Zumba Or Jazzercise?

Zumba and Jazzercise are two different types of aerobic dance, hour long workouts. Zumba is latin based, while Jazzercise incorporates pilates, yoga, and basic jazz dance steps geared towards a full body workout. They're both pretty intensive activities, but preference depends on the instructors and their techniques and how close they fit your needs. When it comes down to picking your workout routine, don't be afraid to experiment and compare before deciding what's going to be the most effective for you.

I attended Zumba for the first couple months and their tag-line is "Join the party, ditch the workout."  The instructor is more laid back (at least mine was) and she encouraged people to add their own style as there wasn't one way to "do Zumba". Basically, she didn't care how you did it, just that you kept moving throughout the entire 60 minute session and worked up a sweat. I did Zumba for a couple months and then got kind of bored, I felt like the instructor wasn't challenging me enough, so I decided to throw in the towel and try something different.

Jazzercise became my second option. I came in not knowing what to expect, and the instructor was VERY different compared to my Zumba instructor. She had the whole kit and caboodle, the microphone headset, the modern day Jazzercise outfit, which consists of a skin tight tank top printed with the official Jazzercise logo, spandex leggings and cross training shoes. If that isn't enough, the workout routines were ten times more intense then Zumba! I felt my abs, my legs, my arms, my back, my shoulders, my ass getting worked within the first 10 minutes. The routines were less complicated than Zumba so I could focus more on the workout rather than nailing the dance moves. The music was great too, she played a lot of fast paced pop songs. Enrique and JC Chavez from N'sync (didn't even know he was still producing songs) are a couple examples on her play list. During the last ten minutes of class we used mats and dumbbells to work out our biceps, back, and shoulder muscles, as well as stretch out our hamstrings.

I left the class soaked in sweat and my body was slightly sore, yet I felt more energized. So Jazzercise wins for me. At least in the state of Idaho, where there isn't much out here lol. I'm going to give Zumba another chance when I head back to the Springs for the holidays, partly because the instructor I had was fairly new and lacked energy and routines, so maybe I haven't had the ultimate Zumba experience yet. Perhaps a different instructor will unlock its potential. Till then I'll keep you updated.