How to learn zumba dance
Basic Zumba Moves | livestrong
Basic Zumba Moves
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The dance moves in Zumba are inspired by some of the most expressive and lively dances from South America. Classic dance styles, like salsa, get a modern revamp with a fitness twist in Zumba routines.
Your first Zumba dance class might be overwhelming in terms of complexity. The music is fast and the moves are even faster. However, if you break the dances down to their basic roots, you can start to master Zumba.
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Originally, Latin American dances were the inspiration for Zumba. Over time it has evolved to include dance moves from all over the world. Many of the basic moves are still inspired by Latin dance, so those are the basic moves you should learn first. Once you learn the steps that each style of dance is based off of, you'll have a foundation to build on when you take Zumba.
Read more: How Fast Can Zumba Whip You Into Shape?
Basic Salsa Steps
For salsa, start with the most basic step pattern. There are eight counts total:
- Take one step to the left with your left foot.
- Rock your weight back to the right foot.
- Step back to the center with your left foot.
- Pause for the fouth count.
- Step to the right with your right foot.
- Shift your weight onto the left foot.
- Bring your right foot back to center.
- Pause for the eighth count.
Alternatively, you can do these steps in a forward and backward direction.
To step it up a level, you can do travel steps. Instead of taking one step to the side, you take four steps total. The lead leg goes first, then the back foot catches up to the lead. Take one more step with the lead and catch up with the hind foot one more time. Then, repeat that sequence in the opposite direction.
Basic Merengue Steps
Zumba uses the simplicity of the merengue steps to create a fast-paced series of steps. Start slow to master the basic steps before you pick things up.
Stand tall with your feet close together. Shift your hips to the right and pick up your left foot, then stomp it on the ground. Then, shift your hips to the left and pick up your right foot, then stomp it. Find a rhythm with that step pattern, then try to move faster once you're comfortable. You can add arm movements like a reach out to the side or overhead as you step.
Basic Reggaeton Steps
For this upbeat and modern style of dance, start with the leg movements first. Step out wide with your left foot. Bring your right foot in and tap it right next to your left foot. As you tap your right foot, lean to the right so that you would fall if you didn't catch yourself.
Step wide to the right with your right foot to catch your fall, then step your left foot close to the right as you lean to the left. Keep alternating to the beat as you get comfortable with the big steps. When you're comfortable, it's time to add the arm movements. When you step both feet to the left, raise your right arm up high. Put it down, then step to the right and reach your left arm up.
Zumba can seem overwhelming at first, until you learn the basics.
Image Credit: LuckyBusiness/iStock/GettyImages
Basic Cumbia Steps
This classic Latin dance style involves some fancy footwork. With your right foot planted, step your left foot forward. Keep your body tall and don't lean forward with your leg. Keep the front knee straight, then pick up the lead leg and bring it behind your right leg.
This time, plant your left foot behind your body. Plant your toes, keeping the rest of the foot off of the ground. Twist your hips and bring your left foot to the front again. Keep stepping with your left foot only until you're comfortable with the motion, then try it with your left foot planted as you move your right foot.
Read more: The Best Zumba Exercise Videos
Basic Samba Steps
Similar to merengue, this Brazilian dance has simple steps but becomes complicated quickly as it moves fast. Start standing tall with your feet close together. Lean your weight into your right foot, keeping the knee straight and leaning your hips to the right.
As you sit into your right leg, lift your left heel off of the ground so that only your toes are touching, and bend your left knee. Then, put your left heel down onto the ground and lean into your left leg, raising your right heel and bending the right knee.
The key to this dance step is in the hips. Move your hips in an exaggerated motion to the side that has the heel planted.
Zumba Dance For Weight Loss: How To Beginner's Guide
People are always searching for different ways to lose that extra fat. Although there are multiple tips on weight loss that one can find on the internet, one of the ways that is becoming popular among people to lose weight is Zumba.
But what is Zumba and why have people of all ages started following it?
Here in this article, we will clear up all your queries and doubts about Zumba dance. Is it worth trying? Can it make an effect on your weight loss journey?
