Switched classes to ZUMBA

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Autumnsun26
Autumnsun26 Posts: 83 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I was going to a cardio/resistance class 3 days a week an hour for each workout and the hours just were not working for me. We live in a small town and the only other class they offer in the evenings is zumba. I have kind of suck at this class but I am giving it a go. I have only gone once. Will zumba help me with weight loss? I have heard mixed things about it. I have always heard it is better to do weight training.

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  • imjusme
    imjusme Posts: 24 Member
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    Fear not! I just started Zumba about a month ago and I am so addicted! I also wear a heart rate monitor and a BodyMedia Fit armband and I can burn as much in Zumba as I do in spin class if not more! I would say don't give up lifting, maybe instead of doing weight classes you can do a free weight routine.
  • FezzesRCool
    FezzesRCool Posts: 36
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    Zumba is what really got me motivated to work out. It's fun and you don't even realize you're working out, plus, you can burn anywhere between 600 to even 1000 calories for that hour. Plus, it's a pretty great way to meet people. Through the grapevine there, I had learned of and went to two Zumbathons which are sweet charity drives where you go and do Zumba for a good cause. One was two hours long and the other was close to three.

    If you really want weight training, look up Zumba Toning, which includes some dances with weights and even the ones without weights can improve muscle tone based on the moves.

    I know it's hard to keep up with sometimes, but if you keep to the same instructor for a while, you start to recognize and can keep up with the dances easier. Also, certain moves are shared between the dances, so even if one is new to you, you might pick it up because of the similar moves. Besides, the point is to keep moving. Even if you're not exact, you're still getting a benefit. If the instructor is a good one, s/he'll will offer a few alternative moves for certain parts that'll be easier. :)
  • honeydoozy
    honeydoozy Posts: 46 Member
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    Zumba is GREAT for the cardio part of your workout routine. It's definitely going to get your heart rate up and burn calories! You still need to combine that with a strength training regimen (weights) - but that IS a winning combo! Have fun!
  • Autumnsun26
    Autumnsun26 Posts: 83 Member
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    Thanks you! I am going to give zumba another try. I am lifting with my husband two times a week.
  • chelbel89
    chelbel89 Posts: 161 Member
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    I agree that it is AWESOME!! I do Zumba 4x a week and I do free weights afterwards. I only do about 3 sets of 15 of each exercise. I also only do upper body because my lower body gets a TON of a workout during Zumba! I love it! It makes me feel like I am doing something that is fun AND good for me!!
  • lilbearzmom
    lilbearzmom Posts: 600 Member
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    I am also in the middle of my first ever Zumba session at the Y. I really like it. I'm not perfect at it, but I love that I get lost in it and it really doesn't feel like exercise to me- the 45 minutes is up before I know it! I will be signing up again when this session is over!
  • mystikalbeanz
    mystikalbeanz Posts: 192 Member
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    Love Zumba! The time flies by because its so much fun! I also wear a heart rate monitor and was surprised at how many calories i burned in an hr! I didnt realize i was working out that hard which is great! I do zumba core for the kinect and love it. My 5 yr old daughter even does it with me! I also alternate turbo jam, 30 day shred and ripped in 30 but zumba by far gives me the most calorie burn.
  • Alissakae
    Alissakae Posts: 317 Member
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    I do Zumba for cardio and weight/interval training on other days. It's a great combo! I don't get bored.
  • ElizMurphy69
    ElizMurphy69 Posts: 61 Member
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    I love my Zumba class! I am a perfectionist though and get very frustrated when I don't pick up on a move right away! Stick with it, I always figure it out. The better you know the routines the more effort you put into them and the more you will burn! Plus it's reminded me that I do "know how to move that way" :-)
    Let's Salsa baby! :-)
  • samntha14
    samntha14 Posts: 2,084 Member
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    Zumba is GREAT for the cardio part of your workout routine. It's definitely going to get your heart rate up and burn calories! You still need to combine that with a strength training regimen (weights) - but that IS a winning combo! Have fun!
    ^ what she said. Zumba and Zumba toning are the most fun you can have burning up 600 calroies, but for overall fitness you should add weight training as well.
  • smaihlee
    smaihlee Posts: 171 Member
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    I went to my first Zumba class yesterday--WOW. I burned 550 calories according to my HRM. I've been doing an hour-long boot camp 3 days/week since January, and that Zumba class burned more calories than any single boot camp session.

