Body4Me

A couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to have a listen to the upcoming BodyPump 67 release. Of course, it’s been killing me to not just post the tracklist and tell you all about it :) As we know though, we don’t want to spoil the fun for all the places where it has not yet been released.

What can i tell you about it though? The warmup is happy and lively, as always. The squat track is huge. Love the beat!. Chest, nice and grungy. I’m sure it’s going to hurt. Back, fun and fast paced. You’ll know the artist… we may have seen them before once or twice :) Triceps are good, not quite as ‘dancey’ as the last few releases. Uh, i’m going to like the Biceps track. Again, familiar artist, lots of guitar. The Lunges feature the usual up-pace dance beat we all know and love. Good song too, classic. You’ll all know it. The shoulder track is once again lively with a big beat. Not as ‘heavy’ a sound as we’ve had over the last couple of releases. Then come the abs… ermm…not quite sure what to say here.. Not the sort of music you’d usually hear in a BodyPump class, that’s for certain. Points for variety though… :) The cooldown is another big guitar based song you’ll probably know. Nice finisher.

So overall… Very different feel to BodyPump 66. Lots of guitar and not as ‘dancey’ (Yes, i know it’s not a real word) as the last release. I love that every release has a quite unique feel to it. Bodypump 67 is going to be another big workout, as always. Can’t wait!

Hi Everyone.

Well, we just finished our first week of Bodypump 66 classes. So, what’s the verdict from the crowd ? They love it!

I’ve had some real positive feedback about the warmup track. It’s a nice upbeat song with a really good bass line. It sets the mood very well. The Squat track is awesome with it’s three big rounds. For me though, the real fun is in the Chest track. Now, do yourself a favour : Go heavier on the weights ! The track is designed to allow you to put a little more weight on the bar as we finish early on the bench to hit the pushups. For my first class, I used my normal chest weigths and it simply wasn’t enough. Since then, I’ve been putting an extra 2.5kg on each end and it really makes a difference. You need to overload the muscles in the ‘Get Down’ part to make the track work properly.

The Back track is the next big one. Four sets of clean & presses is a lot of work ! You really have to focus and pull together to finish the last few sets of triple rows in good form.

As I said before, I love the Tricep track. Again, the choreography works very very well. I like it that much, I wish the whole track were longer. I’m sure my participants feel otherwise about the dips at the end though :)

The next big track is the Lunges. It looks easy on paper, but, wow, does it hurt. You get a few dynamic lunges to warm up, then 32 proper ones to really hit home. Each Leg. Once again, I had one of my usually so well mannered front row ladies whisper some pretty harsh obscenities during the track. That’s when you know the workout is doing it’s job… :) I really like the lunge tracks from the last few releases.

For the shoulders, again, go with the heavy option. Towards the end, you have the choice to very quickly grab a bar instead of using the hand weights. I highly recommend that one. Don’t get me wrong though, the track is hard, real hard. The Arnold Press move tires out every part of your deltoids. Using the bar at the end though really makes you feel though you couldn’t have done another press if you wanted to.

The Abs track is another one of my new favourites. The song itself is really good, but the rolling side plank move is my new favourite. It’s another one of those things that looks easy on paper but is quite hard to do properly. Watch your hips! Lock them into place. The idea is that you move your upper body and use your obliques to stabilise and rotate. If you move your hips forward during the movement, you take all the work right out of it. Don’t worry, once you’re doing it right, you’ll know it :)

So, once again, BodyPump 66 is a fantastic whole-body workout. The use of body weight exercises throughout the class really gets in deep. The music is fantastic, the choreography is perfectly matched and workout is hard. If you have friends that think group exercise classes are the easy option instead of going to the gym ‘properly’, bring them along to this one.

Enjoy your workout.

BodyPump. One Tribe, One Bar, One Workout.

Kia Kaha!