What is Zumba?
Zumba is a form of aerobic dance; it has many variations. It not only helps in strength workouts but also gives an overall fitness to your body. The reason behind its popularity is that it’s a fun workout that excites you and lets your whole body move. It is not limited to a certain set of ages, from kids to senior citizens, everyone can dance to its tune and have an enjoyable workout session.
The dance moves of Zumba are super easy and the fact that it is of different kinds makes it more approachable to people. Additionally, various studies have also been done on Zumba.
Zumba Dance for Beginners
If you are new to Zumba, you might have many questions running through your mind. Especially the people who are non-dancers think Zumba is only about dancing, and if you can’t dance, you can never do Zumba.
This is one of the biggest myths that people have about Zumba. Zumba might be fun and exciting, but it has a great impact on your body. Just like any other form of exercise, Zumba also makes you healthy and fit.
So, if you are a beginner, no need to worry.
You can start your Zumba session at home to avoid any embarrassment. As Zumba has many varieties, you can start with the steps that are easiest for you.
Merengue
The name might sound a little tricky, but this dance form of Zumba is super fun and easy. In this form, you just have to follow the beat. Start by stepping one foot to one side and then taking the other one in the same direction. Again, bring both of your feet to the center and take the next foot to another side. Keep moving your feet from one direction to another and, by no time, you will see yourself covered with sweat.
Salsa Moves
Salsa is a well-known dance form, but you do not need to go deeper and learn all of the dance moves; simply begin with your lower body. By moving one foot to one side and placing your weight on it. Bring that foot back to the same position and repeat with another leg. Once you come into the loop, the salsa moves will become your favorite type of Zumba.
Cumbia Dance
Cumbia is another form of Zumba dance that can easily be started by beginners. You just need to step one foot forward and place all your weight on it. Bring the other foot in either the right or left direction and keep this position for a few seconds. Bring your first foot back to the middle and start again, but this time with another foot.
Zumba will become your go-to exercise once you learn the basics, and as you move forward with practice, you will master even the critical steps. You have multiple options for yourself to learn Zumba. From TV, mobile phones, and laptops, just open any of these and you can learn Zumba without paying anything.
There are even Zumba apps that you can download and keep track of your steps, time, and health. Just be consistent and you will see the magic of this exercise by yourself.
How Does Zumba Dance Help in Losing Weight?
The belly fat that has been bothering you for so long is going to be disappeared. With Zumba, you can easily shed some pounds. It is not just a theory anymore, but many people have tried it and seen the changes in themselves.
But can an hour of dance moves really help you lose weight?
Studies have found that all the young Zumba dancers were able to burn at least 9.5 calories per day. However, if you are one of those people who counts calories while exercising, keep in mind that age, weight, and genetics all play a role in weight loss.
In comparison with other aerobic exercises, Zumba can help you burn a lot of calories. Zumba works on your whole body. It helps in building your metabolism. No doubt that doing Zumba daily will help you lose fat, but you should also make sure to take notice of your eating.
If you are not leaving junk, Zumba alone will not work. So make sure to keep your diet under control. The more Zumba you do, the more fat you will be able to burn. Make sure to move your body for at least 60 minutes a day to get the desired results.
Weight loss is a complex process that takes time. From mid to high-intensity Zumba classes, you can choose the trickiness. This high-energy dance workout will help you keep your body in shape and make you fit.
Zumba is a great way to exercise and fellowship with other people in a fun atmosphere!
Sherry
Zumba Dance for Kids
As an adult, you understand the importance of fitness and why you need to follow the routine of healthy eating and exercising daily. But the difficulty occurs when you have to make these concepts understandable to your kids.
For kids, exercise is a boring activity. You might be forcing your child to add 15-20 minutes of exercise daily to their routine. But some days they will listen to you and other days they will just do what they want.
Zumba comes to the rescue here. You know that a Zumba dance is a form of exercise but no need to tell your kids. They will not only enjoy doing Zumba daily but will also wait for the time of the day to do this fun activity.
