Zumba is a dance style in fitness for weight loss that appeared relatively recently. It quickly gained popularity among the fair sex of various ages. The main feature of Zumba is that it allows you to diversify your workouts. This is important when regular activities turn into a routine and are no longer motivating. The direction is based on the movements of Latin American dances, so many women find it much more interesting and attractive than other physical exercises.
The history of Zumba
This type of fitness training is based on Latin American dance movements. During the lesson, they form a full-fledged dance. Movements are learned in stages. First, they learn simple ones, and then move on to more complex ones.
Zumba classes are reminiscent of aerobics, which also involves memorizing various sequences. If you do not master the basics and a complete training program, full-fledged training will not work. Zumba classes include merengue, mambo, samba, salsa, flamenco, reggaeton, hip-hop and belly dance moves.
The direction appeared in the late nineties of the last century. Zumba was created by dancer and fitness trainer Alberto Perez. He was the first to conduct a workout to the music of salsa and merengue, because, fortunately for fans of this fitness trend, he forgot the necessary musical accompaniment at home. The participants of the class really liked the training, which led to the emergence of a new fitness trend called Zumba.
The duration of the workout should not exceed one hour. During this time, approximately ten tracks are played. They do not belong to the same dance direction, so different, rather than identical, movements are performed to the music. This led to the emergence of a variety of directions:
- Water classes - Aqua Zumba;
- Special for weight loss - Zumba in the circuit;
- Dance with dumbbells - Zumba Toning.
Each has its own characteristics.
ZUMBA DANCE. Dance Workout for Weight Loss at Home
What else is Zumba good for?
Moreover, Zumba dancing is very good for the heart, as it trains the heart muscles and saturates the blood with oxygen. Another advantage of incendiary zumba is that it improves the functioning of internal organs, normalizes metabolism and improves the functioning of the pelvic organs.
READ ALSO: Have a blast: dance as the best exercise for a slim figure
With the help of fun workouts, you will become more flexible, your coordination will improve, and you will also be able to notice how your stretching has changed for the better. And, of course, Zumba will help you forget about all your problems, relax and enjoy the activity, cope with stress and simply improve your mood.
The benefits and harms of Zumba training
The advantages and disadvantages of the dance direction of fitness are largely determined by the type of direction, as well as the trainer and the complexity of the choreography performed. Some people, depending on their fitness level, may find certain classes too easy and simple. Other people who have not previously practiced dancing or aerobics, on the contrary, may not even catch the tempo, so the dance will not work.
The main benefits of Zumba include:
- Improved mood, which is achieved through relaxed movements. Developing body grace allows you to increase self-esteem.
- Increased muscle tone due to the inclusion of all muscle groups in the movement.
- Losing weight and creating beautiful silhouette contours. This is facilitated by the pace and intensity at which the training takes place.
- Strengthening the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
- Greater resistance to stressful situations.
Zumba has some disadvantages:
- The striking and jumping movements characteristic of reggenton put a negative load on the joints if they are already affected by any inflammatory processes. There will be no harm to a person with healthy joints.
- Not suitable for strengthening and developing muscle mass, since dance aerobics does not provide strength training.
- Some movements and connections are not clear to everyone the first time. Beginners often have to stand still just because they can’t catch the rhythm and remember the sequence, but everything comes with experience. You just need to endure a few classes.
- Zumba requires good coordination, as well as speed in remembering dance moves.
The disadvantages of Zumba, with the exception of harm to sore joints, are insignificant.
The benefits of this type of training
Purely physiologically, this is one of the types of high-intensity aerobic classes. Zumba raises your heart rate to the aerobic zone and increases your calorie burn. Exactly how much a particular person will burn depends on his age, weight and how actively he moves. But on average, you can spend 400-600 kcal in an hour . This is almost the same amount as a fast uphill walker spends.
The benefits of Zumba classes are:
- Daily calorie consumption increases, making it easier to lose weight with moderate dietary restrictions.
- Your mood improves, because it’s not a dull walk on a path or an exercise bike.
- Muscles become toned (if you have never played sports before). There is also a special Strong By Zumba program, which will not help you press 100 from the chest, but will strengthen the main muscle groups and get rid of sagging. Strong bai zumba is a separate lesson. There is no strength section in a regular class.
- Posture improves, pain in the neck and lower back goes away if it was caused by muscle spasm.
- New acquaintances and entertainment appear, and the overall stress level decreases.
What does the motto “Zumba is not a workout, it’s a party” mean? That this is fitness for fun and health. The only thing you need is sneakers, sportswear and a membership to a sports club. No technique lessons, beginner classes or personal training are needed. Each class is designed for any person. The more intensely you dance, the greater the load.
