Zumba

fteale
fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
edited September 26 in Fitness and Exercise
Lots of people seem to log it as burning like 500 cals or so per hour, which I find odd as my extremely high intensity aerobics only comes in at about 400 cals for the hour, and other people who do that class gave up Zumba as they said they hardly raised a sweat. So is our local Zumba teacher a bit useless, is the 400 cals a bit low for aerobics (I burn around 700 cals an hour running, which I find more strenuous than aerobics, by a long shot), or are people here over estimating the cals burned by Zumba?

I like the idea of doing Zumba, so I'd like to know if it is worthwhile as exercise or not.
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Replies

  • myukniewicz
    myukniewicz Posts: 906 Member
    i wear my HRM when i Zumba, and i burn around 500-550 calories per hour!
  • t_rog
    t_rog Posts: 363 Member
    I definitely worked up a sweat doing Zumba! Might be your teacher :ohwell:
  • allison514
    allison514 Posts: 3
    I also use a HRM and average 550 - 625 for an hour of Zumba.

    I also use the HRM for eliptical and treadmill and Zumba burns more calories for me than those alternatives by about 100 calories/hour.

    Without a HRM it is difficult to know your exact burn, as you can individualize and vary the intensity of your Zumba significantly affecting your calories burned.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    How can it burn more calories than a high intensity aerobics session with resistance bands, though? I don't get it? Aerobic dance on here logs at about 250 cals an hour.
  • shmoejo
    shmoejo Posts: 37
    i also am using a hrm when i am doing zumba and i burn 600 plus depending on my involvement in it, the more i move my hips and engage my core the more i burn it seems.
  • bellawomenswellness
    bellawomenswellness Posts: 99 Member
    Your caloric burn is based on age, weight, sex and a few other factors. Larger individuals may tend to burn more than smaller. Think Mac truck vs. a Prius. The mac takes more energy to move it.

    Zumba is definitely not a high intensity cardio work out, but you can certainly go all out and get your heart rate elevated into your Heart Rate Zone 3.

    The best advice is to have variety in your workouts and do things you enjoy.

    Also use a heart rate monitor. The MFP calculations for exercises are just generic and not truly accurate.

    Hope that helps a bit.
  • AlisonLS
    AlisonLS Posts: 25 Member
    I wear a HRM during Zumba and in 30 minutes burn 300-350 calories. I sweat a ton and its so much fun, instead of just logging time in on a machine, I get to dance and have fun.
  • PecanTanDiva
    PecanTanDiva Posts: 162
    I wear my HRM and depending on the difficulty level and the type of dance, I burn around 480+ calories. I break out in sweat as if I was running. Its fun using the Wii Zumba
  • babycaykes80
    babycaykes80 Posts: 15
    Zumba requires a LOT of hip action, my instructor said that shaking your "behind" is one of the highest calorie burning activities because it requires the use of so many core/abdominal muscles........maybe that could be why?!?
  • 0Jaime0
    0Jaime0 Posts: 26
    I love the Zumba on Wii! I actually just bought it a couple of days ago, and I can't wait until all the daycare kids are gone for the day so I can pop it in and go. I had someone tell me its not near a workout....but it is for me! To each their own I guess. And I am not a little person, so this could possibly be why I get a workout with it. Glad to hear someone say something positive about Zumba on the Wii so I don't feel like such a loser - ha! :)
  • JMCade
    JMCade Posts: 389 Member
    I go to a zumba class that is an hour long and by the time I leave I am soaked in sweat! I am guessing 500 cals, but don't know for suer. I know it gets me out of breath and I drink 24 oz. of water everytime during the class!
  • AEROBICVIC
    AEROBICVIC Posts: 159 Member
    As a Zumba instructor i tend to burn more cals teaching a class rather taking a class taught by someone else because i know every move that is coming up and i can give 110% to my workouts. when i take another class i don't get the same workout or burn as many cals because i dont know the choreography like i do my own. same goes with anyone else taking a class. the more you take it from the same instr, the more cals you will burn because you can focus on your routine more, put more into it. since all instrs have their own style and personality, you may get more out of one workout than another. one way of getting most out of ur workout in a group fitness class is to not worry about messing up. let your body move, have fun and focus on yourself!!!
  • lindseyross93
    lindseyross93 Posts: 2
    It might be your level of fitness, and how you sweat.
    I am very fit, unlike a lot of the people in my class, so my heart rate doesn't go up much. I burn around 500 calories an hour.
    I don't sweat much, and my instructor is always wondering why I'm the only person not sweating, it's just because of my body. If you don't sweat much when you run in about the same temperature conditions as your studio is kept (our AC is on, so it's chilly), you probably won't sweat too much zumba-ing.
  • InspiredSAM
    InspiredSAM Posts: 98 Member
    How can it burn more calories than a high intensity aerobics session with resistance bands, though? I don't get it? Aerobic dance on here logs at about 250 cals an hour.