But why burden kids with all this? How does it help kids?
We have the answer to your every question. Studies have found that Zumba helps kids in the following ways
- Building strengthening
- Higher self-esteem
- Full body workout
- Improves memory
- Increased imagination and creativity
- Great stress-reliever
We can go on and on. The list is endless. But I hope you’re convinced now that you shouldn’t just do Zumba by yourself, but also invite your children to join you.
And do not worry about the intensity of this workout. The best part about Zumba is that it can easily be modified according to age. Zumba for kids is more creative and fun. It has a combination of games and activities that allow a child to open up and ultimately boost their confidence.
Zumba Dance Workout
Zumba workouts are a better calorie burner than any other kind of aerobics. The more effort you put into Zumba, the better the result will be. Make sure you are enjoying it, because the things you enjoy more, you may notice that it becomes easy for you to stick to them.
The good part about Zumba’s workout is that it targets different body parts. The Zumba workout does not only benefit your physical health but it has been seen that Zumba also helps in maintaining the cardiovascular respiratory system.
You will also notice that as you are being consistent with Zumba, you are also becoming stress-free. Zumba workouts reduce fatigue and improve your concentration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Zumba dance an indoor or outdoor activity?
Zumba is an indoor workout. That is the reason many people can take advantage of it by doing it from the comfort of their homes.
Can a non-dancer do Zumba?
Just like any other workout, it’s not important to be proficient in dance to do Zumba. The main purpose of Zumba dance is to get a complete body workout.
Can you do Zumba for back pain?
Most of the Zumba steps pressurize your lower back. So, if you are having back pain, you can take it easy with the steps and choose the ones that do not put pressure on your back.
Treadmill walks or Zumba? Which one is better?
Both treadmill walks and Zumba will provide you with health benefits. But the reason that many people choose Zumba is that it is more fun and you do not feel tired for a long time.
Summary
To have a healthy life, it is important to keep moving your body. Do not think that Zumba alone will do the magic. You need to take care of the food you consume. As we have said before, Zumba has multiple benefits, but we will say do not overdo it. Allow your body to rest too. Select the form that is best suitable for your age and body type and be consistent with it. If you love dancing, then that’s a plus point here. We will just end it by saying that you keep dancing and keep enjoying.
Trending Today
Zumba fitness: 10 lessons for weight loss (video)
Dance, rejoice and lose weight - this is the essence of "zumba fitness" in a nutshell. This dance fitness program combines elements of Latin American dances and hip-hop, and anyone can master it.
SovetskySport understood how to lose weight and pump up the press with the help of Zumba
What is Zumba fitness for weight loss
The founder of Zumba is a choreographer from Colombia, Alberto Perez. Zumba is an intense fitness program based on simple dance moves from rumba, salsa, bachata, merengue, hip hop and other dances. Zumba weight loss classes are held to music. The session lasts an average of 40-60 minutes. Advanced Zumba dancers use light weights to make it harder. nine0005
What is the effect of Zumba fitness for weight loss
An hour of intense Zumba movements effectively burns fat, trains the muscles of the legs and back. The dance also gives a load to the pectoral muscles, shoulder muscles and arms. Zumba fitness trains the cardiovascular system and increases your endurance.
You can learn and perform Zumba movements for weight loss at home using video tutorials for beginners.
Video Lesson 1: Zumba Fitness for Weight Loss – Learn Zumba Movements
Affordable zumba weight loss video tutorial that explains the basics and teaches you the basic initial movements - steps and twists.
Video Lesson 2: Zumba Fitness for Weight Loss - Making Basic Movements Harder
Easy to understand Zumba weight loss video tutorial. Here you will be taught how to link zumba movements to one another, keep the right rhythm during training and control yourself for mistakes.
Video Lesson 3: Zumba Fitness for Weight Loss - Abs and Legs Specialization
The load in Zumba fitness can be varied by increasing the pace or highlighting individual muscle groups and making “specialization days” for them. This beginner zumba fitness video tutorial is all about how to work your abs and hips while dancing.
