5 of the Absolute Best '80s Aerobics Exercises

By
Rachel Macpherson
Rachel MacPherson
Rachel Macpherson
Rachel MacPherson is a freelance writer and content creator, as well as a certified personal trainer.
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Updated on Oct 28, 2021
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Traci Copeland
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Reviewed by Traci Copeland
Traci Copeland is a fitness trainer based in New York. She specializes in yoga, fitness, dance, and running and is a Nike Training Club Master Trainer. 
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Cherisse Harris
Cherisse Harris
Fact checked by Cherisse Harris
Cherisse Harris is a fact-checker with a focus on lifestyle, beauty, and parenting.  She's worked in research for nearly two decades.
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The '80s was a vibrant time for fitness. It's the decade that brought us neon spandex and wild hairstyles along with those famous aerobics videos we all know and love. But those days don't have to be relegated to dusty shelves of VHS tapes. Some legitimately challenging and fun exercises still hold their own after all these years.

To find out the best '80s aerobics exercises to revive today, we tapped Sarah Grooms, NASM CPT, for her top picks. Be sure to warm up first with some active stretching. Stick with the theme and try grapevines, stepping in place, and cross-body reaches.

These moves are beginner-friendly and low-impact. You can easily perform them in a small space from home; just be sure you don't have anything breakable within arm or leg's reach. You'll hit your abs, obliques, back, arms, inner and outer thighs, and glutes (this was the age of Buns of Steel, after all).

For these exercises, you'll need an exercise mat and some light hand weights. Hot pink spandex optional.

Meet the Expert

  • Sarah Grooms is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and PROnatal Pre/Postnatal Performance expert for Obe.
01 of 05

Oblique Knee Drive

Oblique Knee Drive

obé fitness

Muscles worked: legs, obliques, back.

  • Begin standing with legs together. Reach both arms overhead. 
  • Pull elbows down by your side while at the same time bending and lifting the right knee to your side.
  • Hop the feet back together and repeat on the other side. That is one rep. 
  • Repeat for 16 total reps.
02 of 05

Triceps Press and Rotate

Tricep Press and Rotate

obé fitness

Muscles worked: triceps, shoulders, core.

  • Using light hand weights, start standing with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders.
  • Hold your left hand (non-working arms) by your hip; extend your right arm out to the side, rotating your palm up to the sky.
  • Bend your elbow and rotate your arm 180 degrees so that your palm once again faces the sky. 
  • Reverse the rotation and return to start. That is one rep.
  • Repeat for 16 total reps. 
03 of 05

Plie Squat and Curl

Plie Squat and Curl

obé fitness

Muscles worked: biceps, outer and inner thighs, glutes.

  • Using light hand weights, start standing with your legs wider than your hips, toes turned out to face the side.
  • Holding both weights in the right hand, curl the weights up to your shoulder. 
  • As you straighten your right arm, bend both legs into a plié squat: knees over the toes, hips under your shoulders.
  • Straighten your legs and curl your right arm back to start. That is one rep. 
  • Repeat for 16 total reps on each side.
04 of 05

Cross-Body Crunch

Cross-body Crunch

obé fitness

Muscles worked: shoulders, core, obliques.

  • Using light hand weights, begin standing with your legs slightly wide than your hips, arms reaching out to the sky wider than your shoulders; your body should look like the letter "X." 
  • Keeping your legs straight, reach your right arm down and across to the left ankle. Return to start and repeat on the other side. That is one rep. 
  • Repeat for 16 total reps.
05 of 05

Kneeling Straight Leg Pulse

Kneeling Straight Leg Pulse

obé fitness

Muscles works: core, glutes.

  • Start in a tabletop position: left knee and forearm on the floor, right palm flat under your shoulder, right leg extended straight behind you. 
  • Without dropping the right leg below hip height, lift the left leg two inches and back down to start. That is one rep. 
  • Repeat for 32 total reps.

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