By: Sherif El-Herraoui
If you haven’t heard of Zumba, it’s probably time to get out from underneath your shell and check your nearest studio for the next Zumba class. Although mostly for the ladies, the gents could also enjoy a bit of Latin moves in their workout.
But what is Zumba anyway?
Zumba is a Latin cardio-dance workout that was created by the Colombian dancer and choreographer Alberto (Beto) Perez in the late 1990s. It combines the magical elements of aerobics and dance to give you the fun missing from most aerobic sessions. Originally, Zumba music was Latin, with Salsa, Merengue, Mambo and Samba influences. As the workout grew in popularity, hip hop, African beats and even the joyful tabla of Baladi (Oriental) music were thrown in for a hip-shaking experience extraordinaire.
Zumba has become very popular during the past few years with over 14 million attendees to weekly classes worldwide and many celebrity adherents across the globe. Even U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama had a Zumba class in the White House garden earlier this year. It has become an international franchise, gaining profits not from the classes, which are rather cheap, but from Zumba wear – neon string tops and tasselled cargo pants – in addition to fitness videos and a 2012 best selling video game.
But it is not simply a Latin dance class. It incorporates martial arts moves, lunges and squats and whole lot of moves that would guarantee you burning up to 1,000 calories in the advanced classes in just one hour, owing to its mix between high intensity interval training moves and the moderate intensity dance moves that gets your heart pumped the right way. All in all, Zumba is an absolutely fun, joyful workout that the ladies definitely enjoy and even claim that it’s not a just exercise, but rather a lifestyle.
Zumba is said to be for all ages and all levels of fitness and available in more than 150 countries worldwide. And no matter what position in life you are, Zumba will deliver what it promises you: an ideally fun experience to lose weight and tone your body.
Up to date, there are eight different types of classes to target your needs:
Zumbatomic is a class designed for children between the ages of 4 and 12.
Zumba Gold is specifically designed to the needs of the elderly.
Aqua Zumba is a class in a swimming pool ideal for beginners, very heavy people, the elderly and those in a post-traumatic rehabilitation period.
Zumba Toning sculpts the body and incorporates more cardio.
Zumba Gold Toning is specifically designed for the elderly to tone their muscles, improve strength, posture and coordination.
Zumba in the Circuit is the dance combined with circuit training and it usually takes around 30 minutes for a class instead of an hour.
Zumba Sentao is a chair workout that focuses on using body weight to strengthen and tone the body.
No level of fitness is required to start your way with Zumba and no beginning dress size required. No one is judging you. All you need to do is get down there and leave everything behind you –troubles, anxieties, weight or toning issues – and let Zumba take control.
But as with starting any new workout routine, take it slow. To avoid injuries, warm up properly before the class and never forget to cool down.
