Zumba - couple of questions

Just saw this now! Yes I recommend the original set that comes with the 7 dvds and the toning sticks. There is a 20 min, 40 min and 60 min workout plus a toning workout. These are the dvds I am doing now and I always finish any one of them dripping with sweat! I have been using them for 2 weeks now. I have not used a hrm while doing them yet.

This is my primary way of getting in cardio and I do yoga for toning. I have lost 2 pounds in the 2 weeks I have been using the dvds and my jeans are definitely looser. I had to put a couple in the dryer this weekend and I NEVER put jeans in the dryer since they shrink! lol

This is the set: http://www.amazon.com/Zumba-Fitness-Exhilarate-Ultimate-Experience/dp/B004O8YLGS

Hi there! On average you burn about 300 calories in an hour zumba class. (as with all things the actual figure will depend on your weight and effort level, but it's not a bad guess)

I have an HRM and it's about the average for me over the classes I've done - I use the exercise entry for modern dance or some such name in mfp.

For home zumba - I have the first Wii game and really like it. It has a teaching bit so gives me a bit of confidence too!

Typically one hour of Zumba in a classroom environment equates to 550 calories burned. I've found this posted at many websites. I would think it would be the same doing a video for 60 minutes. I love Zumba!! :-)

It depends on how insane the class gets.. and your size... But I am 5 foot 5, in the 240's... and burn anywhere from 600-730 per hour class.... and I can't do ALL of the leaping due to bad ankles and knees... I DO wear ankle weights... just helps my balance..;) and adds a little bit more to my burn... I use a bodymedia fit armband...which is said to to have 90% accuracy at the very least!

http://www.zumbacalories.com/

I've been using this to calculate my calories for Zumba. I find that all the people and websites who say 300-500 are inaccurate do to our own body types. So the number of calories I burn in a class is FAR MORE than someone who is 100 pounds lighter.

Hope this helps and have fun with Zumba! It's my favorite exercise of ALL TIME!

Hi,

I have been doing Zumba as part of my weekly workout routine at the gym for a little over a month now. I do it one night a week and love it, too!! Definitley work up a good sweat, although, I have not measured as of yet, I am noticing differences in how clothes are fitting. I also do a couple of elliptical workouts az week, and a Power Hour (very difficult strenght training) class I do once a week. I think it is good to mix it up a bit because that is really what helps change our bodies shape:) Good luck and keep on working out!!

I've been doing Zumba at home for a couple weeks now and I love it! It is my main form of cardio, and I have noticed strengthening in my abs and calves especially. I found a dvd at my library that I love, Zumba Fitness Live! & Flat Abs (two programs in one dvd), which I think is only available as part of a larger Zumba set (so checking out your library is a great way to try out dvds to see if you like them! The sets are pricey, so best to make sure you like it before you buy). I mostly do the Live portion of the dvd (about 50 minutes) and it's a lot of fun. I did end up buying Zumba 2 for Wii, since I obviously can't keep the dvd (though I've renewed it three times!), and though I've only used it once (just got it) it's a lot of fun, and it estimates your calories burned for you. I've also used zumbacalories.com, though it seems like it gives high numbers, compared to MFP's high-impact aerobics, so I usually figure a happy medium between the two. A HRM would be awesome but I don't have one yet. I will say that it's a bit easier to follow the moves of real people on a dvd than it is to follow the computer animated people on Zumba 2 for Wii, but if you're familiar with the basic steps already then the wii game (or other system games) would be great as well. I'm not sure if Amazon is still having a sale on workout dvds and games, but they were last week when I bought the game for the wii. Good luck!

As far as I know the only Zumba DVDs available are those made by the Zumba company. There are a few sets, but only the most recent set (Exhilarate - 7 DVDs) is available on Zumba.com. There are 2 video games available for Wii and Kinect (and maybe others) which have Zumba workouts. You can also find the DVDs on other sites like Amazon and Ebay.

I use the DVDs weekly and love them. I have the Exhilarate set and the one previous to that (4 DVDs). The newer set is nice because it you can view it with instruction or without, so once you learn the routine you can just hear the music. It also has more workouts of varying length The older set does not have the option to turn off the talking, but is still a great workout.