It’s May,so it is time for the quarterly BodyPump workshops. We just had ours this morning. Once again, massive room, heaps of people and a concert style sound system. I so wish we had the same sound system at our gym. 20,000 watts worth of Bass would make a fair difference to the atmosphere :)

First Impressions of BodyPump 66… Wow! If i didn’t know better, you’d think we’d gone back to the mid 40’s in terms of huge workout intensity. This one is massive! The squat track is huge, the chest track hurts, the lunges burn and the shoulder track brings a world of pain. Yay :)

The theme for release 66 is: Heroes Made Here. The focus for this release is on tough sequences of work combined with functional innovations. There are lots of body weight exercises that target the main muscle groups as well as hitting the smaller stabiliser muscles.
As always, the official rundown by Les Mills Program Choreographer Glen Ostergaard can be found here.

If you just want to look at the tracklist for this release, please have a quick look around in Google. There are plenty of sites by now that have it. Like I mentioned in my previous post, Less Mills would prefer us to not post the track list until the release has been launched around the world, so i’m going to give you this preview without spoiling the fun :).
Here is a track-by-track preview of what you can expect from BodyPump 66:

Warmup: As usual, the theme of the song centers around ‘Love’. That’s ok though, because you’ll love this track as much as I do. Here we have a happy track with a good beat, good lyrics and a good range of exercises. Definite toe-tapper. By the time you’re finished here, you’re definitely in the mood for an awesome workout. This one is also really good for beginners as we do an introduction to quite a few of the moves in the 4/4 slow-motion mode.

Legs (Squats): You know this one. As the sizzler mentions, a lot of instructors may yell ‘Oooooh.. we’re half way there…’ way too many times :). It’s a great remix with a huge beat! Lots of slow work and lots of singles. I love the setup from the 3/1’s to the Singles. Energy ! Energy! Energy! By the time you’re finished with the bottom halves, it’s straight into the next round. If this one doesn’t make your legs burn by the end, I don’t know what will.

Chest: Oh my goodness.. The never ending Chest Track. Don’t worry, it does end eventually after about 5 and a half minutes, but if feels like forever because we’ve gone a bit heavier on the weights. This one feels straight out of the mid 40’s. Even the song is appropriate for an old-school workout. Funky beat and lots of work. We get familiar with the normal power moves and then we hit a new little innovation that will totally overload your muscles. The extra time under tension we get in this track will make a huge difference. Best of all, once you think you couldn’t possible lift another round, it’s time for push ups. Not just normal push ups either.. Evil Push ups ;)

Back: Peak Time! As usual, Cascada does not disappoint. Big track with a massive beat. All the moves you would normally expect, and at nearly 6 minutes long, you’ll know you’ve done some hard work by the end. This track is so long, in fact, that there is room for another round of Clean & Presses. That means your break is pretty much smack bang in the middle! Lots of rows too, normal and wide.

Triceps: I love this song! It’s a remix of the old Cindy Lauper - Time after Time song. The song fits the movements perfectly. We split our time between the bench and dips, so you can really afford to go a little heavier on the bar than you normally would. You’ll be too busy humming along to the music to notice the pain anyway :) We have a great new pull-over combo move that will really put some load into the triceps. A couple of rounds of presses, extensions and combos and we’re ready for the dips. You remember them from release 64, right ? How many this time ? Too many to count.. Well over 20.. Ouch!

Biceps: Rogue Traders hit us once again with a tough workout. It’s only 4 minutes long, but you’ll feel every second. The track is designed to keep your arms pretty much under constant tension the whole time. Good variety of moves including plenty of bottom halves with a short break towards the end. Watch out for the final round though. We finish it off with some real burners!

Lunges: Another remix. Huuuuge techno beat that kicks in as soon as we’re done with the stretches. We start off with some wicked backward stepping lunges off the bench and finish the log off with a nice long set of normal weighted lunges. Shake, rinse, repeat on the other leg :) Once again, we have the option of using the single pate to really utilise the core muscles. The lyrics work really well on this one. You just can’t help but smile during this track. It’s just a fun, uplifting song.

