What is Zumba?

Inspired by Latin rhythms, Zumba is a fitness class that combines dance and fitness moves with a selection of fast and slow music styles including Merengue, Salsa, Mambo, Rumba, Flamenco and Hip Hop.

Depending on how much you exert yourself, it is possible to burn up to 1000 calories in a 60-minute Zumba class, making it a great form of exercise for body sculpting and fat reduction. And because it’s as low or high impact as you want it to be, it’s suitable for all ages, sizes and fitness levels.

What it’s based on

Zumba was created by accident several decades ago in Colombia. The story is that a fitness instructor forgot to bring the workout music he needed for a class he was leading, so he ran out to his car and brought in some of his favourite Latin music instead.

Needless to say, his class loved the freedom from the usual boring workout and the chance to express themselves while they exercised and so Zumba was born. The idea caught on quickly and soon spread to other countries and today it is one of the world’s most popular group exercise classes.

What it involves

In a typical Zumba class, your instructor will lead you through a combination of simple dance and fitness moves set to fun, invigorating Latin tracks.

The class will usually start with a warm up and proceed through intervals of exercise set to faster and slower tempos (known as Interval Training) and finally end with a cool down and stretch.

The benefits of Zumba

All forms of cardio training offer benefits, but Zumba offers more than most including;

• Fat blasting – on average you can burn anywhere between 600 and 1000 calories in a typical session, depending on how hard you work.
• Heart friendly – gets your heart rate up and helps to maintain a healthy cardiovascular respiratory system.
• Body toning – targets a range of different muscle groups at the same time to deliver total body toning.
• Muscle building – Zumba Toning and Zumba Step classes include weights to build muscle in the arms, legs and glutes.
• Stress relieving – dancing is a great way to de-stress and forget about everyday problems.
• Health boosting – lowers blood sugar levels, reduces blood pressure and boosts good cholesterol to help lower your risk of heart disease.
• Coordination enhancing – repeated practice improves your coordination and confidence in your body.
• Happiness inducing – exercise and dancing release endorphins, which cause positive feelings throughout the entire body.

Why Zumba works

As well as providing many health benefits listed above, some would say the real reason Zumba works so well as a form of exercise is because many people don’t see it as exercise at all!

Dancing is an instinctive response in practically everyone and when we are confronted with the exciting and invigorating rhythms of Cuba and South America, all we want to do is dance.

So being able to express ourselves in such a fun way and call it our exercise routine has made Zumba a regular favourite for millions of people worldwide. And that’s why it works; because people keep coming back for more, unlike other more boring workouts which lose their appeal after just a few classes.

Where you can try Zumba

At Bailey Fitness, we want you to be the best version of yourself you can be and we’re here to help you achieve your health and fitness goals.

So if you’re thinking you’d like to try Zumba in Perth, we have two great locations where you can give it a go. There’s Zumba at our Morley gym for those in the northern suburbs, or if you’re on the south coast, our Baldivis gym is Zumba central with a capital Z.

Check out our full range of fitness classes here or timetables here.