What annoys you about your Zumba class?

HeatherR930

I have been to Zumba classes at three different studios under 6 different instructors. They are ALL different.

The one I attend now is my absolute favorite.

I don't like a class if it doesn't feel "dancy" ... if we are doing kicks, squats, jumping jacks, and lunges, that is NOT zumba! This was the problem I had with one place.. I did like her "toning" songs.. but the others just didn't feel right to me.

The class I attend now is taught by a lady who is also a personal trainer, she always has a box of coin skirt things if anyone wants to borrow and wear one.. her routines are well thought out, fun, easy to follow, but still a great work out!

I don't care for big classes or classes on carpet. I also don't like kids running around.. Zumba is my time for myself, so I leave my kid at home.

I am an instructor, & I wanted to say that this is not true at all! We are TOLD to incorporate fitness moves intermittently throughout our class! It is a fitness class as much as a dance class, & all areas can't be focused on with dance moves alone! This is part of our training to get licensed & you SHOULD be seeing some of this in your classes!

Emmabulliemum

I love Zumba but I agree I hate it when it's too full and also when you get people there who mess about and (sorry mums) bring their kids. They are not doing it to get fit they just stand around talking.

You don't have to be good at it you have to enjoy it which means making the effort but it's not a gossip class or a childcare class!

Jamee_J

I took a zumba class for the first time this week. And I was nervous because of my size, but I work out at curves with women of all ages and sizes. We had maybe 12 of us. Classes are $2.00 and I had a BLAST!!! I was able to break down moves so I could do them and went the full hour. I can't wait to do it again next week!

tlc12078

Stay home n dance. I do kinect n hip hop abs, not so bad n I also have zumba but really havent gotting into it. at least you wont get trampled. lol

littleleers

I LOVE dancing. And I wanted to teach so badly. I took the Basic Zumba workshop and received a "license" nine months ago.

I get annoyed when a Zumba instructor states they are certified. Even the Zumba ZES instructors tell you in the workshops that you are licensed to use the Zumba name, and the logo (but only if you are a ZIN member). Certification is reserved for a course that requires study, knowledge and passing a qualifying test.

The best combination for a Zumba instructor is one who is Group Fitness certified with either AFAA, ACE, or another recognized fitness certifying organization. The certification indicates that your instructor is well aware of how to safely lead you in cardio exercise. Often, on Youtube Zumba dance vids I see instructors doing unsafe things, such as an improper warmups and risky high impact moves

Here where I live, I participated in a couple of classes that were taught by Pro dancers (they were awesome!) This dance studio attracts huge classes because the instruction is so good. The downside? The classes are crammed, people complain about not being able to move about freely. Also, the two sessions I attended the warmup was inadequate. Believe me, for the deconditioned or the older person, this is critical!

That being said, Zumba is a mass market product. It is fantastic because it can be fun and it gets women (and men) off the couch and moving. But, I agree, that the best classes are way too crowded and far too many studios do not care about that.

For now, I dance on my own. I adore dancing and would love to teach. I will be certified soon, but would much rather do a Cardio Dance class and not be tied to Zumba's rules, regs, and high expenses. I also am bored with the repetitive signature Zumba moves. It likely is comforting for many as they learn the routines and it makes their work out more pleasurable. But for anyone with a zest and desire to do interesting dance/aerobic moves, Zumba does not have enough of that.

Good Zumba instructors are few and far between, and that is because Zumba Inc. is mainly interested in cranking out instructors by the boatloads, with far too little instruction and/or qualifications. After one day of a Zumba workshop and suddenly you are qualified??

Also, be aware that many Zumba instructors will start classes in church basements or wherever they can find a spare room. Be sure that the floor is a "sprung floor". All good health clubs have aerobic's rooms with sprung floors or what is known as a floating floor. Your knees and joints will thank you. I recently took a Zumba class in our church's basement. It had a hardwood floor, but after the session, my knees hurt.....hardwood floor that had been laid over concrete!!! Know what your dance surface is before you start.

littleleers

No two Zumba classes are alike. Some are very dancy and strictly so...others incorporate dance and fitness moves and you hardly notice you are doing those. Staying on the beat, having rhythm, being organized are all important.

Everyone has a slightly different idea of what Zumba should be and because there is no ongoing monitoring for the instructors, you get what you get. Fortunately, there are so many instructors, you can usually find one who matches a style you enjoy.

Anna800

Also, be aware that many Zumba instructors will start classes in church basements or wherever they can find a spare room. Be sure that the floor is a "sprung floor". All good health clubs have aerobic's rooms with sprung floors or what is known as a floating floor. Your knees and joints will thank you. I recently took a Zumba class in our church's basement. It had a hardwood floor, but after the session, my knees hurt.....hardwood floor that had been laid over concrete!!! Know what your dance surface is before you start.

