Bonn, Germany  - Fists and feet fly to pounding music, punctuated by warlike cries. And sweat runs from every pore. Fitness buffs wishing to exercise to the point of exhaustion go for programmes combining aerobics with Asian martial arts. In spirit, these workouts are Jane Fonda meets Jackie Chan.

"Fitness studios without programmes of this sort are now unthinkable," noted Dunja Meyer, an instructor with the German Fitness & Aerobic Association (DFAV). They are a good way to relieve daily stress and release aggression without body contact, she said, adding that participants become perfectly peaceful again afterwards.

The programmes, which originated in the United States, have become so numerous that it is hard to keep track of them all. In Boston in the early 1980s, Billy Blanks, a black belt in karate and tae kwon do, first offered his Tae Bo workout programme. It blends classic boxing and martial arts techniques with dance moves set to music.

Tae Bo aims to develop strength, quickness and coordination as well as to release a lot of energy. Since the name is a registered trademark, similar programmes call themselves things like Thai Bo, Fit Kick and Cardio Fit Kick in order to avoid trademark license fees.

In the view of Manuela Reusig, head of the group workout section of the German University of Prevention and Health Management (DHfPG), Tae Bo is good training the entire body and suitable for younger, physically fit people. It not only strengthens the body, she said, but also boosts endurance and burns plenty of calories - up to 1,000 an hour for men on average and a bit less for women.

"With the original music, Tae Bo is incredibly fast and very strenuous," Reusig remarked, noting that the workouts were performed almost exclusively in a standing position except for the classic strength training exercises such as boxer's push-ups.

Bodycombat, created by the New Zealand athlete Les Mills, is a similar workout programme. Based on kung fu, karate, boxing, kick boxing, tae kwon do, tai chi and muay thai, it became known around the globe in the late 1990s. On his website, Mills urges prospective disciples to "strike, punch, kick and kata your way through calories to superior cardio fitness."

As Reusig explained, Bodycombat differs from Tae Bo in that the workouts are choreographed and thus supposed to be identical everywhere in the world. The same programme is repeated for three months, during which participants learn the moves, she said. This is followed by a fresh incentive in the form of a new choreography. As with Tae Bo, fitness studios offering Bodycombat have to pay trademark license fees.

"Total body workouts are always a good idea," said Elfi Datzer, a fitness specialist at the German Sport University in Cologne. The positive thing about them, she explained, was their holistic approach and striving for body harmony, which comes from Asian martial arts.

"They aren't segmented like other exercise programmes, which focus on individual muscle groups such as those of the abdomen," she said.

These sorts of workouts require a basic level of fitness and good sense of balance. This, however, is not always sufficient. Datzer, like Meyer and Reusig, is critical of the heavy demands the workouts put on coordination. With the rapid and vigorous movements, she said, there was a high risk of unduly straining joints and causing attrition.

"The instructor needs to have a sharp eye and quickly correct mistakes," she warned.

Reusig also issued a warning. The fast music sometimes causes technique to fall by the wayside, she pointed out. Joints, for example, should never be fully extended. But this can easily happen near the end of a workout when the participant is tired, she said.

As for Meyer, she said the aerobic-cum-martial-arts workouts were too intensive for people with shoulder, hip, back or knee problems. Overweight people should start out by walking first, she advised, and hypertension patients should refrain from the workouts altogether. (dpa)