Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

not to get the appeal of Zumba?

84 replies

manicinsomniac · 04/04/2011 14:06

I feel like a complete freak. Everyone I know loves Zumba, goes on about how great it is, how much fun, what an amazing workout etc. I was so excited when I saw it advertised at the gym. I like the Les Mills Body Jam but thought this seemed better, if anything.

When I tried it I found it so dull and slow moving. When the woman said we were going to start to cool down I looked around and nobody even appeared out of breath let alone seemed to have borken a sweat. I know I hadn't. Yet they still said they enjoyed it and had got some good exercise.

Any positive Zumba experiences out there? I go to a gym with a lot of high impact classes so I did wonder if they were intentionally keeping Zumba easy and that it might be a lot better elsewhere. I half thought about trying another class in the village where I live but I pay £50 a month to be a gym member so only really want to do their classes.

OP posts:
hairfullofsnakes · 04/04/2011 19:23

Thank God I am not the only one who thinks Zumba is shit. I tried it a few times and everytime I come to the same conclusion - it's shit and not hard enough.

Zumba bumba crap! ;)

MikeRotch · 04/04/2011 19:24

Northerner. O need your advice. Will dm

hairfullofsnakes · 04/04/2011 19:25

The hardest classes are spinning and rebounding

Rebounding is brilliant and so hard but not many places do it now :(

MikeRotch · 04/04/2011 19:27

I used to love it!
spinning v hard.

DrNortherner · 04/04/2011 19:27

Mikecrotch are you Cod? Yes, DM me.

sungirltan · 04/04/2011 19:28

i'm not sold on zumba. i see the instructor at my health club now and then in her zumba gear. she is a big girl. i'm not being rude but if she is the instructor then it simply cannot be a v good workout

DrNortherner · 04/04/2011 19:28

What is rebounding? Is it on the little trampette things? I call it Bounce.

Spin is bloody tough.

Gemsy83 · 04/04/2011 19:30

Zumba- slow????
Your teacher must be rubbish!

Gemsy83 · 04/04/2011 19:30

Yes because of course anyone above a size 12 simply must be a walking health hazzard and unfit Hmm

trixymalixy · 04/04/2011 19:33

I've done zumba classes with 4 different instructors and it really varied. The first one I thought I was actually going to die, the second one used the same music, but I hardly broke a sweat. The last two were on a par with body jam in terms of feeling like I had had a decent workout.

I think particularly with the dance based classes it really depends on what you put into it. I much preferred body jam to Zumba but all the gyms round here seem to be replacing it with zumba.

A1980 · 04/04/2011 21:45

I haven't read the whole thread but in response to the OP, you haven't found the right class yet.

My zumba teacher is awesome and I finish the class on a massive high and drenched in sweat and out of breath. It's a vigorous work out.

Where do you live OP? Maybe you're close enough to try mine.

mickeyjohn · 04/04/2011 21:57

I am a Zumba instructor, as well as teaching a million other different classes (combat, pump, spin etc) - some Zumba is good, some is bad (REALLY bad!) - we all teach it totally differently so you need to maybe try a few classse with different teachers to see. Having said that, some people just plain don't like it! I teach 6 Zumbas a week and I am bloody sick of Latin music at the moment!!! You need to love the music! Personally, I wouldn't go to it as a participant as it's not hard enough (the most prolific calorie burners and classes that will get you physically fitter are combat, spin, attack, a decent circuits or bootcamp class and pump...AS LONG AS YOU WORK HARD!) - I try to make my Zumba as hard as I can but you just CAN'T work that hard doing a salsa!!!

You'll never get mega-fit doing Zumba - even the harder classes, as it's just not high intensity enough, but it's good to go to if you're not that fit as it all helps! But all that stuff about burning 700 calories a Zumba class is bollox - sorry! Essentially it has the same physical advantages as aerobics- burns a few calories and get a bit sweaty, but it's not hard enough to see huge fitness benefits and you won't get super toned from it (you need resistance to do that, whatever they try and tell you on the informercials!!) However, it's really good fun, and I have found that it gets people into exercise who wouldn't otherwsie set foot in a gym , so from that point of view it's great. I think it'll wear itself out in a few years anyway, like step and aerobics which were HUGE in the 90s, like Spin and Pilates were massive in the 00s, but not quite so big now....

