I'm considering doing Zumba- there's a club at my college that I can join, and I am also considering trying to pick up some things via youtube videos.

The problem is, having looked at some of those youtube videos, everything looks pretty complicated. I could maybe pick up the big movements but there are a lot of smaller ones that I think I probably just couldn't do correctly.

I'm pretty much the least coordinated person of all time and there are some things I have never been able to do with my hips.

Anyway, my question is: if I can't get the moves down right, is it worth doing? Or will it significantly diminish the effectiveness of the workout?

I do Zumba, my instructor has a "don't stop moving" policy, so if we lose the moves we're not allowed to stop and watch but just jump around in the vague direction until we catch back up. I think as long as you're being active it will still be giving all the benefits. I'm pretty unco-ordinated too!

I have a funny story about this. I took dance (tap, jazz, modern) for a number of years and I'm a pretty good dancer and have been doing Zumba for a while and I'm pretty good at that, too.

So I often work out at lunch and this woman that I worked with asked to join me. She said that she has taken a Zumba class a few times so I suggested we do a Zumba DVD. So we do Zumba Cardio Party. This woman was flailing all over and seriously looked like she was having a seizure a couple of times. By the end, though, she was drenched in sweat and probably burned more calories then I did doing the moves "right". I laughed internally a couple of times, but not AT her - I admire that she was going to the max even though she wasn't all that coordinated!

So I would say give it your all - it may not be pretty, but have fun and it will be a great workout!!!

I have plenty of women in my zumba class who are "coordination disabled." No one cares. I've done some dance and play music, so I'm naturally able to keep a beat with my body; however, there's some of the sexier moves that I just feel and look like a dork doing. During those sexier moves, most of the class just kinda laughs at their own attempts and has fun. As long as you're moving, like purplekitten says, you're gonna burn some major calories.

There's actually a woman in my zumba class who absolutely does her own thing. Well, more than one, but she stands out to me because she's in my "row". She kinda does what the instructor wants, but it's a lot of flailing and in whatever direction she wants. She's new to the class, but she obviously simply does not give an eff what anyone thinks. She goes at it hard, even though it's not "right." The insecure perfectionist in me has mad respect for that. Zumba is about moving and having fun, no matter how you do it or what you look like doing it.

ETA: Also, you never know what you might be able to pick up. The first couple times at Zumba, you're really focusing on the big stuff. Most instructors tend to cycle through the same songs (adding new ones occassionally), and so the more you do them, the more stuff you will catch onto. Even if you don't think you will ever catch onto everything, you never know how much better you will get practicing multiple times. I have tried being able to do the butterfly since middle school dances, and for some reason, doing Zumba, it suddenly clicked after practicing a song several times. Still, when I first learned the song, I just kinda... well... flailed with my knees, and that's totally cool too.

Zumba is so much fun! I always thought I was pretty coordinated, and then I did Zumba and realized - not so much. That said, it really doesn't matter. As other people here have said, as long as you keep moving and have fun, that is really what it is all about. It's so fast paced that you don't have time to be concerned about other people, which means no one is looking at you either! Just enjoy the music and have fun laughing and dancing with other people.

Just keep moving, doesn't matter if you do the moves correctly as long as you don't STOP MOVING. If you watch, generally no one else in the class is very good, either.

I'm not the most coordinated gal in the world, and I make it through fine. Generally the instructor and the front row folks look awesome and the rest of us are behind them, red faced and trying to stay on beat. It's more fun than I probably made it sound. Give it a try, you'll enjoy it. =)

I am super-uncoordinated and go to zumba! You can definitely get benefits - if nothing else, you will burn calories (and hopefully have fun). I think that there are some benefits for your core/abs for doing many of the moves correctly, but even if you miss them, you still get benefits. Won't hurt to try! My first few classes, I felt like a fish out of water, but I think you pick up more and more of the moves every time you do it.

If I ever take zumba, that will be me! A few years ago, I would have wanted to be that perfectionist but after hooping/growing up/whatever, I've realized I just want to move. So I'll just move how I want now (if it's a cardio) even if I'm following a dvd of some kinda at home. That's why I liked the one nia class I took. It was like I couldn't do anything wrong! Just move!

Thanks! I ended up having a schedule conflict with the club, but I looked up some videos on the internet. Boy am I glad I did it in my house, and I did actually have to skip some songs because I was clearly not getting very much out of it since I couldn't do the movements, but the easier ones had me working up a sweat.

Unfortunately there seems to be a pretty common "rotate in a circle in a crouch while raising and lowering your arms"thing that makes me look like Zoidberg going "WOOPWOOPWOOPWOOPWOOPWOOP" but you win some you lose some.

Just buy the dvd. You'll get to use the "step by step" until you get the hang of it and then move to advanced discs/use those moves to whatever song you like in your room. In the long run it saves you money/time until you have more options to go to the club.

I am so not rhythmically inclined, but I do like a good zumba class to get my cardio in. Try it! It's a lot of fun and a great way to move around even if you can't do all of the moves

Our instructor always says things like, " Your heart doesn't know cardio...just keep moving and don't worry about the steps!"

It's so true. Enjoy yourself and try it out!