It’s officially the first day of Fall and those Summer #BodyGoals, if you’re not careful, may turn into Winter #BodyGoals. The appeal of working out outdoors is dwindling and hitting the gym will become more frequent and susceptible to variety. To add more of a switch up to your fitness routine, global dance fitness leader, Zumba, is turning its popular class up a notch with a new high-intensity program called Strong by Zumba.
In partnership with super-producer Timbaland and his team, Zumba’s new program focuses on Synced Music Motivation, a researched science where music is paired with the actual movements of the workout or choreography. “I was excited about the idea that a fitness brand approached exercise in a way that no one has done before,” says the Grammy award winning artist. “They are using music in a way to maximize your workout, and I want to [continue to] create music that inspires and pushes people past their limits. This has never been done before and STRONG by Zumba is going to change the perception of HIIT-inspired workouts.”
VIBE Vixen had a chance to try out the new music-led interval training program earlier this week (September 20) over at New York City’s Milk Studios, with master instructor Ai Lee Syarief leading the way and Timbaland’s own DJ Freestyle Steve keeping the tunes coming on the ones & twos. After catching our breath and regrouping with a post workout protein shake, we gathered our selves and our thoughts and came up with four solid reasons why you should give Strong by Zumba a shot.
Flip through the gallery up top.
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5 Solid Reasons To Add ‘Strong By Zumba’ To Your Workout Plan
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5. The music is on point.
Image Credit: STRONG by Zumba and Wendy Ploger Every beat has a move. Every move has a beat. Thanks to the talents of Timbo, the music is far from your typical corny, pop tune. Each move is perfectly synced with every movement. If you like reggae, hip hop, salsa and everything in between (oh, and music produced by the Virginia native), you’ll appreciate the motivational soundtrack to your workout session.
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4. You won’t feel like you’re in a competition.
Image Credit: STRONG by Zumba and Wendy Ploger Unlike most fitness classes, completing repetitions to the best of your ability is often the focus. With this class, you’re not hassled for missing a rep or hear the instructor yelling “5 more! 4 more! 3 more!” from the speakers. Above all, regardless of your level of fitness, it truly has a no-judgement type of vibe.
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3. You don’t need a pound of equipment.
Image Credit: STRONG by Zumba and Wendy Ploger With strength training as one of the pillars of your workout, your bodyweight is all you’ll need. But if you’re not one to trust the ground on which you sweat on, you can stow a yoga mat in your bag and bring it with you.
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2. The moves in the routine are easy to pick up.
Image Credit: STRONG by Zumba and Wendy Ploger The entire routine is structured like any session; there’s a warm-up, the workout and then the cool-down. On top of that, it moderately progresses in speed, offers moderations for every move and includes rest periods that happen at the perfect time. As for the dance moves? Easy peasy. Honestly, we caught ourselves fusing in the milly rock and nae nae. Hmm, Trap Strong by Zumba, anyone?
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1. You finish feeling like a champion.
Image Credit: STRONG by Zumba and Wendy Ploger Listen, high-intensity interval training in any workout is not easy. With this workout, you’ll not only sweat like there’s no tomorrow (and feel your heart pounding in your chest), but you’ll feel like you’ve flexed every muscle in your body.