The fitness and wellness industry has grown tremendously in the past few decades and it shows no sign of slowing down. In 2019, it was estimated that the industry’s global revenue was more than US$96 billion. The fact that working out is such a big moneymaker explains why everyone wants to create and trademark their own workouts. You have probably even heard of some of them. Do CrossFit and Zumba ring a bell? Well, now there is a new workout called Animal Flow.
wellness [ ˈwɛlnəs ] n. 健康 show no sign of N/V-ing沒有……的跡象 ring a bell = sound familiar 聽起來很熟悉 flow [ flo ] n. & vi. 流動
Animal Flow will look a bit familiar if you’ve ever joined a floor exercise class such as Pilates and yoga. Animal Flow is a bodyweight workout, which means there are no props or machines involved; all lifting or resistance comes from the weight of your own body, like push-ups or sit-ups. The workout consists of different movements that you flow through. The aim of the class is to improve strength and mobility.
Pilates [ pɪˈlɑtiz ] n. 皮拉提斯 yoga [ ˈjogə ] n. 瑜珈 lift [ lɪft ] vt. 舉起，抬起 push-up [ ˈpʊʃˌʌp ] n. 伏地挺身 sit-up [ ˈsɪtˌʌp ] n. 仰臥起坐
The classes don’t have set routines, but there are six categories (referred to as the “Six Components”) which can be incorporated into the workout in an endless variety of ways. The first two—wrist mobilizations and activations—are both warm-up exercises that are usually done at the start of classes. The other four categories include: form specific stretches (full body stretches that start in a base animal position and then continue through various movements); traveling forms (movements that mimic animals); switches and transitions (movements that link together stretches); and flows (all components are linked in one of three ways).
routine [ ruˈtin ] n. 一套固定的動作∕舞步 mobilization [ ˌmobl̩əˈzeʃən ] n. 活動 activation [ ˌæktəˈveʃən ] n. 活化 mimic [ ˈmɪmɪk ] vt. 模仿（過去式與過去分詞為 mimicked；現在分詞則為 mimicking）
In a standard class, you will find instructors leading students through different flows. They can then work on the exercises they learn outside of class for practice or just for fun.
