Zumba Fitness: Sure It’s Fun But Is it Effective?

By Mary Luettgen, M.S., John P. Porcari, Ph.D., Carl Foster, Ph.D., Richard Mikat, Ph.D., and Jose Rodriguez-Morroyo, Ph.D.

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Zumba fitness has quickly grown to one of the most popular group exercise classes on the planet. In fact, the Latin-dance inspired workout is reportedly performed by more than 12 million people at 110,000 sites, in 125 countries around the world.
“Ditch the Workout – Join the Party!” That’s the marketing slogan for Zumba fitness, which attracts exercisers with a fun fusion of dance moves from styles like Salsa, Merengue, Reggaeton and Flamenco, and the sort of choreography you might see in a nightclub.
“Historically, aerobic dance was always like paint by the numbers,” says John Porcari, Ph.D., of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Department of Exercise and Sport Science. “I think sometimes people get frustrated if dance steps get too intricate and complicated. But Zumba fitness leaves more room for interpretation. And it’s non-judgmental. You don’t have to move exactly like the instructor. It’s more like dancing in a club—people can just move the way they want.”

Father Zumba

The craze now known as Zumba fitness is said to have started as a mistake by Colombian trainer Alberto "Beto" Perez. One day in the mid-90s, Beto reportedly forgot to bring his regular aerobics-style music tape to the group exercise class he was leading. With no music and a class to teach, he raced back to his car and scrounged up a cassette tape of Latin dance music. As the lively beats of Merengue and Rumba rang out, Beto drew upon his experience dancing in Salsa clubs and choreographing for local artists. Soon he was leading his pupils through a fun series of dance steps—and Rumbacize was born. It was an instant hit, and quickly became the most popular class at his gym. In 1999, Beto brought Rumbacize with him when he moved to Miami. It immediately caught on there as well and, with the help of a pair of entrepreneurs, Beto rebranded his class and transformed it into the global franchise that is Zumba fitness today.

Just because Zumba fitness is fun, however, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s an effective workout. Despite its immense popularity, to date very little research has been done to document the potential benefits of this form of aerobic dance. So the American Council on Exercise, the nation's Workout Watchdog^®, commissioned Dr. Porcari and his team of exercise scientists to determine whether Zumba fitness provides a workout, a party or both.
The Study
Led by Porcari and Mary Luettgen, M.S., researchers from the University’s Department of Exercise and Sport Science set out to determine the average exercise intensity and energy expenditure during a typical Zumba fitness class. First they recruited 19 healthy female volunteers, ages 18 to 22, all of whom had previous experience participating in Zumba classes.
To establish a baseline of fitness for the study subjects, each performed a maximal treadmill test that measured heart rate (HR) and oxygen consumption VO₂. This test also enabled researchers to develop individual linear regression equations for each subject to predict their VO₂ based on HR readings. This was key because standard metabolic testing gear is bulky and wearing it would encumber the subjects’ ability to dance and properly participate in the Zumba class.

After the treadmill testing, each subject participated in a single Zumba session while equipped with a heart-rate monitor. While the class length varied from 32 to 52 minutes depending on which day it was conducted, the same Zumba-certified instructor taught all of the sessions.

The Results
After crunching the resulting data, researchers found that participating in a single Zumba fitness class burned an average of 369 calories or about 9.5 kcal per minute (Table 1).

Table 1. Exercise Responses to a Zumba fitness Class
Variable	Mean ± SD	Range
Workout Time (min:sec)	38:48 ± 4:53	32–52
HR (bpm)	154 ±14.1	127–177
% HRmax	80 ± 7.0	65–89
Estimated VO2 (mL/kg/min)	30.9 ± 6.19	21.2–42.1
% VO2max	64 ± 10.5	40–82
METs	8.8	6.1–12.0
Kcal/min	9.5 ± 2.69	5.1–15.3

The average HR was 154 beats per minute (bpm), which is roughly 80 percent of the average predicted HRmax for the subjects (Figure 1). Accepted fitness industry guidelines suggest exercising in the range of 64 percent to 94 percent of HRmax to improve cardio endurance, so Zumba meets those requirements.