Tip: you can try Zumba completely free by finding any thematic video on Youtube. An example is also given below.
For any provincial city, three Zumba classes a week for a month will cost the cost of one pair of jeans in a mass market or two trips to a decent nightclub with drinks and snacks.
A significant advantage is that in Moscow, Kyiv, Vladivostok or Balakovo the client will receive the same incendiary lesson. Zumba instructors are trained centrally and work according to ready-made plans. The music is also curated by Zumba Inc, so you won't be listening to a boring aerobics mix from 2001.
Zumba fitness for weight loss
Aerobics and dancing are one of the best fitness activities for weight loss, and Zumba is a combination of both. An hour-long session burns about five hundred calories. The process of burning subcutaneous fat occurs due to the complexity, speed and tempo of the movements performed, in which many muscles are involved in the work.
Zumba mostly resembles aerobics. Consequently, a huge amount of oxygen is burned during exercise. The latter is the best fat burner that allows you to quickly lose weight.
ZUMBA Dance Workout for Weight Loss, Fitness at Home
Cons and contraindications
The main disadvantage of Zumba is not the lesson itself, but the high expectations from it. Everyone wants to be like the girls on Instagram with abs, toned buttocks, straight backs and prominent shoulders. What you end up with is only a thinner version of yourself, albeit a happier one.
Zumba dancing is a cardio class aimed at developing endurance and increasing calorie expenditure. It is not intended for figure correction, that is, pumping up the buttocks and thighs . And he can cope with flaccid triceps alone only if the girl is relatively young and slender.
By attending Zumba three times a week, we create a deficit of about 1200 kcal. This is enough to burn a “measly” 150 g of fat. If you are not satisfied with this rate of weight loss, you will need to slightly limit your diet and create a daily calorie deficit.
In general, you won’t become a fitness girl after a month of attending group classes. And the lesson also has contraindications:
- exacerbation of hypertension.
- any problems with the joints of the lower extremities, with which impact loading is prohibited.
- a strict “cutting” diet and serious strength training.
- severe scoliosis, for which jumping is not recommended.
- problems with hip joints.
- heart diseases in which a high pulse is prohibited.
- tachycardia caused by taking medications (usually l-thyroxine).
- Acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections are a temporary contraindication.
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How to do Zumba correctly for beginners
Beginners planning to take up Zumba need to choose the optimal level of load. They must fully comply with the level of training. People who exercise regularly can begin advanced programs. The main thing is to take into account that memorizing movements and tempo do not always depend on the level of training. If classes are difficult, it is likely that it is better to start with the basics.
The ideal option would be to choose a lesson with a trainer. Each workout should last between 45 and 60 minutes. At the beginning of the workout, it is necessary to warm up the joints and muscles, and only then move on to dance movements. The lesson should end with a cool-down.
There are also several important points to consider:
- First they master the movement with their feet, and then with their hands. This allows you to quickly master the combination.
- Body movements should be repeated exclusively by the trainer after mastering the movements of the legs and arms.
- You should always carefully monitor the trainer, as well as your movements in the mirror.
- It is important to listen to all the commands of the trainer, who says in advance the name of each movement, as well as its components. This allows you to understand which link comes next.
High-intensity training involves a lot of sweating. This leads to dehydration of the body. The lesson takes place non-stop, but it is necessary to take a short break for a sip of water. This will protect the trainee from blood thickening and fainting during the hot season.
You need to do Zumba regularly. If you skip workouts, there will be no results. This is not about daily activities. Three workouts per week are enough.
How Zumba is useful for women. Benefits and features of training
Zumba dance, which has already spread to more than 180 countries around the world, attracts people not only with its fun rhythms, but also with many positive effects.
For example, the main benefit of such exercises is rapid weight loss, which is provided by a complex of different elements that involve a variety of muscle groups, including deep ones. Speaking about how many calories you can burn during one such incendiary fitness activity, it is worth noting that energy consumption is not affected by the training conditions. On average, 1 hour of Zumba dancing burns from 500 to 700 kcal. That is, one Zumba session is equal to about an hour and a half of jogging or two hours of horseback riding. As you can see, the advantages of this direction are obvious.
However, Zumba training not only gives those who want to lose weight the opportunity to create the body of their dreams by rapidly burning calories. These dances also force the muscles of almost the entire muscle atlas to work, which has a positive effect not only on external physical fitness, but also on a person’s health. Among other things, the movements are learned and remembered very easily, and during training everyone is charged with positivity. Thus, by dancing joyfully, you improve your health and create the body of your dreams.
