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4 Group Fitness Classes to Boost Your Cardio

Elevate your heart rate, torch calories, and broaden your athletic abilities. Upgrade your cardio in all capacities and choose from one of these group fitness cardio classes, all available at the Greenville health club!

  1. Spinning or Cycle. If you want a motivating workout, try this “spin” on indoor cycling at the Greenville sports club. This cardio workout is low-impact, so it’s very suitable for those who want to counter higher-impact exercises (like running) or for those who have some joint problems. If you think you’re only in for a leg workout, you’re in for a surprise. This is a full-body workout that will not only define and lean out your legs, but sculpt and strengthen all over. Greenville athletic club offers Cycle classes of varying levels and lengths to suit your individual needs. Put on your athletic shoes and get to pedaling!
  2. Zumba. Ditch the workout; hit the dance floor! Cha cha it out in this fun atmosphere set to hypnotic Latin, hip hop, and international rhythms. Combine fast and slow rhythms for an effective, easy-to-follow dance-like aerobic workout sure to target and tone your legs, abs, glutes, and arms. There’s no need for any previous dance experience to reap the benefits of this fat-burning, energizing form of interval training.
  3. Step. Move and groove! Step aerobics caught on in the 80’s as part of the aerobics craze and still prevails as a popular, complete full-body workout. Perform choreographed movements accompanied to music on a raised platform as you boost your cardio, strengthen your lower/upper body, increase coordination and muscular endurance, torch calories, and burn fat. We offer classes for all levels at the Greenville health center. For the beginner/intermediate stepper, join Jessica for a fun-filled hour-long STEP IT routine!
  4. Martial Arts. Everyone from elite athletes to supermodels have long been touting the benefits of Martial Arts as a complete body workout. Develop superior upper body and core strength, quickness and agility, and cardiovascular fitness, enhance posture, and relieve stress simultaneously! Our Martial Arts inspired classes, with programming for all ages and fitness levels, focus on specific techniques and drills. Test out an Air Boxing class with Greenville Gym Coach Dustin or an all levels Cardio Kick class to hone in on your boxing skills. End your session feeling physically and mentally empowered!
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Gain Muscle, Lose Fat: 5 Simple Rules

These rules are simple, but not easy. Simultaneous fat loss and muscle gain is pretty straightforward, though it requires some serious lifestyle changes that aren’t always easy to implement. You really have to want to change. You really have to commit to a healthy, active lifestyle, following these parameters:

  1. Eat clean 90% of the time. Keep your carbohydrate consumption low. Only consume processed carbohydrates for your designated cheat days or cheat meals. On normal days, opt for lots of vegetables, lean meats, and legumes, preferably organic.
  2. Don’t shy again from strength training. Cardio is not the answer to gaining muscle and losing fat simultaneously. So, get out of your cardio comfort zone if you’re in one at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym. Get into a solid strength-training regimen. Start getting into big, strength-enhancing movements like squatting or deadlifting, pull-ups, pushups, overhead presses, and a variety of core exercises. Let that be your focus combined with some occasional cardio workouts. For cardio, sprinkle in interval training instead of steady state cardio. For example, do some sprints, which will really get those glute muscles strong and sculpted.
  3. Be mindful of your carb intake. Your body can handle carbs more effectively post-workout. To stay lean or work towards a lean physique, get those carbs in after a powerful workout at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville athletic club.
  4. Discover and do away with intolerant foods. You know you are intolerant to particular foods when they induce symptoms like bloating, gas, stomach pains, etc. anywhere up to 24 hours post-consumption. Typical foods to avoid: wheat and milk. Other foods may not be so obvious. To figure it out, try an elimination diet. Cut certain things out of your diet for one to two weeks and review the results. If you feel better, that thing was probably causing some issues. If you feel no different, it’s likely something else.
  5. Try a pilates or Greenville yoga class. Pilates and yoga are practices that cultivate a lot of strength, especially deep core strength. Plus, these forms of exercise enhance body intelligence and awareness, which is especially important for weight lifting.
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4 Reasons NOT to Run

There is a cardio craze going on out there (especially for women) and it needs to stop…or at least hugely subside. Excess gym cardio is not the answer to sustainable fat loss. Excess gym cardio is not the way to burn off all of those weekend delights and indulgences. Excess gym cardio is not the way to a slimmer, fitter, and healthier you.

Okay, I’m not dissing cardio altogether here. I’m just saying it’s over-emphasized as a fat loss dynamo, when in reality, it’s really not so. Cardio in moderation is just fine. Dedicating yourself to it likes it’s a part-time job is not.

Here’s why:

  1. Too much cardio can impair the production of the thyroid hormone T3 and its effectiveness and metabolism. This has been shown to lead to a potential hypothyroid condition. Yikes.
  2. Running on a regular basis tricks your body into survival mode. Your body views all of this consistent running as serious stress on the body. To preserve itself, it will change the way it releases fat cells overtime. In fact, it will stop releasing them altogether (its way of conserving energy). It will accumulate them making it incredibly difficult to burn fat. Where does the body take its energy from, then? Keep reading.
  3. Muscle. Too much steady-state cardio actually initiates the loss of muscle, which triggers a bone density decrease and the loss of strength. Not good.
  4. Another thing: Frequenting the treadmill is basically asking for a chronic injury to go down. Because the belt is propelled by itself, you don’t actively engage your posterior chain (hammies, glutes) that would normally be needed to “pull” the ground in front of you. Hence, you get over developed quads, which causes an imbalance in the body. Treadmills should be used in moderation.

Release yourself from the confines of excess gym cardio. Go lift some weights next time you are at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym. Go practice some Greenville yoga. Build strength. Eat a healthy, wholesome diet. Consider these health and fitness initiatives your main priorities. Cardio should be an infrequent, short side note.

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Monday Funday Workout Challenge

This “Monday Funday” challenge is brought to you by Krissy Cags, a dedicated personal trainer at Rise Above Fitness (RAF) and an amazing fitness inspiration.

If you don’t have anything planned for your Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym workout, this is what you get to do today. Yay! Throw yourself into the fire this Monday with a full-body, intense workout challenge.

Before you get on with this 3-part challenge, whip out a kettle bell and a jump rope. Now, you’re ready to get down with some wild Monday Funday Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym love.

 Monday Funday Challenge:

  • 10 Burpee Rope Slams
  • 20 Box Jumps
  • 30 Kettle Bells Swings

Repeat 3 times. Why? Because the best things in life come in threes!

  • 40 Walking Lunges
  • 50 Mountain Climbers
  • 60 Russian Twists

Repeat 3 times.

  • 70 Jump Rope
  • 80 Meter Prowlers
  • 90 Second Sprint

Repeat 3 times.

Wowza! This challenge is a butt-kicker.

This workout will build strength, boost endurance, increase stamina, and generate a crazy, well-deserved sweat. Greenville gym enthusiasts, you are in for a cardio, strength-building treat today. Get ready to rumble RAF style.

Happy Monday!!

Note: If you have any questions regarding technique and form, or for more specifics on the exercises, don’t hesitate to consult one of the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym personal trainers. The Pivotal Fitness Greenville athletic club and team is happy to help and support you in any way possible!

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