweight squat, or a free weight squat.

We have Smith machines at all of our locations. So, stop by and give this fantastic workout a try. We cannot wait to meet you!

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What is a Smith Machine?

Weight training is arguably the best form of exercise. Building muscle improves your metabolism, protects you from injury in daily life, supports good posture, and maintains bone density. It can even enhance your mood and provide a fun, efficient method of weight loss that doesn’t require staring into space on a treadmill for hours on end. 

Getting Started At The Gym

Getting started, however, can be a bit intimidating. Weight rooms don’t always appear to be the most welcoming places in the world, even when they are. Walking into one for the first time and not knowing about the equipment can make it look like a strange factory on another planet. 

Fortunately, there’s an easy fix for this. Becoming knowledgeable about fitness equipment, learning to use proper form, and going into the gym with a plan will make jumping into that room and building your strength feel like no big deal. 

Creating space for yourself in the gym is a mental hurdle that will change your life for the better. One way to inch away from cardio and towards weights is by trying out the weight machines your gym provides!

Today, we’ll be talking about the Smith machine – a dynamic tool that will get you started and hopefully act as a gateway to the big, beautiful world of weights! 

What Are Smith Machines?

Unlike a regular bench press, smith machines have a barbell that is fixed onto rails so that it can only move straight up and down (though some are slightly angled). The rails have slots where you can hook the barbell. The slots allow you to set the bar at a wide range of heights and stop the downward movement whenever you feel the need to take a break. Smith machines are located near a weight rack so that you can easily add plates and adjust the weight throughout your workout.

What Is A Smith Machine Good For?

They Introduce You To Weight Lifting and Strength Training

You can use Smith machines as an introduction to the big lifts, which include squats, deadlifts, bench press, barbell row, and overhead press. These are the most powerful lifts in your arsenal because they’re compound lifts, meaning they force you to engage the most muscles and get the most bang for your buck. The “big 5” serve as a perfect foundation for your lifting journey.

Using a Smith machine to start working on strengthening these muscle groups comes with a caveat. You absolutely must practice with correct form. Ask the team at your gym for tips, or check out some YouTube videos. Because of their fixed path, the form used on Smith machines is specific to Smith machines, and you should consult a team member, fitness professional, or revisit YouTube if you decide to take these lifts to the free weights, which require a lot more core stabilization. 

Not taking the time to understand the difference in form with different pieces of gym equipment can lead to injury but—like we said—there are plenty of people and tools out there to show you the way!

They’re Super Adaptable

Smiths can enable you to target muscles all over the body. That means you don’t have to waste any time moving equipment (some of which is probably already occupied), setting up a circuit with a variety of weights. Like almost anything in the gym, they can be used to do a whole lot more than you’d think. 

Safety

When you’re performing these lifts, having the slots to rest your barbell on is amazing for self-spotting. That way, you don’t have to walk up to a stranger and ask them to stand over you to perform a lift safely. If you can’t pick the weight up, you can shift it onto the closest slot, leave it right where it is, and get out of the way to reset. 

Getting Into The Small Muscles

Because the barbell is on a fixed path, Smith machines also provide a perfect tool for movements that don’t require a huge range of motion. That means that these exercises are almost exactly the same on Smiths as they are using any other type of weight. Examples of this include shoulder shrugs and weighted calf raises.

Smith Machines Allow For Modification

They’re perfect for working toward inverted rows, which is the gateway to a pull-up. They’re also awesome when working on push-ups; you can start them up high at an angle and work your way down until you’re horizontal (plus, doing push-ups on a bar is much easier on your wrists than they are on the floor). 

When walking into the gym to try out the Smith machine for the first time, think back to this article and remember: space in the gym belongs to you just as much as it does to anyone else. 

So stop by any of our locations, throw those headphones in, know that nobody is paying attention to you, and have fun!

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What Muscles Does Cardio Kickboxing Work?

Cardio kickboxing is one of the best aerobic workouts that you can try. It offers physical and mental benefits and is a fun addition to a cardio workout. But, what muscles does it work, exactly? We want to cover which muscles you will work in a Cardio Kickboxing class. Let’s get into that now. 

Full-Body Workout

One of the major benefits of cardio kickboxing is that it is a full-body workout routine. In this class, your instructor will lead you through exercises that work your upper body, lower body, and core muscle groups, all for a well-rounded workout. This is simple to do, because the mechanics of a punch or kick, when done properly, force you to engage your core, twist your body, and use your legs and glutes for extra power—even in a punch. 

Upper Body

Shoulders

When kickboxing comes to mind, jabs, uppercuts, and hooks might be the first exercises we think of. You may be interested in these classes to punch and kick out stress, and these punches are where our upper bodies do the work. When you stand guard in a kickboxing stance, your hands should be out in front of your face to protect it, with your elbows tucked in towards your body at a 90-degree angle. This simple movement targets your shoulders and delts. From here, your punches have a strong foundation. When you start, your shoulders might get very tired in this position. That’s because, in our everyday lives, we do not hold our arms high in front of our faces. But, over time, you will gain endurance in these muscles, allowing you to punch harder and workout more efficiently.

Arms

From there, your arms will deliver your punches. And, while it may seem like they are bringing the force of the punch, that actually comes from your lower body—which we will get into in a moment. Because of that lower-body function, your arms just need to facilitate the punching movement. You will build muscles and endurance in your biceps and triceps.

Chest

Because you are activating your shoulder and arm muscles to pack the perfect punch, your chest muscles will also engage. Contrary to popular belief, a lot of the power coming through your arms will stem from your chest muscles.

Core Muscles 

Abs

Every single punch and kick will target your abs as well. To hold proper form as you push through your lower body and glutes to twist and punch, your abs will need to engage. By engaging, your abs help you to keep your body aligned throughout your movements, and you are going to feel the burn as you go through the kickboxing workout. 

Back

Core muscles are usually associated just with the abs. Probably because we have been taught that 200 crunches a day will give us a 6-pack for summer. But, your core includes all of the muscles in your trunk. That means that your back is a part of your core. Similarly to your abdomen, your back muscles will need to be active and engaged for you to throw the most powerful punch, or kick your best kicks.

Lower Body

Glutes

Without further adieu, let’s talk lower body. In class, you will learn how to stand correctly during a punch and kick. This stance consists of keeping your feet at about hips distance apart, and your legs slightly bent. Because you will be in this position for your entire workout, your glute muscles will be building up.  But, beyond that, front kicks, back kicks, roundhouse kicks, sidekicks, and the like will all activate your glute muscles. So, drop the squats and come on in to give this exciting workout a try!

Hips

Your hips are an essential component of kickboxing. Each punch and kick will require you to twist your body so that your lower body, legs, core, and arms deliver the maximum power. Because of that, your hips will be working overtime. They keep you balanced and make you a more skilled boxer overall. 

Legs

Finally, with every movement, your legs will be doing work. That’s right, even during punches. This is because your twist starts all of the way down at your feet. For example, let’s say you are going to do a jab. You will start in the guard stance, pull your arm back while twisting your foot, and then turn your foot back into the starting position while using the power from your core and arms to land the punch. Similarly, your quads, calves, and other leg muscles will be used for every single kick you do as well. 

