Cardio-aerobics classes around the country and the world incorporate hundreds of exercises that are meant to challenge what many people consider the body's primary muscle: the heart. Whether you want to practice for an upcoming class or brush up on moves that are likely to be included, you can call upon a few effective and enjoyable exercises to get your heart pumping.
Punching
If you're taking a cardio kickboxing class, odds are good that punching will be a huge part of it. Many aerobics teachers also call for punching when students have lower body injuries or knee strain that prevents them from participating in high-impact cardio activity. Work on your punches by sitting down into a half squat, making sure your knees don't go over your toes. Keep your elbows bent and your hands in fists near your chin. Punch out with your right hand, leading with the shoulder and midsection, then pull the arm back in and repeat with the left hand. Keep your elbows slightly bent during the entire movement.
Stepups
The stepup aerobic exercise can be a great warm-up for more vigorous cardio exercise in class, or it can serve as a high-intensity move on its own. For a warm-up version, set up a small stool or stair step that is no more than a foot high in front of you. Step up, leading with your right foot, pause and step down, leading with the left foot. Repeat on the other side. For a more advanced version that burns more calories and more effectively raises your heart rate, use a step that's at least 18 inches off the ground, hold heavy dumbbells at your side while you do the move and just tap the ground when you come back down as opposed to putting all your weight on the foot.
Calisthenics
Nearly every cardio aerobics class utilizes calisthenic exercises as a warm up or as part of a more intense cardio sequence. Although not all calisthenics raise the heart rate, those that do and are most likely to be part of an aerobics program include jumping jacks, jump rope and running in place. If you're looking to increase your strength as well as burn calories, calisthenics are an excellent choice because they overlap the boundary between strength training and aerobics.
Considerations
Since there are just as many cardio-aerobics classes as there are types of aerobic exercise, you won't always encounter the same moves from class to class. In a structured course with moderate-intensity activities, however, you can probably make an accurate estimate as to how many calories you'll burn. A 160-lb. person will burn about 450 calories doing an hour of moderate cardio-aerobics exercise.