However, like any type of physical activity, Zumba has its pros and cons. Speaking about the disadvantages of this system of classes, we can focus on three main points:
- the need to feel the rhythm and love music in all its forms;
- a positive effect is achieved subject to regular exercise;
- not suitable for professional level athletes, as it does not provide intense exercise.
As for all the advantages of Zumba training, their list is much longer:
- a set of dance movements designed to work all muscle groups;
- Zumba promotes weight loss, creating a toned and sculpted body;
- dance super mix is available for people of all ages (including the elderly);
- does not impose requirements on the degree of physical fitness, and therefore Zumba is suitable for beginners;
- can be performed not only in the gym, but also at home;
- increases gracefulness, plasticity and develops rhythm and coordination;
- gives self-confidence;
- energizes;
- Helps maintain a positive outlook on life.
At the same time, Zumba dance aerobics, like all types of physical activity, has its contraindications. This:
- pregnancy (but women who have recently given birth are allowed to dance Zumba);
- pathologies of the cardiovascular system and bone tissue;
- brain diseases;
- phlebeurysm.
Therefore, it is advisable for everyone to try how Zumba fitness works ( video
-instructions, group classes), you should approach the choice of movements wisely, after consulting with your doctor. It is recommended to first perform a light dance mix, increasing the load gradually. At the same time, during such training it is important to monitor your well-being.
Zumba movements
A link can be created from the following movements:
Salsa movement - from side to side
Salsa movement - forward - backward
Rockback
Merengue – 2 steps one way and the other
Bato Shuffle
6 count movement
Reggaeton - stomp movement
Reggaeton – 2 steps
Dystrosis
Circular movements of the hips
The video allows you to study each in more detail.
Zumba video lesson for those who know what it is!
What is Zumba
This area of fitness emerged in the late nineties. His “parent” is considered to be a Choreographer named Alberto Perez, who had Colombian roots. All his life, Alberto taught other people Latin American dances. It was these that the choreographer took as a basis to create Zumba. The classic includes only Latin American steps, but over time this area of fitness began to be improved. This is how Aqua Zumba (classes are held in water), Zumba Toning (where special weights are hung on arms and legs in order to burn more calories), Zumba kids (children's fitness) saw the light.
Zumba
In one hour-long Zumba class, you can burn 370 calories. This is many times more than during treadmill running, aerobics and boxing. Since Zumba combines a variety of exercises aimed at burning fat, increasing flexibility, strength and endurance.
The training intensity is characterized as medium. Zumba is considered an interval class. During the lesson, high-intensity exercises are replaced with a slower pace, and so on in a circle. Thus, the heart rate increases and the endurance of the heart increases.
What parts of the body does Zumba target?
Torso and Core Most of the moves in this fitness routine target the upper thighs. Therefore, Zumba helps strengthen the core.
Arms In traditional Zumba there is no load on the arms and shoulders. But if you take dumbbells or weights, you can tighten this part of the body.
Legs Zumba has the best effect on the leg muscles. Thanks to jumping and lunges, you can work your quadriceps and hamstrings.
The gluteal muscles are used no less than the leg muscles. Therefore, already at the beginning of training you will feel how your “fifth point” is “burning”.
Back Zumba affects this area the least, although the exercises are aimed at the muscles of the whole body.
A nice bonus is that Zumba develops flexibility in addition to muscles. You can easily replace boring interval training on a treadmill or orbit track with this fitness routine.
What else is important to know about Zumba
Zumba is a unique form of fitness. It is very varied, so classes can be chosen to suit any level of physical fitness. Zumba is suitable for both beginners and advanced athletes. All exercises are interchangeable, so if jumping is not suitable for you, you can remove it and do, for example, squats.
However, if you have always led a sedentary lifestyle, or you have any health problems or injuries, it is better to consult your doctor before starting exercise. Also talk to a fitness instructor. Tell him the characteristics of your body or lifestyle, tell him what goals you are pursuing. Then Zumba will become as effective and safe as possible for you.
What to do Zumba in?
For classes you do not need to wear clothes like for Latin American dances. Zumba is more adapted for fitness and requires the choice of comfortable shoes, for example, sneakers that do not restrict the ankle joints.
Most coaches prefer to wear loose tank tops and wide pants. Trainees do not have to choose the same clothes. You can wear any comfortable one that will not hinder your movements.
Summarizing
Zumba is an ideal choice for those who are looking for effective workout methods and love to have fun and dance. It is perfect for the fair sex, as it perfectly develops femininity. The classes are as interesting as possible, allowing you to keep yourself in good shape, avoid deterioration of posture, and also reduce the risk of developing diseases of the musculoskeletal system. There are no age restrictions. Zumba is suitable for both young and mature ladies.
Zumba fitness
Igor October 5, 2021