If you would like to punch and kick your way to fitness, join us in a Cardio Kickboxing class. You can find the class closest to you by checking out our schedules online. We offer group exercise at all of our locations. So, stop in and say hello! 

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5 Low-Impact Exercises for Seniors

Finding a low-impact routine that is good for your mind, body, and soul is important as you age. According to NHS (National Health Service United Kingdom), adults over 65 should aim to be physically active every day, and focus on strength, balance, and flexibility. But, with many workouts having a lot of impact on your joints, it is essential to fill your routine with low-impact and effective workouts. Today, we want to highlight a few of our favorite low-impact exercises for seniors.

1 | Swimming

Water exercises of all sorts are fantastic for seniors. Swimming allows for a full-body, calorie-burning, low-impact cardio activity for seniors that is gentle on joints to help steer away from any joint pain, improve strength, and is a fun way to stay active. Whether you have been swimming since you were a child, or are wanting to start today, it is fun to learn new ways to lap swim, use new muscles, and try something new. 

2 | Cycling

Similar to swimming, cycling is something many of us start when we are young. Hopping on a bike could lead to some great nostalgic memories and help make your workout something you look forward to. But, what’s even better is that there are several types of indoor and outdoor bikes for seniors to use. The traditional indoor bike requires riders to hold themselves upright and lean forward to grab the armrests. That can cause a lot of strain on your lower back and body if you become injured or are a senior. But, many gyms also have recumbent bikes. These recumbent bikes have seats that assist you in sitting up straight and still give the wonderful benefits of cycling. 

3 | Walking

Many moons ago, walking was how we got around. There were no planes, trains, and automobiles, and our ability to walk upright is one of those things that makes us, us. Walking is one of the best low-impact cardio exercises for seniors. The cardiovascular exercise benefits help to improve heart health, boost mental health, allow time for introspection and is a way for seniors to be social. What’s better? Everyone has access to somewhere to walk. Whether you step around your home, your neighborhood, your gym, or wherever you can, it is free to get started and a great way to boost your fitness levels. 

4 | Water Aerobics

Swimming laps not your thing? You can still splash around and experience the low-impact benefits of being in the water without swimming. Water aerobics allows you to enhance your heart health, strength training, and mobility in water aerobics exercise classes. But, the benefits of a small group class like this reach far beyond the physical health benefits. Water aerobics allows you to get to know more people in your community. What’s better than building strength and friendships all at once? Plus, you will have an instructor right alongside you to guide you through the workout and make sure that you are pushing yourselves at your own fitness level. 

5 | Group Exercise

But, there are group exercise benefits for seniors out of the water as well. You can hop into a class in your gym’s Group X room. Your gym may offer Silver Sneakers, which will help reduce the burden of paying for your gym membership and sometimes includes specialized classes. Or, like us, they may offer their very own classes as well. At Chuze, we have Chuze Gold, which provides a fantastic low-impact workout for seniors. In this class, our instructors help you stretch, build strength, stability, and even low-impact cardio for seniors, all surrounded by like-minded individuals working towards the same goals as you. Our Chuze Gold instructor, Mark Darwell, says, 

“Strength is vital to maintaining stability, flexibility, and anatomical positioning. When these aspects are compromised, all sorts of muscular imbalances can develop, making life more difficult. It becomes challenging to overcome, and many end up in the medical hamster wheel, becoming more and more imbalanced. This class will help to prevent this from happening and slow down the degeneration process.”

If you are a senior looking to start or add to your low-impact workout routine, we would love to have you in our gyms. We have equipment for low-impact workouts at all of our locations. Stop by, say hello, and ask questions. We are here to help you and cannot wait to be a part of your health and fitness journey. 

If you are new to working out or want to see which workout is best for you, contact your physician for advice.

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7 Benefits of Interval Training 

Interval training is an adaptable and effective workout training method that has many benefits. 

First, you might be asking, “What is interval training?” 

Basically, it is a framework for fitness training that is characterized by alternating between intense periods of exercise and lower intensity, relaxed recovery periods. And if you’re wondering who can benefit from interval training, because it is such an adaptable form of training, most people can. No matter your fitness goals, you can most likely achieve an efficient interval workout by adopting this structure. 

Today we’re diving into seven benefits of interval training. 

1| Keeps You Engaged 

Did you know that the human mind has an attention span of, on average, only eight seconds? This may or may not surprise you, but this is why we often are easily distracted and feel pulled in multiple directions. That’s why it’s easy to get bored or lose attention when we spend a prolonged amount of time on one thing. This can lead to unenjoyment, dissatisfaction, and injury in the gym. We can burn out and lose passion and sight of our goals. 

A benefit of interval training is that it caters to a shorter attention span. When you’re alternating between various exercises that only last a few seconds or minutes, you can keep your eye on the prize, put in the hard work, and prevent burnout. 

2 | Prevents Injury 

When we aren’t paying attention, we aren’t keeping safety and proper form in mind. Maintaining proper form often requires a lot of focus, which is why intervals are useful. We can more easily give 100% of our attention to an exercise for a shorter amount of time, allowing us to keep our form in mind and prevent injury. 

3 | Improves Anaerobic Ability 

Pushing ourselves in short spurts at a high exercise intensity requires anaerobic exercise (or close to anaerobic exercise). When we push our body out of its resting state, we need to deliver more oxygen throughout the body. In order to supply more oxygen, we must inhale more air and our hearts must pump blood at a faster rate. Anaerobic literally translates to “without air,” and the short spurts of high-intensity continuous exercise that interval training incorporates results in anaerobic exercise. Anaerobic exercise has many benefits, including boosting your metabolism, fighting depression, increasing your bone strength, and more. 

4 | Increases Efficiency

Interval training allows you to burn a lot of energy in a short amount of time. Speeding up your heart rate requires much more energy than, lets say, walking at a comfortable pace. Additionally, the short periods of rest between intervals allows your heart rate to slow down again and rest for a short moment. Once you jump into your next interval, your body is required to work extra hard to bring your heart back up to an anaerobic state. So, rather than maintaining an anaerobic state, your heart goes from resting speed to high speed numerous times. When you expend energy, you burn calories, which is great if weight loss is one of your fitness goals. At the end of the day, you can achieve a hard interval session in a shorter amount of time because intense intervals require more energy. 

5 | Requires Little-To-No Equipment 

Since interval training can be baked into most exercises, you can build out a plan that is low-equipment or even equipment-free. While you can always throw an exercise machine into the mix, bodyweight is still going to work as a form of resistance to get your body moving. 

6 | Open To All Levels And Abilities. 

Interval training is an extremely inclusive workout structure; open to all skill and experience levels, interval training can adapt to your needs. Even if you’re pushing yourself at a 5% RPE, as long as you’re doing an exercise that slightly pushes your comfort for a short period of time, followed by a resting period, and then picked up again, you’re incorporating interval training into your workout! However, because interval training typically increases your heart rate, consult your doctor or a fitness professional for guidance if you are unsure if interval training is right for you. 

