What is it? A wildly popular dance and aerobic programme. Apparently 15 million people do Zumba weekly around the world.
How much does it cost? You probably get it as part of your gym membership, otherwise specific Zumba studios offer classes from about £3 per session.
What does it promise? Zumba is a kind of camouflaged interval training session, one that burns 600-1,000 calories per class. Lots of people also cite its fun and social nature as a big benefit.
What’s it actually like? Straight-up mortifying. I’m a big, clumsy lad who hates dancing in all forms, so it was difficult for me to blend in with the seasoned – and mostly female – regulars at my gym. Imagine doing the Macarena, really fast, over and over again without really knowing what the Macarena is. That’s Zumba, and it’s humiliating. However, once you’ve got over the sensation that everyone is staring at you – because in fact they’re just concentrating on themselves – the benefits start to reveal themselves. In its essence, Zumba is just jumping around for an hour. And it’s really easy to underestimate how tiring that is.
Best and worst bits There are moments – milliseconds, really – when you manage to force your limbs to all go the same way as everyone else’s at the right time, and that feels pretty great. But then it’s immediately undone when the routine changes, and you’re back at square one.
Is it worth it? It’s a good workout: I was burning calories through exertion and shame.
