If you thought working out is boring, you haven't tried aqua spinning or animal flow.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Ashley Graham/Instagram
It is one thing to burn fat. It is another to build and tone your muscles from scratch.
The idea is to train your body into performing a varied set of high intensity movements.
At the same time, workouts should be fun and challenging, so you will be inspired to keep at it every day.
Here are some interesting workouts that will not only help you torch fat, but also help you sculpt your muscles.
Trampoline training
Working out on a trampoline might sound easy but doing the regular movements like burpees, jumping jacks on a trampoline adds more intensity to your workout.
The biggest advantage of exercising using a trampoline is that it’s very easy on the joints.
People with weak knees joints, elderly people and people recovering from an injury can easily do jumps on the trampoline plus the jumps challenges the balance of your body compared to a regular jump, working on your core muscles helping you add more intensity to your workouts.
It mostly used for group workouts but still can be incorporated in individual workouts as well.
Kettlebell training
A kettlebell is a cast iron ball with a handle. Its centre of mass is away from the handle which helps in increasing more muscle recruitment and co-ordination in some movements.
It increases balance, core stability, muscular endurance, strength, power and at the same time helps in high calorie burn helping in reducing fat and strengthening the muscle.
Kettlebell training is for individuals who wish to increase all aspects of health and fitness as well as for professional athletes.
It's very important to learn the proper technique of doing movements with the kettlebell as it requires a lot of focus and attention lacking which can cause injury.
Bungee workout
In bungee workouts a harness is tied to your waist which is attached to a bungee cord hooked in the ceiling.
It is a workout mainly in a dance form which is a combination of strength, cardio, flexibility and is full of fun.
As your bodyweight is suspended it feels like flying and a lot of the movements in the workout will give you that feeling.
Bungee workouts have low impact on the joints making it a very safe workouts for people who have weak joints or are injury prone.
If you are trying this for the first time, make sure that you take your introductory class seriously as your body is not used to the feeling of your bodyweight suspended in the air making it a bit challenging for you.
Aerial yoga
Aerial yoga is a form in which you are hanging from a hammock which supports your full bodyweight and is a great tool for people who have some limitations and are not able to do poses like handstand, back flips etc.
A new study from the American Council on Exercise (ACE) found that women who did three 50-minute aerial yoga classes a week for six weeks lost an average of two and a half pounds, 2 per cent body fat, and about one inch from their waist, all while amping their VO2 max (a measure of fitness) by a whopping 11 percent.
Aerial yoga helps in burning fat while toning your muscles.
Aqua spinning
Imagine cycling under water in which the bicycles are submerged 3 to 4 feet under water and has a similar group class format like regular spinning.
Being under water the buoyancy of the water provides extra resistance as well as absorbing the stress on the joints making it a very safe and effective workout for burning calories.
The biggest advantage of Aqua spinning is for elderly people, pregnant women and injured athletes who wish to do a challenging workout without stressing their joints.
Pound
Pound is a full body cardio workout which is a combination of pilates, isometric movements and plyometrics with drumming movement while playing your favourite music.
It uses light weight drumsticks called ripstix which is build specially for exercising. Its extra resistance challenges body’s balance while doing the movements working on those core muscles.
It is a great group class suitable for all fitness levels and in which movements are done with the beat of the music using drumsticks making it more fun and effective at the same time
Animal flow
Animal flow is a combination of gymnastics, yoga and break dancing with some animal movements.
It uses your own bodyweight which makes it convenient to do anywhere without using any equipment.
With animal flow you are able to work on your power, strength, flexibility, endurance, balance, mobility, coordination at the same time.
It is suitable for all kinds of people as the movements can be regressed or progressed depending on who is doing it.
The author Mukul Nagpaul is founder, PMF Training that provides customised workout services.
*All images used for representational purposes only.