7 | Can Be Done Anywhere.

Interval training can be done from any space. From weighted arm lifts holding a wine bottle at your kitchen table to doing bench presses at a gym, we beg to ask the question: where can’t you do muscle building and calorie-burning interval training? 

If you’re looking for a comfortable, clean, and safe space devoted to fitness, then we recommend coming into your nearest Chuze Fitness. Our space has professional fitness machinery that can help you safely and efficiently accomplish your goals.

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What is Interval Training?

When it comes to fitness, or honestly any activity, it can be difficult to remain fully attentive and focused the entire time. According to research, human attention spans are shrinking. One study from Microsoft even claims that our attention span, on average, lasts only eight seconds. So, it makes sense that you might like to switch things up throughout your gym sesh; we get bored easily, and that’s a fact. 

Today we’re talking about interval training, the answer to your fitness training fatigue. Interval training is an exercise method that involves a series of short and intense exercise spurts with periods of rest in between. Typically, these high intensity intervals activate anaerobic exercise, meaning they get your heart pumping fast. Alternatively, the periods of rest in between are for recovery and lowering your heart rate. 

In interval training, the length of periods of work and rest depend entirely on the type of HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workout you’re doing. Some, like EMOM workouts, are on minute-long intervals and feel super intense; others, like Fartlek training, are intuitive and don’t rely on a timer at all. Interval training encompasses a broad range of training styles, so there’s lots of room to find what works for you. 

The Benefits Of Interval Training

Interval training has a plethora of benefits. From maintaining engagement to preventing injury, to improving anaerobic ability, to speeding up the time it takes to accomplish your workout goals, the list goes on and on.   

Since interval training is an exercise structure, the benefits also vary depending on the exercises you perform. Interval training is adaptable and takes the shape of your needs and fitness abilities. 

When To Do Interval Training

The great thing about interval training is that you can do it throughout your entire workout. 

As with all workouts, warm-ups should be first on the agenda. When you jump into an intense interval session without warming up your body, you risk pulling muscles and injuring yourself. However, you can even incorporate interval training into your warmups as long as you are gentle with your body and do not push into overdrive from the get-go (we do not recommend warming up with intervals if you are unfamiliar with exercising and do not yet understand your body’s limits).

One thing that is useful to have when doing an interval training workout is a watch or a timer to keep track of the amount of time you spend on an exercise. Counting in your head can be distracting and difficult, and simply guessing could lead to overuse and makes tracking your progress challenging. 

Interval Training Warm Up Examples:

Running

Running is an excellent way to get your body warmed up and ready to go at the start of your workout. Begin jogging at an easy pace. When you feel your body becoming more comfortable and your heart rate beginning to increase, push yourself to 50% rate of perceived exertion (RPE) for 30 seconds, then slow down again. Continue for a few intervals, and then push yourself to 75% RPE. Since you’re warming up, do not push yourself beyond what is manageable. 

Swimming

Swimming is a low-impact exercise that benefits your entire body. As with all warm-ups, you’ll want to begin at an easy and comfortable pace. Do not push yourself immediately since your body hasn’t had the chance to warm up. Once you feel your body beginning to warm up and your heart rate has increased above a resting state, you’re ready to begin a few intervals. Begin pushing yourself at 50% RPE for 30 seconds, then come off and return to your original pace. Continue this until you feel ready to increase to 75% RPE at 30 second intervals. 

Biking

Biking is also an awesome way to get your body warmed up without the impact that running, for example, has on your knees and hips. Hop on the bike machine at your local Chuze or take the real thing to the streets! It is important to note, though, that if you take your bike out for a ride, you won’t have as much resistance control because you can’t control the terrain. By now you’re probably onto the pattern, but just like running and swimming, begin at an easy pace that doesn’t push your body too hard. Once you feel your heart rate rising and your body warming slightly, crank the resistance up (on a bike machine) or pedal faster and find a slight incline to climb up on the road and push yourself for a short 30-second interval at 50% RPE. Do this a few times until you feel ready to go harder, and on your next interval, push yourself to 57% RPE. 

Interval training can be incorporated into most warm-up activities because the point of a warm-up is to get your heart rate up and blood pumping throughout the body. 

Incorporating an Interval Training Program Into Your Workout Routine

Once your body is warmed up, you can dive into a multitude of interval training exercises.

You’ve probably heard of the many trending interval training exercise methods such as HIIT and Tabata, for instance, that circulate the fitness world, but you might not know that these are both examples of interval training. Both HIIT and Tabata are structured around short intervals of exercises that get your heart rate up between periods of rest, the difference between them is the amount of time between rests and intervals. 

You can incorporate interval training into your fitness training schedule to help you speed up your training and achieve your goals faster. If you’re working towards increasing your leg strength, for example, you can build a workout routine that incorporates various calf, quad, and glute exercise intervals. By pushing yourself hard on these exercises, you’re improving at a faster rate. Had you stayed at a steady, moderately challenging pace, you would have needed more time to achieve the same result. 

Interval training can be paired with cardio exercise and strength-building exercises. From sprints to squats, interval training caters to many different fitness goals and levels. And while interval training can technically be done from anywhere, working in a controlled environment that allows you the space and safety to physically and mentally push yourself is important. 

All of our Chuze Fitness locations were designed with your safety and enjoyment in mind. It’s important to us that you have top-tier space to work hard to accomplish your goals, and our gyms are the perfect environment for interval training and fitness success. Stop in today!

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3 EMOM Workout Ideas

If you’ve read our article about EMOM workouts, you might be ready to try incorporating them into your fitness goals and routine. Considering their huge range of benefits—like improving cardio, strength training, and endurance—we don’t blame you. 

We’ve designed 3 EMOM workout ideas just for you: a beginner workout consisting of 5 reps of 3 exercises for 3 rounds; an intermediate workout with 5 rounds of 5 exercises for 7 reps each; and an advanced version that includes 7 rounds of 7 exercises for 10 reps each. Remember, the key to EMOM training is setting a one-minute timer for each round, completing your reps within that time limit, and then using the leftover seconds for recovery. 

Feel free to adjust these workouts to your personal needs and ability.; If you’re new to EMOM-style exercises and can only do one round of the beginner workout, that’s great! Starting small and growing as you develop your skills is a fantastic way to familiarize yourself with this type of exercise. Alternatively, if you’re advanced and looking to push yourself even harder, you can up the reps. 

In these EMOM workout ideas, beginners typically start off with just their body weight. However, as you advance and develop more strength, you can begin to incorporate weights and resistance. Make sure you understand and can apply correct form when using weights. 

Beginner 3×5

Jumping Jacks

Jumping jacks are a simple movement that begins by standing with your feet together and your hands at your sides (position 1) and ends with your body in a big  X shape (position 2) with your arms and legs stretched out from your core. Jump from position 1 to position 2—bonus points if you clap your hands at the top—and so on and so forth until you’re thoroughly warmed up or out of breath.

