{"id":42744,"date":"2015-08-27T11:15:49","date_gmt":"2015-08-27T15:15:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=42744"},"modified":"2021-04-29T19:15:16","modified_gmt":"2021-04-29T23:15:16","slug":"cardio-dance-beginner-workout-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/cardio-dance-beginner-workout-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways to Feel More Like Beyonc\u00e9 in Cardio Dance Class"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"5
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tabata this, bootcamp that. Lately, high-intensity intervals<\/a> have been getting all of the group fitness love. But a good old-fashioned cardio dance class can still give you a crazy good burn \u2014 and it generally won\u2019t involve endless rounds of burpees<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cHigh-intensity classes are great for people who are into that whole drill sergeant routine, but a lot of people have gone down that route and are now realizing they prefer something that isn\u2019t quite as driven and intense,\u201d says Kimberly Glick, national senior director of group fitness at Life Time Fitness<\/a>. \u201cThey want to work out, sweat and smile. Not smile through the tears.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 6 Things I Wish I Knew Before My First Fitness Class<\/a><\/p>\n

Plus, unlike many HIIT classes<\/a>, you can walk into a session with pretty much no experience. \u201cYou don\u2019t feel like you need to get in shape just to sign up,\u201d she laughs. Here\u2019s what you need to know to walk into any cardio dance class with the confidence of Beyonc\u00e9 (or at least one of her back-up dancers).<\/p>\n

5 Ways to Feel Cooler in Your Cardio Dance Class<\/strong><\/h3>\n

https:\/\/instagram.com\/p\/pwND3Wvw2V\/<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0<\/strong>Arrive Early
\n<\/strong>Hiding your newbie status won\u2019t get you anywhere. Show up a few minutes early so you can introduce yourself to the instructor. \u201cMany instructors will give you an idea what to expect in class, and some will even go out of their way to teach you a few moves<\/a> that will pop up throughout the class,\u201d Glick says. That way, you won\u2019t feel like you\u2019re playing catch-up when the class launches into their usual routine. If, after class, you have some questions about that hip roll<\/a>, just ask. That\u2019s what instructors are there for.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> The 15 Most Underrated Exercises, According to Trainers<\/a><\/p>\n

2. Stand in the Middle of the Pack
\n<\/strong>No, not at the back of the room. Many dance classes involve directional changes (like in the Cupid Shuffle<\/a>). So if you start the class at the back or far side of the group, when everyone turns around, you could wind up at the front (without any idea what you\u2019re doing), Glick says. If you set up camp in the middle of class, you\u2019ll always be able to follow along, no matter which direction the class might turn.<\/p>\n

3. Don\u2019t Stop Moving
\n<\/strong>It\u2019s tempting to try to perform every move perfectly on the first go, but that\u2019s not the point of cardio <\/em>dance classes. The goal is to get your heart rate up<\/a> and burn some fat<\/a>. \u201cIf what you\u2019re doing doesn\u2019t look like what the instructor [is doing], who cares? As long as you move, you win,\u201d Glick says. If you stand there scratching your head and trying to study the instructor\u2019s dance combo, you might as well be sitting on the couch. While form and technique are super-important in some higher-intensity workouts<\/a>, helping to protect you from injury, they\u2019re not as crucial in a fun dance class. No matter how bad your twerking skills<\/a>, you\u2019ll probably still be OK.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> The 5 Best Cardio Workouts That Don\u2019t Involve Running<\/a><\/p>\n

4. Bring a Friend
\n<\/strong>Not only will it be more fun to bust out your most ridiculous moves alongside your BFF, but it might also push you to work harder. \u201cIt just makes people more at ease and less afraid to look foolish,\u201d Glick says. \u201cThink about it: When you are walking through the mall alone, you aren\u2019t going to skip. But if you\u2019re with your friend and she starts skipping, you\u2019re going to join in.\u201d Plus, the two of you can practice that pop, lock and roll<\/a> in between classes.<\/p>\n

5. Put on Your Dancing Shoes
\n<\/strong>Ready to leave it all on the dance floor? It might help to get the right kicks. There are running shoes<\/a>, cross-training shoes, and then there are dancing shoes. The latter come with less tread and traction, Glick says. By keeping your feet from catching on the floor, these slick-bottomed shoes a) Make moves easier, and b) Prevent you from twisting a knee or ankle mid-turn. Look for sneakers with \u201cstudio\u201d or \u201cdance\u201d in the title (Zumba also has its own dance-worthy line).<\/p>\n

Want to try cardio dance in the comfort of your own home? Head to DailyBurn.com<\/a> for a free 30-day trial. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cardio dance classes are a great workout even if the last time you did a pirouette was in second grade. Follow these expert-backed tips for a burn that rivals any bootcamp.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":42747,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,24,6],"tags":[266,288,38,341,343,100],"class_list":["post-42744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cardio","category-exercise","category-fitness","tag-beginner","tag-cardio","tag-dance","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2exercise","tag-workout"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42744"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42744\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}