Fitness in Ireland

Zumba Fitness Zumba as the name suggests comes straight from the latin quarter of the globe. Zumba Fitness was created in the mid-90s by a Colombian native Alberto “Beto” Perez,
Inspired by the traditional cumbia, salsa, samba and merengue music he grew up with, Beto paired his favourite pulsating Latin rhythms with the red-hot international dance steps and Zumba Fitness (Spanish slang for “to move fast and have fun”) was born!

Zumba means ‘moving fast and having fun’. It combines hypnotic latin and world beats with exciting dance moves in one exercise class. Zumba combines high energy and motivating music with unique moves and combinations that allow the Zumba participants to dance away their worries. It is based on the principle that a workout should be "fun and easy to do" allowing Zumba participants to stick to the Zumba Fitness program and achieve long-term health benefits. Zumba is a “feel-happy” workout that is great for both the body and the mind.

Zumba is a fusion of Latin and International music - dance themes that creates a dynamic, exciting, effective fitness system! The routines feature aerobic/fitness interval training with a combination of fast and slow rhythms that tone and sculpt the body. Zumba utilizes the principles of fitness interval training and resistance training to maximize caloric output, fat burning and total body toning. It is a mixture of body sculpting movements with easy to follow dance steps

Zumba is centered on interval cardio training and resistance training and is popular with men and women from the ages of 1 to 100. The routines are set to a Latin style beat making calorie burn, fat burn and muscle toning an easy task
Interval training is proven to be the best way to effectively lose weight so up tempo and slow rhythms interchange to give you the best workout.
During the Zumba fitness hour, you can expect to burn upwards of 1,000 calories

Probably the best part about Zumba fitness is the adaptability of the routines. The moves are set for in class participation, but that does not mean the instructor will come and slap you on the wrist for feeling the music and moving to your own beat.

Related Links to Zumba Fitness :
Gyms Locator
Gyms in Ireland
Zumba Fitness Classes in Ireland
Zumba Fitness Ireland Official Site

Pole Dancing and Pole Fitness Pole Dancing has been rising in popularity over the last few years among women of all sizes and ages who like to mix exercise, energy and fun. Class participants learn how to do different movements in each class. The advised outfit is skimpy with heels but many classes for the comfort of their participants allow normal work out gear. So how many poles do you have to shimmy before looking like Demi or Kate?

With a long list of benefits maybe not as long as you would think. Pole Dancing increases muscle tone, body sculpts,Increases flexibility, builds stamina and strength improves circulation and increases self-confidence and body awareness while bringing improved body posture and grace

Pole dancing is a great way to stay fit, build confidence, and have fun! Pole dancing is also a great way to stay healthy, lose weight, and build muscle mass. One 60min class will burn more calories than your average session at the gym and will certainly provide muscle tone.

Pole dancing is a form of dancing/ gymnastics. It involves dancing sensually with a vertical pole. The most commonly known and one of the first learnt moves is known as the wraparound, literally wrapping yourself around the pole.
Pole dancing is now regarded as a recognized form of exercise and can be used as both an aerobic and anaerobic workout. This form of exercise increases upper body strength (by using the body itself as resistance) while toning the body as a whole.
Recognised schools and qualifications are being developed as pole dancing increases in popularity

At Pole Dance Ireland you can rent or buy your own pole to either try out before you sign on for a class or once you have learned some moves to continue 'moving on up' in the comfort of your own home

Pole rental : Rates are €75 for a 2 night rental.

Buying a pole: There are two main type: The X-Pole which costs 260 euro and the Static Pole for 290 euro.

Related Links to Pole Dancing and Pole Fitness :
Gyms Locator
Gyms in Ireland
X Pole Ireland
Pole Dancing Courses
Pole Fitness Classes

Boxercise Boxercise combines boxing and exercise in great fun, stress busting activity to suit everyone who wants to enjoy boxing training without getting hit or the elitism of some so called purists. Boxercise is one of the most effective forms of cross-training available today. It combines use of both aerobic and anaerobic energy systems with the systematic recruitment of both fast and slow twitch muscle fibres in a manner that not only ensures a diverse workout, but also enhances sports specific senses, including hand-eye co-ordination, balance and timing. Boxercise classes are always fun, energetic and addictive.

Boxercise basically, refers to some exercise that the boxers do to remain fit and healthy. This form of sport is related to boxing and other boxing equipments however, it has nothing to do with fighting or hitting someone. This is a kind of sport that is beneficial for all kinds of people as it is a form of exercise that anyone can perform. Moreover, it has emerged on the basis of training principles of boxing and is a fun form of exercise. It comes into sight in early 90’s and then later in 1992 it started in the UK. Those who are well aware of all the boxing techniques and fitness mantras would have definitely heard of boxercise as it has proved itself on top of boxing fitness. Similar to the boxing training centers, today we have boxercise centers and training institutes were you get to know more about it and its techniques. According to a survey being conducted over 1.2 million people in the UK take part in such exercises in order to stay fit. Moreover, you will find people often doing some sort of workout as a stress buster. It is often termed as a stress busting exercise which is suitable for people of all age groups. That is why it is considered beneficial for your health. If we speak in technical terms then it make use of both the aerobic and anaerobic system to keep your body fit. However, there are times when this form of exercise depends on the availability of exercise equipments. Just like boxing there are varied equipments for boxercise as well. It includes boxing gloves and mitts that are manufactured from high quality leather. Pads and strike shields forms a part of its equipments.

