Turbo Jam or Zumba?

Loribell23
Loribell23 Posts: 66
edited September 22 in Fitness and Exercise
If you were going to buy one of these DVDs which one? Any feedback on either set is appreciated! Thanks.

Replies

  • Wow ,I have both of these videos .Well before Zumba became as popular as it is now I have 2 of the original dvd's , but the new Zumba is way fun. I now do Zumba at my local YMCA, but turbo jam is good too. Personally if I were you Get some of the Zumba Dvd's. Fun,fun.
  • pinkprincessness
    pinkprincessness Posts: 36 Member
    I have done Turbo Jam for years and just recently moved on to the more intense TurboFire. I love it and get great results from it. Burned 818 calories today in 41 minutes!! Does Zumba have levels like Turbo or Jillian Michael's Shred?
  • soultrain1913
    soultrain1913 Posts: 33 Member
    I have both and I say Zumba for sure!!!
  • I would choose Zumba. It is so much fun.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
    TURBO!!!!!!!!!!

    But I could be biased since I am Turbo Kick instructor. :flowerforyou:

    Seriously though, both are fun and both are great workouts. Pick Zumba if you want something more dance related. Pick Turbo if you prefer a more athletic approach like kickboxing.
  • I LOVE turbo!!! I haven't tried Zumba, but if your not a dancer then go with turbo! I'm not a big dancer, I like to groove on my own while doing the moves in turbo rather than following steps. Turbo combines kicks, punches, and all around really cool moves. I bought turbo thinking I may have fallen into the advertising scheme, but man after one workout my body was so sore the next day! It literally works your whole body. So they have a 30 day money back guarantee, if you don't like it you can send it back no big deal! Of course though, I loved it!! It's worth trying out, and if it's not for you then send it back. If you actually go on youtube there is a short clip of a workout from the fat blaster DVD (that video is amazing!). So you can see. Just type in turbo jam fat blaster and you'll see it. :happy:
  • luelue1971
    luelue1971 Posts: 23 Member
    I have tried both and HATED Zumba. I know I must be the oddball as lots of people really like Zumba. For me the Turbo Jam is easier as far as the choreography and burns a lot more based on my HRM.

    I would recommend TURBO all the way.
  • Sharont213
    Sharont213 Posts: 323 Member
    I have both and if you can afford it, i would go with both. Different workouts satisfy different moods. Turbo has great music but the routine is not as dancey - Zumba is all dance.. Maybe you can find some youtube snippets of each to look at and get a better feel for which one is more "you".
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
    TURBO JAM!! 4 years here. The new beachbody Zumba DVD's have bad music - unless you think salsa is fun to dance too. Looks boring plus you want to feel your body working. Turbo Jam will strengthen your upper body so much while Zumba is just cardio.
  • RunHardBeStrong
    RunHardBeStrong Posts: 33,069 Member
    I have both plus Turbo Fire and both Turbo's are my absolute favorite!! You get a great workout with Zumba or Turbo, I burn more calories with Turbo tho. Zumba at home is boring for me but in a class setting is a blast, which also depends on your instructor. I do my Turbo at home and then pick a couple Zumba classes here and there for a change of pace.
  • I have not done Zumba, but have seen it. If you are not a big dancer then deffinitely go with Turbo Jam. I have done that without any problems. Have you by anychance looked at Chalean Extreme. It is by Chalene Johnson from Turbo Jam but also includes resistance training to tone and tighten your muscles. That raises your metabolism so that your body actually burns even more fat. Good luck with whichever way you decide to go.
  • kicklikeaGIRL
    kicklikeaGIRL Posts: 867 Member
    I LOVE Turbo Jam! I've done both before...I actually teach Turbo Kick classes as well. And my best friend teaches a Zumba class. Granted all instructors teach a little differently....let me tell you what some differences and similarities I see with each program.

    Turbo Jam-- You can make it as intense as you want. It is a high intensity workout with a 1-2 minute high interval "turbo" in the middle of the workout that really helps burn some fat. Throughout the workout you also help tone your arms (punching) legs (kicking) and abs (constant core workout). There are some dance moves included, but more kickboxing than dance. The music is great. I really love doing this in my own home because I can really focus on being hardcore and pushing myself. I will even wear weighted gloves.

