Zumba For Beginners
Zumba is a discipline that has been around for several years, although lately, its popularity has increased considerably. Zumba involves exercises that require aerobic effort to perform dance movements, generally to rhythms such as: salsa, merengue, and reggaeton. Below, we’ll tell you more about Zumba for beginners.
This discipline, created in the mid-90s by Colombian professor Alberto ‘Beto’ Pérez, also involves testing coordination and flexibility in the body. The sessions are based on the rhythms and changes according to the different parts of the songs. This forces us to follow a certain choreography.
Although it seems impossible for many people to do, there are Zumba classes for beginners who are just learning about Zumba. How does Zumba work? We will tell you!
Benefits of Zumba
Among the many benefits that we can extract from the practice of Zumba, we can list:
- Highly effective at burning calories.
- Very useful for toning muscles.
- It improves resistance, since muscles will tolerate lactic acid better.
- It contributes to forming new relationships and, therefore, improves mood and releases stress.
- Almost all muscles of the body are worked.
- Power coordination and rhythm.
- Routines are always different, so boredom is not a problem.
- Suitable for all ages and results are clear in a very short time.
Zumba for beginners: some tips to get started
The first thing you must be clear about is that none of the people who attend Zumba are dance professionals. If they are practicing Zumba, it is precisely because they want to learn. Therefore, don’t be shy if at first things don’t go your way. It’s a natural process typical of each sport and activity.
A good idea would be to start practicing at home. The basic rhythms are: salsa, merengue, bachata, flamenco, and reggaeton. You can search the thousands of videos on the web, or even buy DVD classes if you still do not feel comfortable joining a group.
Anyway, you should not worry about going to a class without prior knowledge. In fact, Zumba instructors often emphasize enjoying rhythms, keeping a smile on their face and moving freely.
Can men practice it?
Yes, of course! Many great Zumba instructors are men and they care about encouraging others to join this discipline. In these times, and fortunately, stereotypes about activities ‘for men’ and ‘for women’ are being left behind.
As for the benefits, it’s shown that physical conditioning is equally effective for males. The difference lies (in general) in that most men find it harder to capture the choreography than women. Maybe because of ‘instinct’, but also due to insecurity, this according to the word of ‘Beto’ Pérez himself.
According to a survey of the founding entity for the discipline worldwide: Zumba Fitness , 80 per cent of those who practice it are women. However, there are those who dare to challenge that number and ensure that the difference is even greater. Be that as it may, the truth is that today, there is a lot of effort to banish this myth.
How often do you practice it?
It’s advisable, for those who haven’t recently done intensive physical activity, to start with 20 minute sessions, three times each week. Subsequently, once aerobic capacity is gained, this can increase up to 45 or 60 minutes per class.
In terms of intensity, Pérez explains that the ideal is to make an effort of between four and six, on a scale of one to ten. In this way, you can enjoy the benefits without overdoing it, especially regarding weight loss.
It’s important to have fun
A very good idea for those who are just beginning in the practice of Zumba, is to do it with friends. In this way, you will not feel like an outsider if and when you do not manage to follow the routines. Also, do not forget that, at the end of the day, it is a dance class, and you have to have fun.
For that reason, it’s important to be comfortable and have fun. The purpose of Zumba for beginners is that more people should join this activity and, of course, feel comfortable and sure of themselves.
Finally, it’s worth noting that, like any other physical activity, Zumba must be accompanied by a healthy lifestyle. It’s highly advisable to eliminate unhealthy habits, dedicate time to the body to rest and eat healthily. The results will surprise you soon and you will surely be fascinated by Zumba.