“If we look at the heart-rate monitor strips from the Zumba fitness session, they kind of look like interval workouts, going back and forth between high intensity and low intensity,” says lead researcher Mary Luettgen, M.S. “Because of that, with Zumba you burn a lot of extra calories compared to a steady-state exercise like jogging.”
As for the average estimated percentage of VO₂max, the subjects averaged 64 percent of VO₂max, which is well within industry recommendations of 40 percent to 85 percent of VO₂max for improving cardio endurance.
Of particular note is that HRmax and VO₂max responses for all of the subjects fell within the range of industry guidelines, despite the fact that there was a wide range of fitness levels among the subjects.
The Bottom Line
Zumba fitness may feel like a party, but this research suggests that it’s also a highly effective workout.
“It’s a total-body exercise—a good, high-energy aerobic workout,” explains Dr. Porcari. “Zumba fitness is also good for core strengthening and flexibility gains because there are lots of hip and midsection movements.”

With subjects burning an average of 369 calories per class, Zumba fitness is also a fine choice for those who are looking to drop a few pounds or maintain their current weight levels. In comparison with other exercises tested in the past by the University’s Department of Exercise and Sport Science, Zumba burns more calories than cardio kickboxing, step aerobics, hooping and power yoga (Figure 2).

“The surprising thing is that it doesn’t matter what fitness level you’re at—our research shows that in Zumba classes everyone is working out at the zone that’s recommended for improving cardio health,” says Luettgen. “Both fit people and less-fit people are going to get an equally good workout.”
Bottom line, Zumba fitness is an effective interval-style, full-body workout with built-in variety because every class and every instructor is slightly different. Equally important is the notion that Zumba classes are entertaining, which means exercisers are busy burning calories and getting fit while enjoying the fun of Latin dancing.
Sounds like our kind of party.
This study was funded solely by a grant from the American Council on Exercise (ACE).
ACE recommends that, before engaging in any exercise regimen for the first time, individuals consult with their doctors.

Working on it!

I continue to share information that I have found useful while trying to build a workout for myself. I am a dance cardio junkie and very lazy when it comes to strength/ resistance training. But I know if I really want to loose weight and keep the weight off,  I need to get serious about incorporating regular resistance training into my routine. I am now more motiviated than ever since I have been teaching Zumba. Basically because there are other fitness formats I would like to get into and teach but I don't feel like I can represent them properly if I am not at my fittest and an example to others.

 Yesterday I felt happy that I accomplished my strength training goal by working my complete body. I woke up this morning and my backside was sore. Ouch!!! I guess I did something  right. The pain feels good. Make sure when you do strength training you let 1-2 days go by to let your muscles recover, post workout shake. I do at least 10-15  minutes of cardio beforehand to warm the muscles and stretch afterwards. Its also a good idea within 2 hours of doing weights to dring a recovery protein shake. This aids in repairing the muscles and lessons pain the next day.  I have tweeked my workout routine, which will happen when we are planning our exercise around our life. My goal is to do 2-3 days per week of strength and 4-5 days per week of cardio for weight loss. Once I am at the maintenance point I will reduce to 3 days a week cardio and 2 days strength. This is what I have so far.

(revised 4/20/12)

Sunday = 1 hour Cardio #1/ 45 min total body strength training#1

Monday = 1 hour Zumba(cardio)#2  ...my class

Tuesdsay =1 hour willpower and grace (cardio)#3/ 45 min strength training#2

Wednesday = 1 hour Zumba (cardio)#4 my class

Thursday= 45 minute total body strength training

Friday= occassional Qigong class/or rest

Saturday=1 hour Zumba (cardio)#5..my class

flexibility -stretch after every workout

abs every other day

 I am starting QiGong tomorrow morning and really looking forward to it. I have tried videos in the past and have several books on it, but finally its offered in my neighborhood. If you are interested inbox me and I will share the class  information with you.  See you in class!