Shoulders: The first time I heard this song, I thought to myself…’This isn’t going to be pretty’. Let me assure you, I wasn’t wrong. There are virtually no lyrics. Just a big dance beat. It sounds almost robotic. Again, a workout straight from the early 40’s. Like any good shoulder track, we start with a big set of push ups before we step into a world of pain :). We hit some delt raises and then the real fun begins! You remember the Modified Arnold Press from a few releases ago ? Well, it’s back. With a vengeance. Not only do we do them both slow and fast, we also change the move slightly to get even deeper into the shoulders. Use your normal weights for this one and pray that you’ll make it to the end.

Abs: Beautiful, atmospheric sound by Moby. This one is not so much a normal Ab workout as a full-on oblique workout. The focus here is very much on giving you that nice V shape in your body. We’ve got a new move here, the Side Plank Roll. You may know this move from Body Balance. It’s basically like a side plank but then we thread the top arm under the bottom of the chest while keeping your hips in place. If it sounds hard, that’s because it is :) We finish the workout with nice modified oblique crunches. I really like this Ab workout. I think it’s it’s one of the best we’ve had in a while (with the exception of 65, which was also awesome).

Cooldown/Stretch: Nice slow duet by Sheryl Crow. The best part of this song is that the stretches really last a long time. We get plenty of time to relax and reward some tired muscles. Not much else to say about this one. It’s just a nice and relaxing song.

So, overall, another massive workout from the Les Mills team. Glen Ostergaard and the rest of the choreography team have done another great job. Once day i’ll have to make it over to New Zealand for a filming. The Bodypump 66 DVD looks simply amazing. These guys have built an absolute empire on fitness and it’s easy to see why. Solid workouts, fantastic music and constant innovation. Well Done!

Can’t wait to get into this release. With quality like this, I can’t wait for BodyPump 67. Bring it on!

The other big news is that starting with this release, Les Mills are introducing a new 30 minute ‘express’ class format. In this configuration, you do 6 tracks : Warmup, Squats, Chest, Back, Lunges or Shoulders and then Abs (Core). No cool down and we skip the Triceps and Biceps completely. The workout is focused on moving the major muscle groups and using the maximum calories possible for that class type. You will still need to cool down and stretch after the class yourself.

There has been growing demand for shorter classes that people can fit into their lunch breaks. I think these could also be fantastic as introductory classes or as a ‘warmup’ to an RPM/Attack/Combat class. By my way of thinking, anything that will get people in the gym to keep fit and healthy is a good thing. There is a good chance that a newcomer who has started with an express class will move up to the full classes. That has to be good. We still keep the 45 minute format as well though. This new class style is just another weapon in our arsenal against the growing ‘globesity’ problem.

Have an awesome workout. Let me know if you like it!

**UPDATE**: I’ve got a preview/review of the new BodyPump 66 release right here

Sorry all. You were probably expecting to find the tracklist for BP 66 here. It turns out that Les Mills are pretty keen to wait for all the states and markets to go through their release cycles before we post full lists. So, in the spirit of keeping it fair for the others, I have removed the list.

You’ll just have to wait for your local release :)
In the meantime, you can check out Glen O describe it himself here

Trust me though, it’s going to be a big one!

Hi Everyone. You may have noticed the blog being quiet for a few days… Well, i have good reason. Say hello to my brand new baby girl Annabelle.

She was born on the 28th of April at 3:25PM, weighing a healthy 8 pounds and 11 ounces (or 3.94 kilos for us metric folk)

She is our first and the whole birth from start to finish was a fantastic experience. My amazing wife handled the whole hard part in just over three hours. I spent my time by her side, playing the part of coach and cheer squad :)

Believe me, the lead up to it and the past couple of days have kept me pretty busy. I expect that life will settle into a nice little routine pretty soon though. Our little angel is already averaging a good 3 hours sleep at a time at night.

In non-baby related news, well, if you’re reading this then you probably already noticed the site graphics update. I’ll keep working on it over the next few weeks.

