What Are Zumba Shoes?
One of my Zumba participants walked into Lady Foot Locker and asked for Zumba shoes. The LFL sales team looked confused and responded, “What are Zumba shoes?”
How embarrassing! Someone is willing to walking into an athletic shoe store and drop $60 to $110 USD on a pair of dance shoes and the sales team at a store like Lady Foot Locker doesn’t even know what Zumba is?
In an athletics store, you are most likely looking for Nike Musique athletic dance shoes. Ryka also makes a couple of styles of athletic dance sneaker, Ryka Studio D and Ryka Sync, and from what I’ve seen, they are similar to the Nike Musique. This type of shoe is used by cheer and dance teams at the high school and college levels so they are somewhat easy to find. They are attractive athletic shoes, but obviously not built for most sports. You’ll find them on the edge of the athletic shoe section, not mixed in with the running shoes. Because they are not common, they are also easy to find on the clearance rack if you are a bargain hunter.
There is also currently a Nike shoe called Nike Huarache. It is more of a hip hop dance shoe so you might find it mixed in with the street wear.
If you have access to a dance studio or dance supply store, look for Capezio or Bloch athletic dance sneakers. These sneakers are also worn by dance teams and instructors so they are easy to find. Capezio and Bloch sneakers usually have a split sole which allows more foot flexibility during dance training and performances. To me, the split sole takes away some of the stability of these athletic dance shoes. The split sole is why I personally chose NOT to wear them for Zumba – I need stability and support. However, I do know plenty of people who DO wear them for Zumba.
In stores, you will pay about $30 USD for Zumba shoes on the clearance rack. Full price, Zumba shoes will cost $60-$110 USD. Online, you have more options and better prices. You will find Nike Musique and Huarache and Ryka Studio D and Sync online. Discount dance supply stores sell Capezio and Bloch athletic dance sneakers online.
I hate to order shoes online, but I like online shoe store prices so I use a little trick. I go find the shoes I want in a shoe store, try them on, and make note of the size, style, and color. Then I go home and order the same shoes online. It take a little more time, but I think it’s worth it.
If you have a favorite brand or style of shoe that you use for Zumba, I would love to hear it!
Filed under Zumba, exercise, group fitness | Tags: aerobic, aerobics, athletic shoes, bloch, capezio, Dance, dance shoes, Fitness, group, group fitness, group fitness instructor, huarache, instructor, musique, Nike, nike huarache, nike musique, Nike shoes, ryka, shoes, studio d, sync, what are zumba shoes, Zumba, zumba gold, zumba instructor, zumba music, Zumba shoes | Comment (0)Heart Rate Monitor for Zumba
Enough guessing. I’m buying a heart rate monitor for Zumba.
I’m a Zumba instructor and I track my diet and exercise through a free online fitness diary called hotcal. Until now, I’ve been using the cardio exercise entry “Dancing, aerobic, ballet or modern, twist” to track Zumba. According to my height, weight, age, and sex; I should burn about 272 calories in one 50-minute Zumba class.
As an instructor, I exaggerate all of my movements and give 100% during each song of each class. After Zumba classes, I am drenched from head to toe in sweat. I don’t think 272 is an accurate measure of the calories I burn in a typical Zumba class. That is why I’ve decided to buy a heart rate monitor.
After a little research, I’ve settled on the Polar FT60 heart rate monitor. This hr monitor comes with the fabric chest band with the snap on/snap off electronic brain. The fabric band was important because I’ve used hr monitors with the plastic band with the built in electronics. It was very uncomfortable and I can’t image doing Zumba while wearing a hard plastic band around my rib cage. As I mentioned, Zumba makes me sweat hardcore. I need equipment that I can rinse or it will be ruined in no time.
The FT60 is not cheap, but I am also a long distance runner and biker. I don’t need a foot pod or gps capability now, but these are optional add-ons to the FT60. I would not like to buy another heart rate monitor any time soon, but I may want to accessorize later.
