Jul 27 2008
Back to the Basics Workout Trends
I have been hearing that the days of high impact workouts and expensive home workout equipment are over. I completely agree and disagree. They all complement eachother and as exercisers I think we just need to switch back and forth every now and then.
My favorite workout of all time is TURBO JAM. My first workout video was Jane Fonda when it was brand new. I was still in High School then and I haven’t stopped enjoying using them since.
Callanetics was good but got old to me. The same goes for the whole Buns of Steel and THE FIRM series. I still get the itch for Tae Bo on occasion so I keep that one handy. I tried Hip Hop Abs and did not enjoy it because of the music. The rapping of “Shawn T” is not what was promised to me on the infomercial. Speaking of music, that brings me to my all time favorite aroebic workout… TURBO JAM!
If you aren’t familiar, Turbo Jam is a cool mix of strenth, concentration, and dance. Here are some things I love about it…
- Chalene Johnson, the instructor is cute and sassy without being annoying. Her voice and commentary complement the workout instead of distracting from it.
- The music is appealing and timeless to me! So often the music in these workouts is so cheesy! Turbo Jam’s music pumps you up with the energy to keep going.
- Plenty of variety with the Cardio Jam, the muscle pump, abs, and mini workout for when you’re short on time.
- The usual cast is enjoyable and not distracting. They are there to work out, not look cute. Although they accomplish both!
- The moves look kind of intricate and fancy and you feel really cool doing them, but they are actually very easy.
As much as I love my Turbo Jam, though, every couple weeks I shake it up with one of my two back to basics, functional workouts.
- Cindy Crawford’s first workout
- Kathy Smith’s Functional Lower Body Workout
These workouts are kind of old school. I imagine if going back to basics really becomes a trend, though, there will be a host of new functional workouts to emerge.
Both of these workouts stand the test of time doing variations of exercises you learned in gym class, weights, and lifting your own body weight.
As far as equipment goes, I haven’t splurged for one yet, but I don’t think a good quality treadmill will ever go out of style.
Something else that will probably not go out of style is the workout based on the mind-body connection. As a society we are only going to continue and grow in numbers in our fascination with and pursuit of Eastern Wellness, New Age, Metaphysical, and in harmony with the planet philosophies. Regardless of “trends” different forms of Yoga and Pilates will complement exercise routines for a long time to come. (My faves are Denise Austin Pilates and Ali McGraw Yoga!)
If something really innovative and exciting ever comes along I will probably try it. Until then, my trend is a little bit of everything.