    That's where the HRM really come into play.
  • amwoidyla
    amwoidyla Posts: 257 Member
    I think it depends on how your instructor teaches, what songs they do, and the amount of work you put into it.
    My instructor does almost all hip hop songs and there are actually people who complain that her class is "too intense." She tells us we can take it down a notch or do a modification if we need to, but her balls to the wall approach motivates me to work harder.
    I burned 700 calories in my last class!
  • Victoriousinhimalone
    Victoriousinhimalone Posts: 1
    There are a lot of factors but also people with more weight burn more calories doing the same activity. Like my sister is only 20# overweight I am 100# overweight. My sister and I work out together and I burn more calories than she does doing the same exercise.
  • m76b
    m76b Posts: 1,498 Member
    450 or 550 calories in an hour!! its fun and not so hard, but your heart rate is up all the time! (polar HRM) :wink:
  • HannahPendrigh
    HannahPendrigh Posts: 147 Member
    I use my HRM and I usually burn anything from 550-750 an hour depending on how hard I work that day and what iNstructor I have.
  • kashmyre
    kashmyre Posts: 105 Member
    Also a Zumba Instructor so this:
    As a Zumba instructor i tend to burn more cals teaching a class rather taking a class taught by someone else because i know every move that is coming up and i can give 110% to my workouts. when i take another class i don't get the same workout or burn as many cals because i dont know the choreography like i do my own. same goes with anyone else taking a class. the more you take it from the same instr, the more cals you will burn because you can focus on your routine more, put more into it. since all instrs have their own style and personality, you may get more out of one workout than another. one way of getting most out of ur workout in a group fitness class is to not worry about messing up. let your body move, have fun and focus on yourself!!!
  • linda0372
    linda0372 Posts: 27 Member
    this link is to a website that calculates the calories burned while doing zumba:

    http://caloriesburnedhq.com/zumba-calories-burned
  • boothekm
    boothekm Posts: 60 Member
    Zumba classes are pretty extreme no matter what size you are. I've done the classes and also have the dvds. Some of the workouts on the dvds are harder than others. The 20 minute Zumba and Flat Abs Zumba won't really make you sweat. The Cardio Party and ZumbaLive one does though....at least for me!

    I think, too, that bigger people burn more calories, so that may be the calorie difference you see.
  • operation_cute
    operation_cute Posts: 588 Member
    I think it has to be your teacher... zumba (although so fun you don't realize your tired till your done) kicks my butt, I'm usually drenched by the end, energized, and exausted...
  • dandelyon
    dandelyon Posts: 620 Member
    I look around in my Zumba class and ... we're not all doing the same workout. You can make it more/less intense, and my instructor gives directions to make it easier for those who need it. We also warm up and cool down, so I usually only put myself down for 45 minutes, because I'm not burning crazy calories for 60 minutes straight. That still gives me 500 calories, but I can't tell you whether that's accurate or not and, because I'm skeptical, I don't eat back all my Zumba calories.

    Edited to add - regarding working up a sweat - only half of us have a decent sweat going and we're the ones who jump 180 degrees instead of calming turning around. I am trying to get my $5/class worth :P
  • jadedjade24
    jadedjade24 Posts: 127
    I burn up to 500-550, sometimes more depending on what the class is like. Remember that the calories you burn is directly connected to how hard you work, and how high your HR is. If you don't get into it, or have a light day in Zumba, then you are not going t oburn as much as you would if you go all out. I get my heart to pump at 70% of it's total compacity on purpose, That way I burn the most that I could possibly, and you totally work up a sweat. My shirt is damp, if not very wet, when I finish an hour work out.
  • oxnina
    oxnina Posts: 203 Member
    I think it mostly has to do with how much you weigh? I personally way around 180 lbs and in an hour session of zumba i burn around 600 calories. I know my instructor is a very high cardio instructor, as well as being in a room with 15 people, i walk out like i've taken a shower. Personally i think having a HRM would be the best bet, but i think it might have to do with how much you weigh compared to how hard you work.

    I know one girl on mfp feed burns 1200 calories in a 60 min session, but she is also approx 100-200 lbs heavier than i am.
  • treehugginpam
    treehugginpam Posts: 1,129 Member
    I just did zumba last night while wearing my HRM and I burned 720 calories! I probably weigh more than you though, and my instructor really works us like crazy. She does lots of fast paced moves plus moves that focus on strength as well (she'll throw in a whole song with squats or a whole song working abs, etc.). I have had instructors who were not so great and I only burned 400 or so calories though. So like everyone said, it depends on your weight, your level of fitness, and whether or not you've got a great instructor.
  • bettynfamily1
    bettynfamily1 Posts: 2 Member
    Maybe it is the instructor! In my area we have a couple that teaches Zumba and if you don't burn at least 600 calories then it is because you are not exerting yourself! I have lost 33 lbs with doing Zumba 2-3 nights a week.
  • operation_cute
    operation_cute Posts: 588 Member
    I love the Zumba on Wii! I actually just bought it a couple of days ago, and I can't wait until all the daycare kids are gone for the day so I can pop it in and go. I had someone tell me its not near a workout....but it is for me! To each their own I guess. And I am not a little person, so this could possibly be why I get a workout with it. Glad to hear someone say something positive about Zumba on the Wii so I don't feel like such a loser - ha! :)

    I have it on kinect... LOVE it :):love:
  • manique45
    manique45 Posts: 99 Member
    Your caloric burn is based on age, weight, sex and a few other factors. Larger individuals may tend to burn more than smaller. Think Mac truck vs. a Prius. The mac takes more energy to move it.

    Zumba is definitely not a high intensity cardio work out, but you can certainly go all out and get your heart rate elevated into your Heart Rate Zone 3.

    The best advice is to have variety in your workouts and do things you enjoy.

    Also use a heart rate monitor. The MFP calculations for exercises are just generic and not truly accurate.

    Hope that helps a bit.

    Yes these are all important factors! I LOVE Zumba, I love classes and I have the xbox core and rush games that I do often, yesterday wearing my HRM i burned 431 calories in 40 minutes.... I def work up a dripping sweat... I think maybe your teacher is not that great.... I also burn close to the same during a 40 min Insanity work out, just depends on your heart rate...
  • oxnina
    oxnina Posts: 203 Member
    I don't know if someone posted this already but i find this calorie counter very helpful


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