Zumba Vs. Zumba Gold

With its millions of followers, Zumba Fitness classes seek to accommodate the tastes, goals and abilities of as many exercisers as possible. Among the programs are standard Zumba and Zumba Gold; while they both rely on the core of Latin dance-inspired aerobic workouts, these programs cater to different audiences.

Basic Zumba Fitness classes focus on vigorous aerobic dance-based exercise set to Latin and international music. Zumba Fitness acts as total-body cardiovascular exercise, and it relies on the concept of interval training, alternating between fast and slow exercise rhythms. Basic Zumba contributes to core strength and flexibility and burns about 369 calories per class, the American Council on Exercise estimates.

The Zumba Gold program retains the core Zumba design but caters more to older active exercisers than Zumba Fitness. This program offers easier-to-follow moves that focus on low joint impact, making it safer for active older adults to practice. The Gold program incorporates music such as salsa, merengue and reggaeton. Though the lower intensity of Zumba Gold may lead to fewer calories burned than Zumba Fitness, this cardio program focuses on improving or restoring range of motion, strengthening posture and bolstering the bones. Zumba Gold classes also put heightened focus on Zumba as a social group exercise.

Like the Zumba Toning program, Zumba Gold-Toning adds the element of weight resistance to the aerobic program. In this workout, you use you maraca-like toning sticks as you dance to help shape your abs, arms, butt and thighs. Zumba Gold-Toning focuses on making exercise with the toning sticks safe and low-impact via lightweight, dynamic resistance training. This program seeks to improve bone density, coordination, mobility and posture.

Zumba Fitness offers four additional program designs, as of January 2013. Aqua Zumba puts the program in the pool, making the workout more challenging and exhilarating. Zumba in the Circuit crams strength-building and aerobic exercise into high-intensity, 30-minute sessions, while Zumba Sentao incorporates a chair into the routine, which you use for explosive strength-building moves that seek to build the core and improve definition. On the flip side of Zumba Gold, Zumbatomic offers a program designed for kids aged 4 to 12.