Physical exercise is essential for the well being of the individual. The research question which will be explored is: Do group fitness exercise models provide the best results? The questions will be explored from the perspective of ACSM (2014), Astrand (1992), American Council on Exercise (2010), Baicker et al. (2010), Eriksson et al. (2010), Garber et al. (2011), Gems et al. (2008), Heyward and Gibson (2014), IDEA (2011), Kennedy- Armbruster and Yoke (2014), Nelson et al. (2007) and Ward (2010).
Literature Review
The manner by which people can participate in physical activity and sport is reliant on a number of factors. These factors are financial status, time, disabilities- abilities, motivation and age. Many people do not join groups due to the lack of having time with regards to exercising regularly. The individuals may not have the available time. The individuals may have work commitments. The individuals may have injuries. The costs which are involved may be prohibitive.
The ways that people select to exercise are impacted by their socio-cultural and socio-economic background. These motivations may include their reasons for desiring to participate in exercise activities and the categories of exercise which may be enjoyed. Every person’s motives for engaging in exercise are distinct and will exercise a substantial influence over the selected fitness activities (Heyward & Gibson, 2014)
An important component of enhancing the comprehensive health of the population is to raise the levels of physical activity. The benefits of exercise are more comprehensive than simply physical gains. In participating in regular exercise, there are emotional and social benefits that can be derived. The physical advantages from exercise are:
- Increased energy rates.
- Decreased resting heart index.
- Diminished body fat.
- Loss of excess weight.
- Enhanced lean muscular mass.
- Decreased blood pressure (ACSM, 2014; Heyward & Gibson, 2014).
Discussion
The social advantages which can be derived from group exercise in cycling, cross-fit, Zumba and boot camp activities are that the participants can expand their social circles while forming mutual interests with friendship or exercise groups. These activities increase the production of group identity. Research has shown that group participation in exercise and other healthful behaviours increase the potential for the exercise regimen to be completed (Garber et al., 2011).
The emotional and psychological advantages of exercise are:
- Enhanced mental production.
- Greater capacity for relaxation.
- A more assertive attitude toward work.
- Decreased patterns of insomnia.
- Increased perceptions of well being.
- Enhanced self-confidence.
- Increased indexes of self-esteem.
- Increased concentration levels.
- Decreased stress (ACSM, 2014; Heyward & Gibson, 2014).
Limitations of These Studies
Fitness is an important commodity that can be effectively marketed in our society. The consumers spend significant amounts of resources in order to participate in group exercise at the commercial exercise centres. The exercise faculties spend large amounts of money in trying to attract the members of our society to use their faculties. The funds which are required in order to operate an effective fitness centre must be balanced with the money which is remitted by the clients in order to participate in the group activities (American Council on Exercise, 2010).
Maintenance limitations
There are many people who initiate and do not maintain a fitness regimen. This fact has caused a number of fitness purveyors to claim that they can give quick remedies to well being, fitness improvement and weight loss. It is of great importance that many of the participants in the fitness industry are able to differentiate between the accurate fitness information and the faulty information which is supplied by entrepreneurs trying to make a profit. Many of the promises which are made by fitness centres are:
- Promotional strategies.
- Guarantees a 100% rate of success in their fitness programs.
- 100% refund guarantee if the client is unsatisfied.
- Trial period of one week after buying a membership (Ward, 2010).
There are a number of settings that can be applied for physical fitness activities. The selection of the setting can be determined by the following:
- Participation in social groups.
- Work schedule.
- Religious affiliations.
- Family affiliations.
- A desire for socialization.
- Personal choice.
- Financial motives (ACSM, 2014; Heyward & Gibson, 2014; Ward, 2010).
The reasons that people perform physical fitness activities in the home environment are the following:
- It becomes a feasible choice with video programs that include Oz fit (Ward, 2010).
- The home gyms are cost effective.
- The home gyms are effective for physical fitness and well being (ACSM, 2014; Heyward & Gibson, 2014; Ward, 2010).
The disadvantages with regards to individual exercise are:
- Elevated levels of motivation are required.
- The group and community components of well being are absent.
- The emotional, spiritual, and psychological aspects of well being are not considered (ACSM, 2014; Heyward & Gibson, 2014; Ward, 2010).
Location Limitations
The communities which are larger will normally have a greater selection of community fitness facilities. These fitness facilities may be in the multisport facilities, sports complexes, aquatic sports centres, golf courses, tennis racquetball and squash courts and the local community centres. The availability of the community fitness centres is reliant upon their popularity, especially if there is an option that creates employment and revenue for members of the community (ACSM, 2014; Eriksson et al., 2010; Garber et al., 2011; Heyward & Gibson, 2014; Ward, 2010).
