5 Dance Styles For A Good Cardio Workout

Learning a dance style has all the benefits of a cardio workout, plus it also helps improve memory and coordination while having lots of fun.

There are different types of dance styles and cardio workouts. When you combine both, you create a unique trend called dance cardio workouts. Not every dance style will give you the same benefits of a good cardio workout. Even though dance has almost similar basic techniques and elements like jumps, squats, balance, strength, flexibility, etc.

Modern and contemporary dance styles have more floor work, belly dance focuses on belly movements, salsa dance requires a partner, and it has very few arm movements. It is important to maintain a specific posture for each dance style. It helps improve arm strength and posture but can also be restrictive.

Cardio exercises are a type of aerobic activity that increases your heart rate to burn the most fat and calories. A good cardio workout engages the entire body equally, has basic steps, and can be easily modified according to a person’s abilities, along with all the fitness benefits.

“Part of what sets cardio apart from other types of exercise—such as strength training—is that it relies on your body’s ability to use oxygen during the workout session.”

Cardio workouts are popular because they:

• burn calories quickly
• good for heart health
• improve stamina
• increase blood circulation throughout the body
• enhance mood
• reduces belly fat
• improve metabolism
• enhances lung capacity
• improves sleep quality
• confidence booster

“How many calories you burn depends on several factors, like, duration of exercise, pace, intensity, or your weight and height”

Your genetics also contribute to your health condition to help you maintain fitness for a long time.

“A 30-minute dance class burns between 130 and 250 calories, about the same as jogging.”

In recent times, many new and international dance styles have emerged that help burn almost equal amounts of calories as a good cardio workout.

Disclaimer: All contents in this post are for general health information only. Please consult a specialist physician or a coach before trying any new exercise, diet or health advice. There are no affiliate links attached to this post.

You may also like to read: 8 Best Dance Workouts To Try This Year

BHANGRA DANCE

Many Indian dance styles are becoming popular besides Bollywood dance. One of the most energetic and fun dance workouts is the Bhangra Dance. Originating from Punjab, which is a northern state of India, Bhangra is a folk dance. When people started embracing their dance forms despite huge cultural and urban differences, dancers brought the Bhangra Dance to dance studios to teach couples for their wedding day. Slowly, the Punjabi pop singers remixed techno sounds with their folk songs, and Bhangra Dance became a full-body cardio workout.

Bhangra Dance can help you burn up to 500 calories in one session. The reason is the number of rhythmic hops, jumps, turns, and high knees while swaying the arms like a cheerleader. In any Bhangra Dance class, you will instantly feel like you got invited to a party where DJ Snake or David Guetta is playing.

SHUFFLE DANCE

Shuffle Dance is another hip and happening dance style that is so cool like playing with your kids. It is a street dance with lots of footwork. This dance style was popularly used in the song Everyday I’m Shuffling by LMFAO Party Rock Anthem ft Lauren Bennett and GoonRock. The crazy wigs and funky costumes attracted a lot of people, including the simple hop steps that looked like they are running on a treadmill on the spot while pumping their arms up and down. ( I bet Converse shoes also became popular after this song ).

One of the reasons I am a big fan of Shuffle Dance is its variety that’s suitable for beginners as well as for pro dancers. Instead of learning 1 count of 8, you can modify it to just learn 1 count of 4 steps and repeat it in the next 4 steps. You repeat the same 4 steps while moving forward, back, right, and left sides. You can also add spins, higher knee hops, and slides to increase the intensity to this dance cardio workout. Yes, the Shuffle Dance helps you burn as good as 500 calories in one class.

K-POP DANCE

If Korean Dramas became popular because of Netflix, than K-pop dance style became a trend because of pop music videos of BTS and Blackpink. The Korean pop group boys and girls give electrifying performance, and fans love them. All their dance sequences are full of high energy and well-coordinated steps. Learning to dance like k-pop will make you feel like a superstar. This dance style is full of style, sass, and ah-titude! Even if you don’t understand the lyrics, you will still love to pretend lip-sync their songs while dancing.

You burn 400-500 calories in an hour of dancing like K-pop. It is the best dance style to learn hand and leg coordination. Even while trying the basic steps, this dance style never fails to pump up power with loads of fun.

You may also like to read: How Effective is Listening to Music During Exercise?

SWING DANCE

Another super adorable and sometimes difficult dance style is the classic swing dance. Even without a partner, you can still learn the basic swing steps. But dance classes are also great places to learn dancing with a partner, which boosts confidence. Originating from the Jazz music age, Swing Dance has evolved to become fast-paced and very competitive. There is East Coast and West Coast Swing Dance style, Country Swing and Electro Swing dancing as well.

For beginners, swing dancing can be modified into repeating the basic steps with a small hops, some high knees, slides, cross overs, hip swings, and an occasional hair flip. The best part about this dance style is that there are no hurry to work on your extensions. You can only move faster if you keep your steps short and quick. As you progress, the pace increases of the music and your heart rate. Swing dance is also great for improving memory.

“Performing just 30 minutes of Swing dancing has been shown to burn 586 calories!”

HIP HOP DANCE

Music plays important role in enjoying your daily workout. When you are bored of counting your squats, turn on a hip hop music and move with the beats. The name itself has hip and hop in it. High in energy, it has all the elements of a good cardio workout. Learn the basic hip hop moves and you can easily burn around 300 to 500 calories in 30 minutes.

The hip-hop music is so upbeat and dynamic that you will enjoy every minute of it dancing. Hip-hop dance is not just a style, its a culture. And once you start dancing hip hop, you gotta keep grooving. It’s a complete body workout and helps you lose weight faster.

You may also like to read: The Vibrant Tradition of Garba Dance on Navratri Festival 

I hope you try any of these dance styles this year. Remember to start any new workout for a short duration and at a slow pace. Always listen to your body prioritising good exercise and dance form over the number of reps completed.

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References

Dancing as a Workout, Written by Jodi Helmer, Reviewed by Tyler Wheeler, MD on August 18, 2022.

https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/a-z/dance-for-exercise

HOW MANY CALORIES DO DIFFERENT TYPES OF DANCE BURN? April 30th, 2019.

https://www.dancewearcentral.co.uk/blog/how-many-calories-do-different-types-of-dance-burn/

12 Exercises That Burn the Most Calories, Medically reviewed by Daniel Bubnis, M.S., NASM-CPT, NASE Level II-CSS, Fitness — By Kirsten Nunez — Updated on March 20, 2023.

https://www.healthline.com/health/what-exercise-burns-the-most-calories

Everything You Need to Know About Cardio, By Paige Waehner, CPT Updated on November 26, 2022, Reviewed by Tara Laferrara, CPT.

https://www.verywellfit.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-cardio-1229553