Beat Yourself Into Shape at He's Fit

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Beat Yourself Into Shape

Posted June 13, 2008 at 03:00 PM by Donnell Peavy

Section: His Fitness, Cardio Training, Alt. Therapies, His Health, Physical Health, Lifestyle Health

breakdance Today, instead of Zumba, there was a demo for a new fitness class. The class basically combined hip hop and breakdancing (Popping, mainly) with drumming motions, similar to taiko drumming. We were given sticks and exercise balls, and for the first 20 minutes or so of the class, we drummed, squatted and performed various choreographed drumming movements. It produced a decent burn on the quads and shoulders.

It was definitely different, which kept the participants’ interest. The second half of the class was a blast. We were popping, locking and stepping to various hip hop songs. Moving your body like that is a workout within itself. It takes extraordinary levels of coordination to be able to do it properly, which gave me more motivation to keep practicing, as my breaking is a little rusty. The class ended with seven minutes of killer ab work.

The drum thing sparked my curiosity, so I pulled up Google and did some searching; there is a fairly new exercise method called Drums Alive, which focuses on drumming motions to elevate the heart rate and get the body moving. Interest factor alone will probably ensure that Drums Alive will be around for many years to come, as like Zumba, it’s a break from the every day, played out treadmill, bike or aerobics class. If you ever see Drums Alive taught in your area, check it out. If nothing else, you will have fun beating on stuff. How cool is that?