Despite its image as a nation of overweight and lazy individuals, America is also home to a large population constantly seeking the next great exercise trend. While the country is currently enthralled by popular exercise routines like Insanity, P90X, and Zumba dancing, there are other trends that have been around for decades. One of the exercise regimens to really start a fitness craze was rather simple. Aerobic exercise was relatively unknown term until 40 years ago, but its popularity has soared over the decades.
The term “aerobic” and exercises designed to meet this goal were the brainchild of two members of the United States Air Force. Aerobic exercise ideals were founded by Kenneth Cooper M.D. and a physical therapist by the name of Colonel Pauline Potts, both of whom were in the Air Force at the time. The duo originally sought answers to why extremely in-shape and muscular individuals would struggle with stamina related exercises such as running or swimming.
The results of their work were published in Cooper’s 1968 book “Aerobics.” Cooper and Potts measured an individual’s ability to pedal for sustained times on a bicycle and measured their performance with an ergometer. Cooper measured an individual’s performance over time based upon the ability of the individual’s body to use oxygen.
Oxygen use is at the heart of aerobic ideals. Aerobic exercise is loosely defined as the “use of oxygen in the body’s metabolic or energy-generating process.” Standard aerobic exercises are meant to be performed at low to moderate rate of intensity over a longer period of time.
Aerobic exercise can be performed in a number of ways. The two basic types of exercises are considered aerobic and anaerobic. While aerobic exercise consists of long durations of low to moderate intensity, anaerobic exercise consists of short bursts of extreme intensity. Examples of anaerobic exercises include strength training and sprints.
There are a variety of aerobic exercises that individuals can perform to increase their body’s ability to use oxygen more efficiently. These exercises can be performed indoors and outdoors and popular examples include but are not limited to the following:
- Elliptical trainer
- Indoor rower
- Cross-country skiing
- Inline skating
Aerobic exercise quickly took off in the U.S., especially in light of the increasingly sedentary lifestyles of Americans. Several popular aerobic exercise crazes have swept the nation over the four decades since aerobic exercise was introduced. Examples of successful commercial aerobic exercise campaigns include:
- Jazzercise, developed during the 1970s
- Aerobic programs developed by Richard Simmons in the 1980s
- Tae Bo, a cardio-boxing cross developed by Billy Blanks in the 1990s
Aerobic exercise is not without its critics however. While many individuals with professions requiring physical fitness rely upon aerobic exercise to keep them in shape, a regimen consisting solely of aerobic exercise is not suitable for most individuals. Those in need of muscle strength in addition to endurance need to complement an aerobic exercise regimen with anaerobic exercise as well. One major reason for this is that aerobic exercise does not challenge the muscles of the body, in particular the upper body muscle groups, as much as anaerobic exercise.