There is a wide range of fitness centres which are available. These include the social clubs, basic fitness centres, twenty-four-hour fitness centres, male fitness centres, male and female fitness centres and luxury fitness centres. These fitness centres can be a component of the organizational working environment. There may be fitness consultants who are accessible to work with clients. The luxury fitness centres are perceived to cater to the fit and youthful individuals, instead of the community members of all age groups who are interested in maintaining optimal physical condition (ACSM, 2014; Eriksson et al., 2010; Garber et al., 2011; Heyward & Gibson, 2014; Ward, 2010).
Social limitations
There is a vast selection of exercising clubs that are found throughout the United States and Canada. These fitness clubs include all activities such as beach volleyball, tennis, life-saving courses, swimming, cycling, Zumba, boot camp training and cross fit. These are group clubs that motivate physical and social advantages (ACSM, 2014; Eriksson et al., 2010; Garber et al., 2011; Heyward & Gibson, 2014; Ward, 2010).
Cultural limitations
The cultural associations are reflective of the multicultural and diverse nature of the United States and Canada. These associations are often inherited by the members of the community and transmit their cultural heritage from one generation to the next. In providing this cultural influence, they provide the means of uniting members of the community. An example would be the Zumba dances which originated in Brazil. These are cultural activities that provide the opportunity of meeting social needs. Simultaneously, activities which include Zumba aerobic dancing satisfy physical needs as well (Ward, 2010)
Many communities in North America have YMCA and YWCA centres. These centres are effective due to their aspect of promoting Christian principles among community members and strengthening families. The YMCA was conceived in the late 1850s by George Williams. The First YMCA was initiated in Montreal, Quebec and the second was introduced in Boston, MA. The concept of the YMCA as an exercise club had been new at the time (Gems et al., 2008; YMCA, 2014).
The YMCA traversed rigid social class lines which had been established by society. The mission statement of the YMCA is to help its members build healthy bodies, minds and spirits. The group exercise programs at the YMCA also unite the community members and give hope to those who were in need of spiritual reinforcement. The sports facility was initially conceived with a bible study program. The YMCA had been conceived as a low-cost group fitness facility that had the objective of developing disciples in Christianity by means of programs that were composed of physical, educational, religious and social activities. The YMCA is an example of the benefits of group directed exercise instead of individual programs (Gems et al., 2008; YMCA, 2014).
In order to incorporate adults into the fitness programs, the YMCA formed many programs which were directed at the development of the fulfilment of the adults’ physical needs. The YMCA was one of the pioneers in directing group exercise toward adults in order to maintain good health and socialize with members of the community. The YMCA presently offers group kickboxing classes which are low to high-intensity exercise that is designed to burn calories. Pilates courses are also instructed in order to stretch and strengthen the body by directing attention toward the centre of the client’s physique (Gems et al., 2008; YMCA, 2014).
Yoga courses are also offered at the majority of YMCA facilities. Yoga is a group directed mental and physical exercise which is directed toward breathing, stretching and strengthening. The yoga course instructs the manner by which calmness and relation can be promoted while increasing the body’s flexibility and strength. Cycling courses are also presented to the adult members of the community in order to increase their cardiovascular stamina and strength. The cycling course instructs on the correct cycling positions, the set up of the bicycling equipment and the manner by which to enjoy and get the most out of a low-intensity ride (Gems et al., 2008; YMCA, 2014).
The game of basketball was introduced by James Naismith in 1891. Naismith presented the game to adolescents who had been classified as incorrigible. These men who were classified as incorrigible introduced the game of basketball to their home towns. Volleyball was invented by William Morgan in 1895. It had been perceived that basketball would be too intense for businessmen; the option which was considered for the recreation of the businessmen was volleyball. Racquetball was created by a member of the YMCA named Joe Soak. Soak used the ideas of platform tennis and paddleball in order to develop the sport of racquetball (Gems et al., 2008; YMCA, 2014).
The benefit of Groups in Fitness Training
A survey that had been conducted in 2011 demonstrated that 98% of the directors and instructors who participated in the survey perceived their clients as being healthful. In the same survey, the respondents identified 90% of their clients as senior citizens and 87% of the respondents stated that their clients had specialized requirements. There had been other discoveries from the report which had been compiled by the IDEA for 2011 that stated the most popular body and mind programs had been group reformed, meditation, Pilates, fusions of yoga and Pilates, body and mid fusions and yoga (IDEA, 2011).
