Zumba!

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  • bbchickpea
    bbchickpea Posts: 48 Member
    Really glad this has come up and kind of fate. I have had my mouse poised over the 'book' button for the zumba class at my gym twice today but keep fretting.

    I went to book a while ago and the instructor mentioned that you can't wear normal trainers for the class. What does everyone wear on their feet?

    Thanks for any replies : )

    I am a Zumba instructor currently - I LOVE this tread! :)

    As for what to wear on your feet...I have 3 pairs of "Zumba" shoes that I rotate wearing - one pair IS a "normal trainer" pair. I think a lot of it depends on how much you're doing. This topic comes up a lot with instructor's, too. The main thing to remember is to NOT be on the balls of your feet all of the time. Try to get your heels down as much as possible - both to engage other muslce groups and to avoid plantar fascitis (which seems to haunt Zumba instructors). Pick a shoe that has good support (or use insole inserts), one that allows for pivots and lateral movements. Many people use regular running shoes, but those are designed for forward movement, not lateral, and they usually end up complaining after a few classes.

    Thanks for your reply. Many many years ago I danced and somewhere have a pair of capezio split sole dance boots, sounds as though they would do the trick.. just have to try and find them now before I book a class! Or I might book a class for tomorrow with normal trainers and try and find the capezios for next week.

    I'm keen to get going and don't want to put it off too long
  • bethira
    bethira Posts: 132 Member
    LOVE LOVE LOVE Zumba! I do the 6am Zumba class at my gym on Mondays and Wednesdays and it's an awesome way to start the day. Super, super fun and don't worry about coordination. If you can't do one of the steps, just keep moving. That's what my instructor always tells news people. Don't worry if you're going left when we're going right, you're moving! And I can assure you there are NO professional dancers in our class. We're there for the cardio and the fun.
  • jenbusick
    jenbusick Posts: 528 Member
    Really glad this has come up and kind of fate. I have had my mouse poised over the 'book' button for the zumba class at my gym twice today but keep fretting.

    I went to book a while ago and the instructor mentioned that you can't wear normal trainers for the class. What does everyone wear on their feet?

    Thanks for any replies : )

    Um... I wear normal trainers (I'm in the U.S., so I call them "tennis shoes" or "athletic shoes"). I don't know why anyone would say you couldn't.

    I really enjoy zumba. Some teachers are more "dancy" than others. At our gym, there are three zumba instructors; one is "dancy" and uses a lot of music I really can't stand (hip-hop, lots of Pitbull, ick). I never feel like I get a very good workout in her classes. The other two focus on getting a really high-energy workout, and I like the music they choose a lot better, so I go to their classes and avoid the other instructor.
  • bbchickpea
    bbchickpea Posts: 48 Member
    Really glad this has come up and kind of fate. I have had my mouse poised over the 'book' button for the zumba class at my gym twice today but keep fretting.

    I went to book a while ago and the instructor mentioned that you can't wear normal trainers for the class. What does everyone wear on their feet?

    Thanks for any replies : )

    Um... I wear normal trainers (I'm in the U.S., so I call them "tennis shoes" or "athletic shoes"). I don't know why anyone would say you couldn't.

    I really enjoy zumba. Some teachers are more "dancy" than others. At our gym, there are three zumba instructors; one is "dancy" and uses a lot of music I really can't stand (hip-hop, lots of Pitbull, ick). I never feel like I get a very good workout in her classes. The other two focus on getting a really high-energy workout, and I like the music they choose a lot better, so I go to their classes and avoid the other instructor.

    Thanks : ) Maybe i'll book the class for tomorrow then. It will be a different instructor from the one who told me I couldn't wear running shoes so i'll give it a go.
  • april522
    april522 Posts: 388 Member
    LOVE Zumba! They just added another day into rotation at the gym I'm going to (Thursday mornings). So now I can go 3 times a week! And I've been going so long, I've looked up a lot of the songs on iTunes and put together my own 1-hour routine for Friday/Saturday/Sunday exercise at home since I know all the moves for most of the songs!

    When they got rid of aerobics on Thursday mornings at the gym and put Zumba (this is only the 3rd week), a few older ladies in aerobics pitched a fit, saying they couldn't believe they were getting rid of a class that burned so many calories and replacing it with "THAT." This lady hasn't even tried zumba. I burn more calories in Zumba than I do in step aerobics!
  • ladybug8814
    ladybug8814 Posts: 41 Member
    I'm curious about zumba. It's dance right? Because I'm completely uncoordinated so was just wondering whether it would be worth it.

    I love Zumba and I am uncooredinated as well. Trust me give it a try it is great fun.
  • sunshine_gem
    sunshine_gem Posts: 390 Member
    Wow! There's a lot of love for zumba right now! Ok, you've all convinced me. I shall give it a go. Need to find someone to go with now....
  • SparkleShine
    SparkleShine Posts: 2,001 Member
    I LOVE Zumba! :love:

    I was so nervous to go the first time, figuring I'd be in a room full of fit and coordinated people. Wrong! There are people of all shapes, sizes, fitness levels, ages. Nobody cares if you mess up on the steps. They are concentrated on doing the moves themselves. I REALLY encourage anyone thinking about it to try it a few times! You'll be hooked!
  • Alexis214a
    Alexis214a Posts: 2
    Zumba is amazing. I usually burn 650 -900 calories in an hour, depending on how much I jump around :) I've lost over 40 lbs with zumba! It works!
  • cc7315
    cc7315 Posts: 72 Member
    Add me to the Zumba lovin crowd!! I take 3-4 classes a week and burn about 450-500 calories in that hour. Fabulous workout for the entire body!
  • bbchickpea
    bbchickpea Posts: 48 Member
    This thread inspired me to book in last minute for Zumba tone last night and I loved it. It seems a good one to start with to get to know some moves as the instructor said its a little slower than normal zumba. Going to book in for next week and a normal zumba class if there's space.

    Thanks for all the tips : )
  • BJBLAINE
    BJBLAINE Posts: 4 Member
    would love to see zumba added to the exercise module!
  • hdorrell02
    hdorrell02 Posts: 1
    I am the most uncoordinated person alive. It is so fun! You don't even care how bad you look dancing bec ause the energy is so high! You should check it out!

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