SLOWED Zumba CALORIE BURN

kgeer31
kgeer31 Posts: 52 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I have a dilemma. I started doing Zumba dance classes a few months ago and started with 700-800 calorie burn/class. I've now increased the number of classes I do a week and have upped weights for my Zumba Toning classes. i'm now only averaging 500-600cals burned for the same classes.

If there are any instructors out there, any suggestions?

To the rest of the MFP community, have you encountered this with your workouts? I've never monitored my cals before my Nike fuel band (about 5mos ago) and always went based on "standards" for particular exercises. Can you actually plateau in burning calories, let alone drop? I'm mostly confused since I've ADDED classes and upped resistance.

Replies

  • MsKeelaRosebure
    MsKeelaRosebure Posts: 1
    I've wondered the same thing. I'm doing Zumba & lost 1 lb & it just seems the weight loss is slow but I feel Better & already see a difference in the mirror & in my clothes. Zumba is so much fun :)
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
    you're probably not eating enough and have too much of a calorie deficit, then your body tries to conserve energy and therefore burns fewer calories.
  • misscristie
    misscristie Posts: 643 Member
    It's because you're getting healthier and your body is able to handle it better :) It's a good thing!
  • deadbeatsummer
    deadbeatsummer Posts: 537 Member
    Your body is getting used to doing that exercise. Your body will try and conserve energy where it can to survive. It is now achieving survival by using less energy to do the same exercise. Mix it up a little?
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,728 Member
    As your body becomes accustomed to a routine, your burn per hour will decrease.

    Also, if you have lost weight, your burn per hour will decrease.
  • nmb0717
    nmb0717 Posts: 130 Member
    As you get more fit and have less to lose, you should burn less calories. I also do Zumba, very high intensity class, and burn about 700 per class. A classmate of mine only burns 500 or so and can't get past it. She used to burn more but since she's slimmed down, she actually burns less, which is normal. I don't really have any advice on how to change it but keep enjoying it and congrats on the loss so far!
  • ThorneDust
    ThorneDust Posts: 189 Member
    It could be that you're now smaller, as it takes less calories to move around a say 150 lb body than it does to move around a 200 lb body. Also, when you repeat the same exercies your fitness improves meaning it now takes less calories to repeat those actions. Try mixing it up!
  • meghan6867
    meghan6867 Posts: 388 Member
    Bust a move... :laugh:

    Seriously though, I'm not an instructor but I can relate. The exact same thing happened to me. It makes sense though : if you're losing weight, you are lighter (and thus carrying less weight) when you do Zumba. It's natural to burn less.

    The best advice I can give is push yourself. Don't just do the steps, really, REALLY get into it. The more crazy dancing you do the more that will reflect in the amount of calories burned. Plus, it's a lot of fun! :smile:
  • kgeer31
    kgeer31 Posts: 52 Member
    Thanks all! I hadn't really given any of that a thought...hmmm...how about doing some lifting before I go???
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