I’m also working on a preview of the new BP 66 release. That should be coming in he next week or so. Check back ever now and again. I can tell you already that there is a Bonus Track on this one…. Not telling you which body part yet though ;) You’ll have to come back for that.

Shamelesly stolen from various BodyPump forums and blogs, but it’s just too true not to post again :)

You Know You’re A BodyPumper when:

• Every other song you hear in the grocery store makes you look around for a bar
• The people in the next car next to you at a stop light wonder why you are doing bicep curls
• Your entire wardrobe is red and black
• You avoid ANYTHING that will interfere with your classes
• You get up at 4:45AM to go lift weights!
• Most of your friends are body pumpers
• You pick up a box with a three and one rhythm
• You keep your elbows in when scratching your nose
• You stand in line with your knees slightly bent
• You look forward to using the porta-potties at the state fair
• You judge every person you see by what BP could do for them
• Your bed is up on 2 risers
• You open your own pickle jars, thank you very much!
• You carry all the groceries in from your car in one trip
• You have more workout outfits than work clothes
• Your kids are astounded that you know so much about their music
• When you’ve got a little extra cash and buy a new BP top when you really don’t need to!
• You’re in a nightclub, the DJ plays ‘Flaunt It’ and you automatically start tapping your foot, chest proud, shoulders back, lock your elbows in and curl up that air bar suuuper slow!
• You’re non gym junkie friend gives you ‘the look’ when you keep saying ‘hey this is our chest track!’
• You’re at the Pink concert listening to Who Knew and instead of swaying and bouncing with the crowd, you suddenly realise you are halfway through a mental tricep track and about to hit the floor for dips.
• You sit in the toilet, you pull your hips back, pull out you chest and check that your knees don’t go beyond your toe line.
• You pass by a construction site you start yelling things like: good work, let’s take it home, watch your back when lifting that steel post or squeeze your glutes on your way up!!!
• You go to the disco, on your first song, you move every major muscle group to properly warm up.
• You prefer to eat donuts with your thumb in the hole!
• You get mooned and instead of being offended you correct their form!
• You’ve never been back to the weight room since you started BP!
• The traditional weight-lifting wisdom of 3 sets of 12 repetitions simply isn’t satisfying enough.
• You can’t lift weights without the music!
• You think a song sounds better in BP class, than it does on the radio.

So, you would like to become a BodyPump instructor ?
Awesome choice :)

It is a fantastic way to help people make a real difference in their lives.

To help get you started and to see what is involved, I have started to write a little ‘totally unofficial’ beginner guide to becoming an instructor.

Check it out over here : Patrick’s BodyPump Instructor Beginner’s Guide

It’s a constantly growing document. I will add more as I have the time. When I started this morning, was was a bit surprised that a couple of hours later I was staring at a 6 page, 2000+ word document :)

Let me know what you think of it. Leave a comment or send me an email.

If you’ve been to a BodyPump class over the last year or two, you’ll know Cascada. They’ve been featured on a number of releases:
57 - Back - Everytime we Touch
61 - Back - Miracle
63 - Squats - Truly Madly Deeply
66 - Back - What Hurts The Most

The common theme here… Back. The funny thing is, if you have a listen to their new album, pretty much every track sounds like a perfect back track!

Check out: What Do You Want from Me (Club Mix)
Quick Single and Triple Row warmup, break, 3/1 Deadlifts, 4 * Clean & Press, Triple Rows, etc… It’s amazing, the choreography writes itself :)

Another great one would be a better timed remix of Because The Night.

I quite like the whole Euro Dance sound, so i’m looking forward to more from them.

It does bring up the question though: Did they get jealous of E-Type (Featured very heavily in the 40’s and 50’s) ? ;)

Which Cascada song do you want to hear on an upcoming BodyPump release ?

PS: Did you know that you can suggest a song for any of the programs on the Les Mills website ?

**UPDATE**: I’ve got a preview/review of the new BodyPump 66 release right here 

Wow, how time flies. It feels like only a few weeks ago that were were previewing BodyPump 65 and now 66 is on its way already.

