Men and Zumba!

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  • ktliu
    ktliu Posts: 334 Member
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    Zumba an awesome workout. It's really a serious workout with some dance moves thrown in for fun. It's as strenuous as you want it to be. If you take it seriously, A sub 200 pound guy can easily burn 900 plus calories in one hour. I am the only guy in my gym to do it consistently (2-3 times a week) and I have gotten to know some real cuties... Fringe benefit.
    The reason that guys don't dance is that they have inhibitions or lack of rhythm. If you have Rhythm. Join the fun. It's the quickest and most fun way to burn an hour worth of workout. And seriously, girls dancing by themselves are NOT natural. (The old Yin/Yang thing)Throw in a guy and the mixture is a lot more fun. Not a bad way to get to know some ladies. (BTW, I am happily married for 28 years) unfortunately my wife cannot dance to save her life. She's more of a endurance gal.

    As far as the old macho thing, what's more macho than being able to seduce a woman via dancing. Think Tango, Dirty Dancing, Footloose. not to mention the ultimate sex symbol, the Matador. Zumba have Paso Doble which is a matador dance.

    As for the "GUNS" factor. I usually throw in 2 session of weight training a week plus a class of PIYO in for flexibility and strength training. And a class of insanity just to keep myself humble.

    And people, don't forget Zumba is invented by a GUY (Beto Perez)

    And final thing get over yourself looking stupid, cause nobody is watching you. Everybody eyes is staring at the instructor.and frantically trying to keep up.
  • gfroniewski
    gfroniewski Posts: 168
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    I keep getting confronted with the idea of trying Zumba; I may have to at least give it a try. Not something I would do normally since an optimum burn for a given time is the same no matter the activity, and I have my favorites already lol.
  • jsdcap
    jsdcap Posts: 46 Member
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    Zumba is awesome and a lot of fun, its all how much you put into the class. I just wish I was Spanish so I would have rhythm and knew the basic moves. Its is not for just ladies there are about 4-6 guys that do Zumba classes regularly.
  • dancer1178
    dancer1178 Posts: 50
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    dancer1178 is right Zumba is for anyone... That is contrary to what a lot of guys think, Zumba is not for wimps...

    It is an actual workout... Zumba has improved my life for the better. When I started Zumba in January 2012, my heart's efficiency rating was only 27%... By December 2012, my heart's efficiency rating improved to 48%... In addition, my heart is less enlarged than it was in January 2012...

    In fact, I am such a fan of Zumba that on May 2, 2013, I had gone through the Zumba Basic 1 Instructor Training...

    This is wonderful to hear!! I'm incredibly happy that you found something that you love and has made you healthier! Welcome to the instructor club! Love it!!


    COMPLETELY understanding that trying something new isn't easy and that most guys are looking just to get bulk...Zumba is a COMPLETE workout. Everyone needs a bit of cardio and Zumba also adds muscle tone. Especially if you go to a Zumba Toning class. There are other styles as well...Zumba Sentao, which adds the use of a chair...and so on an so forth!
  • dancer1178
    dancer1178 Posts: 50
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    Zumba an awesome workout. It's really a serious workout with some dance moves thrown in for fun. It's as strenuous as you want it to be. If you take it seriously, A sub 200 pound guy can easily burn 900 plus calories in one hour. I am the only guy in my gym to do it consistently (2-3 times a week) and I have gotten to know some real cuties... Fringe benefit.
    The reason that guys don't dance is that they have inhibitions or lack of rhythm. If you have Rhythm. Join the fun. It's the quickest and most fun way to burn an hour worth of workout. And seriously, girls dancing by themselves are NOT natural. (The old Yin/Yang thing)Throw in a guy and the mixture is a lot more fun. Not a bad way to get to know some ladies. (BTW, I am happily married for 28 years) unfortunately my wife cannot dance to save her life. She's more of a endurance gal.

    As far as the old macho thing, what's more macho than being able to seduce a woman via dancing. Think Tango, Dirty Dancing, Footloose. not to mention the ultimate sex symbol, the Matador. Zumba have Paso Doble which is a matador dance.

    As for the "GUNS" factor. I usually throw in 2 session of weight training a week plus a class of PIYO in for flexibility and strength training. And a class of insanity just to keep myself humble.

    And people, don't forget Zumba is invented by a GUY (Beto Perez)

    And final thing get over yourself looking stupid, cause nobody is watching you. Everybody eyes is staring at the instructor.and frantically trying to keep up.

    This is true!!! Awesome!!!
  • michelefrench
    michelefrench Posts: 814 Member
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    Was in class one day w/a man who had quite obviously been dragged there by his wife/girlfriend...he gave it his all though. on the way out I heard him say "I will NEVER call it your little dance class again" :happy:
  • pamelak5
    pamelak5 Posts: 327 Member
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    It really depends on the class. Some Zumba classes seem to involve nothing more than shaking your bum around, and I have trouble getting my heart rate up. I've left a couple classes halfway through because the movements just weren't much exercise.