Knee Push-Ups

Laying flat with your stomach on the floor, place your hands flat and slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. With your knees bent and core engaged, squeeze your glutes, lower belly, and abs. Press into your palms so that your body lifts until your elbows are in full extension. Your weight should be at your palms and knees. Maintain a tight core so that your body is flat and straight. If your elbows hyperextend, keep a slight microbend the whole time. With core control, slowly lower your body until your elbows bend to a 90-degree angle, then repeat. 

Standing Squat

Begin standing straight with your feet positioned little more than hips-width apart, and your toes slightly pointed outward. With your back straight and core engaged, bend your knees and lower towards the ground. Lower down until your knees are bent at 90 degrees, keeping your back straight and head up, and return to start

Intermediate 5×7

Jumping Jack Burpees 

The two basic components of a burpee are a push-up and a jumping jack. Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hinge at the hips until your hands can reach the ground (also shoulder-width apart) and jump your feet out behind you so that you land in a high plank. From here, do a push-up. After the push-up, jump your feet back toward your hands and use the energy from your feet to propel your body back up into a jumping jack. The entire jumping-jack-to-push-up-and-back counts as 1 jumping jack burpee. 

(Assisted) Pull-Ups 

Grip a pull-up bar with your palms facing forward and placed slightly wider than shoulder-width distance apart. You can use either an assisted pull-up machine or a regular bar with your feet hooked into a resistance band that’s tied to the bar. Engaging your arms, back, and core muscle groups, pull up until your chin reaches the bar and slowly lower down before repeating. 

Lunges 

Stand up straight with your feet about hip-width apart and your hands on your hips. Lift your right foot and take a big step forward. Land on your right heel first and keep your core engaged. Lower your left knee down as your front leg bends, attempting to keep your front knee at a 90-degree angle. If your front knee extends past your front toes, you need to take a bigger step.  Now you basically do this in reverse until you’re back at the starting position. Press back while engaging your core and then repeat with your other foot; each set of two counts as one rep.

Bicep Curls

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Hold a dumbbell with an underhand grip with your arm at your side. Bend at the elbow so that your arm curls up towards your chest, and then slowly and with control, return your arm back to its original starting point. Try to keep your elbow positioned next to your rib cage throughout the entire curl. Repeat on the other side.

Tricep Dips

If dip bars aren’t in your wheelhouse, we recommend using a bench or chair for a supported tricep dip. The movement is simple: put your hands on the front edge of the bench or chair with the back of your fingers facing forwards.  Begin with straight arms. Put your legs out in front of the chair, either bent (this is a more supported variation) or straight (less-supported and more difficult). Ensure your lower back almost touches the chair and use your triceps to lower your body toward the floor, hinging at the elbows. Once the angle of your elbows reach 90 degrees, press back up.

Advanced 7×10

Power Clean

Set up a barbell according to your strength (become comfortable with a power clean with extremely light weight). You should not do this exercise for the first time in a fast-paced EMOM workout routine. Bend down with your feet hip-width apart. The bar should be about an inch away from your shins. Grab the bar on the floor with your hands shoulder-width apart in an overhand grip. 

Put your weight in your heels, keep your chest up, and tighten your core. Pull your shoulder blades together throughout the exercise; don’t let your posture break. 

Next, you’re going to pull the bar up to knee height, maintaining that posture. Keep your lower back very slightly arched, and make sure you’re lifting with all of those strong core and leg muscles (not with the muscles in your back). 

Once you’ve reached knee height, the explosive movement comes in: you’re going to physically jump as high as you can (while holding a weight, this will probably only be an inch or two) while shrugging your shoulders and bending your elbows to bring the bar up through space in a vertical line. Like the initial lift, make sure you’re using your core, glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves (and NOT your back!). 

When the bar has moved as high in space as it will go, you’re going to bend your knees just enough to scoop the bar onto the shelf of your shoulders and collar bone by shooting your elbows forward in front of you. The bottoms of your arms should end up parallel to the floor (or as close as you can get). Stand up tall from that slightly bent position you entered to catch the bar.

Roll the bar down off your shoulders, carefully catch it in a standing position, and move it back to the floor to go again. This should be one big fluid motion.

Burpees

Start in a standing position with your feet hip-width apart. Bend down at the hips and knees to place your hands on the ground at shoulder-width apart. Press into your palms and  jump your feet out, landing in a push-up position, then do a push-up! To return to standing, you’ll jump your feet back up towards your hands and explode through your feet straight up into a jump.  

Bench Press

Load the bar on a bench press to a weight that you know you can do 10 reps of. Lay under the bar with your shoulders sitting directly under the bar. Grip the bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and lift the bar out of its holding position.with control, lower the bar to your chest, and then push back up.

Push-Ups

Laying flat with your stomach on the floor, place your palms flat along the same line as your shoulders and slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Curl your toes underneath your feet and engage your core, squeezing your glutes, lower belly, and abs. Press into your palms and the balls of your feet, lifting your body until your elbows are in full extension. Maintain a strong core so that your spine is as straight as possible If your elbows hyperextend, keep a slight microbend the whole time. With core control, slowly lower your body until your elbows are at a 90-degree angle, then push back up and repeat. 

Tricep Kickbacks

If a bench is available to you, position your body by bringing one leg up onto the bench. Your knee, calf, and foot should press into the bench while your other leg stands to the side of the bench on the floor. If your left knee is on the bench, press your left palm into the bench as well. Hold a light dumbbell in your right palm. From here, you’ll lift your right arm up so that your upper arm is parallel to your upper body (almost 90 degrees with the floor). 

If a bench is not available to use, stagger your feet beneath you for support and hinge forward at the hips so your core is almost 90 degrees with the floor. Hold the dumbbell with whichever hand is opposite to the foot that is further forward. 

With a light dumbbell in your hand, start with a 90-degree bend in your elbow and press the weight back until your arm is fully extended. Now, while in a bent-over position, extend your elbow joint against the resistance and repeat. The triceps kickback is all about extending the elbow joint against resistance slowly and with minimal weight.

Single-Leg Squat

The name speaks for the movement—with a chair or bench behind you in case you fall, stand on one leg and squat until your glutes tap the chair and rise back up. It helps to hold your arms farther out in front of you to maintain balance, but don’t let this pull your torso down (your form should be as close to your regular squat as you can get it). 

V-Ups

Start by laying flat on your back with your legs together and extending flat on the floor and arms reaching straight up overhead, covering your ears. The idea here is to use your core to lift your legs and torso into that V shape with just your seat on the floor. 

The most challenging part is keeping your back flat and legs straight throughout the movement; working your upper and lower body simultaneously into a balancing position is a huge challenge. Once you reach the top with your legs at about 45 degrees and your hands reaching toward your feet, like the shape of a “V,” lie back down with control by engaging your muscles. 

Now, all that’s left to do is get into the gym (or a nice open area at home) and get to work!

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What is an EMOM Workout?

One of our favorite things about fitness is that there are so many different ways to work out; we get to tailor our fitness routines to suit us and our individual lifestyles. 

