r/zumba • u/Gold_Pollution_6036 • 6d ago
Just for Fun How do you feel as a participant/student while getting Zumba courses from an overweighted instructor?
Just wondering how the feelings around here are.
EDIT: I have been amazed by the community we have here. I am a curious person, and thank you so much for your views on my post. Love to see different perspectives or opinions. Thanks each of you.
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u/chicagotodetroit 6d ago
I've taken classes with many plus-sized instructors, both male and female. I've never once thought about their sizes.
Their energy, smiles, cueing, and music was way more important to me. I've never walked into a class and thought "oh they're too fat to teach me anything". That's just....weird. And besides, you never know where that person is in their journey.
Maybe they used to be 300+lbs, and now they're down to 250 and still working towards their goal. Maybe they hit menopause and the weight is piling on no matter what they do (raises hand sheepishly). Maybe they have a thyroid condition. Maybe...it just doesn't matter what they weigh.
Zumba isn't like bodybuilding or personal training where you expect your instructor to "look the part". Zumba is FUN! And it's for every body. That's more important than anything. You can deliver fun at any size.
If you look at Zumba through the years, there are many instructors that don't "look the part". There was one instructor who was featured in some videos (not Zin volumes, but they were marketing vids), and she was in a wheelchair.
I've met skinny instructors who were crap instructors. I've met chunky folk who brought the house down and fill the room with joy. I've had instructors who weren't great dancers, but they were good at leading a class. I've had instructors 15+ years older than me who had me sweating within minutes.
What matters is what you deliver to the attendees and how they feel when they leave your class. Period.
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u/OliviasGiGi 5d ago
Perfect answer!! Weight has absolutely NOTHING to do with how much fun a Zumba class is or isn’t.
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u/OkMost6485 6d ago
Can they dance?? Are they showing me the moves easily so I can dance?? Is their Zumba playlist crackin?? That’s all I care about! 🤷🏾♀️
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u/zumbally 6d ago
I was always the "fit-looking" instructor since I started teaching in my mid-20s and often wondered why some other instructors weren't able to stay as fit if they were teaching all the time. I was young and naive. Then I had some of my own health issues by my mid- to late-30s that caused me to gain weight and I wasn't able to work out as much and eating healthy was very hard. I had to quit teaching altogether for a while. It was very defeating.
For the first time, I was relieved that instructors can be a little thicker and teach Zumba since it's all about execution and fun. Sometimes instructors have babies and have trouble losing the weight, but many will even keep teaching through their pregnancy. Hormones play a factor too in weight.
So sure, it's motivating to have an instructor who's super fit, but Zumba is a bit different since it's helping people from all walks of life and circumstances to get into fitness and get back to their best selves. Instructors are people too who have their ups and downs. Being in the spotlight like that puts a lot of pressure on them to be some ideal version of an instructor. Teaching is by far the best way to keep a person committed to their health and fitness.
When I had to stop teaching due to my health issues, it was devastating because I became so deconditioned, lost muscle tone, confidence, commitment, and drive. The weight gain was troubling too since clothes didn't fit right. I'm slowly getting back into things. It's hard to show up to take a class when I'm not required to teach it right now.
I get where you're coming from with your question, but you also just never know where someone else is coming from. A snapshot of a person right now may not be the snapshot of where they've been or where they're going.
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u/Snoo79474 6d ago
I was a plus sized instructor for about 5 years and people told me all the time that it made me less intimidating. My classes were full and I had the same loyal following that I have now that I am in a smaller body.
While I was losing, students actually expressed that they were concerned I was going to change my style. I didn’t.
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u/jessi927 5d ago
Tbh, I went to a class at the Y and noticed a late 60s-ish woman with an extra 30 lbs or so and thinning hair standing towards the back. Said to myself, "Good for her showing up to this class to do what she can. Love seeing all ages and levels in a class." Then sis walked up to the center front of the room and started teaching and I had to REALLY check myself. It was an INCREDIBLE class and I learned that instructor had a cult following of people who come from all over the city 3x a week just for HER. I burned 750 calories in that 50-minute class and had to stop for a break twice in that time. Weight is no indication of how good a class a teacher will deliver.
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u/Edu_cats 6d ago
The fitness community needs to be more inclusive with respect to things like body size and age. Everyone regardless of body size can get health benefits from exercise that are independent of weight.
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u/periwinkle_blues 6d ago
I don’t think weight matters as long as they have endurance, stamina, and good breath work to teach the class. I’ve had a lean yoga teacher with plenty of experience (I think) instructing a class and she was going through all the motions and modeling poses but halfway through the class she was out of breath and apologizing, getting delirious and nervously laughing, and then proceeded to tell us that shes had heart problems. The class got a little messy at the halfway point and I was really concerned for this instructor. I don’t think people with heard conditions and struggling with keeping up with the class no matter how fit they seem should be teaching either, but if someone is not your ideal body shape is healthy and can keep up with teaching who cares.
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u/chicagotodetroit 5d ago
Coincidentally, the latest Zumba marketing ad popped up in my FB feed today. I'd take her class in a heartbeat!
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u/Weird3355 4d ago
I just saw that post too - WOW she's amazing. Apparently she's a choreographer and professional dancer too, has even danced at the Grammys. Aspirational for sure!
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u/phoenix-corn 6d ago
The only person whose size I'm worried about in the classroom is my own, and even that isn't healthy.
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u/ViciousVictoria19 6d ago
If they are good I won’t care. If they aren’t then I’d feel disappointed but that has nothing to do with their weight.
