With bhangra competitions sweeping college campuses and bhangra beats hitting American airwaves, it's clear this lively folk music and dance form isn't just for Punjabis anymore. But then, bhangra isn't just for entertainment anymore, either. "Bhangra aerobics provide a change from the routine that was created 30 years ago," Dr. Meg Jordan, a medical anthropologist and international health journalist, told the BBC. "Aerobics moves have hardly changed over the years and are notoriously boring. But this new fad is vivacious, dynamic and provides a break." Since the bhangra fitness craze continues to gain popularity, we rounded up the leaders in bringing bhangra to the gym.

Masala Bhangra Workout
Indian American certified fitness instructor Sarina Jain is credited for starting the bhangra fitness movement almost five years ago. After working in the fitness industry for more then 10 years, Jain noticed that ethnic dance health videos and classes were plentiful. "There was belly dancing and salsa—and it was all created by fitness instructors. But there was nothing with bhangra," she explains. So she incorporated her training and expertise in the fitness industry with her knowledge of bhangra (she'd been in dance competitions since the age of 15) to create the Masala Bhangra Workout.

MBW is a series of workout videos and classes that Jain (who has been dubbed the "Indian Jane Fonda") leads herself. But it's not quite the same bhangra you might experience at a Punjabi family reunion. "It's a fitness class, not a dance class," Jain says of her popular routine. "People come to my class and are completely shocked by how fast-paced it is. They burn 500 calories. It's not as traditional [as the dance form], because mentally and physically that wouldn't work." Instead, her cardiovascular dance routines modernize the high-energy folk dance by blending it with traditional dance steps, Bollywood moves, salsa and hip-hop.

Classes: Jain's MBW classes are taught in San Francisco by instructors trained by Jain and in New York City by Jain herself.

Videos: Three volumes of "Masala Bhangra Workout" are available on VHS and DVD (the third volume is on DVD only). Volume I is 36 minutes long, Volume II is 45 minutes long, and Volume III is 55 minutes long. All three volumes are sold online at Jain's web site or BarnesandNoble.com. You can also catch previews of the routines on the web site. (VHS is $14.95, DVD is $19.95.)

Music: The music accompanying Jain's routines is a treat—while she does feature songs like "Sona Sona" by Major Saab and others by Panjabi MC, she also brings in a live dhol (the two-sided drum often used in bhangra) player to her classes. He's even featured on her third workout video. The music, she explains, is a blend of traditional sounds with a fitness beat. "I've created my own dhol beat music."

Dholrhythms
California attorney Vicki Virk always had a passion for dance, "but growing up in India, and the culture we grew up in, the arts were always taught to be more of a hobby than anything else," she says. But after becoming a lawyer, Virk still had an urge to pursue her passion. So she decided to offer a free session teaching bhangra by placing an ad on Craig's List. What resulted was Dholrhythms, an organization offering weekly dance and fitness classes in the San Francisco Bay area. "The first day I had two women who showed up ... The classes just grew from there, mostly by word of mouth. I did workshops everywhere I could, introduced my dance to different studios, so now I have several classes all over the Bay area."

While Virk does not hold a fitness certification, she has been practicing bhangra for many years. Her classes, she explains, are "a combination of fitness and dance. The majority of the time I'm teaching actual bhangra steps, so it's about the dance. But in the process they end up getting a great workout because of the amount of energy that's required." She even teaches her classes at a health club in San Francisco where "it's primarily fitness focused."

Classes: Virk teaches her Dholrhythms classes in the San Francisco Bay area. She also offers personalized private and group classes as well as workshops. Virk has even formed a dance troupe comprised of women from her classes—the troupe performs at various festivals, galas and fund raisers that promote arts and culture.

Videos: None

Music: Virk plays all bhangra songs, and most of them are original songs that aren't remixed. "I like giving students the opportunity to hear real bhangra songs and get used to the music. I basically choose songs with different paces. In the beginning when I teach them steps, I use songs that are a bit slower so they can do the steps. As the class progresses, the pace changes o medium and then fast."

Bhangra Aerobics
Veera Mahajan, a 42-year-old Michigan mother of two, took up aerobics 15 years ago in an attempt to lose weight after having her two sons. Mahajan, who runs her own software business with her husband, knows it's difficult to stay fit while juggling family and work responsibilities. That's why she developed her Bhangra Aerobics video last year. Though she's not a certified instructor, she's received training from the Fitness Factory, and she has a fierce love for bhangra. "I am from Punjab, where the bhangra folk dance comes from. I was brought up with Punjabi music and bhangra, so it is in my blood," she explains.

An avid dancer, she says that she started "thinking about how much I enjoy the dance and what a great workout it is. That is what motivated me to do the bhangra aerobics DVD." So Mahajan packed her bags and headed to India, where she developed a routine, hired professionals, rehearsed the moves and filmed the video. "Bhangra Aerobics is not a bhangra instructional video—it is a work-out DVD," she clarifies. The 40-minute video is divided into four segments—a warm-up, bhangra aerobics, stretches and a cool-down. "You can do it whenever you have time, even for 15 minutes when the kids are taking a nap," says Mahajan.

Classes: None at this time.

Videos: The 40-minute DVD is sold on Mahajan's web site and at Amazon.com. List price is $14.99. Previews of the DVD are on her web site.

Music: Mahajan uses traditional Punjabi folk music to accompany her routine. "I think good, fun music is very important for workout enjoyment," she says.