An incredible emerging style of working out is called EMOM. EMOM is a type of HIIT—High Intensity Interval Training—which is defined by short bursts of high-intensity exercise. EMOM, like any form of HIIT, is an efficient way to get your heart rate up and improve a whole range of abilities.

Read on to learn more about EMOM and its benefits. 

EMOM Workout Meaning

EMOM stands for Every Minute on the Minute.

EMOM workouts are based on reps and time. The idea is to choose an exercise and set an amount of reps you need to do in under a minute—let’s say it’s 10 burpees. Using a timer set to a minute, you’ll perform your 10 burpees and spend any remaining time resting. 

Then, at the end of your minute, you reset the timer and move on to your next set of either the same exercise or another one altogether. If you want to do a full EMOM workout, which only requires 10-45 minutes of exercise, you can do a set of different exercises to create a full circuit, or take the guesswork out with our Circuit Area. 

What are the Benefits of EMOM Workouts?

Because EMOM workouts are a form of HIIT, there’s a long list of benefits to working out this way. Here are just a few benefits of incorporating this type of workout into your routine:

They Increase Your Heart Rate

EMOM workouts are INTENSE. The harder you work to get your reps done, the more time you have to rest, so when we’re craving a little extra time to breathe (which is really the whole time we’re doing these workouts), we exert more energy.

They’re Dynamic

The beauty of EMOM workouts is that you can apply the structure to any movements that you enjoy. This is because EMOM is simply a framework for exercise, not an exercise in and of itself. 

For example, you can do an EMOM circuit of burpees, push-ups, lunges, squats, or even cartwheels. 

You Can Up the Ante Over Time

It’s important to be able to scale your workout—that is, to make it more and more challenging over time. 

With EMOM workouts, you can increase not only the amount of reps you’re doing, but also the amount of rounds and the challenge level of the movements over time. We have EMOM workouts for different levels of difficulty here; start with the beginner-level workouts for a few weeks, then move your way up until you’ve mastered HIIT. 

They’re Quick and Efficient

Putting hours of each day into the gym isn’t realistic for most people. 

Fortunately, according to the CDC, we only need to do 150 minutes of exercise every week—that’s just 30 minutes a day during weekdays. If you don’t have that much time to work out, but you do want to improve your strength and agility, EMOM is a fantastic option for you. You can do a workout in as little as 5 minutes and scale up as many times as you want (though we recommend no more than an hour because you don’t want to over-exert yourself). Any amount of time you spend doing an EMOM is going to get your heart rate up!

Low Or No Equipment 

Another thing we love about EMOM workouts is that you don’t need a whole lot of bells and whistles to do them. While it is helpful to have weights for strength training, there are plenty of body weight-based exercises that are accessory-free. 

In fact, a lot of movements utilized by EMOM workouts utilize body weight as resistance. This is fantastic for those who are new to fitness; entering a busy gym and trying something new can cause anxiety for some, so easing into fitness with at-home EMOM workouts might be a perfect place for you to start. 

A Disclaimer

There is one thing we have to note to ensure your health and safety as you approach EMOM workouts for the first time. This disclaimer is also the biggest (and arguably only) drawback to EMOM workouts: it’s easy to overdo it. 

For gym-going experts: you might underestimate EMOM if you’ve never done them before.  While 10 burpees in under a minute might sound easy for you, pushing too many EMOM rounds can cause injury on even the most basic-sounding tasks. 

HIIT-style workouts like EMOM demand a whole lot of energy and agility. Going through these movements very quickly increases the risk of injury, so it’s important to remain attentive and mindful through every rep.  Just make sure that, while we are working for reps and time, using correct form always comes first. 

Like any other form of exercise, make sure you consult your doctor to ensure that you are at the proper level of fitness to handle EMOM workouts. Once that’s covered, we have plenty of gym locations full of state-of-the-art equipment to support you on your journey.

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What is a Boot Camp Style Workout?

With so many different ways to work out, the method you choose really comes down to your fitness goals.

If strength is what you’re after, lifting heavy weights is the best way to get you closer to your goal. If endurance is your style, trail running could be a great option. Maybe flexibility is your goal, in which case yoga and pilates are going to be the activity for you. If you don’t know where to begin or if your fitness goal is improving overall functionality in your body, we recommend you take a look at boot camp-style workouts. 

Boot Camp Workouts: Explained

Boot camp workouts are reminiscent of military boot camp. Boot camp is another term for basic training, which is a required 7-10-week (depending on the military branch) program designed to get new servicemembers into peak physical and mental health so they can perform their duties during their time in the military. Boot camp is notoriously grueling; if you’re a fan of military movies, you’ve probably seen plenty of scenes depicting recruits crawling under barbed wire in the mud and running obstacle courses in basic training.

Boot camp-style workouts are inspired by this type of strength training, which is characterized by extreme bouts of energy expenditure and exercises that require minimal equipment (in boot camp style workouts, calisthenics is often the name of the game)—push-ups, pull-ups, squats, lunges, jumping jacks, etc. are all components of both real boot camps and boot camp-style workouts. 

A typical boot camp-style strength workout consists of a circuit: a series of exercises done in order and repeated for a certain number of reps. Just as a drill sergeant leads recruits through basic training, an instructor leads boot camp trainees through the thick of it; some instructors even take the aggressive tone of those drill sergeants as an effort to keep participants motivated. 

When it comes down to it, most boot camp-style workouts are highly functional, low-equipment High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) group workouts. 

What are the Benefits of Boot Camp Style Workouts?

Boot camp-style workouts have a wide range of benefits, including:

Functional Training

Workouts that support your life outside of the gym are fantastic, and boot camp-style workouts do just that. They utilize full-body movements that support strength, balance, and coordination, which can translate into tasks like picking up a moving box or climbing a ladder. 

Group Setting 

Working out with a group keeps people feeling motivated and accounted for. Joining an exercise group that meets consistently over a period of time allows members to build trust with one another and often establishes a safe and supportive group that pushes each other to work hard and celebrate long-term growth and success as a team. Groups encourage individuals to show up consistently, which can be a huge help when you don’t necessarily feel like working your body through a boot camp session. 

Efficiency 

Boot camp-style workouts (this goes for HIIT workouts in general) are super-efficient forms of exercise. They force you to work strength, cardio, and endurance in that highly functional way. If you want to get stronger, boost your heart rate, and burn calories, boot camp-style workouts are a surefire way to get you there. 

Cost-Effectiveness 

Hiring a personal trainer can cost upwards of $100 per hour. Boot camp-style training gyms cost about $200 per month. So, if you do 3 days a week for an hour per workout, you’re looking at about $22 per hour for an intense workout under the guidance of a professional. And if you’re in the area of one of our facilities and want to try our group training classes here at Chuze, it’s only $39.99 for the whole month. (That’s about $3.33 per workout comparatively—talk about a deal!)

Who Are Boot Camp Style Workouts Good For?

Now that we’ve gone over the benefits of boot camp-style workouts, the only real drawback is that the demographic for these boot camp exercises is a little bit limited than with other workout styles. 