The Les Mills site has the new Revolution magazine available for download and they give some hints on the upcoming BodyPump 66:

Transform yourself with BODYPUMP® 66.
This release delivers a challenging workout with some tough sequences and functional innovations. Body-weight exercises are a focus and they bring intensity by increasing the recruitment of stabilizers and the power muscle groups. So watch out for Pushups in the Chest and Shoulders Tracks, dips in the Triceps, Stepping Lunges on the bench and the Side Plank Roll in the Abdominals Track. This move challenges the core and shoulder stabilizers and really hits the obliques — hard!
The Modified Arnold Press is put into reverse for a new combination in the Shoulders Track. Working both ways gives the shoulders a complete workout, mixing the direction of eccentric and concentric phases of training. And it’s tough — great for really isolating and chiseling the shoulders into shape.
The music is huge! Be motivated by some big powerful songs from Technotronic and Cascada, sing along to On Your Way To The Disco and Show Me Heaven and enjoy remixes of the huge Rock songs Time After Time and Livin’ On A Prayer.

BODYPUMP® 66 is a truly memorable group fitness experience.

Also, I hear that this may be our warmup track.

Sounds like another awesome release!

Oh boy… i can see it already… During the “Livin On A Prayer” track, every instructor in the world is going to be singing ‘Whooah, were half way there..’ on every chorus. I promise to you right now that I will only ever sing it once we’re actually half way there :)

The moves look fantastic though, all my favourites. The Arnold Press is a great move that makes a very welcome return with its fantastic range of motion. More Dips in the triceps, very good. Side Plank Roll… Can’t wait to see that one.
Looks like the choreography team is really turning up the heat in these new releases. Well done again Glen.

If you’re an instructor in Australia, make sure you come along to the Super Workshop in Sydney in April. Glen Ostergaard (program head choreographer) is going to be there too!
If you’re not in Australia, maybe it’s time for a holiday :)

PS: Congratulations to Susan Tolj and husband Steve on the birth of their daughter Grace. Susan is the head trainer for BodyPump and has been one of the main presenters on the DVD instructor kits for some time. Her energy and enthusiasm are second to none and I wish them all the best in their life and with the new baby.

Hey you, participant near the back of the room.. Yes you know who I’m talking about.. The one that’s been coming to the BodyPump classes for the past year, using the same one or two kilo weights every week and hardly breaks a sweat when we’re done. As Dr Phil would Say : Time to get real!

This morning, I tried something different. What I like to call High Performance Body Pump. Same music, same choreography… different mindset!

You see, it’s very easy for us to get in a bit of a rut whenever we do something for a long time. You see it at work, home life, food, everything. Exercise is no different. I could pick many people on the gym floor that are doing the same thing day after day and never get any real results. When I chose to become an instructor I decided that that was not going to be good enough for me anymore. I want to make a difference in people’s life. An actual real visible difference.

Now, I’m a high-intensity instructor at the best of times. If I make the mistake and have a coffee too late in the afternoon, evening classes look out :) People come to my classes for the high intensity and energy. Admittedly, I’ve lost a few participants along the way that just wanted to turn up and go through the motion, but that’s ok… More room for the people that want to make a difference.

So, this morning, I thought I would really focus on the mindset of coming to a group exercise class (or exercising in general). Yes, form and weight selection are very important, but what really matters is… Why Are You Here ?
The funny thing is, when I asked that question, quite a lot of people gave me a blank look that simply said ‘Because it’s 7am on a Wednesday, and that’s what we do…’. Most of the participants were not really thinking about what their outcome of this was, and that’s quite understandable with our busy lives. Sometimes you just want to turn off and follow along.

Very quickly after that, we made a conscious effort before the class to realign our goals and reasons for doing this. Why did you first chose to come here ? How do you feel when you leave ? What are you here to achieve ? How will your life be different when you achieve when what you came here for ?

Suffice it to say that a few light bulbs got turned on this morning. We had one of the best workouts ever. The form was better, the range of motion was better, the squats were deeper, the look of anguish was more intense and the sheer fire in people’s eyes was plainly visible. No one quit. No one took the easy option. People that would always do the pushups on their knees get up on their toes. We were a team with a common goal.

