If you’ve been anywhere near YouTube lately, chances are you’ve heard of prancercise. While the ’80s fitness routine started blowing up a few weeks ago when founder Joanna Rohrback released her how-to video on YouTube, John Mayer fueled prancercise fever even more by featuring Rohrback and her happy-go-lucky workout in his new “Paper Doll” music video. The clip, which features a full four and a half minutes of the exercise, hit the Web last week—and has gotten more than 2.6 million views since then.
So, what exactly is prancercise? Rohrback describes it as “a springy, rhythmic way of moving forward, similar to a horse’s gait, and ideally induced by elation.” And yep, it’s just as entertaining to watch as you’d expect. Rohrback swears prancercise will keep you in shape—but can it really get your heart pumping?
“Any type of physical activity obviously has great benefits if it inspires someone to get active or be more active in a safe way,” says Jessica Matthews, MS, an exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise. That said, prancercising won’t burn major calories; the way Rohrback advises doing it, the exercise is probably slightly less intense than speed-walking, says Matthews.
One important thing to keep in mind: If you do plan on giving prancercise a try, don’t wear any ankle weights (even though Rohrback does). They strain your shoulders and elbows and affect your gait, which makes you more susceptible to injury, says Matthews.
And if you don’t plan on getting your prancercise on any time soon? You can still enjoy these hilarious videos inspired by the trend:
Everybody PRANCE Now! Prancercise Parody Music Video
Prancerise from Head to Camel Toe!
Prancercise: A Fitness Workout Trailer
More from Women’s Health:
21 Ways to Bust Out of Your Workout Rut
The Health Benefits of Laughter
The Best New Exercises for Women