Zumba Toning is a very close workout to our original Zumba format…but with hand weights!
Using hand weights no greater than 3 pounds in weight (or preferably the “shakers” pictured), an instructor who is certified in both Zumba AND Zumba toning (ME) leads a workout that still feels like a PARTY, but the focus is on muscular endurance.
I call it the Zumba “mullet”: business up top (upper body/arms) and party down below (lower body/legs/hips).
The movements target the muscles of the shoulders (deltoids, rotator cuff), arms (biceps, triceps) and back (lats) primarily with different intention and deliberation. No flailing around here!
And lest you think it seems easy because the weight is no greater than 3 pounds per hand, think again. Try doing it for 50 minutes straight.
If you have ever been to a yoga class in which the “warrior” or sun salutation series poses were held for an extended period of time, that’s muscular endurance. It’s similar to that but we are moving the majority of the time (not holding poses). It’s deceptively challenging in that it seems easy, but the duration and the focus of the activity drive the exercise.
In several of the songs, we squat to put the weights down and do some high-intensity verses without the weights. We even do a song or 2 from our current Zumba playlist in our “regular” classes.
The songs and routines in my classes are familiar so that you can concentrate on the arm movements versus trying to pick up completely new choreography.
This class is cross-training that builds coordination and balance as well as burning extra calories with the addition of the weights.
And as in all my classes, the theme is “ABs” and the lower body and core are challenged in every song!
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Any questions?
If you tried it, what was your opinion?
