Aerobics

Lore & Background

Both the term and the specific exercise method were developed by Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper, an exercise physiologist of the United States Air Force. Cooper, an exercise enthusiast, was puzzled about why some people with good muscular strength were prone to perform poorly at activities such as long-distance running, swimming, and bicycling. He began using a bicycle ergometer to measure sustained performance in terms of a person's ability to use oxygen. In 1968, he published 'Aerobics', which included exercise programs using running, walking, swimming and bicycling. At the time the book was published there was increasing awareness of the need for increased exercise due to widespread weakness and inactivity. Cooper published a mass-market version 'The New Aerobics' in 1979.

Aerobic dancing was invented by Jacki Sorensen in 1969, inspired by Cooper's book. Sorensen began teaching her method and spreading it throughout the U.S. in the hands of hundreds of instructors in the 1970s. At the same time, Judi Missett's Jazzercise was taking off in the form of dance studio franchises in the U.S. Aerobics gained greater popularity, spreading worldwide after the release of Jane Fonda's Workout video in 1982, sparking an industry boom.

Step aerobics, a form using a low elevated platform, was developed independently by a few American exercise instructors working separately in the mid-1980s, especially Gin Miller and Connie Collins Williams in Atlanta, and Cathe Friedrich in New Jersey. Shoe manufacturer Reebok popularized the exercise method, selling a plastic step unit starting in 1990.

Reader's Guide

Aerobics represents a significant development in the history of physical fitness, formalizing a structured approach to exercise that targets all major components of fitness. Developed by Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper and Col. Pauline Potts, it emerged from a scientific understanding of oxygen use and sustained performance. The publication of Cooper's book in 1968 came at a time of increasing awareness of the need for exercise due to widespread weakness and inactivity. The method's spread was accelerated by the invention of aerobic dancing by Jacki Sorensen in 1969 and the rise of Jazzercise, but it was the release of Jane Fonda's Workout video in 1982 that sparked a worldwide industry boom. Step aerobics, developed independently in the mid-1980s and popularized by Reebok in 1990, added a new dimension. Aerobics classes are structured with five components: warm-up, cardiovascular conditioning, muscular strength and conditioning, cool-down, and stretching. The practice has evolved into various forms, including freestyle aerobics, aerobic dances, and competitive aerobic gymnastics, which has state, national, and international competitions. Aerobics has had a lasting impact on fitness culture, influencing group exercise classes, home workout videos, and even dance video games.

Did You Know?

• The term 'aerobics' and the specific exercise method were developed by Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper of the United States Air Force.
• Aerobic dancing was invented by Jacki Sorensen in 1969, inspired by Cooper's book.
• Step aerobics was developed independently by several American exercise instructors in the mid-1980s, including Gin Miller and Connie Collins Williams in Atlanta, and Cathe Friedrich in New Jersey.
• Aerobic gymnastics, also known as sport aerobics, is not an Olympic sport.