CaveMum · 04/04/2011 22:11

You CAN work hard dancing salsa - you get out what you put in Grin

[salsa teacher disclaimer]

hairfullofsnakes · 04/04/2011 22:19

Yes you can work hard at salsa but Zumba is not like a proper salsa class to me

Yes rebounding is on the little trampettes and if you go to a class where you are constantly bouncing and squatting etc on the rebounder it is hard! Toughest class I've done!

Original poster
manicinsomniac · 04/04/2011 22:46

A1980 - I'm near-ish to Milton Keynes/Bedford/Aylesbury area.

mickeyjohn - I asked my gym to do Attack when they were wanting suggestions and one of their main reasons for not having it was that they wouldn't get the uptake as it was too hard! I'm going to try it at my sister's gym though. I do a lot of Combat and Pump but the circuits stuff isn't for me - I don't like working with other people in the class, I get embarrassed! Jam used to be my favourite but lately I'm liking Step the most. Balance is growing on me too.

OP posts:
fastedwina · 04/04/2011 23:35

love dancing but didn't find it high energy or high impact enough. The routines were mostly good and fun but a few made me feel a bit eewwee! Trying to get us to prance about like a bunch of preening podium dancers - some of the women were grannies in the 60's FFS!

mickeyjohn · 05/04/2011 13:40

Manicinsomniac, you actually live near me! I hope it not my classes you hate!!! hahaaaa!!!!! (I am in Winslow.....) Which gym are you going to? I know some good Zumba teachers locally....

Ryoko · 05/04/2011 14:13

I've never heard of Zumba until today when I spotted Zumba Fitness in the UK games chart, it interested me purely because at first glance I thought it said Zombie Fitness and envisioned a Wii game with a Zombie trainer instructing you on "hooows ttttt dooo-aarrhhh ta Zombeeeee ssss...ssshofffle" etc .

imagine my disappointment when I read it properly, I am now longing for a Zombie fitness game.

alemci · 05/04/2011 14:18

I haven't tried Zumba but do enjoy line dancing which is great fun.

FlaminGreatGallah · 05/04/2011 14:22

Grin at "Zombie Fitness"

I'd go to that. Copyright the idea now Ryoko.

dinkystinky · 05/04/2011 14:26
redexpat · 04/05/2011 15:59

I'm a zumba instructor. It's not everyone's cup of tea. There is also a massive anount of variation between instructors so if you didn't like your first class, try someone elses. The fact that you didn't even break a sweat tells me that you should DEF try another class! As for it being a class for fatties, loads of my students have lost more weight with zumba than any other class or diet.

Insomnia11 · 04/05/2011 16:12

I did the 45 minute intermediate Zumba workout on the Wii on Saturday, and I sweated more than I would doing a 45 minute jog.

Attraction for me: it's dancing which I love, but not too hard in terms of the complexity of the moves, so I can keep up and get aerobic activity out of it. Dancing uses nearly every muscle in your body and it makes me immediately feel more toned and flexible.

MABS · 04/05/2011 16:39

love Zumba! gorgeous Columbian male instructor in veeeery tight shorts may have something to do with it though :)

Pachelbel · 04/05/2011 20:12

It's really interesting to hear of the variation people have found between classes, especially as I work in a leisure centre who have recently added Zumba to our list of fitness classes on offer.

Most fitness classes (LBT, Combat, Tri class etc) require you to have a general exercise to music qualification before doing courses to specialise in each type of class or activity - meaning each instructor is highly trained.

The odd thing about Zumba, which may explain the variations, is that you do not need any other fitness experience or qualifications to get onto a course to teach Zumba, meaning absoultely anyone can do a course and call themselves a fully qualified Zumba instructor. This is the thing that not many people realise, and it's all a bit of a farce IMO.
The courses are really hard to get onto as they're so popular, but theoretically even little old me with no coordination at all could train and set up my own class! It's all just people jumping on the bandwagon and realising how much money they can make out of a new fad..

My advice to those of you taking classes would be to find out about your instructors other qualifications - if their only course has been in Zumba then the class may not be quite the workout you were hoping for!