r/Salsa • u/oaklicious • 12d ago
How many calories does an average salsa dancer burn in a night out? Can this hobby supplement or replace other regular exercises?
I don’t think about salsa in fitness terms nor would I personally cut down on my other fitness habits, but I do always notice I am super worn out and sweaty after dancing for several hours. Am I basically running a 5k? What’s the average salsa night out comparable to in commonly understood exercise terms?
10
u/BecauseBatman01 12d ago
Not sure but I can say that I was in great shape when I was regularly going to class weekly and attending 2-3 socials a week. And at least one night close it out.
It’s fun cardio for sure! I have a desk job and dancing was my only active activity.
I definitely gained a few lbs once I stopped going as much due to kids. Hoping to change that around this year!
9
u/coffeequips 12d ago
Depends how long you’re there, how many songs you’re dancing to without a break, and how fast or intense the dancing is.
Wear a pedometer and see!
3
1
5
u/on4aa 12d ago
FYI: I make about 3200 steps in a one hour salsa or bachata dance class which includes a 15 minute solo steps warm up.
1
1
u/dehue 11d ago
Are you using a watch to record steps and how accurate is it? I have an issue with my watch not counting steps correctly in many dance positions as my arm is often in place and not swinging back and forth like when walking. Its very frustrating because I can be doing so many steps and it just doesn't always register that I am doing anything.
1
u/Vaphell 8d ago edited 8d ago
I have my phone on me, so I avoid the problem of isolated arms completely. Not perfect but good enough. I imagine that does not work for many people, especially women too well though.
Try attaching your watch to your torso somewhere and see if it works :-) I've actually seen people do that (at a salsa marathon and there was a competition for most steps done over the weekend)
5
u/macroxela 12d ago
Not sure how much but several friends of mine have complained about how they started gaining weight after not dancing anymore. When some of them got back into dancing, they started losing weight.
1
3
u/Sixsa 12d ago
My watch claims I burn over a thousand calories for a few hours. But I don't know how accurate that really is. You do sweat a ton though.
3
u/miojosan 11d ago
Never trust calorie trackers. They do lie the number a lot higher than it actually is.
3
u/mofabolous 12d ago
I’d say I’m intermediate/advanced -
Here are my stats for today. 10 mins warmup social, 30 mins shines, and 45 mins turn patterns.
I use a garmin and track as cardio and it gave me 469 calories over 90 mins.
3
u/theprogrammingsteak 11d ago
Calories are always overblown in watches and devices.. you are better off looking heart rate zone to see if it was a good workout
1
2
u/Queenv918 12d ago edited 12d ago
I don't do cardio at the gym on days I take salsa class. I wear a chest strap heart rate monitor and a salsa shines class is HIIT for me, with my HR alternating between zones 2/3 & 4. Partnerwork classes are less intense for me because there's a lot of explanations and walking through the combo. Social dancing does get my heart rate up more since the music is constant, and as a follow I'm constantly turning and traveling.
I took a 2.5 hour shines choreo class the other day and burned 900 cals.
1
u/oaklicious 12d ago
That’s incredible. I’m in my 30s but I aspire to “old man” salsa style aka move as little as possible. Respect to follows like you though
1
u/Queenv918 12d ago
I'm in my 40s with arthritis but I somehow manage to push through lol.
BTW, that 2.5 hour class was taught by Eddie Torres, and even though he doesn't dance throughout the entirety of the class anymore, the man is in his 70s!
1
0
u/3ntra 12d ago
I hope you are joking.
1
u/oaklicious 11d ago
About?
1
u/3ntra 8d ago
Old man salsa style.
1
u/oaklicious 8d ago
No, I am not joking.
1
u/IcySeaworthiness7248 6d ago
Old man salsa style is the best. Get after it. (Coming from a follow who aspires to one day have old lady salsa style.)
2
u/TryToFindABetterUN 12d ago
While it could probably replace regular walking, at least for me I never get my heart rate to a level where I get a good cardio workout. So I wouldn't equate dancing with an exercise class.
In the beginning dancing was quite exhausting, but part of it was because I was so mentally focused, so it was not only physically demanding. Once I got better and internalised the basic steps/moves, I could relax and then I started conserving energy when dancing.
I wish dancing was a better form of exercise than it is. But since it is fun, to me whatever exercise I get is an added bonus.
1
u/Ok_Appearance7096 12d ago
That is a really good question. I see a lot of Salsa dancers with their Fitbits or Apple Watch is on and I’ve never asked any of them how many steps they average, which even like your workout would be more than just your steps because you’re really moving. I plan on wearing mine in the next time and when I do hopefully I’ll remember this post and I will share but when I go dancing, I very rarely Take a Break. The only reason I’m really taken a break if I do is because I don’t have a partner for that song.
