Zumba in VFF?

[AmandaRawrrr]

Hi all! Joined just so I could ask this question because I'm having a hard time finding other opinions on this topic, and what few opinions I have found seem to be contradictory to mine. I do Zumba several times a week and am taking the Basic 1 Instructor training at the end of the month - I love it! I also just ordered my first two pairs of VFF last week - KSOs and Sprints - and I am in love! The Sprints seem to fit a little tighter and rub more than the KSOs so far, but the KSOs are fitting and working wonderful.

I don't do much running and probably can't get away wearing them with our business casual dress code at work, so I started wearing them to Zumba this week. Monday's 75 minute class went pretty well, and yesterday's hour long class went even better. So far I'm not experiencing a ton of muscle soreness - the worst has been blisters on by big toe, rubbing on the seam. Occasionally my arches will hurt for a few minutes, and the balls of my feet are a little sore today. But in my legs, the soreness is nothing I didn't experience (and even much less so) after doing Zumba for the first few times!

The thing I'm most worried about is the wear and tear on the soles. My boyfriend (who only runs occasionally, but still more than me LOL) also got a pair of KSOs a few days before I did and has put a few miles on them already. Mine look atrocious compared to his! Now, Zumba is obviously a lot more than just running- it's jumping and sliding and that sort of thing. The main concern I've read is that they grip *too* well, but I've been able to move around just fine so far. But, I wonder if the wear I'm seeing on my soles after 2 classes is an effect of that. I actually just found a picture that pretty much sums up what mine look like, just to be able to quantify "atrocious"! My boyfriend's pair don't have any wear on the soles yet at all. Here --> http://rustbeltrunner.com/2011/09/running-on-a-treadmill-with-vibram-fivefingers/

I know of several instructors who swear by their VFF in class and seem to have no troubles. I recommend it so far but can anyone weigh in on the wear and tear? I got a really good deal on them but I want to take as good of care of them as I can Thanks!

[skye97]

I've done a few Zumba classes, and I don't know how you can do them in VFFs.  I also used to do a lot of swing and salsa dancing so I'm used to being able to spin when doing dance-y sorts of things (and I put Zumba in the category ), so was not impressed when I tried wearing Sprints to a class.  If you pick your feet up more than I do it might not be a problem, but I imagine having even a moderate amount of friction from the rubber soles might take a toll on your knees (not to mention your shoes) after a while, especially if you're going to be doing this for a living.

I tried wearing my Stems (now Leming footwear - http://www.lemingfootwear.com/) to a Zumba class a couple of weeks ago and they worked great.  They also hold up really well - I've worn them hiking all winter and thrown them in the washing machine a couple of times, and other than the upper pulling away a little, which was easily fixed with some super glue, they show very little wear.