The Best Strength Training for Women

The Best Strength Training for Women

By Lauren Aaronson, Photography By Nicolai Grossell

Tired of sweating all over every piece of cardio equipment at the gym and still getting zero love from the scale? You need more iron. Not in your diet—in your hands. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, a mere 21 percent of women strength train two or more times a week. What you don't know: When you skip the weight room, you lose out on the ultimate flab melter. Those two sessions a week can reduce overall body fat by about 3 percentage points in just 10 weeks, even if you don't cut a single calorie. That translates to as much as three inches total off your waist and hips. Even better, all that new muscle pays off in a long-term boost to your metabolism, which helps keep your body lean and sculpted. Suddenly, dumbbells sound like a smart idea. Need more convincing? Read on for more solid reasons why you should build flex time into your day.

Torch Calories 24/7
Though cardio burns more calories than strength training during those 30 sweaty minutes, pumping iron slashes more overall. A study in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that women who completed an hour-long strength-training workout burned an average of 100 more calories in the 24 hours afterward than they did when they hadn't lifted weights. At three sessions a week, that's 15,600 calories a year, or about four and a half pounds of fat—without having to move a muscle.

What's more, increasing that afterburn is as easy as upping the weight on your bar. In a study in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, women burned nearly twice as many calories in the two hours after their workout when they lifted 85 percent of their max load for eight reps than when they did more reps (15) at a lower weight (45 percent of their max).

There's a longer-term benefit to all that lifting, too: Muscle accounts for about a third of the average woman's weight, so it has a profound effect on her metabolism, says Kenneth Walsh, director of Boston University School of Medicine's Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute. Specifically, that effect is to burn extra calories, because muscle, unlike fat, is metabolically active. In English: Muscle chews up calories even when you're not in the gym. Replace 10 pounds of fat with 10 pounds of lean muscle and you'll burn an additional 25 to 50 calories a day without even trying.

Target Your Trouble Spots
If you've ever tried to ditch the saddlebags and ended up a bra size smaller instead, you know that where you lose is as important as how much. As great as it might be to see the numbers on the scale go down, when you're on a strict cardio-only program your victory is likely to be empty. A recent study at the University of Alabama at Birmingham compared dieters who lifted three times a week with those who did aerobic exercise for the same amount of time. Both groups ate the same number of calories, and both lost the same amount—26 pounds—but the lifters lost pure chub, while about 8 percent of the aerobicizers' drop came from valuable muscle. Researchers have also found that lifting weights is better than cardio at whittling intra-abdominal fat—the Buddha-belly kind that's associated with diseases from diabetes to cancer.

Just don't rely exclusively on the scale to track your progress in the battle of the bulge. Because muscle is denser than fat, it squeezes the same amount of weight into less space. "Often, our clients' scales won't drop as fast, but they'll fit into smaller jeans," says Rachel Cosgrove, owner of Results Fitness in Santa Clarita, California. And it's the number on the tag inside your bootcuts you want to get lower, right?

Start Pumping
Begin with three weight-training sessions each week, recommends Joe Dowdell, founder and co-owner of the New York City gym Peak Performance. For the greatest calorie burn, aim for total-body workouts that target your arms, abs, legs, and back, and go for moves that will zap several different muscle groups at a time—for example, squats, which call on muscles in both the front and back of your legs, as opposed to leg extensions, which isolate the quads.

For each exercise you do, try to perform three sets of 10 to 12 reps with a weight heavy enough that by your last rep you can't eke out another one without compromising your form. To spark further muscle building, William Kraemer, Ph.D., a professor of kinesiology at the University of Connecticut, suggests alternating moderate-intensity workouts of 8 to 10 reps with lighter-weight 12- to 15-rep sets and super-hard 3- to 5-rep sets. (For a more detailed fat-blasting workout, check out "Do This at Home," below.)

