Zumba Dance Aerobic Workout - Catchafire - TobyMac - Christian Reggaeton - Zumba Fitness For Weight Loss - ZUmba Video
Some people claim that you can burn up to 800 kcal in a single workout with Zumba. Is this true and most importantly can it work for you? Let’s Zumba out!
Does it help in weight loss?
To the point, if you do take all the heavy marketing out of the Zumba are you actually left with any good results? It is a dancing based exercise class and as with any other dancing exercise class you will burn calories and get some fitness gains. You jump and move around for approximately 45min to 1hr (an average class time). Even if you go out dancing in a night club for 45 solid minutes you will burn calories.
Being a combination of Latin and aerobics class moves, it combines aerobic exercise with resistance of your own body weight. In a way a lot of what you get out of it will depend on what you will put in it and what kind of class you will follow. With different variation of the Zumba fitness on offer there are different fitness components which are targeted. For example the Zumba Toning style classed tend to use lightweight sticks to create a resistance element and the moves concentrate on target areas such as gluts, arms, and thighs.
If the workout is combined with a healthy balanced diet within reasonable calorie ranges then it can help in weight loss. One common mistake a lot of people tend to do is assume that they used an average of 800kcal with one workout and then believe that they have calorie room for that sweet treat or takeaway. The result usually is that they actually consume twice as many calories than they ones they burned.
How many calories?
As already mentioned the amount of calories burned will depend on the intensity, the duration and the style of the workout. In addition, the individual’s fitness levels, muscle, body size and composition will influence the results. Some Zumba enthusiasts claim that you can burn anything between 500-800 kcal. To my knowledge there has not been a scientific study which has looked in either the effectiveness or the amount of energy used during a Zumba class. Therefore, we can only assume that if matched with a similar cardio/body resistance exercise a Zumba workout would return similar results. On a high impact aerobics class someone who weighs 155lbs would burn approximately 493kcal.
Some studies do suggest that high intensity workouts (usually at around 75% V02max) can result in a post exercise calorie burn, or afterburn as it is usually known.
How easy is it to follow?
Zumba is based on Latin dance moves and for those who enjoy dancing like activities it can offer a fun and enjoyable way to exercise. It can be on a high energy music base which can be invigorating so it can make people feel on a high.
Again the instructor will play a role on how fun and easy the workouts are. From my personal experience the workout I participated was above beginner’s level (I wasn’t) and the instructor did not explain any of the move changes but expected that everybody would just follow her by watching her. The result was that I far from enjoyed it, most of the time didn’t know what I was doing and never went again.
If you for any chance have a similar experience, I would suggest that you try again at a different place. It could well be that your instructor is not a good one.