Zumba Skeptic

I do zumba 2x a week for my cardio and love it! I do heavy weights 3x a week. It all depends on the zumba instructor. In my class we do push ups, sit ups and tons of lunges so it's an awesome class! I avg around 440 calories burn per class and that depends on the person's intensity and weight etc.

Good luck in your journey!

Okay sorry for offending any of you or MANY of you I should say, but I only post this question so someone can correct me cause I'm sure you are not all into what looks to me like glorified aerobics, or spastic latin dancing.

I've seen good latin dancing, and good aerobics classes but this looks like neither and this was the 3rd video I found. So please show me some good video of this thing you are all loving so much? Otherwise I can only think that the appeal is that it's done to very very good music? Played it without sound so I don't know that's all I can think, it just looks odd.

I don't want to look like this...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5ksfpQSrg0

Funny how the one person who "should" have rythm is the only one who doesn't?

IDK. It just does NOT look like something I want to be doing. (only interested because it seems to burn lots of cals. and lot's of my "friends" list do it and they don't seem like spaz's?)

I cannot speak for the videos, as I only do the live classes. (side note: I did purchase the Exhilerate DVD set as well) What I can tell you is that the workout is real. The calorie burn is real. The fun factor is amazing and its probably one of the only reasons that some people, including myself come to the gym. ( I will also add that when I do come to Zumba classes, I come an hour beforehand and do weight training as well, to balance it out)

Its one of the only classes that you will see people of all fitness levels having a great time and encouraging each other while getting an amazing workout. Now, i will say that you do need to have a great instructor, because while it's awesome, its that much better with a great instructor.

Skeptics come a dime a dozen and I would just say try the class, see if you like it. If you don't, then at least you know. But I can attest for loosing 27 pounds since Thanksgiving week and going from a size 24 to a 16/18 with many more inches lost. I'm just saying.

I've never taken a class, I use my Zumba on the Xbox 360, so I'm not liking it much. For me, I lack the coordination and background of dancing that it assumes you have. The tutorials suck and don't teach the moves effectively. I might like a class more, but my gym doesn't offer them and I don't have money for a separate class/course elsewhere.

So you're forming an opinion based on a video? I'd say "don't knock it til you try it" I wanted to try it but put it off for over a year. Once I did, I was hooked! The awesome thing about Zumba isn't just that it burns a ton of calories, it's that it burns it in a FUN way. It don't even feel like a workout and when the class is over, you want more! It doesn't matter to me what I look like! I'm there to get a great cardio workout, and for that reason only. Nobody will be looking at you bc they're too concerned about how they look so don't sweat it, and just try it! You will not appreciate it until you do!

^^This

Zumba is a funny thing because there are so many variations. I have a hard time following videos. But when I first did zumba in person I hated it. I could not get the foot work right, the music was too "salsa-y" for me, and after 10 minutes I panicked and thought, "There is no way I can do this for an hour!" I did it though, and it was def a good work out.

A year or two later, I tried another class and the music was more modern pop and hip hop, the instructor made it fun and there was less emphasis on precise foot work and more emphasis on just getting moving! And I looooved it!!!! SO MUCH

I am not finding Zumba in the cardio exercises, when I attempted to add it, it asked how many calories it burns?? That's why
I am using this, I don't know. anybody?:blushing:
I do think a class with an instructor is a preferable method.

http://caloriesburnedhq.com/zumba-calories-burned/

I love zumba. Depending on whether it's a new routine we're just learning or one we've been doing, I average between 156-212 for a 30 minute class. As others mentioned, it depends on the instructor, too. I happen to have a great one for this class. I was also taking an hour long class with a different instructor and her routines were not as high energy. Thus, no matter how hard I pushed myself, I was still only burning about 300 cals for the entire hour. I've never done a zumba video so I can't comment on that. But until you actually take a class, I'd refrain from judgement. FYI I wear my HRM and Fitbit one during my zumba class so I get my actual calorie burn and not just estimates.

I actually LOVE Zumba! I range anywhere from 800-1000 calories burned in an hour. For me, that's a lot more than I get on a treadmill or elliptical. I'm just starting out with my weightloss adventure, lol, and Zumba is something I really enjoy and know I can stick with. You can't really base your opinion on Zumba unless you've gone to a class. What you put in, is what you get out of the class. Find the right instructor, and you'll definitely feel it the next day. To me, it's fun where you don't even realize you just did 100 squats, lol. My legs are still wobbly from all the squats and lunges.

I've never done it before, but I totally would. I don't have much rhythm, and I imagine I'd probably feel silly doing it at first, but in reality I know no one else is going to even be looking at me, because they're busy moving and watching the instructor, so they are in their own world. They have enough to concentrate on. And it's a great calorie burn, but it's all what you put into it. I'd say don't knock it til ya try it.

I love Zumba but I agree. Some of the stuff they have online isn't that great. I either use the Zumba DVD kit I bought or go to a class at my gym, which is even better cause I usually don't leave the class without sweating up a storm. I lost about 15lbs doing Zumba so I think it really works