Zumba had been identified as a program that was choreographed gained popularity in group fitness settings due to the movements which are required considered as being simple with numerous repetitions. The participants in Zumba perceive that the synchronous movements with the group are less important than participating with the group in the Zumba activity and having fun. The primary reason that had been listed by the ACSM for members participating in group fitness and exercise activities is that the members were looking for qualified professionals that would assist them in performing the exercises in a group setting (Nelson et al., 2007; ACSM, 2014).
Group Exercise Instructors
Group exercise instructors are becoming a permanent fixture in the fitness industry. Studies have demonstrated that the group exercise instructors are the personnel responsible for the exercise programming of the group. In many exercise facilities, the group exercise programs are able to generate sufficient revenues in order to cover the salary expenses of the fitness instructors (American Council on Exercise, 2010).
It can be observed that the present guidelines, which are the foundations of the evidence based practice of the ACSM, confirm the validity of the conventional exercise group model, which dates back forty years. The evidence based practice guidelines incorporate flexibility training, neuro-motor motions, endurance and strength and cardiorespiratory health. The present attention on the manner, by which to incorporate the flexibility and neuro-motor exercises, is comparatively new in the guidelines that are founded upon an evidence-based practice that is applied by the ACSM. The attention towards flexibility and neuro-motor exercises is demonstrative of the concern toward a population, which is more mature (ACSM, 2014; Eriksson et al., 2010; Garber et al., 2011; Heyward & Gibson, 2014; Ward, 2010).
Case Studies
A senior citizen who had been over sixty-five years of age enrolled in a group exercise regimen due to the inability of being able to open jars. Another senior citizen perceived that he had been unable to retrieve a bar of soap that had been dropped in the shower and enrolled in the group exercise programs. The lack of capacity with regards to conducting activities of daily living is a causal attribute of people subscribing to the group exercise programs. Research has demonstrated that for each day of the next seventeen years over ten thousand members of the baby boomer generation will reach the age of sixty-five years of age (Armbruster & Yoke, 2014).
The population of senior citizens in the United States is anticipated to increase over 100% between 2010 and 2040. The population which had been over sixty-five years of age increased by 9.5 million between the years 2000 and 2010. The global population of senior citizens is expected to increase to 973 million from the present 550 million. The requisites of this age group are the reasons for function training in group fitness exercise programs.
The echo baby boomers, those who are children of the baby boomer generation will continue their participation in the boot camp and cycling activities which are presented by the group fitness exercise programs. The future of the fitness models which are directed toward consumers will be required to experience a change in the offerings and the formats in order to provide the correct attention to the wide age range and varied interests which are represented by the baby boomer generation and the echo baby boomer generation (Armbruster & Yoke, 2014; Heyward & Gibson, 2014).
Functional limitations
The fitness movement had been initiated by the baby boomer generation. In the article which is titled: Why exercise (Astrand, 1992)? The initial inferences toward the functional exercise training movement had been suggested. Research has demonstrated that there is a link between the functional requisites of daily living, human production and exercise psychology. Research has also suggested that the training motions and not the muscular components may be the model transition that is required for functional conditioning (Armbruster & Yoke, 2014; Heyward & Gibson, 2014).
. Functional training enables the development of the musculature and the patterns of motion which enable the fulfilment of the activities of daily living. The exercises which are functions that are conducted in a group fitness exercise environment are the most important advantage of acquiring physical fitness. The activities of daily living become easier to fulfil and the quality of living is enhanced. Many of the members of our society who are overweight can improve their well being in the same manner that the leaner individuals are empowered. Research has demonstrated that physical inactivity could be the single most significant health risk factor for the prevention of early mortality and causes of illness. Research has demonstrated that the exercise objectives which are correlated with increasing the quality of life substantially improved the ability of the members to adhere to the group exercise routines (Armbruster & Yoke, 2014; Heyward & Gibson, 2014).
Conclusions and Future Study
Research demonstrates that group exercise has advantages for the members of the baby boomer generation and the echo baby boomer generation. The improvements in the quality of life with enhanced health have been demonstrated. In addition, the group exercise setting which includes the initial group exercise facility which had been initiated in North America, associate physical well being with the emotional, social, and spiritual well being of the members of the group. The need for certified physical fitness instructors is anticipated to increase in relation to the members of the baby boom generation and the echo baby boomer generation increase in maturity.
References
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Nelson, M., Rejeski, W.J., Blair, S.N. Duncan, P. W., and Judge, J. O. (2007). Physical activity and public health in older adults: recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. Circulation, 116(9): 1094- 1105.