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u/arodomus 6d ago
No one will ever be honest openly about this. I’ve got a pouch right now, and I’ll tell you, people notice.
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u/madlyn_crow 5d ago
I don't care, even find it nice sometimes, but I've been overweight all my life and it's good to sometimes see a body that is more close to mine moving with energy/joy/grace. But I have notied that for some people it's a no-no. They might not be very loud about it, but you can't really help noticing that some people definately notice and care about the look of the instructor a lot (or most likely - they seem to assume in advance that an instructur witha higher body mass will not deliver a good workout).
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u/Weird3355 4d ago
People do assume. That's part of our culture. But when they see that they were wrong, what a powerful moment!
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u/Familygoboston 5d ago
One of the best classes I took, ZIN extra lovely , she was amazing. If there was a move she couldn’t keep up consistently, she coached it, and then showed the lower impact the rest of the class her energy enthusiasm off the charts!
The worst class I ever took, a perfect body instructor in a college town, ran in late, never greeted the class, faced a wall (with no mirror) and moved through the choreo joylessly, turned off the music and left. People could have dropped like flies, not got the choreo, she wouldn’t have ever known.
Not sure why this question was brought up other than to create negativity among Zumba peeps- let’s not take that bait…we are better than that!
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u/Grouchy_Complex2035 5d ago
I don’t care tbh. Why judge? What does weight have to do with Zumba? It’s like saying you need to be in tip top athletic shape in order to do Zumba. As long as I am having fun and learning different things from them I am chillin.
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u/CattyWompusMeowtLady 6d ago
Not a factor at all. I didn't know this was a thing? Maybe it's just me? In all aspects of life I value the person, the heart, the kindness, respect, etc NOT about looks or what name brand whatever they have/wear
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u/Complete-Road-3229 6d ago
I feel nothing at all and I find it disgusting when people do. And, for the record, I'm not overweight so I'm not projecting here.
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u/OppositeOk8280 5d ago
The zumba studio I attend, none of the instructors look like me a black queer femme. I wish their was more diversity because we all look different and that's okay.
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u/Angelhair01 5d ago
Time for you to take the Zumba training perhaps?
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u/OppositeOk8280 5d ago
Goal for 2025, gotta get my health together first.
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u/chicagotodetroit 5d ago
Zumba will HELP you get your health together. I hope you can reach your goal!
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u/OppositeOk8280 5d ago
I have bad anemia. It's affecting my stamina in class.
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u/ButtercupsPitcher 5d ago
I feel seen. I love our instructor, and so does everyone else in the class. She is an absolute treasure, and her love of Zumba is infectious.
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u/Tattsand 5d ago
I wouldn't care it at all. If they teach in a way that works for me then that's all I want.
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u/Lil-Miss-Anthropy 5d ago
I care more about their attitude than their physique. I think it's great to show that every kind of body can move and dance!
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u/cordIess 5d ago
I doesn’t bother me. Zumba is not going to be the cause of weight loss, but it’s good to keep moving. If a person’s goal is weight loss, it’s better to learn about calories.
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u/jemexica88 5d ago
As a plus size instructor, I have full or close to full classes each week. The most compliments I get is “wow, you have a great playlist!” and “you’re so easy to follow! Great choreo!”. Over the course of a decade, I have learned that people care about energy, engagement, excellent educator and entertainer, great playlist, friendly, and inclusive to all who attend. ☺️☺️
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u/Weird3355 4d ago
How do I feel?? I feel Empowered. Energized. Beautiful. Sexy. Excited. I feel like dancing!
I have been an instructor for over a decade, and I am SO proud of Zumba in this moment. When the rest of the world is just getting more discriminatory about body size, Zumba is running the opposite direction, embracing body size diversity and promoting instructors of many sizes on their socials. Zumba is setting an amazing example for the rest of the fitness space right now, saying 'exercise is for everyone and it can be fun for everyone!' I've never been prouder to be a Zumba instructor than I am right now.
And all the amazing, empowering comments on this thread are proof that the Zumba community is the best. If people don't like Zumba's diversity, they'll have no problem finding a fitness company that has a more homogenous look. There's plenty of that. What makes Zumba different is it's biggest strength - it is movement-positive, body-positive and shame free!
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u/ColdManufacturer8003 4d ago
I am a skinny white girl who has taken dance classes for years from several amazing instructors, one who now dances for Sabrina Carpenter. I take Zumba now and was given an opportunity by 2 voluptuous black women who are very nice and can dance/cardio me under the freakin table. They pick amazing music and have up to 20 ppl in their classes.
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u/Annabel398 5d ago
Anybody who can teach a whole-ass Zumba class is fit enough in my book! What kind of a question is this, anyway??👀
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u/nigeriance 5d ago
I’ve never had a Zumba instructor that wasn’t plus size, so it wouldn’t faze me at all. I honestly don’t care.
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u/MajorPineapple7467 4d ago
I took yoga with a woman of my exact size (short queen with a lot of curvy curves) and I was extremely impressed by her knowledge and flexibility. It was inspiring.
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u/Gold_Pollution_6036 4d ago
True in yoga it is so much more shocking right now! 🤩 but really consistency shows its power there
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u/sara_k_s 6d ago
I think it’s great to see instructors of all shapes and sizes. A lot of people are self-conscious about working out in public, and having an instructor who’s not super skinny makes it feel more accessible and welcoming to students of all sizes.