And remember to fuel your workout properly. Too many dieters make the fatal error of cutting back on crucial muscle-maintaining protein when they want to slash their overall calorie intake. The counterproductive result: They lose muscle along with any fat that might have melted away. Sports nutritionist Cassandra Forsythe, Ph.D., co-author of The New Rules of Lifting for Women, recommends that you eat one gram of protein for every pound of your body weight that does not come from fat. For instance, a 140-pound woman whose body fat is 25 percent would need 105 grams of high-quality protein. That's roughly four servings a day; the best sources are chicken or other lean meats, soy products, and eggs.

Ready to turn yourself into a lean, mean, calorie-torching machine? Then go get pumped!


Do This At Home
Get ripped with this WH exclusive
Personal trainer Rachel Cosgrove, owner of Results Fitness in Santa Clarita, California, created a built-to-burn strength-training routine exclusively for Women's Health readers that you can tap into online. Each move works multiple muscle groups, so you'll burn a ton of calories and rev your metabolism into high gear for 24 to 48 hours afterward. For best results, do 10 to 12 reps of each move, breaking just long enough to catch your breath in between; repeat for two to three sets. Get the workout.

http://zumbawithnefertiti.blogspot.com/p/tighten-tone-firm-any-area-of-your-body.html

For ultimate results, couple this great workout with the perfect body diet.

Read more at Women's Health: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/weight-training-tips#ixzz1rBPRmW9o

FOR REAL!

Try a class on me .Your first class is free! Spread the word. I hate to take part in your addicition but your first taste of my Zumba class is on me. Come check the ladies only zumba class Monday nights at 7:30 and Saturday morning at 10am *. More classes are forming now. Come check it out but be prepared to sweat!!! See you on the dancefloor!

*Offer not valid for Weds Morning classes.

**EXPIRES JUNE 2012

What is PIYO?

Healthy living is a combination of incorporating and balancing healthy eating and a balanced fitness routine.  What I mean by a balanced fitness routine is that you want to have a  routine that incorporates, strength training, cardio and flexibility. If you are like me , finding that balance is a challenge. For some, they can hit the weights, go for a run or get on a elliptical..simple. I like movement and fluidity.

Flexibility training is essential, more so as we get older. I will be 40 soon and I can FEEL the need more than ever to get more serious about that balance! It's tricky for me because traditional exercise bores me. I need something that keeps me moving and is fluid. I find it hard to be still when working out.

Although traditional Yoga and Pilates are beloved by so many, I feel like an odd ball. Traditional Yoga and pilates makes me want to sleep. I could possibly dream about getting more flexible. That's not good! I also learned a long time ago that I have a hard time working out at home. I have been homeschooling for 18 years and I need to get out of the house to have some me time. Did I say get out of the house? Another dilemma is finding something I like that is only for women. Quite a challenge!

d

What I love about PIYO is that it is a fusion athletic workout, which combines the mind/body practices of yoga and Pilates, as well as the principles of stretch, strength training, conditioning and dynamic movement. During a PiYo class, you will find yourself standing in a yoga pose one minute, and down on the floor in a Pilates pose the next!

It is a pre-designed class that will really get your heart rate going as it features various styles of yoga and Pilates in continuous movement and flow from one exercise to another. Sometimes I describe PiYo as a hyper version of yoga, but with the benefits of deep breathing, balance, stretching, strengthening and relaxation. And to top it all off, the music is awesome and helps!
Not to mention that when I start, I will share with all you ladies who may be interested. Another Ladies only treat!
 The main thing is to stay active and find your own balance. Find what you love and keep doing it. Its different for everyone. Turbokick is next but I will tell you more about that in the future. See you in class!!

How to Rumba!