Holmes Middle School Physical Education
Aerobics Unit Study Guide
Aerobic Exercise
The term “aerobic” means “with oxygen”. Aerobic exercise is exercise that is steady enough for the heart to
supply all the oxygen your muscles need. Aerobic activities include jogging, walking, swimming, jumping rope,
aerobic dance, bicycling, cross country skiing, and vigorous games or sports.
Parts of a Workout
1.
Warm Up - heart and body muscles
2. Exercise - sustained movement
3. Cool Down - heart, stretch body muscles
Benefits of Aerobic Fitness (Cardiovascular Endurance)
The single most important health component for people of all ages is developing a healthy heart,
lungs, and circulatory system. Your level of aerobic fitness determines having a healthy heart and
circulatory system. Aerobic fitness is of prime consideration because of its relationship to the
other components of health related fitness. For example, it is know that obesity and
cardiovascular disease are highly related. The implication is that people who are overweight have a
greater chance of having cardiovascular disease.
A leading cause of obesity is physical inactivity. People who exercise on a regular basis tend to
lower their percent of body fat and reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease.
 Heart: muscle gets bigger, pumps more blood per beat, beats fewer times per minute,
works more efficiently.
 Lungs: slower but deeper breathing, work more efficiently.
 Blood Vessels: less fat in the bloodstream, less risk or arteriosclerosis, development of
extra vessels, less risk of blood clot leading to heart attack, stay healthy.
Basic Moves: Low and High Impact Aerobic Dance
*Walk
*Hamstring Curl
*Jumps
*Grapevine
*Jazz Square/Box Step
*Step
*Knee Lift
*Jumping Jacks
*Mambo
*March
*Taps Lunges
*Heel Jacks
*Charleston
*Cha Cha Cha
*Jog
*Slides
*Leaps
*Kick Ball-Change
*Pivot Turn
Basic Moves: Step Aerobics
*Basic Step
*V-Step
*A-Step
*L-Step
*Up Tap Down Tap
*Straddle Down
*Over the Top
*Repeater
*Run
*Hops
*Kicks
*Pony
*Turn Step
*Knee Up
FITT Principle
F = Frequency, number of aerobic workouts per week (3 or more X’s)
I = Intensity, level of an exercise bout as measured by your heart rate (60-75% THR)
T = Time, length of an aerobic workout (20-30 minutes)
T = Type, kind of exercise being performed (various)
How to Measure Aerobic Intensity
1. Quick Check
Too Easy
Medium
Hard
Very Hard
Too Hard
Not sweating, heart beats at usual pace, breathing
normally
Begin to sweat lightly, feel heat beating quickly, you
hear yourself breathing
Sweating, heart is beating fast,
breathing hard
Sweating a lot, heart is racing,
breathing very hard
Sweating a great deal, out of breath,
wobbly legs
2. Heart Rate
Measuring and knowing you heart rate while exercising can tell you whether or not your
heart is beating fast enough (or too fast) during physical activity. If your heart rate isn’t
at a specific rate during exercise, your cardiovascular system is not getting an adequate
workout. You will find that your body does not become more fit unless you are working
within your target heart rate range. Your target heart rate (THR) depends on your age
and current level of fitness.
When you take your pulse rate in class, you can find it on the thumb side of your write (radial pulse) or on
the side of your neck (carotid pulse). Always count the first beat as zero. Count your pulse beats for six
seconds. When you are done counting, put a zero on the end of the number you counted. This will give you
your rate for one minute. For example, if you count 15 beats during six seconds, your heart rate would be
150. See Heart Rate Sheet!
Definitions
 Aerobic: Oxygen-using.
 Aerobic Dance Exercising: A method of exercising to music that conditions the cardiovascular system by
using movements that creates an increased demand for oxygen over an extended time.
 Anaerobic: Without oxygen.
 Beats: A pattern of strong and weak pulsations that have an even rhythm.
 Rhythm: A regular pattern of movement or sound.
 Step Workout: A type of aerobic conditioning that incorporates a bench between 4 and 10 inches high.
 Target Heart Rate: The number of heartbeats per minute that indicates appropriate exercise intensity levels
for each person. Also called training heart rate.
 Tempo: The rate of speed at which a musical composition is played.
4/2008