VIDEO
Read on "Soviet Sport" - Squat at home. A guide to the most important exercise in training0017
Have you mastered the basic zumba movements and how to vary them? It's time to go through the full 50 minute lesson. Repeat the movements after the trainer, try not to stop or pause.
Video Lesson 5: Zumba Fitness for Weight Loss - Hip Hop Zumba Movements
Intensive 25-minute Zumba video lesson for beginners with a focus on hip hop movements. In addition, the trainer will add a lot of squats to hip-hop - this way you will work out the hips, buttocks and remove fat from the sides even more effectively. Don't be surprised if sitting down and getting up is difficult for the next couple of days. nine0005
Video Lesson 6: Zumba Fitness for Weight Loss - Zumba with Dumbbells
The Zumba toning program involves increasing the load of the standard zumba. Here, all exercises are performed with dumbbells weighing 1-2.5 kg. How to use vzumba dumbbells correctly is in this video tutorial for beginners.
Video Lesson 7: Zumba Fitness for Weight Loss - Zumba for Seniors
Zumba is suitable for people of all ages. From here, what pace to maintain if you are engaged in Zumba, and you are well over 40, this video tutorial will tell you how to choose movements and music. nine0005
Read on "Soviet Sport" - Five forgotten but effective exercises
Video lesson 8: zumba fitness for weight loss - zumba for children
You can involve your children in Zumba. If it's cold outside, Zumbafitness can replace them with a walk on the sports ground.
The movements in this video lesson are adapted for children 3-5 years old. They are simple and look like morning exercises. For a child, Zumba training will be an interesting game while you continue to burn your calories and lose weight
Video Lesson 9: Zumba Fitness for Weight Loss - Warm Up Before Zumba
This video lesson will teach you how to properly warm up before your Zumba class. There are many steps, swings of arms and legs - everything that will protect you from injuries and sprains. You can also perform this video lesson for beginners with music
Video lesson 10: zumba fitness for weight loss - hitch and stretching after training
stretching right - in this zumba video tutorial for beginners. nine0005
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ZUMBA:
- Zumba is an intense form of training. To find out which load is right for you, consult your doctor. Check your cardiovascular system;
- you need to train according to the "Zumba-fitness for weight loss" method on average 3 times a week. Let your body rest for at least one day between workouts;
- do not neglect the warm-up and cool-down. Warm-up - will help prepare the body for stress, and the hitch - "calm" and relax the muscles after training. nine0123
source: "Soviet sport"
Where can you learn to dance zumba in St.
PetersburgLearn to dance zumba
What happens if you mix fitness and dancing in different directions? Of course, zumba. In St. Petersburg, many have already appreciated it. Zumba helps not only to keep fit or effectively lose weight, but also to have fun. After all, just doing fitness is not very interesting for many, because these are the same type of exercises with long transitions. And Zumba is a dance, to some extent. Simple, energetic movements that are remembered from the first time, and peppy music make training not only more interesting, but also more effective. nine0005
We have already found for you all the places where you can learn to dance Zumba and, of course, we will not hide them from you. Achieve the body you want with this simple dance!
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Diva
Dance school
Dance school "Diva" in St. Petersburg - these are four schools in St. Petersburg, 19 halls and 45 teachers. We are rightfully considered the largest dance school in St. Petersburg. We have over 1,000 students, 400 of whom are children. Teachers have been working in our dance school "Diva" since the opening. nine0005
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Zumba Fitness
Dance school
Zumba is incendiary Latin American rhythms, simple beautiful movements, lots of fun, positive energy, effective aerobic exercise!!!
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Delux Dance
Dance school
The DeluxeDance dance school team includes leading choreographers from Russia and St. Petersburg. The DeluxeDance dance school is: - Big dance concerts, which gather from 1000 spectators - Choreographers of the highest class - Large panoramic halls - Convenient location - right next to metro station Kupchino. nine0005
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Impress Dance
Dance school
Dance evening “SWING TIME” in the space of the ImpressDance dance club.