AFAA, the world's largest provider of fitness instructor certifications, announced this month that it aims to meet the rising demand for group exercise training at health clubs with a new program that makes the world's most popular dance-workout trend—Zumba®—affordable to fitness professionals.

The Aerobics and Fitness Association of America and Zumba® Fitness have collaborated to create "A Taste of ... Zumba" Home Study program for instructors at an affordable price. Both AFAA and Zumba® created this program to help personal trainers and group exercise instructors meet recent industry trends.

An annual fitness industry study recently revealed that 84 percent of health club clients attend group exercise training over other types of fitness activities such as cardio circuit training. The study also revealed that group exercise training is gaining popularity.

"If you have always wanted to get up and dance but never could quite get the steps, Zumba® is for you," says Dorette Nysewander, AFAA spokeswoman. "Instruction is fun, simple and within a few short lessons you will be moving and dancing like the stars."

"A Taste of ... Zumba" Home Study introduces instructors to the concept of dancing away calories in an exciting and vibrant environment that their clients enjoy. The program is an excellent introductory step before joining the scores of instructors who attend Zumba's specialized workshops worldwide.

"By collaborating, AFAA and Zumba® will reach tens of thousands of fitness enthusiasts—encouraging them to try a new fitness format that will once again bring the fun and passion back to the dance aerobics classes," said Petra Robinson, Executive Vice President of Zumba® Fitness.

AFAA says instructors who take the "A Taste of ... Zumba" Home Study program will learn many choreography-class skills including the ability to incorporate basic Zumba® steps with movement variations such as arms, fitness moves, directional changes and rhythms to create progressive exercise combinations. Taking this course does not entitle instructors to teach Zumba classes; it is a pre-workshop course so that instructors are better prepared to take the Zumba Basic Skills Instructor Training.

The Home Study program includes an instructional DVD, a Zumba® Fitness music CD, and AFAA's Home Study Manual. The program is worth 6 Continuing Education Units for certified instructors.


About AFAA -- Since 1983, AFAA (www.afaa.com) has been the world's largest fitness and TeleFitness® educator and has issued more than 250,000 certifications to fitness professionals from more than 73 countries worldwide. Each year, health clubs and studios nationwide host more than 2,500 educational workshops. AFAA is unique in that it provides a comprehensive written and practical examination accredited by Vital Research. AFAA is proud to have an affiliate status with the National Board of Fitness Examiners (NBFE) and is a member of the National Organization of Competency Assurance (NOCA). AFAA has also applied for an additional accreditation through an organization recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the US Department of Education, meeting IHRSA's 2005 recommendation on accreditation for fitness certification organizations.

About Zumba® Fitness -- Zumba's whirlwind entrance into the fitness industry took the world by storm. In a few short years, Zumba Fitness® has sold millions of DVDs and made its presence known in thousands of facilities in over 35 countries worldwide with more than 20,000 Zumba Fitness® instructors. Zumba has been featured thousands of times in worldwide media such as the New York Times®, CNN®, The Today Show®, and more. Zumba Fitness LLC estimates that there are over 4 million people taking Zumba classes on a weekly basis.

Press Contact Information

Aerobics & Fitness Association of America
luisg@afaa.com
818-905-0040
15250 Ventura Blvd., Suite 200 Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

Source URL: http://http//www.afaa.com

Who Read this Press Release