The nineties workouts are back From Jane Fonda to Billy Blanks: aerobics is back in fashion, and it's good for your health
After bringing back low-waisted pants, retro sneakers and digital video cameras, nostalgia has found a new terrain of conquest: physical activity. In an era dominated by an obsession with performance, body reconstitution and Hyrox racing, there are in fact those who choose a simpler (and probably fun) way of training. All you need is a screen, an internet connection and a video of Jane Fonda. And rest assured that it will be anything but simple. So much so that content creator Victoria Marano, who went viral on TikTok with a video in which she tried just one of these workouts, came naturally to ask herself: “What was in the water in the Eighties?”
The most famous workouts of the nineties
In the water we don't know it, certainly in the air a culture that is almost obsessive about thinness and physical shape. Net of the most extreme drifts, however, these workouts were really effective for keeping fit, and they still are. The Pilates instructor known on TikTok with the name Burn with Bec experiments them regularly, alternating them with more contemporary classes. Among his favorites, in addition to the timeless Jane Fonda, are Tamilee Webb - famous for her formats Abs of steel, Buns of Steel, Arms of Steel (for which I don't think there is a need for translation) - and Billy Blanks, with his Tae Bo method: a (lethal) mix of boxing, taekwondo and aerobics. Even the singer Cher had launched her own training program entitled CherFitness: A New Attitude, divided into three sections: Hot Dance, Step Workout and Abdominals & Back.
@victoria.marano harder than any pilates class out there let me tell you the ladies in the 80’s were in SHAPE. #janefonda #workoutvideo #aerobics #80s Like A Prayer (7" Remix Edit) [2022 Remaster] - Madonna
How did you train?
But how did people train in the Eighties and Nineties? First of all, wearing wide-leg bodysuits and leg warmers in the brightest colors (if you weren't Cher, because she wore jumpsuits with crystals and transparencies signed by Bob Mackie). All the workouts were aerobic - therefore without the use of weights or with very low weights - to the rhythm of music, built on sequences of repeated and easy to follow movements: side steps, knees to the chest, kicks, lunges, jumping jacks and simple choreography that involved the whole body. The goal was to stay in motion for 30 or 60 minutes, alternating phases of lower and greater intensity.
@retrofitnessbabes Tamilee Webb showing us how she got her Buns of Steel! #fitness #womens #retro #workoutmotivation #90s original sound - Retro Fitness Babes
Why is aerobics good for your health
Today, that type of movement is back up to date, with several tangible advantages: first of all, it is accessible to everyone, at different levels of intensity; then it is free, it can be carried out independently from home without special tools, alone or in company. Added to this are the documented benefits of aerobic training: practiced regularly, it helps to improve cardiovascular health and cardiorespiratory capacity, helps to keep blood pressure and blood sugar under control and promotes psychological well-being. We can say that in an increasingly performance-oriented fitness landscape, the return of aerobics reminds us that moving constantly remains one of the most effective tools for taking care of your health. Where to start? A simple search on YouTube is enough, or a tour of profiles like retro_fitness_babes, which collect retro workout videos on TikTok. There is something for everyone, from stretching to stepping, and one thing is certain: you won't be bored.