Boxing training or boxercise is becoming recognized as a great way to increase fitness and control weight. Many boxing workouts use a combination of various exercises from skipping, shadow boxing to circuit training which all work together to burn tons of calories. The combination of all these different exercises helps keep the heart rate elevated over the whole workout developing strength and endurance for the heart and circulatory system. The problem with boxing workouts is they may be too intense for certain people causing the body to burn more carbohydrates and less fat.
Boxing type workouts would be a great choice because they help burn off many calories and help tone many areas of the body as all muscle groups are exercised well. A good boxercise workout will also help raise the metabolism.

Combat Fitness There are many ‘crazes’ that hit the gym scene every year, but one that has been going from strength to strength is the trend in ‘combat fitness’ With variations of Tai Bo such as Khai Bo, kickboxing and Tae kwan Do making their way to the top of most gym class programs.
The attraction to such classes lies in the ubiquitous nature of the exercise. Combat fitness provides a strong aerobic workout, the learning of a new skill such as special kicks and foot movements, and also empowers the practitioner with a form of self defence.

It seems to have something for everyone; the class where unusually there is an equal interest from both the male and female market.In today’s environment one of the main causes of illness is stress brought on by competitive work environments being combined with a busy family life, the strains of city living such as traffic jams, long working hours and continuous need for self improvement. One of the ways of combating a lot of the helplessness we feel in our professional lives is empowerment in our personal lives and as the stresses and strains of professional life has increased so to has the demand for fitness classes which give us this feeling of empowerment. Alot of the aggression that we feel can be literally pelted out in the class allowing us to control and manage our feelings better. Studies have shown that people who do some kind of combat fitness class are less stressed in their normal everyday lives. The new variations of combat fitness like Tai Bo usually do not take a high level of skill and are a good alternative for people who have never done any martial art or combat class previously. Tai Bo is available in most gyms nationwide due to its high demand. Anyone wondering what to expect from a a Tai Bo class think of Billy Blanks Tai Bo of the late nineties, with a few more moves from kick boxing thrown in. The likes of Tae Kwan Do or Judo are usually less generally available as they require a higher level of skill and need to be thought by a master. Despite this they are still also increasing in popularity.

Body Pump

'Body Pump' is the most successful group fitness programme in history; it is a world renowned class that focuses on choreographed weight training to music. It is great for building lean muscle mass, sculpting your shape, and raising your metabolism.
This class is always changing as the music is updated every three months! BodyPump is now found in over 70 countries and 10,000 health-clubs and gyms worldwide. Bodypump was created by Les Mills to get men into the aerobics room.

Bodypump is a 45 or 55 minute class using barbells and adjustable weights to tone and condition muscles while raising metabolic rate for rapid fat-burning.
After an initial warm-up, all the major muscle groups are worked via a series of weight-bearing exercises including squats, presses and lifts. The class finishes with a cool-down and stretch.
BodyPump classes which are 55 minutes in length contain eight separate muscle-group specific songs or "tracks" along with an opening warm up track and closing cooldown track.
The 45 minute class format omits two muscle groups /tracks (biceps and triceps) and is used in timeslots where participants generally don't have a full hour to spare. BodyPump is pre-choreographed, giving it global homogeneity.

The classes are performed to music using free weights-plates, barbells and an aerobic step. Participants choose their weights based on the exercise and their personal goals. Major muscle groups are worked via exercises including squats, presses and dead lifts. The focus is towards muscle endurance using several repetitions.

A new BodyPump release, consisting of new music and choreography, is developed and released to health clubs and instructors every three months. Muscle groups are always worked in the same order, allowing for consistency across releases. Instructors can choose to work with one release, or mix tracks from multiple releases, to target strength endurance gains for their particular class. Instructors and trainers are provided with guidance from Les Mills International regarding the mixing of tracks for classes.

A normal class consists of 10 tracks each lasting between 4 and 6 minutes. These are usually cover versions or re-mixes of popular chart or classic rock releases. The tracks are mixed to allow for an aerobic block count of 32 beats and will vary in speed depending on the exercise being performed. Each track targets a different muscle group. The tracks, in order, follow the format of: warm up, legs/squats, chest, back, triceps, biceps, lunges, shoulders, abdominals and finally a cooldown encompassing a variety of stretches. Between each track there is a short interval to allow for stretching the muscle just exercised, change weights for the next track and to allow the instructor to brief the next exercise.

Due to the nature of the program maximum heart rate (MHR) increases in different phases. In addition, the aerobic capacity changes are based on music selection beats per minute (BPM). Bodypump is proven to be "the world's fastest way to get in shape" by research which has confirmed higher than expected fat-burning effects alongside endurance, strength and 'wellness' benefits.

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