    Zumba-- You can make it as intense as you want. It is a lower-intensity workout for the most part. I find that I am usually in the lower target range during Zumba. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I'm the gal who likes to push herself. The workout can be more complicated for those who aren't as coordinated with dancing. This is a dance workout and typically a lot of Latin moves. I thought of this more as a fun group workout with friends, but not really something I'd love to do at home by myself. Its a great way to workout with a group.


    I love both workouts, and I typically use Turbo Jam/Kick on days that I want to really push myself. Zumba I love to do as well once a week when I want to workout without thinking I'm really working out. It depends on personality and what you enjoy!! Have fun!!! Both are great, you can't go wrong :smile:
  • ZumbaTriad
    ZumbaTriad Posts: 61 Member
    I have taught both TurboKick and Zumba and if I were going to recommend only one to do AT HOME, it would definitely be TurboFire (TurboJam is great, but TurboFire really covers all the bases).

    I love, love, love Zumba and teach it 5 days a week ... BUT you really need the energy of a live class. I can't stand doing it at home and I own all the DVDs plus the video game. I don't even like to practice at home. Just not the same.

    As for calorie burn ... typically 500-600 with Zumba and about 100 more with Turbokick/jam/fire.
  • kicklikeaGIRL
    kicklikeaGIRL Posts: 867 Member
    I have taught both TurboKick and Zumba and if I were going to recommend only one to do AT HOME, it would definitely be TurboFire (TurboJam is great, but TurboFire really covers all the bases).

    I love, love, love Zumba and teach it 5 days a week ... BUT you really need the energy of a live class. I can't stand doing it at home and I own all the DVDs plus the video game. I don't even like to practice at home. Just not the same.

    As for calorie burn ... typically 500-600 with Zumba and about 100 more with Turbokick/jam/fire.

    I agree with ya....I get the best calorie burn with ZUMBA in a class setting. I LOVE the energy of the class and I love feeding off the energy of others. And I would agree...if you could get TURBO FIRE...I think you'd be set for a long time!!! And the best part is that they have different timed workouts (45 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes) and stretching and HIIT workouts. Its pretty great!
  • joygwen
    joygwen Posts: 30 Member
    I have Turbo Jam but have gone to Zumba classes. I sweat more and think Turbo burns more calories, both are dance-y but Zumba is more Dance-y. I think which ever one you think you'll do more consistently. You'll probably like both.
  • morganhccstudent724
    morganhccstudent724 Posts: 1,261 Member
    I am in love with Zumba. I have not tried any turbo jam but I just watched a video and it looks alot like body combat that I also take at the gym. I would suggest using a free day pass and going to a Gold's gym or the Y and trying both classes first. That way when you go to invest the money on DVD's at least you have an idea of what type of workout you are going to be getting. Good Luck!!!!
  • elinger
    elinger Posts: 33
    I have both dvds and it all depends on the mood I'm in to which one I use. Oh and BTW salsa, meregue, reggeton are very upbeat dances and very fun to dance to if you know how to dance :) lol
  • I have both. Zumba is fun if you love to dance. I started turbo fire 8 days ago and i can't believe i am saying this but i am addicted. It is intense and guaranteed to burn fat. I do zumba once a week still.
  • SammyKatt
    SammyKatt Posts: 363 Member
    I have Turbo Jam, Turbo Fire and Zumba.


    Zumba is a waste of money. It's boring and the music sucks. If you like taking classes, then maybe it would be better (I've taken 3 different Zumba classes and hated all 3, which is surprising since I LOVE dancing)

    Turbo Fire/Jam - OMG they are so much fun!!! Its kickboxing and a little dancey and just fun! I watched a video on youtube just to see what it was and fell in love with it before I even did it. I've been doing Jam for the last week and I seriously wish I would have know about this years ago. I did one of the Cardio Party Mixes today (it was 45 mins) and burned 490 cals and I wasn't pushing that hard since I was tired.

    Jam is a little slower so you can learn the moves and focus on form more so if you were to get one before the other I was start with Jam (and its cheaper)
    Fire is fast and will kick your @ss!!
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