Straighten up and exercise!

Reformer Pilates

Reformer Pilates is same as regular Pilates but used with a machine called a ‘universal reformer.’ The creator of this form of exercise, Joseph Pilates, also developed some machines and equipment to further enhance the effects of the workout. A universal reformer is a simple elevated bed-like structure with a sliding platform that can be pushed against a kickstand in order to move the platform along with your body. While Pilates is all about working against resistance, Reformer Pilates offer further resistance by making sure you don’t lax on yourself.

Shoes:

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Skechers GOwalk 4

Even though designed for walking, these shoes are perfect for your Pilate sessions, if you don’t want to go barefoot, for their light weight and highly breathable mesh.

Price: Rs 5,299 onwards

Benefits:

It helps you work on your core muscle area, thus providing overall strength.

Your thighs, buttocks and legs get toned.

It strengthens your pelvic floor muscles and hence your sexual stamina.

It causes your muscles to tighten and limits your body’s range of motion, offering more balance.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

Also known as Sprint Interval Training (SIT), this method of training is a form of cardio exercise. The purpose of such high intensity interval sessions are to speed up the process of burning calories in a short span of time, so you don’t have to spend long hours in the gym. All exercises involved are anaerobic in nature and provide the muscle groups less time to recover. A typical session of HIIT starts with a warm up, followed by several high-intensity exercises (sumo squats, jumping jacks, cross and front jabs on both sides), then a cooling down period. If you’re only an occasional guest at the gym you might want to do this under the supervision of a trainer.

Shoes:

Reebok Pump Plus

The locked in fit feature of the shoes offers inflatable chambers to provide a custom fit that is perfect for high intensity activities, like exercises and running.

Price: Rs 13,999

Benefits:

It saves a lot of time, as a 20-30 minutes session three times a week is enough to stay fit.

No extra equipment is necessary.

Weight loss is accelerated while there is no effect on muscle mass. The muscles, however, are strengthened.

Your metabolism improves, as these exercises improve the production of human growth hormones.

Animal Flow

Another no-equipment workout that is gaining immense popularity is Animal Flow that “mimics certain primal movements” and results in overall exercise of the body. It combines the movements of animals on four feet (quadrupedal) and other ground based movements with other elements of body-weight training to make it a rigorous yet fun form of workout. You end up spending a lot of time with your weight on your hands that increases flexibility and stretching, providing all your muscles enough tension to strengthen with natural movements. It can be either done in groups in order to make the sessions more fun, or you may enrol for one-on-one classes for more focus. This may be the perfect alternative to your warm up and stretching sessions before you indulge in heavier exercises, or an independent drill in itself.

Benefits:

It works on the neuromuscular front, thus making the body prone to better reactions towards both metabolic and physical efforts.

The kinaesthetic awareness is increased because of working on all planes (up and down, side to side and traverse), which improves balance.

One of the most fun exercises when done in groups.

A lot of strength is gained when you lift your own body weight off the ground.

Hot Yoga

This is an interesting variation of the original styles of yoga that were laid out by Patanjali. It started with Bikram Choudhury patenting a style that he devised and named Bikram Yoga in the US. It is a combination of 26 poses to stretch one’s body and calm one’s mind, practiced in a room with high temperature and humidity – 40 degree centigrade and 40% respectively. Several other methods, like Forrest yoga, power yoga and TriBalance yoga are also considered to be extensions of hot yoga. Apparently this was created to replicate the hot and humid conditions of India to in colder environs of the west. However, experts are divided in their opinion about the benefits and harmful effects of the practice. Make sure you consult your trainer before you venture into this.

Benefits:

It speeds up the process of detoxification which is induced by heavy sweating that flushes out toxins from the skin.

Joanna Thurlow of Moksha Yoga Halifax claims that the heat allows you to go even deeper in your yoga poses by warming up the muscles.

Director of Tula Yoga Spa, Isabel Lambert, says that working out in warmer conditions elevates heart rate which lets the body work harder.

The poses help to heal old injuries and prevent them in future.

Aqua cycling

Also known as aqua spinning, the technique involves a bicycle frame set inside a swimming pool where people involved mount them and pedal, with their bodies out of the water above the waist and their legs remain submerged. You are basically resisting against the water resistance, while staying fixed on a single spot inside the pool. This form was exercise was developed in Italy by a physical therapist. The studios that offer this style of exercise provide special rubber shoes for the participants. A typical session of aqua cycling lasts for 45 minutes, which includes continuous cycling for the duration without a break. It is slowly becoming a rage in the west as cycling inside water is comparatively easier as your knees produce less lactic acid

Shoes:

100 Aquashoes (Decathlon)

These may be used for all activities associated with water, like snorkelling, cycling under water and even walking on stones by the water.

Price: Rs799

Benefits:

It helps you get rid of your cellulite as cycling movements under water create massaging actions that invigorate and drain the lymphatic system.

The buoyancy of water prevents injuries and falls, making it easier than regular cycling.

The intensity of losing calories increases because of the resistance that water offers. A typical aqua cycling session causes 800 calories to burn.

Being inside the water, there is a positive increase in your blood flow, circulation and breathing capacity.

From the February 2017 issue of FHM India.