What to expect at a Zumba class
Wondering which ‘en Joy dance fitness class is right for you? Next up in this series of in-depth blogs about our sessions is a focus on Zumba with Helen!
What is Zumba?
Zumba is a dance fitness class like no other. It came along and completely changed the way we look at a workout. Beto Perez created Zumba way back in the 90s by accident when he forgot his usual aerobics music and instead taught his class using a cassette of latin dance music, improvising the steps as he went, with his participants following along. He realised his participants were actually having much more fun than usual and the concept grew from there.
Zumba isn’t just a dance fitness class – it’s a dance fitness party! With an awesome original Zumba soundtrack filled with world rhythms (and a few chart hits thrown into the mix), you’ll be too busy having fun to notice you’re working out!
With both low and high intensity steps, Zumba is an effective high-energy cardio workout which can feel more like a party than a class and is often referred to as exercise in disguise!
What to expect in a Zumba class
ZUMBA. A household name. A worldwide fitness phenomenon. Everyone’s heard of Zumba, but what should you expect if you’ve never been to a Zumba class before?
Zumba was designed to be a completely follow-along class, with no verbal cueing, allowing the participants to fully ‘zone in’ and enjoy the music. While some instructors do prefer to use verbal cueing, I like to stick with the original Zumba Fitness Party concept, where each class should feel more like a party than a fitness class! This can feel a bit strange if you’re used to being talked through the steps, but don’t worry if you find it tricky to pick up the moves, they will start to become more natural to you after a few classes, honest! In a Zumba class, it really doesn’t matter if you don’t get all the steps straight away, it isn’t about your dance technique, fitness level or ability, a Zumba class is much more about having fun, raising the heart rate and dancing along to the music, as if you were enjoying a night out on the dancefloor with a great bunch of friends. Zumba routines are designed to be easily followed (with a few advanced steps thrown in for those who like a challenge!) and instructors are trained to use visual cues such as hand gestures, when required, rather than speaking over the music. One of Zumba’s most common catchphrases is “less talk, more dance”, allowing participants to fully immerse themselves in the music, have fun, enjoy the atmosphere and maybe even forget they are exercising!
I’m often asked whether my classes are ‘traditional’ Zumba or if they include a mix of styles, as people have found Zumba classes to vary greatly from instructor to instructor. My answer to this is that Zumba in itself offers a huge amount of variety and while its origins are in latin music, Zumba has evolved over the past 20 years to include a vast amount of musical flavours. Zumba instructors are given new monthly music and choreography updates to pick and choose from, and can also choose to choreograph their own routines to the music of their choice, which explains why Zumba sessions can vary so much. Zumba’s basic traditional rhythms include Salsa, Merengue, Reggaeton and Cumbia, with many more world rhythms now also thrown into the mix. I like to add Soca and Dembow to my sessions, as well as a few pop hits, some Zumba ‘classics’ and some new tracks each term, so there’s something for everyone and to keep the classes fresh.
A Zumba class begins with a warm up including cardio pulse-raising steps, muscle preparation and joint mobility, along with plenty of dynamic stretches to get the body ready for the main workout. In a Zumba class, there are no break-downs of the steps and minimal stopping and starting between the tracks, in order to keep the body warmed up and to maximise the non-stop party atmosphere.
One of the principles of Zumba is to keep moving, even if you’re moving in the opposite direction to everyone else – no-one is judging you, they are all focusing on what their own bodies are doing! As long as you are moving, you are doing it right, even if you are freestyling your own routine! You get out of a workout what you put in to it and as long as you keep marching, wiggling, shimmying, shuffling with enthusiasm, you will reap the benefits, both physically and mentally, and hopefully leave the class with a huge smile and a little bit (or a lot) sweaty! We will of course finish with a cooldown routine, bringing the heart rate back down and stretching out the muscles.
So, come as you are, shake what you’ve got, all moves welcome! See you on the dancefloor!
What our participants say about Zumba
🔥 “Good fun classes. You can enjoy at your own pace. Helen is a fab teacher.” – Penny
🔥 “Fun and fitness combined. Thank you Helen.” – Su
🔥 “I love your classes and am so glad I found them – exercise that is fun with normal people like me.“ – Caroline