An Intro To Zumba Gold

It occurred to me the other day that while I wrote intro posts on Zumba Toning and Aqua Zumba, it hadn’t written an intro to Zumba Gold so I thought it was time.

Intro to Zumba Gold

What is Zumba Gold?

Right from the mouth of Zumba itself:

Zumba® Gold takes the Latin and International dance rhythms you know and love from regular Zumba® classes and brings them to the active older adult, beginner participant and other special populations that may require modifications.

So who is the Zumba Gold Participant?

As mentioned above, many Zumba Gold participants are active older adults, beginner participants and anyone else that for whatever reason doesn’t feel up to participating in a regular Zumba class but still loves to dance.  I have participants in Zumba Gold that also attend regular Zumba classes but like to supplement regular Zumba with the low impact Zumba Gold once a week.  They find in Zumba Gold they have more time to work on perfecting their footwork, and more time to enjoy the music.

What makes Zumba Gold different? Isn’t it just a slowed-down version of Zumba?

No.  And yes…

Many of the songs I use in regular Zumba classes I will also use in my Zumba Gold class, but the choreography is usually a little bit different.  I will swap out any high impact moves with low impact alternatives, I leave out a lot of the hip movements, swivelling and pivoting and any jerky or uncontrolled movements.

There are some moves that are always performed at half tempo in Zumba Gold, but many of the moves you know and love from regular Zumba classes are the same in Zumba Gold.  

A salsa that I would teach in my regular class would be taught the same in Zumba Gold except I would “tame it down” so to speak no order to make it appropriate for the participants.  

That’s not to say that I don’t break out into full-on Zumba craziness now and again – because I do – but I do that to entertain the class (and only for a few seconds at a time), I don’t intend for them to follow my lead on those occasions {and they rarely do, generally, they break out into fits of laughter and giggles}.

Keep in mind that there are varying degrees of Zumba Gold classes as well.  

One of my friends has a class of Zumba Gold participants whose average age is 55-60, so her class is going to be considerably more high intensity and have perhaps more difficult choreography than mine as my average participant age is in the 70′s.  

As with regular Zumba classes, you work at your own level so even though I have a vast range of ages and abilities everyone is getting a workout appropriate for them, and everybody is having fun, and that is the most important part!

I am new to exercise – do I HAVE to start out in a Zumba Gold class?

Absolutely not.  Those new to exercise are more than welcome in regular Zumba classes, please go where ever you feel most comfortable.  

While it can be really helpful to start in Zumba Gold where the choreography is a bit easier, and the whole class is low impact it really is up to you where you want to go.

The same goes for pregnant women.  If you were active and participating in Zumba before becoming pregnant, chances are (with your doctor’s approval of course) you can continue participating in regular Zumba classes as long as you are comfortable doing so.  

Or you may feel that you want to go to the low impact Zumba Gold for your pregnancy, and/or during the first few weeks returning to exercise after giving birth (you will need your doctor’s approval before returning to any exercise after giving birth).

How long are the classes?

The class I teach is normally 45-50 minutes in length, but this can vary from instructor to instructor and class to class.  Most Zumba Gold classes are 30, 45, or 60 minutes in length.

If its low impact will I get a good workout?

Yes!  I have a pretty high aerobic capacity so my heart rate doesn’t really get high during Zumba Gold, but I do sweat and I do need to drink lots of water.  I’ve worn my heart rate monitor a few times and in the 45-minute class I burned around 300 calories, which isn’t shabby!

What should I wear?  Do I need to bring anything with me?

Wear whatever you can move comfortably in – a T-shirt or sleeveless shirt, pants or shorts and a pair of sneakers.  Bring a bottle of water, and if you are someone who tends to sweat when you exercise, a small towel wouldn’t be a bad idea either!

How do I find out if there are any classes in my area?

Check out the “find a class” section on the Zumba website.  All you need to do is enter your address and it will bring up a listing of all of the classes in your area

I think that’s about it!  If you have any other questions I didn’t answer in this intro to Zumba Gold please let me know!