Well, aside from a friend expressing her undying love for it, I had absolutely no idea what Zumba was. But as you may have come to learn about me by now...I will try anything once, except roller coasters, bungee jumping, sky diving, heli-skiing, bull riding, high altitude climbing, base jumping, or cave diving to name a few. But I digress.
Zumba I knew was safe and the slogan is "Ditch the workout, Join the party!" So after hearing about it time and again, I decided to try it one day. Luckily it is offered at Equinox and I happened to have gotten a one-month pass to any of their gyms in the city for $35!
So, a couple days ago after work, i venture to the Equinox gym on 43rd and 5th in Manhattan, one block away from Bryant Park. Clearly the eager beaver, I arrived a bit too early and decided to run a couple miles on the treadmill to warm up. I noticed some type of abs class was wrapping up in the same studio where Zumba was scheduled, so I grabbed a seat and watched the remaining stretches. The abs class was filled with ladies, and I began to wonder what the make-up of my Zumba class would be.
Time to Zumba!! I entered the studio, poised and ready to...do whatever Zumba requires I guess. I noticed women piling into the classroom before and after me. I looked around a few times and finally accepted the fact that I was the only man in a studio with 21 young women (yes, i counted)! The instructor asks if it's anyone's first time. With no shame at all I raised my hand, half expecting at least one other person to join me. Nope. Not only was I the only male there, I was the only one new to the situation. So, there was a nanosecond where i felt slightly self-conscious. The students all clapped, giving me encouragement and the instructor calmed any nerves by saying "we will take care of you." Hey, what guy would not mind 21 women taking care of him? Fellas, can you hear me!!
What is Zumba?
Zumba is the name of a dance fitness program created by dancer and choreographer BETO in Colombia during the 1990s. This program borrows from the following dance styles: Cumbia, Salsa, Merengue, Mambo, Flamenco, cha-cha-cha, Reggaeton, Samba, Belly-dancing, Bhangra, Hip-hop and Tango. So you can imagine the various beats and tempo changes, which transition the workout from one toning, strengthening or cardio move to another, and targets every major muscle group in the body.
My Experience
The class begins, and the instructor explains that she silently teaches, meaning students would have to follow her lead. No problem. I flowed through the first song pretty well, still somewhat self conscious but opening up to the idea that it is a fun exercise and who wants a stiff in class, or in life for that matter? This is when I began to shine!
At one point the instructor notices how I'm dancing, or exercising, and she walks up facing me and starts dancing with me, in a manner similar to what the image above may evoke. I veer a bit from her set dance and began to flip the script on her a bit, hit her with a Chris Brown freak 'em move while staying on beat, and she dug it! The class continued, I was definitely sweating up a storm and shut everyone else in the studio out while I focused on her dances, and made sure the man in the mirror kept pace with everyone else. There were times, however, when I felt the dance, or exercise, was strictly meant for ladies. So when it came to gyrating with hands on my head, poking behinds out and waving arms with a somewhat limp wrist...I just did the best i could, and i did it my way, like Sinatra.
The instructor approached me again while at the same time looking at the door to the studio at a young lady watching. She asks, "Is that your admirer or mine?" I had no idea. Made me wonder whether a guy had ever stepped foot in her class at all. In fact, a family friend/Zumba instructor said she has yet to have a man show up in her class. Man, I've got to get to her studio pronto!!!
As the class winded down, I began to feel this workout making a difference in my abs, legs and arms. The "gyrating" turned into an opportunity to really work my abs, and the "poking of the behind" I flipped into doing squats and was feeling invigorated as I saw the entire class moving as one to the beat. There was a lot of lateral movement, jumping, turning in circles with all types of footwork for about 45mins.
Sooner than later, the class ended. Everyone seemed to have sweat buckets. The instructor walks up to me and said, "Oh...my...God!! Are you sure this is your first time? You were awesome and you absolutely HAVE to come back next week!" I promised that I would return the following Thursday no doubt. As I left I turned and said, "I had a great time ladies, see you next week!" They all gave me a huge smile and that was it. That was my first Zumba experience. I will probably only do that one class again and no more. I enjoy kickboxing, and while there is no dancing, I believe I work the same muscles and get that type of cardio workout, along with self-defense and peace of mind, at the dojo! And of course there's my bikram yoga! Some guys may want to show up, score some points with the ladies as well. You never know from whence your next opportunity will come!
Zumba is not totally my cup of green decaffeinated tea, but I at least have a point of reference and can now discuss the program with others interested, or maybe take a class with my friend I spoke of earlier one day. Until then...
