QUANTIFYING AND COMPARING ACTIVITY IN GROUP EXERCISE CLASSES – A LITERATURE REVIEW

The aim of this review was to evaluate and compare physical activity levels and physical responses of group exercises and evaluate methods of measuring these classes. The popularity of modern group exercise classes is evident by the more than 3 million classes per week offered by Les Mills International and the 81% of fitness business in Australia that offer group fitness classes. While general dance style aerobics have been researched, limited insight has been made into modern group exercise classes, leaving a gap in the knowledge of best practices when prescribing the various styles and programs as a healthy activity and measuring classes to accurately reflect physiological benefits. The purpose of this article is to present an overview of documented research and where possible identify gaps in knowledge in order to make recommendations for further study. A literature search was conducted in ProQuest, PubMed, Google Scholar, current reports and documentation was also sought through Fitness Australia and Les Mills International. There is an extensive amount of literature available exploring the benefits of more established techniques such as yoga, Tai Chi, Pilates and even dance style aerobics. However, when these styles of exercise are combined, or modernised with new techniques or equipment, the scope of literature is limited. Research available is restricted by inconsistencies in the type of equipment used, participants fitness level, variation in class structure, and instructor delivery.

• Type: Articles
• Language: English
• Categories: Group fitness Studies and research