An alternative fitness program that merges Latin dance with interval training, Zumba is internationally beloved for its bubbly instructors and positive shine. Its Latin-fusion dance routines are set to high-energy music and offer scores of benefits for mental and physical health. Zumba’s dance party quality has even led many dancers to say they forget they’re working out while they’re dancing, making Zumba a great way to let loose while getting fit.
If you’re interested in learning Zumba but nervous about the difficulty, you might be surprised to learn that Zumba is fairly easy. Sure, Zumba can certainly be harder for some people than others depending on factors such as disability, personal temperament, and prior experience. However, Zumba is generally considered a beginner-friendly dance style, and with a wealth of tools to get you started, learning Zumba is easier to learn than you might expect.
What is Zumba?
When the Colombian dancer, Beto Pérez accidentally introduced Latin music to one of his exercise courses, he saw an opportunity to create the fitness program he’d always dreamed of. As he continued to use Latin music in his workouts, he began adding a variety of Latin dance moves in the hopes of creating a workout that could bring anyone joy. It wasn’t long before he’d developed the exciting Latin fusion dance style known today as Zumba.
When coming up with the name, Pérez chose Zumba as an homage to the dance’s close association with Cuban rumba and other Latin music. However, he opted for the first letter, “z, ” as a salute to his childhood hero, Zorro.
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After perfecting his exercise program, Pérez partnered with Alberto Perlman and Alberto Aghion to officially open Zumba Fitness L.L.C. in 2001. Their Zumba dance fitness DVDs sold like hotcakes, and by 2005, they’d begun offering official licenses to Zumba instructors through Zumba Academy. Zumba’s popularity unfurled across the globe, and today, you can find Zumba classes in over 180 countries. Because Zumba is both enjoyable and incredibly effective, over 15 million people attend Zumba classes each week.
True to Beto Pérez’s vision of a workout program that anyone could enjoy, Zumba classes come in multiple styles to suit different fitness levels and athletic goals. In addition to traditional Zumba courses that emphasize high-energy cardio, you can also benefit from Zumba featuring low-impact cardio, water aerobics, nutrition, and kids’ fitness.
Benefits of Learning Zumba?
In conjunction with the party energy that Zumba will infuse into your life, you’ll receive a host of mental and physical health benefits. In tandem with building muscle, dancers burn up to 900 calories in an hour of Zumba, making it an effective way to stay fit. In addition, Zumba uses all parts of the body to increase coordination and flexibility for injury prevention. Switching between high and low-energy motion, Zumba enhances heart and lung health.
As a healthy outlet for stress, Zumba also offers a variety of perks for emotional well-being. As a convenient side-effect of Zumba’s strengthening effect, Zumba dancers find their self-confidence rises.
What Are the Hardest Parts of Learning Zumba?
Like any other hobby, Zumba comes with challenges that make it incredibly rewarding for those who choose to stick with it. Common roadblocks that you might need to overcome include difficulties navigating Zumba’s speed and rhythm, the potential for injury, and the need to slowly build up your exercise endurance over time.
Rhythm and Speed
Zumba is set to fast-paced Latin music that requires a high degree of muscle coordination and rhythm from dancers. Like learning to sing on key, learning to dance in rhythm with fast music can take time and practice. Beginners can sometimes feel awkward and self-conscious when they step out of time with other dancers or not being able to perform moves quickly enough to keep up with the rest of the class.
With time and practice, however, you will be able to develop these skills. When you repeatedly practice coordinated movements, your body’s motor skills improve. Your brain even creates new pathways that allow you to perform that movement without conscious effort. Dancers and musicians often refer to this as muscle memory.
Avoiding Injury
Particularly for beginners who struggle to remember the steps to a routine, accidental missteps can lead to injury. Other common causes of Zumba injuries include insufficient warm-ups, improper body alignment, poor nutrition, dehydration, and the wrong footwear. In addition to preparing with an appropriate warm-up and adequate fluids, the best medicine for injury prevention is to be in tune with your body. Rather than dancing through pain, allow yourself the chance to breathe.
Some medical conditions such as arthritis and joint hypermobility, can also make it easier to become injured. If you have a health concern, it’s worth doing some preliminary research and talking to your doctor before starting Zumba. While many Zumba movements can be harsh on joints, there are also plenty that can be modified for lower-impact exercise. In addition to regular Zumba classes, you can find in-person and online Zumba Gold classes that highlight lower-impact choreography by visiting CourseHorse. If you’re still worried, you can always raise concerns with your instructor, who can work with you to find workable solutions.
Building up Your Exercise Endurance
If you haven’t exercised before or are just getting back into it after a break, you might find it difficult to sustain your energy for all the workouts you want to knock out. You need time for recovery, especially when you’re first starting. However, given time, Zumba’s interval-style routines will tone your heart and increase your lung capacity, making them more effective at generating energy.
To avoid burning out before you get started, fitness experts recommend starting with fewer classes less often and then building up to working out more frequently. You can stretch this out over a month, or a year depending on your free time and goals. Additionally, it’s essential to stay hydrated and eat a nutritious diet with enough protein. Without electrolytes and fuel, your body can’t recover, let alone sustain a high-energy workout.
Key Takeaways
- Zumba is a fun way to develop your fitness and offers numerous health benefits.
- Learning Zumba can challenge you, especially when it comes to developing speed and rhythm, preventing injury, and building exercise endurance.
- You can surmount these challenges with time, patients, and help from supportive instructors.
- If you’re interested in taking an in-person or online Zumba class but don’t know where to start, CourseHorse is happy to point you in the right direction. You can message them online to learn more about current options, including private group Zumba classes for events.