The other nice thing about the women’s FT60 is that it is attractive. The band is magenta and the face is white and silver with decorations on the face. If I have to wear this thing daily, I might as well like the way it looks.
Stay tuned as I try out my heart rate monitor for Zumba.
Should I Buy a Heart Rate Monitor for Zumba?
I love teaching Zumba. I teach high intensity Zumba 4 times a week and Zumba Gold 2 times a week. I smile a lot and sweat a lot, but how do I know much exercise I am getting from Zumba class?
Until now, I have relied on free online calorie calculators and exercise diaries like hot cal to tell me how many calories I burn during exercise, including Zumba. I enter every food and beverage I consume each day and I enter every minute of exercise I do each day into hot cal. The site software uses my 1) Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR, 2) daily calorie needs based on my activity level, 3) net calorie needs, and 4) exercise bonus calories to calculate whether I’ve stayed within my daily calorie target to meet my personal fitness or weight loss goals.
I currently use the cardio exercise entry “Dancing, aerobic, ballet or modern, twist” to track Zumba. According to my height, weight, age, and sex; I should burn about 272 calories in one 50-minute Zumba class.
272 calories? That’s it? That can’t be right… Can it?
I think it’s time I invest in a heart rate monitor so I know exactly how many calories I burn in each Zumba class – not only for my own personal fitness, but to also allow me to use the music and moves that will get my Zumba class participants’ hearts pumping (safely, of course).
Stay tuned as I shop for my first heart rate monitor for Zumba!
Filed under Zumba, exercise, group fitness | Tags: aerobic, aerobics, Calculator, calorie calculator, Calories, cardio, cardiovascular, Dance, diary, exercise, exercise diary, Fitness, group, group fitness, group fitness instructor, heart, heart rate, heart rate montior, instructor, log, training log, Zumba, zumba gold, zumba instructor, zumba music | Comment (1)March Zumba Music Playlist
Some of my March Zumba songs. Enjoy!
Don’t Matter Calypso Remix (Calypso / Pop Warm Up)
Akon
Papa Loves Mambo (Mambo)
Perry Como
Loba (Latin Pop)
Shakira
Me Gusta, Me Gusta (Salsa)
Zumba Fitness ZIN 24
La Morena (Merengue)
Zumba Megamix 14
Hava Nagila (Traditional)
Zumba Gold
Tigy Tigy (Reggaeton / Arabic)
Zumba ZIN Mega Mix 15
Brinca (Cumbia)
DJ Kane
Salome (Salsa / Pop)
Zumba Fitness ZIN 24
Evacuate the Dance Floor (Pop)
Cascada
Jump in the Line (International)
Harry Belafonte
Rain Dance (African)
The Very Best Featuring M.I.A.
A La Nena Le Gusta (Merengue)
Zumba Fitness ZIN 24
Na De Na (Pop)
Angel & Khriz
Chaiyya Chaiyya (Bollywood – Zumba Toning)
Bombay Dreams
Obsesion (Bachata)
Aventura
La Isla Bonita (Pop – Cool Down)
Madonna
Cool Zumba Shoes
I want these awesome athletic dance shoes for Zumba! They are only $62.00 on Nike.com, but they don’t have my size!
Does anyone know where I can buy Nike Huarache women’s dance shoes for Zumba other than directly from Nike? I want to find my size!
Zumba Makes People Sweaty, But Happy
Sharing the Zumba love:
Here is a link to a great video interview with New York Times bestselling “Happy for No Reason” author, Marci Shimoff. She says Zumba, a dance-based aerobics class, is part of her “happiness rountine” and keeps her happy and fit.
Filed under Zumba, exercise, group fitness | Tags: aerobic, aerobics, Dance, Fitness, group, group fitness, happiness, happy, Zumba, zumba instructor, zumba music | Comment (0)February Zumba Music Playlist
Little known trivia about me: I hate February! Nothing good ever happens in February and I am so glad it’s over…
But still, I hope you enjoy my February Zumba songs:
La Cucaracha (Cumbia / Latin Pop – Warm Up)
Kumbia Kings
I Gotta Feeling (Pop – back by popular demand!)