Is this a fact that most gyms use sprung floors? I would hope so, but didn't think so.

mtaylor33557

Also, be aware that many Zumba instructors will start classes in church basements or wherever they can find a spare room. Be sure that the floor is a "sprung floor". All good health clubs have aerobic's rooms with sprung floors or what is known as a floating floor. Your knees and joints will thank you. I recently took a Zumba class in our church's basement. It had a hardwood floor, but after the session, my knees hurt.....hardwood floor that had been laid over concrete!!! Know what your dance surface is before you start.

Is this a fact that most gyms use sprung floors? I would hope so, but didn't think so.

Only one of the gyms in my home town does.

I went to one of the "biggest" ladies gyms here and was very surprised to see that the room used for zumba had concrete floors covered in carpet. :noway:

There was a huge studio here that did nothing but Zumba. She had concrete floors.

The gym I go to now is tiny, but she has the floating floor and it is awesome!!

tmauck4472

I've discovered Aqua Zumba, can not wait to try it out

kidral97

i LOVE zumba. but i have to agree...popular class is always over-crowded. the instructor favorites are always upfront & of course...they look like they dont need zumba! smh...glad i'm there for ME & my health

sizzle92

i LOVE zumba. but i have to agree...popular class is always over-crowded. the instructor favorites are always upfront & of course...they look like they dont need zumba! smh...glad i'm there for ME & my health

They don't look like they need it because they do it.

vgainey06

I love my Zumba class and love the fact that fitness moves are incorporated with dance. I feel like I get a real work out when I'm done. I have a trainer and don't sweat as much as I do when I'm done with a Zumba class. Also, depending on the instructor, you will get a different type of workout. I take Zumba from 3 different instructors and each one adds a different spice.

I have to agree that this is a popular class and therefore oftentimes over crowded but I still manage to get a good workout in.

littleleers

[...".Is this a fact that most gyms use sprung floors? I would hope so, but didn't think so..."]

I belong to L.A. Fitness, a big health club/gym chain, and yes, their aerobics dance floor definitely floated or sprung. It is for safety of course, but it comes down to the liability issue.

It is important to know ahead of time (as you likely are aware) because a floor with no give is a sure way to suffer knee, hip, and back problems.

Zumba workshops do teach some safety stuff, but no mention of dance/exercise floor requirements. Most Zumba instructors that work in a chain health club are required to have group fitness certification. And that is for liability reasons and to insure that instructor conducts classes safely. Zumba encourages their participants to start their own businesses, find a "spare space", etc. So, I am sure that those who are reporting knee, hip, back injuries may be due to that as well as those who don't understand the need for proper dance/exercise footwear.

erinnmcpherson

I just want to say- a lot of you people are a-holes. Stop complaining about the people who have two left feet, at least they are working out and having FUN!!! Why should they have to stay home or be stuck on the treadmill just because they weren't blessed with the gift of dance?

I go to Zumba and look ridiculous, but I feel awesome. Y'all just a bunch of haterz!

Agreed! The point of Zumba is to just keep moving and have fun. I have a blast and laugh the whole time. Most of the people I know LOVE the rap/hip hop songs and dislike the Latin. The beats in hip hop keep us motivated... and we like to use Zumba as "Me time" and a break from our kids/daily grind. We are just happy, silly, and really don't care what anyone else thinks bc at the end of the day we're burning calories and building muscle and having a blast doing it.

If you dont like Zumba or havent tried, I encourage you to try again, somewhere knew, and keep an open mind. Go a few times til you learn some of the moves better. Take friends. When I dont have friends there, I'm not as motivated and don't have as much fun. Also, I've tried multiple classes/instructors and found one that I REALLY love. One of the other instructors was TOO "work-out/aerobics" and I didnt care for it. I want to dance and have fun... the other was just "eh.". The one I have now is very dancy but make no mistake it's definitely a work out!!!

MuddyEquestrian

I found a great Zumba class where the instructor is AMAZING. Unfortunately I can't zumba any more per my doctor BUT a few things that annoyed me....

1) very overweight women, NOT trying and then complaining about not sweating or losing weight. I'm sorry but if I am half your weight and sweating my butt off you should be sweating too if you're trying as hard as me!

2) people talking through the whole thing

3) people who would bring their young daughters...like ages 6-12.

miss_vivicas

I just started Zumba and the classes are always overcrowded. There is never enough room to move around and the body heat is horrible

miss_vivicas

Aqua Zumba?

TennesseeSodaholic

So glad to see the posts here about Zumba overcrowding. I have been to one zumba class (in 2010) and that was one too many. I got there early and already the room was overcrowded. I could not even get a sweat up because I had to take baby steps to keep from bumping into people. Just as I was beginning to get claustrophobic, some late people arrived and squeezed in between my row and the one in front of me. Just horrible. After fifteen minutes I went out for water and didn't go back.

And after reading all the posts of others experiencing the same distaste, you would think the instructors would adopt a few simple rules:
1. Have a class size limit.
2. Offer more classes.