Everything you do is different when your purpose is clear. Work. Life. Exercise.

So, next time you ’step into my office’, maybe ask yourself.. Why Am I Here ? Why did I make the decision to do this rather than just take a half hour walk on the treadmill ?

I appreciate every single one of you that comes to my classes. I appreciate and respect the time that you are entrusting me with. I do my best to coach you through the most effective workout I can. Are you ready to challenge yourself ? When you walk through those doors, is your mindset ready for you very own personal High Performance BodyPump class ?

Patrick.

PS: Naturally, i used BodyPump 50 (One of the toughest releases…ever) to help us along today. If your local instructor has it, do yourself a favour and request it. High energy, lots of fun and the choreography team seem to have forgotten to put breaks into the triceps, biceps, lunge and shoulder tracks :)

Time for a quick book review. I had had this book for a while and constantly refer to it in my training and when helping clients to refine their form and get the maximum out of their exercises.
The book is : Strength Training Anatomy by Frederic Delavier

The quick official blurb says :

Get an inside look at the human form in action with more than 400 full-color illustrations. This detailed artwork showcases the muscles used during each exercise and delineates how these muscles interact with surrounding joints and skeletal structures. Like having an X-ray for each exercise, the information gives you a multifaceted view of strength training not seen in any other resource.

This updated bestseller also contains detailed anatomical analysis of training injuries and preventive measures to help you exercise safely. Chapters are devoted to each major muscle group, with 115 total exercises for arms, shoulders, chest, back, legs, buttocks, and abdomen.

So, why is this book good ? Well, let me first say that I am a very visual learner. I need to see something to be able to do it and learn it and this is where the book comes in so handy. Everything is shown to you in exact, immediately obvious x-ray vision. As you can see, the sample page shows the starting and finishing position, which joints and which muscles are involved. Seeing exactly which muscles are used has been a tremendous help as it allows me to really visualise what is happening inside my body and allows me to correctly target the muscles I am supposed to be working.

The text is very concise with clear, understandable explanations. The author does not get overly technical, but instead focuses on simple instructions for performing the exercises, key information such as variations for specific focus on particular muscles and warnings (with diagrams) to avoid injury.

Every exercise is kept to a page in length with a brief introduction to each of the major 7 sections of the book (arms, shoulders, chest, back, legs, buttocks, abdomen)

If you are looking to build yourself a full-body workout routine, this book is an excellent reference point.

I should note though : This book is very much an anatomical reference for weight lifting. It is really not intended to be a general guide to exercise. It does not contain any other information regarding introductoryweight training, general exercise, diet, lifestyle or anything.

As they say… It does what it says on the box. And it does it extremely well. As a matter of fact, i have not come across another book that is as clear and concise about weight training exercises as this one.

Even if you’re not a seasoned weight trainer or even interested in getting a detailed anatomy lesson, simply ignore the technical details and the words and use the images to guide you. For price, it is without a doubt one of the most worthwhile puchases you can make on this topic.

Ahh… Just finished the first full day of BodyPump 65 release classes. As we all expected, it went absolutely awesome.

The Squat track really hit the spot right from the word go and the new choreography really makes sure your legs are pre-fatigued nice and early. As we were getting towards the last 20 seconds and the class started to get idea of what was ahead, I started to get the most beautiful looks of pain and disbelief. It was a struggle to do the stretches at the end.

I think i had the biggest reaction i’ve ever had out of a chest track. The lack of a break and the many many bottom halves really bites at the end. My classes, located right in the heart of the Melbourne CBD, are always quite reserved and not very vocal. This time though, groans, moans and a quiet expletive from one of my usually very well mannered front row ladies. What more could you ask for…

The rest of the class went equally as well. Massive energy in the Back track, more looks of hard work during the triceps and biceps. Love the Lunge and Shoulder tracks. Fun songs, great vibe and a massive workout.