Black Eyed Peas
Chaiyya Chaiyya (Bollywood / Zumba Toning)
Bombay Dreams
Me Gusta, Me Gusta (Salsa)
Zumba Fitness ZIN 24
Jump in the Line (International)
Harry Belafonte
Chiquilla (Cumbia)
A.B. Quintanilla III Y Los Kumbia All Starz
Hava Nagila (Traditional)
Zumba Gold
Kiss Kiss (Belly Dance)
ZIN Megamix 4
A La Nena Le Gusta (Merengue)
Zumba Fitness ZIN 24
Tigy Tigy (Reggaeton/Arabic)
Zumba ZIN Mega Mix 15
Salome (Salsa/Pop)
Zumba Fitness ZIN 24
Fuego (Cumbia)
Zumba ZIN Megamix 4
Loba (Latin Pop)
Shakira
La Isla Bonita (Pop – Cool Down)
Madonna
Best Zumba Shoes for Men
Despite being created by a genius man, Beto Perez, Zumba classes are overwhelmingly women. The token males in my Zumba classes are absolutely adored.
That is all I thought about men regarding Zumba until this week when a reader, Dan, posted a comment on my post Where to Buy Dance Shoes. Dan asked:
can you recommend a zumba shoe for men?
What a great question and in fact, yes I can recommend some shoes for men for Zumba!
One of the most well-known brands of dance shoe is Capezio. My college dance team used Capezio dance sneakers as part of the team uniform and several of my Zumba regulars where Capezio dance sneakers to class.
Capezio offers several varieties of men’s and unisex athletic dance shoes for men that would no doubt work well for men doing Zumba. My personal favorites are the Capezio Rockit and the Capezio Toggle. The main difference is that Capezio Rockit has laces and the Capezio Toggle doesn’t. Reviews for both models are excellent and some reviews actually list Zumba as the main reason the person bought the shoe. Online shoe stores like Zappos and Discount Dance Supply carry Capezio dance sneakers in men’s sizes.
Zumba with a Purpose
Attention Zumba lovers in Minnesota!
Zumba with a Purpose to benefit Toys for Tots with a $10 donation on December 12, 2009 from 1-3pm at Gold’s Gym in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. This Toys for Tots benefit will feature a group of local Zumba instructors and, keeping in the spirit of Toys for Tots, Marines.
Click here for more information and enjoy!
Knee Pain During Zumba
I heard one of my Zumba class regulars who disappeared recently has quit doing Zumba because of knee pain. This is not the first Zumba knee pain complaint I’ve heard. Why do people’s knees hurt from Zumba?
As I mentioned in my past Rencsi.com post Sticky Shoes During Zumba, most athletic shoes are designed for forward movement only. Running shoes and walking shoes have heavy traction and robust soles to resist sliding and turning and this is exactly what runners and walkers need. This is not what we want in Zumba class.
Zumba incorporates the twisting, turning, and sliding movements of Latin dance. While the body is moving, the heavy traction of popular athletic shoes causes the Zumba dancer to stick to the studio floor. The foot stays put and the leg, knee, and hip twist, turn, and slide.
Think of a basic Cuban salsa move – you step to the side, shift your weight to that foot, shift your weight to the other foot, and bring your feet together and repeat and repeat and repeat. The thick, wide soles of most athletic shoes are designed to prevent the lateral movement of salsa, one of the basic dances in a Zumba class.
It’s no wonder some exercisers experience knee pain from Zumba!
The good news is knee pain does not have to end your Zumba workout. There are many styles of athletic dance shoes available that will allow you to turn and slide freely. Here are some articles to help you find the best shoes to wear during Zumba. Enjoy!
Zumba FAQ – What are the best shoes to wear in a Zumba Class?
Filed under Zumba, exercise, group fitness, interests | Tags: aerobic, aerobics, athletic shoes, Dance, dance shoes, Fitness, group fitness, shoes, Zumba, zumba gold, zumba instructor, Zumba shoes | Comment (1)