    I felt like a goofball and had a hard time keeping up, but it was really fun. For someone like me who gets really wigged out in new situations and around new people, it was a really cool experience and easy to get lost in the moves. There were all levels of experience there, and honestly I didn't see that anyone could keep up the entire time besides the instructor.

    I would definitely keep up with your lifting for the strength training, but for pure calorie burning that Zumba is the bomb!
  • cmccorma
    cmccorma Posts: 203 Member
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    I went to my first Zumba class yesterday--WOW. I burned 550 calories according to my HRM. I've been doing an hour-long boot camp 3 days/week since January, and that Zumba class burned more calories than any single boot camp session.

    I felt like a goofball and had a hard time keeping up, but it was really fun. For someone like me who gets really wigged out in new situations and around new people, it was a really cool experience and easy to get lost in the moves. There were all levels of experience there, and honestly I didn't see that anyone could keep up the entire time besides the instructor.

    I would definitely keep up with your lifting for the strength training, but for pure calorie burning that Zumba is the bomb!

    I'm going to add a Zumba class as well. I do 3 bootcamps a week and the most I've ever burned was 370. I was shocked when I started using my HRM. I'll keep the bootcamps for the strength training part!
  • evilmonkee
    evilmonkee Posts: 55 Member
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    As several PPs said, zumba is great for the cardio part. Everybody sucks at it at first- give it 2-3 classes to get used to the basic moves before you decide if you like it or not. Some instructors are better than others, so if they have more than one person teaching, see if you can try out couple classes.
    I run 3/week, lift heavy 2/week- those are my "serious" workouts. I do zumba once a week because it's so much fun. I burn about as many calories in an hour as I do during an easy 40 min (4mile run), but it doesn't feel like I'm working out. It feels like I'm at a dance party, and I burn calories: win-win!
  • just_fur_luck
    just_fur_luck Posts: 141 Member
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    I agree that it is AWESOME!! I do Zumba 4x a week and I do free weights afterwards. I only do about 3 sets of 15 of each exercise. I also only do upper body because my lower body gets a TON of a workout during Zumba! I love it! It makes me feel like I am doing something that is fun AND good for me!!

    True story. Tom Platz actually quit doing squats and started doing Zumba so he could look like this
    tom-platz.jpg
  • andreajaeger89
    andreajaeger89 Posts: 18
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    I've been doing Zumba for almost a year now and I LOVE it!! :love: I am addicted for sure and I'm always in the front row! I first started going only once a week for at least three months. I then started going twice a week. I am up to three times a week now and I am losing weight. Zumba will definitely help you lose weight, but its not going to just fall off on its own. I can speak to this because the most I had ever lost doing Zumba for approx 9 months was 5 lbs. The reason I wasn't really dropping any weight was because I was still eating like crap. Weightloss is primarily linked to your diet! My endurance was improving as was the tone in my legs, but that was about it. If you eat healthy (watch those carbs/fats & calories), do Zumba as your cardio and add a few days of strength training you will definitely lose weight and gain some pretty muscles! I recently started clean eating, weight training and going back to three days a weeks of zumba and I have lost about 5 pounds in a little over a week! It's crazy how quickly the weight comes off when you stop eating all those bad yet delicious foods :happy:
  • Autumnsun26
    Autumnsun26 Posts: 83 Member
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    Yes diet is so important! I have had a rough time this week. Not all days are 100% awesome but I have been on track for going on 3 months now and I have dropped almost 30 lbs! I am pretty happy about that. I am very careful about what I eat. I log it before I even think about indulging. I went again last night to ZUMBA and I am finally getting rid of my social anxiety and having so much fun. I have almost all the moves down there are 2-3 songs that are a little difficult still but I am sure I will get it down ;) I need to find time to start lifting though for sure! I haven't done it in a few weeks we have been so busy!

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