Boot camp-style workouts are geared toward people with intermediate to advanced levels of fitness. Since the workouts are circuits with lots of participants, you have to pick up the moves pretty quickly in order to keep up with the group. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t consider a bootcamp workout or bootcamp group fitness class if you’re early in your fitness journey, it’s just important to find a boot camp that has entry-level accommodations or even classes for beginners. If you’re a fan of being thrown into the deep end and being forced to swim, this is going to be a good workout no matter your ability level. At Chuze, our instructors are there to help beginners feel safe and confident as they try each movement. But, be prepared to s-w-e-a-t, because these workouts are not easy.

The only groups that we discourage from participating in bootcamp workouts are injured individuals or those who have not been cleared by a doctor. These are intense workouts with lots of explosive movement. If this sounds risky, consult a professional first or stick with more restorative forms of exercise until you feel physically and mentally ready to rock a circuit.

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How To Use Your Virtual Workout In The Gym: With Some Of Our Favorite iChuze Fitness Workouts

It goes without saying that COVID-19 has completely changed the fitness industry. When gyms were closed, we were all forced to approach health and physical fitness in an entirely new, completely independent way. Home equipment sales boomed, and so did the rise of the virtual workout. 

We are so grateful for our trainers who took the time to help create our online platform, iChuze Fitness. Designed for people wanting to maintain their fitness from anywhere (but mostly from home during lockdown), mapping out how to make this happen was a beautiful journey that now makes us so proud during such unprecedented times. Maintaining health—both physical and mental—has been difficult for us all, and we applaud everyone reading this for getting through it and seeking to improve their fitness. 

iChuze Fitness is still a fantastic tool for an at-home workout, but many of us prefer physically going to the gym now that they’re open again. If you can relate, but are still wanting the guidance that our virtual workout classes provide, we’ve figured out a way to use virtual workout classes to map out what to do at the gym.

How Can I Use a Virtual Workout in Real Life? 

If you’re tired of your current workout routine or are unsure about how to begin a new one, this article is for you. 

iChuze Fitness is a catalog of guided workout videos featuring our trusted trainers and class instructors. From dancing to running to pilates to strength training to HIIT, iChuze Fitness provides a world of workouts to choose from. 

So if you happen to be someone who prefers working out in a gym, we recommend using these videos as workout guides and combining the videos to make the perfect workout. Here are a few ways you can do just that:

Cycle + Strength

It’s important to incorporate both cardio and strength training to any fitness routine. You can watch this cycling class from your bike at the gym and follow it up with a strength training workout.

Treadmill + Total Body Conditioning

This combo is sure to get your blood pumping. A treadmill workout into a full-body conditioning workout is an all-in-one combo to improve your health from head to toe. 

HIIT + Reset and Recover

Not every workout has to leave you gasping for air. And while our awesome HIIT workout will get that heart rate thumping, the reset and recover class is just what you’ll crave for a cool down. 

Upper Body and Abs + TRX Lower Body 

We love combining muscle groups and equipment to make our workouts as dynamic as possible. Start your workout with upper body and abs using free weights and move on to the lower body with TRX. 

Yoga + Dance 

Sometimes, lifting weights and doing repetitive motions (whether running or cycling) can feel amazing, even meditative—other days, it can feel boring. We believe that it’s important to find joy in the movements you do to stay healthy, so this combo is all about getting into your body and having a good time. Start with some yoga that will get your body warmed up and stretched out before moving into a dance session. 

Looking at these combinations might be a little overwhelming, and that’s okay. We don’t have to do an hour-long double-combo workout every day in order to get the benefits of physical activity. 

Taking one of these workouts into the gym (or continuing at home) is more than enough. The whole point here is to start with getting your body moving and then moving on to focus on strength, agility, balance, endurance, you name it, as you move through your fitness journey.

Want to try out these classes? Try iChuze Fitness for 7-days for free!

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25 Boot Camp Workout Ideas

We love a good circuit and boot camp style workouts are a great option if you are ready to sweat. They, like their namesake, are an intense form of exercise. They’re highly efficient, super functional, and are guaranteed to get your heart pumping. 

While boot camp workouts are typically performed in a group setting under the guidance of an instructor, they also make excellent high-intensity at-home workouts. Plus, group boot camp settings can sometimes be a little intimidating for those just beginning their fitness journey. If you’re working toward joining a boot camp but aren’t quite ready to get into a crowd, the below workouts can help you build strength on your own so you can seamlessly dive into a group boot camp when you’re ready.

We love options, so we’ve put together 5 bootcamp exercises that cover 5 different workout types: cardio, upper body, lower body, core, and full-body. To put a workout together, choose one bootcamp style workout from each category to create a circuit. Perform the circuit 3-7 times (or whatever best serves your ability) as quickly as you can with a short break in between each round. 

You’ve got a ton of different workouts to choose from, so you can rotate through so many different combinations. Just make sure you’re always mixing it up, you don’t want to favor any exercises too much. This isn’t just about a good workout, it’s also about learning 25 fun bootcamp ideas that you may face in a group workout!

Cardio

Getting your cardio on can reduce blood pressure, regulate blood sugar, support muscle function, strengthen your immune system, and overall make you feel better than ever. At the end of the day, it’s not always fun, but cardio is important. Incorporating cardio into your boot camp workout will ensure that you get all of the benefits we described and take an already strenuous workout to the next level.

1. Jumping Jacks
2. High Knees
3. Sprints
4. Speed Skaters
5. Squat Jump

Upper Body

Upper body strength is so important for accomplishing our daily tasks; you can’t take all of the groceries from the car into the house in one go without tons of arm strength (and that’s one skill we like to maintain). These upper body bootcamp workouts cover all of the major ways you can move and use your arms in your day-to-day.

1. Single Leg Overhead Press
2. Push-Up
3. Pull-Up
4. Single Leg Bicep Curl
5. Tricep Dip

Lower Body

Lower body is vital because it’s the base of our structure. After all, what sets humans apart from most other species is that we prefer to walk upright. Having a strong lower body improves our sense of balance and makes us more agile. 

1. Squat
2. Lunge
3. Single Leg RomanianDeadlift
4. Sumo Squat
5. Glute Bridge

Core

Core is important because it holds the rest of your body together! For example, if our core is weak, movements we make with our arms and legs can easily hurt our backs; on the other side of that coin, it’s much easier to do a good pull-up or squat with a strong core. 

1. Sit-Up
2. Plank
3. V-Up
4. Deadbug
5. Leg Raise

Full-Body

Full-body movements are important because they work all of the things we mentioned above and because they improve our sense of coordination. Coordination is a learned skill, so performing dynamic movements like these where you’re doing a couple different things at once are sure to help you move better. 

1. Farmer’s Walk
2. Burpee + Push-Up
3. Power Clean
4. Bear Crawl
5. Kettlebell Swings

These exercises are sure to get you started on a great circuit-workout path,  and we at Chuze have all of the facilities you might need to get them done. And if/when you’re ready to join a group in a team training setting, let us know and we’ll help you join a boot camp!

