Zumba

A short bit about me -- I used to be an avid exerciser, but now it's been a while, and I'm slowly easing back into exercise and back into shape. I'm 48 years old with knee joint issues and chronic lower back problems. Still, I keep very mobile, I just have to be careful of what I do and how I do it. Also (and this is important) I'm dance and rhythmically challenged! I'm usually not a big fan of dance-y cardio, but I figured I'd give this a try. It's pretty low impact and not particularly bouncy, so that met my criteria just fine! -- This DVD is divided into two separate parts, both done by the same 3 people (lead by Zumba instructor Beto Perez).The first part is Step-by-Step which teaches you the basics of the moves used in the "main" workout along with a little cultural history about the dances. However, note that it is a workout in and of itself complete with cool down. It breaks things down well and Beto's cuing is flawless (especially important to those of us who are not graceful and/or not prone to a natural sense of rhythm). This is suitable for a "lighter" cardio day although I was still out of breath! But I wasn't ready to pass out, either.The second half is Dance, Dance, Dance - the main "master class." The cuing is great, and there is a "just music, no cuing" option available, but I'll never use that because I will always need the instructions!Beto is very enthusiastic and encourages keeping the beat over the count. He's also as clear as to what NOT to do as he is as to what to do. He also performs some of the moves with his back to the camera so you can see it from a different perspective which is quite helpful at times.Even when I was out of step, I was doing the same level of cardio as I would've been had I been exactly on point, so that was a big advantage. The dancers are all obviously having fun. Even I loosened up and had fun!After the first time I did this, I rushed to review it and gave it 4 stars only because it seemed slightly above beginner to me. However, it's instructions and moves really are beginner, it just took me a couple of times through to get used to it. Each workout is divided into sections, which is good in a way because you can pace yourself, but "bad" in the sense that you're stopping and starting. However, I solved that issue by continuing to march, walk, or side-step in between the briefly interrupted segments. Honestly, the (very) short breaks are welcome! Just keep marching through them, wipe your sweat with a towel or grab a quick drink of water, and keep going because the next section will be ready when you are! - This workout varies in intensity and can be modified, so especially if you're hesitant to do dance because you CAN'T dance, go ahead and get this one and put it into your rotation. I'm pretty sure you won't regret it! I wasn't sure about Zumba as I had tried it many years ago and hated it, but this is GREAT! I now have it in heavy rotation, but I do like to change it up with interval, light weights, step, and cardio walk DVDs for variety and to challenge different muscle groups. Oh, and one more thing - I have a heart rate monitor & exercise gauge on my wrist (don't think I can mention the popular brand name here), and I can tell you - In 30 minutes you burn a LOT - I mean a LOT - of calories, and the time absolutely flies! I'm so busy thinking about what I'm doing that the workout zooms by quickly. And there's no dread factor because it's actually fun to me now, and it seems it's done as soon as it starts! A win/win! The more you do it, the more you'll love it.I was thoroughly worked out after each of the segments but without feeling like I was dying, and there will be no Dread Factor with this DVD (which is always a good thing and something I always look for in exercise videos!). That's a big selling point for me, and I'm sure for most other people as I don't know of anyone who wants to dread their workout! You won't dread this one at all. In fact, you may just find yourself very much looking forward to it. :)A last note - I have a FitBit Charge HR, and it showed I burned 454 calories (after doing BOTH workouts in just under an hour) and did the equivalent of climbing approximately 23 floors with the workouts alone. Now, I know this varies with age, weight, and other factors, but that gives you some general idea of what you can expect burn-wise. You definitely get your aerobics in without gasping!

I have a very good friend who teaches Zumba at a local gym. One of the challenges that can come from being the mom of an amazing special needs kiddo is that I'm not able to catch her classes. Out of curiosity some time last year, I tried a free Zumba video on-line and despite the fact that I do know some basic dance steps, I felt about as coordinated as a drunken duck. I told her, you know, I think strength training is just my thing for now. It's what I need to focus on to be the best mom I can be to my son, and I just need cardio I don't suck at right off the bat. She told me I just needed to try it again, and I said "nah, I'm good." But the problem is, I get bored quickly, and I switch out my cardio regularly because I think that's a great thing to do from the fitness perspective. So I'm trying it again because I'm experimenting with dance cardio right now.It took me a few days to get through this video because my son was not into it. And even when I could get him to be patient with it, he was doing things like rolling his spinning chair up behind me, or rolling the yoga ball into me. So it was more of a workout then I expected just to get through it because I was dancing around and dodging obstacles. And then there was the time he decided maybe if he came up and gave me a good, long squeeze hug I'd put on his Veggie Tales and turn off the Zumba. He's very determined, so it took me three days to get attempt to get through this for a preview of it.I think this was well done, definitely for beginners. I think they do a great job of breaking down the explanations of what you need to be doing. And I felt enlivened and just downright joyful after each section I was able to get through before my son hit combustion mode. And quite honestly, Beto's presentation is so cheerful, happy, and encouraging that it just made it that much better. I feel like I need a hefty dose of cheerful and encouraging in my life sometimes. I also really liked that the two dancers working with him in this particular video were a healthy size (I can not say what they are like in any others from this production company, as this is the first one I've purchased), and one of them even appeared to be large framed like me. And I like that they were more covered up. I think all of those things are a very nice thing for a beginner to see, because if you are just starting out exercising, even if you want to be super petite and have lovely muscle definition, sometimes it can feel pretty intimidating to be confronted with in your face images of that right off the bat.I also like that the workout they include after the section that goes over the basic steps doesn't add to many other movements, because from the learning perspective, repetition is actually the best way to get a movement down and it helps build confidence a lot better then if a bunch of new stuff that hadn't been demonstrated were thrown in. And I managed to finish this video feeling more like a Latin dance cardio swan then a drunken duck this time, so I think I'm probably going to end up adopting Zumba for my dance cardio thing that I work in with my HIIT stuff. I had a lot of fun doing this, more then I expected. And my friend will probably say "I told you so." And I will just give her a hug for being right.

I was really excited about trying this one because of liking Latin style dancing and wanting to learn it. Overall, the music was great and it definitely was fun.A few moves were difficult as hip movement doesn’t come naturally to me. I didn’t worry about being perfect and figured with time I would figure it out and connect with those hips!Most of the moves were pretty simple and he did a good job of explaining them in his tutorial.The pace was pretty fast and thought, again, with time I would adjust and get quicker. The main thing that made me decide to return it after all was how exhausted I felt long before finishing.Usually, I feel more energetic after exercise, whereas this left me feeling utterly depleted. While hating to give up on anything, it was just not my speed. Am looking to feel more energetic after working out, not less.They said that you could modify, but didn’t show any modifications, which is always helpful.However, there’s no way to modify a beat that is just too fast paced for you.Think eventually I could do the moves at a slower BPM that he showed as most were not too difficult and he did explain them well.Hopefully, will find a slower paced Zumba class dvd in the future.It’s definitely a four star for someone comfortable with the speed. For a slower paced person, think three would be the rating.