![]() Of particular note is that HRmax and VO 2max 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. ![]() “Because of that, with Zumba you burn a lot of extra calories compared to a steady-state exercise like jogging.”Īs for the average estimated percentage of VO 2max, the subjects averaged 64 percent of VO 2max, which is well within industry recommendations of 40 percent to 85 percent of VO 2max for improving cardio endurance. ![]() “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. 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. The average HR was 154 beats per minute (bpm), which is roughly 80 percent of the average predicted HRmax for the subjects (Figure 1). Exercise Responses to a Zumba fitness Class 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.Īfter 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). 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.Īfter the treadmill testing, each subject participated in a single Zumba session while equipped with a heart-rate monitor. This test also enabled researchers to develop individual linear regression equations for each subject to predict their VO 2 based on HR readings. To establish a baseline of fitness for the study subjects, each performed a maximal treadmill test that measured heart rate (HR) and oxygen consumption VO 2. First they recruited 19 healthy female volunteers, ages 18 to 22, all of whom had previous experience participating in Zumba classes. 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. Porcari and his team of exercise scientists to determine whether Zumba fitness provides a workout, a party or both. ![]() So the American Council on Exercise, the nation's Workout Watchdog ®, commissioned Dr. Despite its immense popularity, to date very little research has been done to document the potential benefits of this form of aerobic dance. Just because Zumba fitness is fun, however, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s an effective workout. 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. In 1999, Beto brought Rumbacize with him when he moved to Miami. It was an instant hit, and quickly became the most popular class at his gym. Soon he was leading his pupils through a fun series of dance steps-and Rumbacize was born. As the lively beats of Merengue and Rumba rang out, Beto drew upon his experience dancing in Salsa clubs and choreographing for local artists. With no music and a class to teach, he raced back to his car and scrounged up a cassette tape of Latin dance music. 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. The craze now known as Zumba fitness is said to have started as a mistake by Colombian trainer Alberto "Beto" Perez. It’s more like dancing in a club-people can just move the way they want.” You don’t have to move exactly like the instructor. But Zumba fitness leaves more room for interpretation. “I think sometimes people get frustrated if dance steps get too intricate and complicated. “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. “ 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. ![]() 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. Zumba fitness has quickly grown to one of the most popular group exercise classes on the planet. ![]()
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