After that shoudler track, the Abs were a killer. Moving hover, side plank, crunches, twists… arggh.. Love it. Good use of options from the Choreography team to really let everyone get to the end.

As i’ve said before, it’s an awesome release, get to a club as soon as you can and give it a try.

Also, over the enxt few weeks, i’ll be giving pointers on all the major BodyPump moves. I want you to get the best workout possible by targetting the correct muscle group for each song and executing it the best way you can. I spend as much time as i can during the class coaching the right technique and i would like to share it with you here too.

I’ve just come back from the BodyPump workshop for Release 65. What a day, what an atmosphere! There’s nothing quite like doing a new release in a massive room with what seemed like 200+ other instructors and proper LOUD music. The bass was shaking the floor.

Ok, first impressions… Love it! Mind you, I’m fairly biased towards dance music, so this release is right up my alley. A lot of dance beats, a lot of funky grooves and some awesome rock thrown in for good measure. Overall a very happy, energetic and powerful release.

I love the way every release has a slightly different focus. this time around, there’s no doubt it’s all about endurance. The tracks are nice and challenging. The whole feel of the class goes back to some of the earlier releases in the 20’s and 30’s that just felt a little harder.

The official rundown by Les Mills Program Choreographer Glen Ostergaard can be found here.

(Update 18/05/2008) Now that we are well and truly into the release, here are the tracks for BodyPump 65:

01. Way Of Life - Slinkee Minx
02. Just Like Paradise (Skitz Clubb Mixx) - Nick Skitz
03. Breakaway (Chris Fraser Radio Edit) - Inaya Day
04. Wanna Be Free - Paradise
05. Get Down Feat. Stush - Groove Armada
05. Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast 0 Airbourne
07. Blinded By The Light - Michael Mind feat. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
08. Meet Her At The Love Parade 2007 (Club Mix) - DJ Aligator
09. Stronger (Radio Edit) - Kanye West
10. Like The Sun  - RyanDan

Here is a track-by-track preview of what you can expect:

Warmup: Happy, energising song with just the right music to release yourself into the workout. I really like this warm-up track because it gets right into with a really nice beat. You just can’t help but get excited about the workout when you get into this one.

Legs (Squats): Ahh yeah, the work begins. You’ll definitely know this song. As Glen mentioned, this gets you right from the word go. There are some interesting changes to the choreography that make sure the legs get hit hard from start to finish. By the time you get to the break, you’ll be screaming for it. Oh, and keep some fuel in the tank for the finish… You’ll need it.

Chest: We keep it moving with a nice funky beat. This one just keep on going and going and going. You want a break?… Bah! Here’s another set of bottom halves just for thinking about it. Hah! This one goes back to the basics of endurance, strength and determination while giving you an awesome chest workout. The beat just carries you along right to the finish.

Back: As always, one of our peak tracks. You can expect the usual heavy techno beat here with lots of Clean & Presses, Rows and Deadlifts. Nice fast track with awesome little build-ups before the power phases. Plenty of opportunities to go hard on this one, so get ready to unleash.

Triceps: Another familiar song. Funky, groovy, great pace. Definite foot-tapper. We even have a new move here. Everything is nice and slow to really get deep into the muscles. Remember the seated overhead extensions from 64 ? Get ready to grab a big plate and hang on.

Biceps: Now this is what I’m talking about! If the CD didn’t say otherwise, you’d swear this was AC/DC. Only two words needed to describe this: Raw Power! You want a break ?.. I don’t think so. Have a quick shoulder roll, grit your teeth and keep going. Awesome choreography to fit the song.

Lunges: Nice dance remix of an old classic. Happy song, great pace and awesome moves. I’m a big fan of the forward and backward stepping lunge. It has a fantastic range of motion and helps you work on balance as well as giving the legs a good blasting. The great music helps you forget the pain in your legs…

Shoulders: Oh Yeah. One of the all time classic dance anthems. Di di di dat dat daa daa… Trust me, you’ll know this one. I had a grin from ear to ear when i recognised the remix beat. You just can’t help but go all out on this one. The combination of moves targets every part of your shoulders with the Mac Raise making a very welcome return. I loved the shoulder track from 64 and this one is no different. It’s a high energy beat you would normally expect to find in a lunge track, but it totally works here. Grab your plates and bar and get ready to party.