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It’s Time To HIIT The Road: Our Indoor Cycling HIIT Class

Short on time, but have big fitness goals? HIIT The Road has got you covered. This 30-minute High-Intensity Interval Training ride is designed to have moments of big efforts followed by periods of recovery. A HIIT workout (high-intensity interval training) incorporates cardio with strength training to boost your heart rate, improve cardiovascular health, and build muscle mass. Your instructor will guide you through these intervals, which are tailored for all fitness levels. In HIIT The Road, you control the resistance and speed, as you work towards your max effort. 

The Benefits Of HIIT On The Bike 

Some benefits of HIIT workouts utilizing a bike include:

• Achieve a high-intensity workout with low impact to ankles, knees, and back
• Burn calories for hours after your workout   
• Increase your cardiovascular fitness (VO2 max)
• Helps build lean muscle
• Time-efficient workout done in 30 minutes        

What Is HIIT The Road? 

HIIT The Road (HTR) is perfect for all levels of fitness. This training plan still provides an intense workout but is catered to you and your fitness level. The beauty of cycling is each rider is in control of speed, resistance, and position. During the HTR, the instructor will coach various drills each designed to bring you to your max effort with periods of recovery to follow. How much resistance and how fast you peddle is entirely up to you!

Benefits Of HIIT The Road

As opposed to longer cycling classes where you might conserve energy to leave “gas in the tank”, you can let go of inhibition and really give the workout your all. A shorter cycle class also means less time in the saddle, which is great for new riders getting used to the cycle seat.

Ready to try out a class? Put all this info to good use and come see us! Check out the Chuze Fitness class schedule and let’s give it a go.

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Getting the Indoor Cycle Ready to Ride (Adjustments)

Before you can start your spin class, you must make a few indoor cycle adjustments to your stationary bike so you can have a comfortable side. From adjusting your bike seat to your handlebar height, there are several steps you need to consider before you start spinning.

Adjusting Your Bike Seat

The proper adjustment is achieved when you are sitting on the saddle, strapped in and can observe: 

• Slight bend in your knee, when your legs are in an extended position (do not lock your knees straight) Figure 1; and 
• The front of your knee (kneecap) is directly over the ball of your foot Figure 2.  

To make indoor cycle adjustments:

1. Adjust the saddle height, Figure 3. Stand next to your spin bike. Lift the adjustment lever (located at the base of the seat post)up, slide the saddle up or down with the other hand. As an approximation, the position of the top of the saddle should be parallel to the top of your hip bone. Push the lever down to lock the saddle into place.
2. Adjust the saddle position, Figure 4. Pull the adjustment level (located right behind the saddle) away from the saddle. As an approximation slide the saddle where the little triangle arrow is at the number 6 on the rail. Push the level back up towards the bike seat to lock it.  

Let’s Take a Look! 

While sitting on the saddle, pedal slowly, then stop in the positions shown above in Figures 1 and 2.  

1. Look to see if your knee is slightly bent as in Figure 1. If not hop off the bike and adjust the height, refer to step 1 above. 
2. Let’s now look at your knee and foot, check to see if your knee is over the ball of your foot as shown in Figure 2. If not hop off the bike and make adjustments, refer to step 2 above.  

Setting Up The Handlebars

Handlebar height is optional.  Some folks like the handlebars higher or lower this is up to you!  The handlebars should be placed so you don’t bump your knees, and to maintain a slight bend in the elbow when you are sitting on the bike. To adjust the height, Figure 5, lift the lever (located in front of the bike), and raise or lower the handlebars as needed.  To move them closer or further from you, use the adjustment level on top of the bar, Figure 6, to unlock the handlebars and slide the handlebars closer or further from you.

Enjoy—You Are Ready To Ride.

If you are ready to start your indoor cycling journey, Chuze Fitness is here to help. With just a few simple adjustments to your indoor bike, you’ll be good to go to start spinning! If you are still having trouble, talk to your indoor cycling instructor for further assistance.  

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6 Benefits of Supersets

When it comes to strength training, supersets are effective interval exercises to build your fitness routine around. A superset combines two or more strength exercises together with minimal breaks or downtime between them. Without much rest between exercises, you’re essentially making the most out of your gym time. 

Today we’re diving into six incredible benefits of supersets.

Superset Workout Benefits 

1. Supersets Maximize Your Time At The Gym

While it may not feel like it at the moment, the time you spend between workout sets adds up. Whether you’re taking a sip of water, refilling your bottle, chatting with friends, checking your phone, or changing your music, every moment spent doing something besides working out lessens the productivity of your gym session. 

During a superset, you’re skipping the break time between exercises. Essentially, you’re saving time (which we could all use a little more of)! Whether you want to cut down on the time you spend at the gym or pack more into your workout routine—supersets are a time-effective way to keep you on track with your goals.

2. Supersets Can Help Burn Fat

Because there is less downtime between exercises, your heart cannot return to a resting state during a superset. Keeping your heart rate up encourages cardiovascular exercise, and cardiovascular exercise burns more calories—cue the fat burning. 

Let’s say that your first set in your superset routine is a bench press and your second set is a squat. Even though your upper body gets to rest during the second part of the superset, your heart cannot slow down because high energy and oxygen levels are required for the glute and quad muscles; therefore, your heart must continue to pump blood at a fast rate throughout your body.   

3. Superset Training Can Build Strong Muscles

Like any strength exercise routine, supersets support muscle growth and strength. Unlike other strength training exercises, however, supersets allow you to support many different muscle groups in one workout session. 

Do a full-body superset workout by pairing various muscle groups together. For example, first, do calf raises, then do squats, then do bench presses, and then pull-ups. Supersets require both physical and mental stamina and allow you to quickly get a full-body workout in. 

4. Performing Supersets Can Strengthen Your Muscle’s Full Range Of Motion 

The fun thing about supersets is that you can use them to whatever benefit you’d like. If your goal is to focus on building one muscle group’s full range of motion and capabilities, string together exercises that all work the same muscle group. 

For instance, if you’d like to work every muscle activation in your shoulder, build a superset like the one illustrated here. Strength exercises are challenging, and there is a reason why people often take breaks and grab water between sets. It is always recommended to listen to your body and give it the sufficient rest and water it needs. A long superset such as this one is recommended for advanced trainees only and should be broken up into smaller bites for most people. 

5. Supersets Can Be Targeted

One thing we love about supersets is that they allow you to target specific muscle groups

For example, pairing overhead presses and barbell shrugs will push your shoulders to the limit and result in hypertrophy (the enlargement of the muscle tissue). Similarly, pairing bicep curls and tricep dips work the arms in oppositional movements—pull (curl) and push (dip)—are sure to improve musculature. 

6. Supersets can improve athletic performance

If you’re interested in functional strength training, there is a way to incorporate supersets into your fitness routine. 

This point is all about using supersets that utilize big oppositional parts of the body respectively—for example, sumo squats into an overhead press. As you move between the two exercises, your heart rate is going to spike, and the longer you perform the two, the harder you’re pushing your endurance. This line of thinking follows the logic of full-body high-intensity training routines like Tabata and HIIT to improve overall athletic performance.

