Zumba® Fitness FAQ

Generally I get anywhere between one and five emails a week from people inquiring about Zumba® classes.  With those emails I often get many questions regarding what to bring, what to wear and so forth. This post is intended to answer those questions, and perhaps some that you might not have thought about before! Note: I will probably add to this periodically and as new questions arise, so please check back occasionally for new Q&As!

Question: What types of clothes should I wear to a Zumba® Fitness class?
Answer: Comfortable workout clothes you do NOT mind sweating in! Consider that you'll sweat as much if not more than you will running, so that sort of attire is appropriate. For women, a GOOD, SUPPORTIVE SPORTS BRA IS A MUST! In Zumba, we shake lots of body parts, and the Cooper's Ligaments (you know, the ones that support the breasts) can experience some level of stress from the higher impact moves done during a Zumba® Fitness class.

Question: What types of clothes should I wear to a Aqua Zumba® class?
Answer: Most folks wear bathing suits of some sort (or clothing as dictated by the aquatic facility). Generally, for women, a one-piece or moderate two-piece (say a tankini) is recommended as you don't want to pull a version of a Janet Jackson move while doing a Cumbia song, right? 

Question: What types of shoes should I wear to a Zumba® Fitness class?

Answer: Unlike your clothing, your shoes are THE most important component of your Zumba® wardrobe. Proper footwear can save yourself from a whole host of physical aliments. In Aqua Zumba® proper aquatic exercise shoes are also advised. Three things to keep in mind when finding a good shoe to wear to a Zumba® Fitness (dry land) class (a more detailed post on shoe recommendations is in the works): 

1. The ball of the foot should be fairly smooth. That is, don't wear brand new running shoes to your Zumba® Fitness class, because the traction that those shoes provide will grip the floor you're on, and prohibit proper movement during moves that require more "on the toe" action - such as a hip thrust during belly-dancing moves. Most "dance studio" shoes have a "pivot point" on the ball of the foot and on the heel - this is a fairly typical design for shoes that are appropriate for Zumba® Fitness.
2. It should have some level of lateral support. Not to pick on running shoes (they just seem to pop up frequently!), but running shoes do not provide lateral support for the foot. They are designed to provide cushioning to the foot from back to front, or in other words, they provide front and back movement support. Lateral support means that movements from side to side are supported. A good example of a shoe that has lateral support are tennis shoes. Tennis players zig-zag across the tennis court in pursuit of a ball. They come to sudden stops and starts.  Yes, they move straight like a runner too, but their shoes are designed with multiple directions in mind for foot-to-ground impact. In this way, a good studio dance shoe is also designed with lateral support for the foot.
3. The shoe should fit well. A common sense point, don't purchase a shoe that is far too big or small and expect it to perform well for you during your Zumba® Fitness class. Both of those problems can cause more headaches than smelling paint thinner on a hot summer's day!

Question: What else should I bring to a Zumba® Fitness class?

Answer: Water, perhaps a towel if you want to wipe off excessive sweat, and of course, a sense of fun, excitement and a desire to burn some major calories! 

Question: I've done Zumba® Fitness before with Instructor X, but why is your class different?

Answer: One of the best parts of about being a Zumba® instructor is the flexibility we are permitted in our classes (which is not always true with other exercise programs). As a ZIN, I literally have access to hundreds of songs to choose from to teach in each class. Given that a 45 minute class will have nine songs (not including the warm-up and cool-down) and a 60 minute class will have 12 or 13 songs, it means that there are obviously going to be some songs that I might use for a class that Instructor X does not and vice versa. In addition to that, for a given song, Instructor X might use one set of choreography, while I use another.  A great example of that is the song "Jai Ho." I myself have a fairly elaborate belly-dancing routine to this song, and yet another instructor in the Kansas City area uses it as a warm-up song for her classes! Is one of us wrong? Absolutely not! As licensed ZINs, we have that liberty to use a song for a particular part of our class however we see fit. Obviously, we would not do choreography that is inconsistent with the Zumba® Fitness format, but we have the freedom to use the song in a manner that works for us, our flavor of teaching and our class audience

Question: I haven't exercised in years, should I still participate in a Zumba® Fitness or Aqua Zumba® class?

Answer: Short Answer - Yes! Long Answer - It would be highly recommended that, as with any physical fitness program, that you consult your doctor prior to the start of the program, to make sure that your body can physically endure going from a very sedentary lifestyle to a more active one. Since starting Zumba® myself, I've seen many women go from zero exercise to enjoying an active lifestyle thanks to Zumba® Fitness. That being said, this change was not instantaneous! It takes time to build endurance and to help develop long-atrophied muscles.

Question: Why are you not very verbal in class (compared to other fitness classes)?

Answer: As a ZIN, my understanding is that when Beto Perez (Mr. Zumba himself) developed the program, the goal was for participants to really focus on the music to get the most enjoyment out of the class. After all, Zumba® tunes are very catchy to listen to, so why bother having an instructor blurt out instructions when really all of the instruction is based off the changes in the music (that is, the transition from verses to chorus to bridges, etc.)? ZumbaChemist tends to be a bit more verbal than many other instructors, but that's an artifact of her "Chemistry" traits. In an Aqua Zumba® environment, even the ZumbaChemist is fairly non-verbal, but this is out of the nature of the pool-area. It's very difficult for participants to hear in the pool someone talking from the deck, along with the booming, echoing music, making verbal cues nearly useless. 

Question: You're not doing a proper ballroom-style [insert dance] step, how can you call it that?

Answer:  Zumba® Fitness is called that for this very reason!  Beto used traditional Latin-American tunes in his "blooper" aerobics class that started Zumba®. The key idea here is that it is a Latin-American inspired dance party! Yes, we do steps in class that we call a Salsa, or Samba, or Cumbia step, but do not look precisely like a ballroom Salsa, Samba or Cumbia step. They have been modified for fitness purposes. Personally, the ZumbaChemist does not recommend that you go to a Salsa club and bust a move there with your Zumba® choreography, but you might look coordinated at a non-Salsa club too!

If you have another question you'd like to see answered on this FAQ, please leave a comment or contact ZumbaChemist directly!