Oh well, I do plenty of other activities. It's just too bad my first experience (along with SO many others) was a bad one.

girl1dr

I love, love my zumba instructor. She is great about monitoring the skill level of the class and tailoring the cueing and teaching to accommodate the majority of the group. She is also great about showing modifications to either bump up the intensity or lower it if needed. Unfortunately, she's gone on maternity leave so I am making due with Zumba core for the kinnect. The thing that frustrates me most is that there isn't enough independent zumba classes at times where working people can attend. Frankly, I don't want to pay a gym membership when all I want to do is Zumba. Also, I do not get why most of the independant classes during the week in my community are at 10 am and 4:30...don't people have to work??

zoukeira

I teach latin dance and the most annoying thing about zumba classes is that they make me look so damn unco-ordinated! Haha, the steps are fine, it's the damned arm movements - guess I'll just stick to dancing with a partner and faking it through shines :laugh:

anndelaney67

i have a great instructor, she has a fab new space with plenty of room.. great people that have a great time. my only complant is that my knees do not work and i get very frustrated with myself.. and the fact that i can't do everything. My instructor is always encouraging to those of us who have to modify. so basically .. i have no complaints.
have to say im with you on this one i also have great instrutor space and people ]

LadyCastonguay

Just started Zumba this week. After three days and three instructors I realized I kinda hate how the instructors dont ask if there are newbies. They just start cha cha'ing and dropping it like we are in a club. How do you learn the moves if no one shows you? It's the beginning of the year, of course a butt load of new people are in there. Wouldn't it help to have a new member class?? 20 people and 16 of us were new! WTH!?!?

mdyorston

When the instructor keeps stopping to change the CD...smh

jessmart83

I would have to agree with the crowding of people. I dont like bumping into people and getting bumped into. I love my Zumba workout on my Xbox though.

LilacSnow

i just started zumba last week, and love it. i worked my *kitten* off in that hour, and moved every part of my body. the instructor was awesome and the music was great, but i did look like a total idiot trying to keep up and do all the moves. but who cares! my only issue was that before i could master the choreography, she was on to another move, so i really did look like a dumbass. everything was super fast.

gloriann1

I think the worst thing is the fashion. It's a cross between 80's colors and 90's baggy pants and crop tops. Even worse: suburban moms trying to look like urban break dancers. ::Face palm::

ngory07

I loved going to Zumba!! But I went to the Y and it was an open space in the basement. Guys would stare and make noises. Some women didn't buy their kids in the daycare and I almost kicked a kid in the head! I just joined a new gym and plan on doing it there. We will see!!!

dbh3425

I love Zumba but never go anymore because my gym only offers it twice a week, during inconvenient times. I've taken classes elsewhere, too, and here are my sources of annoyance:
- An instructor who has no rhythm and has to re-start music because she lost count.
- Another instructor who made kissy-faces to herself in the mirror.
- A group of regular attendees who obviously have routines memorized and go nuts showing off their moves.

I agree with other posters: the instructor makes the class.

aerobigirl

One of the wonderful things about the fitness industry is that there is a format, a class, an instructor, for almost everyone. If you enjoy Zumba, great! If you don't, that's fine, too!

I was one of those people who was NEVER going to take a Zumba class. EVER. Now, I just passed my three year anniversary teaching the format (I've been in the fitness industry 23 years in group-ex and am also a personal trainer).

Like many others have said, the instructor makes the class. This isn't a pre-choreographed format where everyone teaches the same thing. Zumba gives instructors basic rules and you can use their music and choreography if you like, but we are also allowed variety in terms of intensity, amount of dance, amount of fitness, choreography, and music selection. No two classes will ever be alike, which is both a "pro" and a "con."

If you want a really dancy class and you can learn choreography quickly, there's probably an instructor for you. If you want a simple-to-follow class that is high intensity, there's probably an instructor for you. So, if you like the basic idea of Zumba, then it's worth it to shop around for an instructor you like. If you don't like the basic idea of Zumba, then don't bother. There are tons of fun and effective formats.

A lot of people on this thread have said that they don't get a good workout from Zumba. Most of the time, when I hear this comment in person, it's because a person has been to a class that hasn't been cued well and/or the choreography is too fancy. If a participant has to spend too much time trying to learn the choreography or has to read the mind of the instructor, they're not going to know what to do, so they can't work the moves in a range of motion that would get their heart rate up. 90% of the time, that's not the participant's fault, it's the instructor's fault - bad cueing, overly complex routine, or not giving intensity options. In my opinion, a routine should be simple enough to learn that the participant can be successful quickly. Once an attendee is moving properly, they can work as much or as little as they like, and the people who want to sweat, sweat.

endlesswonderr

Despite the crowded classes and sometimes bad teachers, I love zumba. Even if I can't get the moves down or they are too difficult, I still get to spend an entire hour jumping and dancing around as much as I please! It's fun once you stop taking it so seriously.