Body4Me

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.