STRONG by Zumba

[weighttrain]

STRONG by Zumba is a branded format owned by the Zumba brand.
It's not a dance class. No booty shaking, arms flailing, dance party in this class. IMO it is a HIIT class combining Les Mills Combat, GRIT cardio and plyo, and CXWORX and a little pilates and yoga in the core and cooldown tracks. The music and choreo are paired together like a Les Mills class, no choosing your own playlist and winging it. There is a warmup, cooldown, and 4 big blocks aka DJ mixed songs of work, approx 55 minutes total. No equipment necessary, it is all body weight exercises with cardio, power, ability and core.

Earlier this year the Zumba company offered the STRONG training exclusively to their Zumba instructors, the individuals that pay a ZIN fee every month to use the Zumba dance class brand and receive their new content. The sweet part of the deal: after paying for the initial cert day, passing an online exam and attending the one day training the monthly membership fees for STRONG by Zumba is only $5 for ALL of the new content: downloadable choreo, videos, music and tons of online tutorials.

Fast forward to approx June 1 this year, STRONG BY Zumba was offered to everyone. I attended two weeks ago, it was 10 minutes from my home at a local gym on a Friday and I couldn't pass it up. ACE and AFAA ceus given.
The training was packed, there must have been 60 people there, most of them were Zumba instructors. I was one of the few non Zumba peeps attending the training.

I enjoy this new format: it contains a variety of exercises and modalities to keep my body guessing...oh and my activity tracker shows my stats.

I have met Zumba only instructors that attended the training earlier this year, they are NOT teaching the format for various reasons: they are deconditioned and can't perform floor exercises such as push-ups and plyometric training, they are uncomfortable with martial arts inspired choreo, they never taught a class facing the class with a mic and verbally CUEING in advance, teaching and showing options and also spending the time learning choreo that matches the music track (the music tracks IMO are a lot more time intensive than my Les Mills formats).

Beth

[Garrie A.]

I LOVE the new Strong by Zumba! I'm not able to take it weekly anymore due to my work schedule, but I love it whenever I have a chance to go.

As Beth mentioned, the class is divided into four sections, called "quadrants," plus warm-up and cool-down. The first three build in intensity, with the third (called "Push Your Limits") being the most difficult. For example, some of the first quadrant has you do basic kickboxing moves and push-ups. Part of the second would have you do burpees and tire runs, and part of the third would have you do burpees (with a push-up), air jacks/tuck jumps, and plank jacks. The final quadrant is floor work inspired by Pilates and Yoga. Everything is very tightly choreographed to the music.

Originally Posted by weighttrain

I enjoy this new format: it contains a variety of exercises and modalities to keep my body guessing...oh and my activity tracker shows my stats.

I agree! This class has had me doing things I'd never done with home workouts--specifically burpees and more intense plyometric work. It's also increased my lactate threshold, enabling me to go longer in my other workouts.

Originally Posted by weighttrain

I have met Zumba only instructors that attended the training earlier this year, they are NOT teaching the format for various reasons: they are deconditioned and can't perform floor exercises such as push-ups and plyometric training, they are uncomfortable with martial arts inspired choreo, they never taught a class facing the class with a mic and verbally CUEING in advance, teaching and showing options and also spending the time learning choreo that matches the music track (the music tracks IMO are a lot more time intensive than my Les Mills formats).

My Strong instructor (who is also a Zumba instructor) got certified in March, and he does an excellent job with form and cueing. He will also show modifications for some of the moves. However, I've noticed that some (not all) of the students in the class have trouble with the form, especially during planks, push-ups, kickboxing moves, and plank-jacks.

[meg39]

I've taken this class at our gym this summer. I like it! We actually have 2 instructors - one does the full range of movements and another instructor shows the modifications and keeps it low impact. I tend to hover in the middle of the two extremes.

It's definitely a great workout if you like intensity.

[deineira]

WOW! This looks awesome and fun. I would do this live (and I hate classes) and would love these at home. I can't wait to see how to get this new workout.

[Getfit]

Originally Posted by deineira

WOW! This looks awesome and fun. I would do this live (and I hate classes) and would love these at home. I can't wait to see how to get this new workout.

I love Strong, it is so much fun. The music is infectious and it pushes you to work hard. My gym offers the class twice a week and I usually will take it every other week.

[AsSweetAsSugar]

Wow, I'm glad to hear you guys love it so much! It'd be nice if Zumba would make a few DVDs for those who would like to try it at home.

[Dawn]

I would also love to see this come out on DVD! I stumbled upon this new you tube video, it's a great 20 minute workout. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/NM2rSFddxvY

[suzannaerin]

Too bad it’s so high impact, otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to resist

[Sue B]

Originally Posted by Dawn

I would also love to see this come out on DVD! I stumbled upon this new you tube video, it's a great 20 minute workout. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/NM2rSFddxvY

Video has been removed

[Dawn]

I can't believe how quickly it was taken down I did find another one, hopefully it stays up long enough to try it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn4ZIARp218