To think zumba isn't in fact the best! thing! ever!

[ShushBaby]

I mean, it's relatively fun, as exercise classes go. The bogling, for example, I quite enjoyed. But before I went for the first time last night, I was expecting some sort of exercise epiphany. People are practically evangelical about it.
But for me it was, well, an aerobics class. A big one.

And the 'ditch the workout, join the party' tagline? I'm not sure it felt like a party- more an excuse to get as many people as poss into a gym, and therefore as much cash as poss.

I'll go again. But I was really expecting a lot. And it was just... fine.

Am I missing something?

[CooEeeEldridge]

This is quite an old thread? I personally think its not very good, far too slow and about the same level as old school aerobics. However, anything that gets people to the gym has to be good!

[GetOrf]

I think the people who like zumba are the type of people who think that Rosemary Conley's tracksuits look trendy.

It's just exercise for people who don't like exercise really.

[FeckOffCup]

I started zumba a few weeks ago as an old schoolfriend of mine is an instructor and was always sending me facebook invites to her classes, I wanted to get fitter and healthier this year so went along. I now do two classes a week with two different instructors (my friend doesn't run a class on one of the nights that suits my zumba buddy childcare wise) and one is much higher impact than the other but I enjoy them both. I have lost weight since starting, I've been going to a slimming club so I know I've been steadily losing around a pound a week which means I could get a stone off by the summer if I keep going. I was one of those girls who used to bunk off PE to smoke in the toilets and zumba suits me, although I agree about the whooping thing, they always seem to want you to whoop at random points in the songs but I don't join in because I find it a bit cringy.

[choceyes]

I personally think its not very good, far too slow and about the same level as old school aerobics.
Well I personally think it's not! Depends on the instructor, you must have gone to a crappy one.

GetOrf - I don't know anything about Rosemary Conleys tracksuits, I hate home work outs, but I do love exercise. I cycle, run and swim and also do Zumba twice a week and the Zumba class is just as hard as any one of those activities. I guess I'm lucky that I have a good instructor.

[mutantninjamyrtle]

Caught up with a friend who is a physio recently. She says she'd like to kiss the person who introduced Zumba to the UK as all the unfit-people-doing-violent-twisting-at-speed injuries have kept her steadily in work for ages.

She's really looking forward to the forthcoming crop of neck injuries, now that aqua-Zumba is taking off...

[Fillyjonk75]

I think it's good, but I always enjoyed old school aerobics & dance, and latin music, so it's a no brainer for me. I think people get so enthusiastic about it if they thought exercise had to be a boring slog before and have actually found something they like to do.

I do other exercise as well - running, weights and cardio in the gym, and Zumba definitely adds something to this routine - dance uses all your muscles, it makes you use different parts of your brain, and it loosens up my body - other exercise can make it too tense and rigid.

[Fillyjonk75]

We don't do any whooping, but the instructor and a few ladies do wear jingly bells like belly dancers. Not sure what that's about but if it works for them...

[IvorWindybottom]

The best thing ever is a homemade pizza and a bottle of wine after the kids have gone to bed. Sod that exercise nonsense

[idococktailshedoesbeer]

Agree it depends on the instructor. I love the camp one at my gym, you get a comedy routine as well as a workout. Today we did Madonna, Cheryl Cole and Nicki Minaj. Kylie Minogue and Barbara Streisand have previously featured. I throw myself into the routines and get a good workout. Another instructor covered for him last week and did an hour of straight Zumba, it was really boring in comparison.

[gurubuster]

About 7 months ago the gym I teach Yoga at cancelled my Class on a Monday night at 7:30pm and the Group Ex director said "you're only getting 20 people, the Zumba instructor after you gets 70" She shunted me to Fridays at 5:30pm. I lost at least 15 people, because people party Friday evening. Anyway, a few days ago, I ran into the young lady that teaches that class and she was limping. She said I just had surgery, and she told me...duhh...she needed to do Yoga! I had sent that Group Ex director lots of article about how Zumba hurts people (Washington Post etc, I will post a few soon here) First off, Zumba is done on a hard surface, there are a lot of knee jerky, knee twisty, pounding the joints movements, movements are often too frenetic and violent...

I get my daily cardio on a mini-trampoline (rebound exercise) because it IS T H E safest form of doing Cardio plus it cleanses the Lymph system. You can put on duhh...Zumba/Disco/Jerry Lee Lewis/ whatever...music, bounce, run with knees high, twist, slalom, side movements, front kicks, jumping jacks etc, I do 50 with hands down, and 50 with hands up.

Plus I cross train with weights One set, 8 to 12 reps, all the major muscle muscles and spend no more than 25 mins in the weight and exercise equipment room.

Of course I'm biased towards Yoga and why do you think Yoga has been around for over...what? 5,000 years. Disco met the same fate.

[SquinkiesRule]

I love going to Zumba, been doing it 3 years, lost a stone and have kept it off also dropped my cholesterol.
It makes a huge difference who your instructor is, ours is brilliant, she also teaches kids hip hop class, yoga, boot camp, RIPPED, ball pilates and other stuff. It's a hard class if you make it one and she knows all her clients and makes sure they work to their ability and knows when I'm slacking off a bit.
We do lots of new music, occasionally an oldie, but theres quite a bit of hip hop as well as latin mixed in at ours. I'm going to miss her when we move, I'll have a hard time replacing these classes.

[Lweji]

I watched a couple of demonstrations on the beach but was underwhelmed.
And couldn't see the difference between this and the other workouts that are normally done at the beach.

I've never done Body Combat, although it does look like it does a good cardio.
I just do Combat, though.
No point in getting fit if I can't really throw a punch or knee a groin properly.

[Battleagainsttheodds]

I've been. I hate it. Instructor LOVED herself and LOVED two of the people in the class (they loved themselves too, all shakey shakey in front of the mirror and shouting out song requests) the rest of us could just get on with it or 'KEEP MOVING' regardless of the fact we were moving bizarrely. No instruction, no good at all. Worse that it was done on mirrored room where I'd no escape and that following the back of a normal instructor is a problem never mind following the back and the front (in mirror) made me crash spectacularly with everyone, spent whole class saying ' sorry in British way after thumping neighbour in mouth...

[exoticfruits]

I love it and try to get there every week. I expect that it depends on the instructor- and ours is great. I have no idea what the 'whooping' is- we don't have any. I like the music.

[exoticfruits]

I like the fact that you don't have to be exact- just keep moving.

[HeffalumpTheFlump]

Yanbu, I was totally underwhelmed.

[FrenchRuby]

I tried it, hated it. I'm really uncoordinated. I do pole fitness and much prefer it.

[Wandawingsthe2nd]

Can a Zumba instructor confirm something for me; is it true that a proper class teacher won't give instructions? It's something I've heard but never seen in practice.

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

Why does this thread keep getting re-newed......it is so old!!!

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

French - I am a pole fitness addict.....I didn't much like zumba when I did it either :)

[shewhowines]

I thought it was only ok to begin with but once you are familiar with the moves and really relax into it, it is great. I'm a total addict and for the first time in my life, actually look forward to going to the gym. Agree it does depend on the instructor though. Some are very average. The amount of sweat, varies with the instuctors too. Our two best ones really go for it.

[shewhowines]

wands

The best ones don't need to call out instructions. They let you know what is coming up by hand signals.

[adverbial]

It's just a faddy aerobics class. It was step classes when I was young. Do they still do those?

[adverbial]

Snigger at pole dancing fitness