The five components of a typical aerobic dance class are: warm-up, cardiovascular conditioning, muscular strength and conditioning, cool-down, and stretching. The warm-up prepares your body by increasing blood flow and raising your heart rate. The cardio portion gets your heart pumping and strengthens your heart muscle. Muscular strength and conditioning helps tone your muscles and burn calories. The cool-down brings your heart rate back down to resting level and helps prevent soreness. And finally, the stretch portion of class helps improve flexibility and range of motion.