Anyone Zumba?

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

I just got back from my first class and I am WIPED. I will never make fun of bad dancers on DWTS ever again But it was a LOT of fun, and I'm excited to go back tomorrow - the gym I just joined has Zumba classes 4 times a week, and I'll be taking some pilates and yoga classes there too. I finally feel productive again but so out of shape. Anyone else go?

 

[meresal]

Yes, love it!

Unfortunately it is VERY hard to find great instructors everywhere. I have to go back to my old town which is 30 minutes away, for the best class. I have yet to find one near our new house that is even half as good.
Luckily, I still have girlfriends there, so we just make that night our girls' night. Zumba, dinner, and wine! (It helps with the soreness)

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Yes, love it!

Unfortunately it is VERY hard to find great instructors everywhere. I have to go back to my old town which is 30 minutes away, for the best class. I have yet to find one near our new house that is even half as good.
Luckily, I still have girlfriends there, so we just make that night our girls' night. Zumba, dinner, and wine! (It helps with the soreness)

That sounds like a fun girls night!

What makes an instructor good? I've never taken Zumba before today so I have no baseline for comparison. The instructor today seemed good. She was nice, energetic, kept things going - although I wish for some of the harder steps she slowed it down a bit so everyone know what to do. I guess maybe that's a sign? My cardio kickboxing instructor back in college was awesome because she really walked everyone through the steps before going faster (so less stumbling around!)

 

[charbie]

I love to Zumba!
At my old gym, there was almost a cult following of girls who did it 3 times a week and would follow two instructors. I enjoy all the dances and love the workout it gives me! I love shaking what my momma gave me!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

I love to Zumba!
At my old gym, there was almost a cult following of girls who did it 3 times a week and would follow two instructors. I enjoy all the dances and love the workout it gives me! I love shaking what my momma gave me!

I like the camaraderie - the women are so friendly. And I love shaking my hips, but I can't shimmy to save my life!

 

[meresal]

BEG... In my opinion, a good Zumba instructor is one that doesn't slow down. If you want to learn the steps, you just haev to go as much as possible and you will catch on. It migth be embarassing, but stand near the front (not necessarily in the front row), and take in as much as you can. You will learn the steps in no time, expesially if you are going 4 times a week! Also, when it comes to salsa steps, not everyone can move their feet that fast, you aren't the only one .

As for slowing down, you have to understand that there are lots of girls in there that have been going for a while, and if she slowed down for every new person that showed up every session, it would be pointless for all the poeple that have been multiple times.
Zumba is supposed to be non stop dance and excessive movement for the entire class. I am very active, and my class last week had me feeling like my heart was going to beat out of my chest, only half way thru(!!!). That is the kind of workout I am looking for when I go to a Zumba class.
(I went to a class where the instructor was doing heel touches... I left immediately. That is not Zumba.)

 

[Sizzle]

I love ZUMBA! I haven't been in a while so this is a great reminder for me to take my booty down and shake it this evening!

 

[Dandi]

(I went to a class where the instructor was doing heel touches... I left immediately. That is not Zumba.)

*SNORT*

I've been to a few gyms in my city to find a class I like, and I LOVE the one I go to 3 times a week now, on top of weights classes and walking/running. Our instructor has a dance background and is a phenomenal dancer. She's really into street latin and hip hop styles, and she works that into her classes. Tons of fun! I've got 20+ years of dance training under my belt, and while I catch on to choreography quickly, my feet do get pretty tangled up sometimes in her classes! The girls I go with are NOT dancers and struggle with some steps, but they don't care, they just bop along as best they can, and she still makes it FUN! I think she's just got the knack, and I've found instructors with a dance background generally engage the interest of the members of their class a bit easier.

 

[lknvrb4]

I tried it at my gym and loved it and the instructor. Fast forward a few weeks of it and the instructor seemed to drop of the face of the earth. I had one sub which had music for those who are 80 years old and moves to go with it. The permanent replacement was so horrible that half the class walked out in the middle including myself.

 

[vc10um]

I love Zumba! Unfortunately, I busted my knee once in class and was out of commission for a couple months. I'm terrified of doing it again, especially when a lot of my current exercise revolves around running. But it was fabulous when I went! I'm glad you enjoyed it, BEG!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Booo I missed the class today. I went to Pilates right before and it got out late, and then there weren't any spots for tonight's Zumba. Oh well, I'll be going tomorrow too.

Btw, Pilates does not do it for me. I like yoga, and I like power yoga (which is much more intensive and faster paced - it seriously leaves you sweating and sore at the end) but pilates just makes my upper back hurt.

 

[Mara]

I did Zumba for almost 2 years and loved it. It is VERY hard to find great instructors--most of them used to teach regular cardio classes and just learned some 'steps' for Zumba. But the best instructors are those that typically have dance background, can choreograph their own stuff, and understand the elements of latin dance.

One of our local instructors is amazing--she used to dance in LA and actually teaches choreography to a lot of other local instructors that are peppered all over the gyms here. So even if I couldn't take her classes, I could usually go to someone else's class who taught her fabulous choregraphy.

Then I went on maternity leave (from working out too, try doing Zumba when you have no waist, doesn't work so well to shake those hips!) and while I was gone our fab instructor started her own fitness program, which is taking off, now I take her classes which are fast-paced hip hop cardio instead of latin.

And now it seems around here Zumba is kind of on its way out. I agree that a great instructor is one that works your butt off and makes it challenging. There are new people in every class and at the beginning of every song, the instructor would do a few of the key steps slowly before the music really took off. But she expected people to figure it out, and catch on over time, which if you keep going and going, you will. At first it seems like you won't but you def will. Slow Zumba classes would drive me MAD, and I walked out of many a class--I'd get a better workout on the machines then.

Over the last 2 years I downloaded a lot of the songs and actually do the workout at home...I still remember choreography from songs from over a year ago. Enjoy..!! It's a great workout-sometimes in classes we'd burn 1k cals.

 

[violet3]

ZUMBA!!!! love it! what a fun way to excercise - i took zumba a lot in the spring, but have since relinquished my gym membership due to financial constraints. I had a SUPER instructor though - she was fabulous!!! i miss it.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

I can totally see what you mean about good instructors after tonight's class. Our instructor was FANTASTIC. She hit the right balance between keeping the movement non-stop while still teaching basic steps in the beginning, and making sure none of us are about to pass out Plus, you can seriously tell this one has a dance background - she could MOVE. I was jealous! Zumba is so much fun and it leaves me feeling pumped up - like I can totally go out and dance around some more (of course, check in with me 30 minutes later when I've arrived home and my muscles are stiff ).