The Best Place For Supersets

While supersets can be done from many locations, it’s best to be in an environment that is safe for weight lifting. Using padding to support you if you fall, and using high-quality lifting machines and weights will yield the best and safest results. Additionally, having a spotter with you to provide feedback, help you maintain proper form, and support your safety is vital and prevents injury. 

If you’re not sure where to begin, stop at the Chuze Fitness nearest you! We have state-of-the-art machines and equipment to help you reach your fitness goals, and foster a community of motivated individuals who support one another at every step of the way.

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What To Know Before You Take A Ride Indoors

You take a deep breath and see the road in front of you, you look at that hill and set yourself up for conquering that ride, you take a sip of water and place your water bottle on your bike rack, you clip your cleats on the pedals and all of a sudden hear, “Welcome to Indoor Cycle!”

Yes! You are ready to conquer those hills, sprints and fun interval drills in a fun closed environment in our indoor cycling workout class. 

What Is Indoor Cycling?

Indoor cycling is a formatted workout that would take your outdoor cycling experience inside as you ride along with motivating music for a great workout experience. An indoor cycling class is based on a stationary bike designed to create different levels of resistance as it mimics an outside bicycle ride. Cycling class is a form of exercise that will focus on cardiovascular, endurance and strength development based on both aerobic and anaerobic interval training at both low and high intensity as well as recovery. 

Indoor Cycle is tailored to challenge all cycle enthusiasts at their fitness level, from beginners to advanced and competitive riders. If you’re ready to strap on those cycling shoes and turn up the intensity, training on a stationary bike can help you get started.

How To Set Up Your Indoor Bike 

• Stand next to your stationary bike and adjust the saddle to hip height by releasing the lock on the stem beneath the saddle
• Lock in place
• Sit on the bike and pedal to ensure comfort while riding
• Adjust the saddle closer to the handlebars or further away as needed by releasing the lock behind the saddle. Aim to keep a slight bend in your elbows and relaxed shoulders.
• Lock in place
• As you pedal slowly stop when one leg is extended (12 & 6 o’clock). There should be a slight bend in your extended leg and your “12 o’clock” knee should be over the middle of your foot.
• Adjust handlebar settings for comfort. Some riders like them higher and others lower, this one is up to you. But when in doubt, start with handlebars about the same height as your seat.

Now that you know the indoor cycling format, it’s time to start training! Cycle training is a fun and challenging workout that offers intensity in each and every cycle class. If you’re looking to improve muscular endurance, stamina, and strength, sign up for an indoor cycling class at Chuze today!

Article by By Jessica Carranza, Chuze Fitness Instructor

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What is a Superset? 

When it comes to strength training for different muscle groups, people often are unsure of where to begin. However, structuring your gym sessions around strength training can help you stay on task and accomplish your goals as efficiently and safely as possible. Supersets are an effective and easy way to structure your workout routine.

Superset exercise can be beneficial for potentially speeding up workouts, which is something to consider if you don’t have a lot of time to exercise. Without any rest between workout sets, a proper superset eliminates the time between one exercise and the next. 

Are you ready to press your foot to the pedal and gas up your exercise to the next level? Keep on reading to learn more about what a superset is and superset workout examples to get you started. 

Superset Meaning

A typical strength-training workout consists of performing one exercise after another with short breaks for rest and recovery in between. The difference between this type of exercise, also known as a straight-set, and a superset exercise is the elimination of the in-between time that spaces out various exercise reps. 

Performing a superset means doing one exercise and then immediately moving into the next exercise on your agenda without any downtime in between.

Because you’re restricting your body from taking downtime between reps, supersets require more stamina and endurance. This is why supersets are a popular component in the fitness world.

Why Should I Incorporate Supersets Into My Routine? 

There are many benefits to performing supersets. Doing one exercise after another without any rest between sets requires your body to push harder for a longer period of time. If you’re looking to increase your muscular endurance and train your mind and body to test new limits, superset workouts are a great option! 

Supersets can optimize your productivity because when you swiftly transition from one exercise to the next, you spend less time thinking about what’s ahead. This is why it is important to come prepared by creating a workout plan ahead of time. In the end, you will have put more thought into your strategy to ensure you’re hitting the muscle groups you want to focus on in a given gym session. 

Superset workouts are also great for increasing your heart rate and burning fat while also building muscle and muscular strength. Taking breaks between reps can allow your body to cool down and your heart rate to return to a normal level, while removing breaks between sets and jumping into the next exercise, preventing your heart rate from slowing down again and returning to a resting state. 

Superset Examples

Superset workouts can accomplish many different fitness goals depending on how you design them; there are many different types of supersets to support your needs. Here are examples of three types of supersets—one muscle group, upper vs lower body, and opposing muscle groups. 

Full-body superset:

• Dumbbell lunges
• Barbell squats
• Bench press
• Pull-Up 

Opposing muscle supersets: 

• Biceps curls
• Triceps dips 
• Bulgarian split squats (quadriceps)
• Glute bridge (hamstrings)
• Barbell row (latissimus dorsi)
• Barbell press (pectoralis major)

Supersets are hard work and push your mind and body to the limit. It’s important to know your body, listen to your needs, work with a spotter that you trust, and choose safe environments to do supersets. All of our Chuze locations are equipped with top-tier workout machinery and equipment to help you safely accomplish your fitness goals, stop in today!

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When I Spin, You Spin, We Spin: A Look Into Indoor Cycling

“What are they doing in that dark room with the loud music?” Many members who’ve never stepped foot in an indoor cycle room feel intimidated to enter. As a cycling instructor for 20 years, I’ve heard it all—from “I’m not fit enough” to “my legs are weak.” Let me personally invite you to join my fellow Chuze instructors and me in one of the most fun, adrenaline-rush, addictive formats. Each cycling class you get an intense, fun workout, helping you reach your fitness goals during each training session. This class is all about the feel. Many instructors turn the lights down, or even off, so members focus on themselves without comparing. All you have left is you—your feelings and your challenges. Come give indoor cycling a try!

What Is Indoor Cycling?

Indoor cycle or “spin class” has ranked as one of the top trends in cardiovascular exercise for decades. It’s also a great group fitness format to start a fitness journey by allowing members to increase their heart rates without heavily impacting the knees.

Before every indoor cycling class, instructors practice safety-first by demonstrating the spin bike setup to ensuring proper body alignment and mechanics. Adjustments to the seats and handlebars are unique to each rider to encourage a safe and comfortable ride. Let’s ride!

Instructors create the cycle journey by seamlessly combining music that guides the pace with the bike tension to find the ideal intensity for the indoor cycling class. Slow beats are used for hills, faster tempos accompany the sprints and steady, medium tempos challenge the member’s endurance by setting the pace. By shifting the levers on the bike with a turn of the knob, riders can adjust the tension for any fitness level.

At Chuze, members can feel the accomplishment of conquering hills and sprints in a safe environment. If you’re ready to be challenged and reach your fitness goals, our spin workout classes are an excellent place to start. The bikes are routinely maintained, and cleaned before and after each class. Sign up for a class today and we’ll see you at a gym near you!

Article buKanani, Chuze Fitness Instructor

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