Use very light weight and high reps for the first set of each bodypart worked. (Begin with 25% of one-rep max and use strict form.) Slowly increase the weight used over the course of your workout, pyramiding up to the heaviest amount. For a cardio workout, your warm-up should: increase your heart rate, blood elite pressure, oxygen consumption, dilation of blood vessels, joint lubrication and muscle and tendon elasticity. It should also include: Low-level aerobic activity that uses the same muscle groups and similar movement patterns that will be used during the main workout. Static stretches for all major muscles groups, especially the lower body.

When it comes to selecting a class, this person identifies two particularly important fitness variables: an instructor’s personality and his or her selection of music. “The music really helps make it fun,” she says. “If you like the teacher’s personality and choice of music, chances are you’ll hang in there; if you don’t, you’ll probably have a hard time sticking with it.” Any gym offering aerobics classes should be able to explain which ones most closely meet your own needs and interests. VIRTUAL REALITY OR VIRTUAL WORKOUT? Just as the world of aerobics classes has grown increasingly diverse and sophisticated in the ’90s, elite cardio exercise machines have become more elaborate in recent years.

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