Does Zumba Burn Fat?

The answer to whether Zumba Fitness classes or DVDs burn fat may seem self-evident. This dance-inspired exercise based on Latin and world beats involves steady leaps, grapevine steps, hops and arm swings, as well as hip-gyrating cumbia, salsa and samba steps. A heart-rate monitor can confirm that you've busted moves and burned fat during an hour-long Zumba Fitness class. But in simplest terms, if you are tired and sweaty after the cool-down song fades to silence, you've spent your time well, moving into the fat-burning zone.

Intermittent Cardio

"Zumba burns calories, period, so it goes without saying that it burns fat," says Vicky Asher, a licensed Zumba Fitness instructor in Timonium, Maryland. Zumba is a form of what fitness specialists call high-intensity interval training or intermittent cardio, like running up and down hills, she notes. "Basically you are riding waves of varying intensity, and depending on the music, keeping your heart rate up," she adds. MayoClinic.com's physical medicine specialist Edward R. Laskowski confirms this observation, noting the value of Zumba routines that alternate fast and slow rhythms to create valuable interval training.

Application

An upbeat song such as Zumba Fitness's "Caipirinha" requires quick, intensive movement, Asher notes. You get a chance to recuperate with a bouncy but slightly slower song with some recuperative breaks built in, for example, Pit Bull's "Pause," Asher adds. "If the instructor is doing her job, the changes of pace will be seamless," she observes. "People would be wiped out if the entire class was nonstop upbeat music. The beats per minute are constantly changing" to provide a challenge followed by a chance for brief recuperation, she states.

Physical Effects

The intermittent cardio pattern of a typical Zumba Fitness playlist encourages fat burning, as you are able to recover during songs with lower beats per minute and return to peak calorie burning for the next song. Further, the 60 minutes of a typical class take you well past the 30 minutes considered the minimum amount of exertion for the body to begin to burn fat rather than stored glycogen as part of cardiovascular exercise.

Heart-Rate Goals

You also want to be at around 55 to 65 percent of your maximum heart rate to maximize the fitness benefits of Zumba, writes Zumba Fitness founder Beto Perez in "Zumba: Ditch the Workout Join the Party! The Zumba Weight Loss Program." To determine your MHR, subtract your age from 220. If you are 30 years old, for example, your MHR would be 190, and 55 to 65 percent of this equates to 104 to 124 beats per minute. At this level, the body uses a higher percentage of fat calories compared to carbohydrates, since it relies heavily on fat as a fuel source, Perez writes.