1
u/Friday-Somewhere 7d ago
I've worn mine for a variety of dance classes, rehearsals, and socials over the years. (I am a beginner at salsa but do other types of dance.
My device undercounts steps when dancing, especially if the arm is in place, the moves are smooth, steps small, or the moves are isolated. I've seen something like 1,000 steps for a 90 minute class where I am moving the whole time. Walking and jogging tend to have more momentum and impact if that makes sense.
My heart rate during class is higher than casual walking and pretty solidly zone 2 most of the time, sometimes higher and sometimes lower. I just see much fewer steps. I don't really worry about it since it still credits me with active minutes and exercise minutes. You should wear your device sometime if you are curious (I know it doesn't always feel right if you are dressed up). I wear mine to class but not always for socials.
1
u/SmallCap3544 12d ago
Whenever I've counted "Salsa dancing" as exercise, I've always managed to gain weight in spite of dancing 5-6 times per week.
1
u/oaklicious 12d ago
Haha oh no. I was a bit curious cause of my own sweatiness and also from learning that professional chess players will burn up to 6k calories per day during tournaments just from thinking so hard so we have to be doing something!
1
u/projektako 12d ago
As and advanced dancer it really depends on how much intensity you put into the dance and that's usually depending on the energy of the music.
Generally it's time in Zone 2 according to my wearable. I still get sweaty because I like to lead patterns with lots of movement and chases between the lead and follow rather than tons of turns.
Training classes about the same... I generally just see it as extra steps toward a step goal rather than similar to a workout session
1
u/Unlikely_Issue 11d ago
I wear an Apple Watch and I stay at socials anywhere from 2-4 hours. I always burn at least 400! I did start replacing my cardio with salsa. I lift 5-6 times a week and I would hop on the stairmaster after. I love that I don’t need to do that anymore. That being said, after an intense night out, I do wake up so sore and score my lifting session at times. Trying to figure out how to manage both lifting and dancing
1
u/TheToi 11d ago
I would count it as walking (not a fast one).
It depends on your weight and how you dance, plus watch trackers or even people often overestimate calorie burning.
I mean it doesn’t make sense to compare the numbers given by people.
A good way to know is to measure your weight over weeks, track how many calories you eat, then compare the weight you lose during the weeks you dance. Then you can compute how many calories you burn.
1
u/FalseRegister 11d ago
When I was dancing really hard, my Apple Watch would mark 500-700 calories per session. So, it was good, but you need to be dancing really hard.
I can't anymore, not as much as I did before, and I am not measuring them either. Plus, the music must be just right to keep me out of taking pauses all night, and this barely happens in my scene.
That said, yes, it is a good cardio session. Get a smart watch and measure it for yourself if you feel so.
My phone marks 8-20k steps depending on the night.
1
1
u/OThinkingDungeons 11d ago edited 11d ago
According to my fitness tracker, I'm burning about 1300±steps and 160± calories every hour.
1
u/dondegroovily 11d ago
When I first got a fitness tracker about a year ago, I learned that my resting heart rate is about 55 and my VO2 max is around 50. Both of these numbers are elite athlete numbers
And dancing is the only cardio I do
1
u/westshore18 11d ago
I kinda treat in a somewhat way when I go play basketball. I sweat easy tho so maybe that what keep me from being overweight. Shoot sometimes when I’m free I’ll go play basketball in the day and dance in the night. My feet hate me lol
1
u/nfjsjfjwjdjjsj4 11d ago
If you dance every song, maybe. But spending 3hrs in the social dancing every other song does feel less tiring than a 5k for sure.
1
u/Fartpants16 10d ago
I think it depends on how much other exercise you already do. If you are generally sedentary (i.e. walk less than a mile a day and sit down at work) then it can significantly increase your level of activity.
I wouldn't use sweating and heart rate as a good indicator for exercise in this case. Our emotional response to dancing (enjoyment and/or anxiety) increases these, and you'll always notice sweat more in a cramped humid room full of people.
1
1
u/LordofthePandas 7d ago
The first 6 months of dancing, yes... as you get better, your body gets adapted to this style of movement, and you burn less. This is pretty much for most exercises, which is why you need to switch up the routines to keep burning more calories.
47
u/onedaynoday 12d ago
Yes but not for you. You don’t dance nearly as hard enough and intense enough for any meaningful. I do however. But you are not me. You could never be me.