    But then I've been to some incredible Zumba classes that incorporate squat jumps and plyometrics - and those ones are AWESOME. And super fun. Fortunately, the first Zumba class I went to was great, so I didn't judge all classes by the more dancy/less sweaty ones I went to later.

    FWIW, I run and lift heavy but always make room for one Zumba or other dance class, and encourage others to do so as well :)
  • dancer1178
    dancer1178 Posts: 50
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    Loving everyone's responses and it's so great to hear so many men loving it!

    As for the "girlish" moves...they aren't girlish, they are mostly latin :) as a few previous posters have said...women LOVE a man who can dance and at the very least love a man who doesn't care what he looks like. I'd say 90% of my students come in saying that have "two-left feet". It's just not true. By the middle of class they are following along just fine. If you have a good instructor, they should be "cueing" you to the next step and the routines should be repetitive so that by the end you have a vague idea. Same steps done on the verse, same steps on the chorus etc. It's also a stacking method. We start simple and add arms the next time the chorus comes around. We will then add a jump the next time. But if you aren't comfortable adding anything in yet, stay with the more simple step to you get that one. So many people think they have to copy the instructor to the tee that they don't realize that's almost impossible and you're there to just feel the music. And it's true, with anything else it's what you make out of it! Based off of someone weighing 150lbs, you can burn up to 700 calories in one class.
  • dancer1178
    dancer1178 Posts: 50
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    It really depends on the class. Some Zumba classes seem to involve nothing more than shaking your bum around, and I have trouble getting my heart rate up. I've left a couple classes halfway through because the movements just weren't much exercise.

    But then I've been to some incredible Zumba classes that incorporate squat jumps and plyometrics - and those ones are AWESOME. And super fun. Fortunately, the first Zumba class I went to was great, so I didn't judge all classes by the more dancy/less sweaty ones I went to later.

    FWIW, I run and lift heavy but always make room for one Zumba or other dance class, and encourage others to do so as well :)

    This is definitely true as well! (and good to hear! :))


    You really do need to find a class that is right for you. I always say that when looking for ANY type of class that you should be sure your instructor is licensed or certified. With Zumba you want to be sure your instructor is a ZIN member or at the very least an active instructor. Not everyone is going to follow the "rules" unfortunately but you can sort out the bad from the good quite easily if you're willing to give it a chance.
  • Keiras_Mom
    Keiras_Mom Posts: 844 Member
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    I have an awesome Zumba instructor and her class is always packed, with a wide variety of people. We have some classic "jock" types of men who come and really work hard. It's GREAT!
  • Soccermavrick
    Soccermavrick Posts: 405 Member
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    It does not work the muscles most men prefer to work, but to burn fat and build cardio it is fine.

    The other thing is I think guys get intimidated because they are normally is a room full of women, trying to figure it out. I think many women find it nice to see a guy try it.

    And I am surprised that the classes do not have more single guys trying it, figuring that it is a good ice breaker, and reality is most women prefer classes, not individual lifting. Not that I am looking to socialize, it is just nice support when I am in the gym, I am already married.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
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    I'd try it out, but it's completely off schedule. Dance, martial arts, etc are all good activities.
  • dancer1178
    dancer1178 Posts: 50
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    I will say that like with anything else, once you get to a certain level of fitness you do need to change things up and add to your work out. Zumba isn't the only thing I do. Aside from Zumba, it's Ballet and Tap classes and I teach hip hop and Jazz. Dancers are true athletes, some of the strongest men and women I know. Famous points would be Baryshnikov, Gene Kelly, any one of those kids on SYTYCD. Dancing gets a bit of a bad wrap because it's also an art and a creative outlet but they also kick *ss! Most dancers have strength and core training in their regimen. I have recently had to add more weight training to my workout. So at a certain time you do hit a plateau. Some one who is already at a high level of fitness may not benefit from Zumba. But, heck, it sure is fun and is a high intensity workout! Great calorie burner and toner of muscles. I know most guys just want to lift weights but think of the results you would get if you were doing both! :)
  • ZumbaFan23
    ZumbaFan23 Posts: 1
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    I'm a guy who loves going to zumba classes but am often the only man there. I think the reason that most men don't do zumba is that they are afraid of looking stupid in front of a class consisting mainly of women and that they are afraid that people will think they're gay, which is a pity because, even if they are gay, so what? I am now 66 and married and I had never really danced until I was nearly 50. I find moving my body freely, including my hips, is a really liberating experience and really is a good workout. To guys who think that zumba is not for men, I would remind them that it was created by a man and that many of the instructors are male.

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