Have you joined the Zumba craze yet? Over the past few years, Zumba has started something of a fitness revolution, bringing men and women of all ages together in a lively, spirited cardio workout. Based on Latin American dance styles, Zumba is an upbeat interval fitness program that burns calories fast and improves your fitness- without even feeling like exercise. The focus is on having fun and getting your body moving, so even if you’ve never danced before, you can join in with easy-to-follow moves and get your heart pumping to the fun, funky beat of international music.

Here’s everything you need to know about this latest fitness craze…

What is Zumba?

Zumba was created in the 90s by a Colombian aerobics instructor, and was designed to get people moving in a real cardio workout in a fun, enjoyable way. The idea is that having a good time makes it easier to stick to an exercise program, helping you to reach your fitness and weight loss goals. With a combination of Latin music and easy-to-follow movements, Zumba is a dynamic and effective workout that really gets you sweating, and you’ll get the best benefits from a range of international dance styles including salsa, samba and hip hop.

Zumba is increasingly being offered at gyms and dance studios worldwide, and as more people discover the benefits, the demand is quickly growing. There are currently over 11,000 certified Zumba intstructors in 35 countries around the world. So why not join in? Finally, there’s a fun way to get fit and burn fat- and anyone can do it.

The benefits

The great thing about Zumba is that it doesn’t feel like exercise- but it does give you a real cardio workout. Though you’ll feel like you’re just dancing and having fun, you will get your heart pumping, and over time your fitness and endurance will improve significantly. And in addition to getting your heart rate up, Zumba movements work to strengthen your core- that is, the muscles in your stomach, back and hips. Your body will move in a way that forces you to keep your core muscles engaged the entire time, even more so than you would while running or in a normal aerobics class. So you’ll be sculpting and toning your body at the same time as getting a cardio blast.

As well as giving you a physical workout, Zumba has mental benefits as well. It’s almost impossible to be in a bad mood while you’re doing Zumba- the music is upbeat and lively, and the class atmosphere is fun and motivating. Being able to just let your body go and move to the music can give you a great mental break from your everyday life, allowing your mind to de-stress and just concentrate on yourself.

What to expect

Most certified Zumba classes last for one hour and are based on the principle of interval training, with bursts high intensity cardio exercise alternated with slower, lower-intensity movements. Begnning with a warm up, you will move through different routines that vary in intensity and style, incorporating basic moves from many different Latin and international dance styles including salsa, merengue, cumbia, calypso, cha cha, reggaeton, quebradita, and even bellydancing and hip hop. Traditional moves are combined with basic fitness steps in an easy to follow routine that is suitable for both beginners and advanced dancers.

Some Zumba classes will include a bit of resistance training to sculpt and tone the body, giving your weight loss efforts and extra kick. But more than anything, Zumba is about having fun and moving your body to the music- even if you don’t get all the moves right at first, just give it a go and keep moving, and you’ll improve your fitness the fun way.

Zumba for beginners

Zumba was designed so that people with all different levels of fitness and experience can join in and enjoy it. It is primarily a fitness class rather than a dance class, so even if you’ve never danced before you’ll be able to pick up the moves. Zumba routines use basic dance steps to create a fun cardio workout- and you’ll find that the routines are repeated, so that the more often you go to Zumba classes, the more moves you’ll recognise.

Zumba allows for the possibility of moving at your own pace. Your instructor will show you several ways to do a particular move, letting you choose which level is best for you and to build up to more advanced skills as you improve. Because the class is based on interval training, with alternating bursts of high intensity cardio and periods of slower movements, you can slowly build up your fitness, and the recovery time makes the intense cardio less daunting for beginners.

And the vibe Zumba classes aim for is just to have fun, so there’s no pressure to be the best dancer- just have a go and get your heart pumping!  

Choosing a Zumba class

To find a Zumba class near you, you can search the official Zumba website (http://search.zumba.com/classes/international) for studios that hold certified Zumba classes in any city of any country in the world. Most places will allow you to buy casual passes, so you can try a few different studios to find an instructor you like best. While Zumba is a trademarked class, it will vary slightly from instructor to instructor. All Zumba classes will contain a mix of Latin and international rhythms, but the actual routines will change, and different instructors will add their own individual style to the class.