Abs: The feel of this one is quite similar to the Justin Timberlake ab track from 62. Slow. Deliberate. Heavy. Awesome moves to really get in deep. Plenty of options to really push yourself harder than ever. Instantly one of my favourite Ab tracks.

Cooldown/Stretch: Very nice, slow song with good, long stretches. Very positive and inspirational lyrics too. By the time you’re finished here, you’ll be relaxed, refreshed and ready to start the rest of your day. I really like ‘bigness’ of the song. It feels like a sweeping, wide open space. Don’t worry, it’ll make sense once you’re there.

So, overall, another fantastic release that will really help you shape your body. Every track is full of energy and challenges. There is something for everyone here.

There’s a good reason that Les Mills classes are now taught in over 11,500 clubs around the world. They Rock!
Well done Glen and the whole team.

I hope you enjoy it as much as i did.

Please do leave a comment and let me know what you think of this release.

WooHoo! The BodyPump 65 workshop is on this weekend. I’ll be posting a (non-spoiler) review shortly after. Stay Tuned.

In the meantime, if you absolutely must see the tracklist, head over here. Of course, it’s not the official list, so I can’t vouch for it.

**UPDATE: I’ve just come back from the training workshop and have posted a preview of the new release here **The new release of Les Mills BodyPump 65 is coming to a gym near you soon.We have got our Quarterly training in Melbourne on the 9th of Feb, so I would expect that we will start teaching it about two weeks after that. I’ll be launching mine at a Fitness First in Melbourne, so come on by. I promise it will be an awesome workout.Some of the launch notes appearing on the net so far:

BODYPUMP® 65 is all about challenging strength endurance.Right from the word go Track 2, Just Like Paradise, is BIG. It has a driving beat that automatically hooks the class into BIG work mode.The hard work starts with a unique training effect in the Squats Track when the legs are hit by a reverse sequence of work.Don’t expect any breaks in the Chest Track but do look forward to lots of Bottom Halves!The slower-tempo choreography keeps the muscles engaged and moving under load with no time to rest.And there are no breaks in the Biceps Track either, so the intensity is maintained from start to finish.The Forward & Backward-Stepping Lunge is back after making its debut in BODYPUMP® 64, targeting the legs, glutes and hamstrings.The Seated Overhead Extension is also back in the Triceps Track, accompanied by funky tunes from Groove Armada.DJ Aligator and the Mac Raise both make a welcome return in the super intense Shoulders Track which is all about strong, controlled work. There’s loads of energizing music to help with the workout.Kanye West’s Stronger provides the inspiration needed to endure the new Moving Hover and Side Plank in the Abdominals Track.Airbourne’s Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast is massive and Breakaway will fill the room with intense energy.

No break in the Chest and Bicep Tracks… Ouch! Can’t wait for that one.Did you check out the Just Like Paradise video ? Wow! That one is absolutely going to rock.I’m guessing Airbourne’s track is going to be the bicep track. They sounds like AC/DC and this one is going to rock the house.I’m not sure how Glenn O (the program choreographer) is ever going to top release 64’s shoulder track (Good Charlotte - Keep Your Hands Of My Girl), my favourite shoulder track ever, but i’m also a big fan of the Mac Raise, so this should be good.Kanye West’s Stronger is going to be a wicked abs track. You may remember the side plank from release 62 (Justin Timberlake - My Love). The Moving Hover sounds like the hover option we had in 64 (Hotstepper) where you slowly move your shoulders in in front of your elbows to the music. I love all these new, subtle but fantastic little changes to the program. It keeps it fresh and stops your body from adapting to the same moves.I have spoken to a few trainers who were in NZ at the filming, and from all accounts, this is going to another AWESOME release.