Body4Me

It’s that Christmassy time of year again. And what a way to finish off the year with a big bang. BodyPump 80 represents the next evolution of the BodyPump program. You can probably tell from the past few releases, the program is getting a little harder and little more intense. This release is no different. The focus is on high-intensity circuit-style training with lots of rounds and minimal recovery and break time. For you, that means a higher heart rate and more muscle activation, two of the primary factors that drive fitness and strength.

So what does it feel like ? Well, I can tell you that this is the first time in a few releases that im actually sitting here writing this with whole-body muscle soreness after launching two Pump classes yesterday. There is not a single track in this whole release that doesn’t push your body right to the edge.

Let’s get a feel for it:

Warmup: I love this warmup. The beat is as lively as you’ll find in a warmup. It’s an absolutely fantastic way to set the mood for the workout with some great Magic Moment opportunities. Don’t get lulled into a false sense of security here though. Yes, the moves are the same as you expect from any warmup, but remember that this is just the start of the day. Well get the usual taste of what’s coming up and you’ll leave the track warn and ready for the real work.

Squats: Let the games begin! Three rounds of high intensity cardio training to smash the legs. The first round begins nice and easy with the usual set up moves followed by a gently set of 2’s and 3’s. Find your rhythm with a repeat of what we just did and then launch into a massive set of singles, bottom halves and more singles. Quick shake out before we start on the second round. Now we shake hings up a bit. It’s basically all singles and bottoms. We get a breather with a 4×4 thrown in there somewhere just for good measure, but then it’s all high intensity singles.The big bass beat of this Lady Gaga remix works really well in this track, especially the last 8 singles when the legs are about to catch on fire :)

Chest: Oh yeah, how long have we waited for the original version of Smells Like Teen Spirit? No dance remix, no re-sequencing, just one of the biggest rock tracks of all time. Let’s Go! I reckon you could predict the moves without ever having seen it. You know this song off by heart. You’ve probably worked out to it in the weight room before this. With The Light Out.. It’s Less Dangerous. So, how does it go?  4’s to set the tone, 3’s to build the pace ,2’s to get the heart beating and a huge set of singles, pulses and bottom 4’s for the chorus. Get a bit grungy and do it all again. The rounds are a good length so that by the time you get to the end of the second one, the muscles are pretty much smashed. Lucky we get a quick break before we head into the final round. 2’s to set the body up and then 20 singles to the end. Grab as much weight as you think you can handle, then add another kilo. If there’s one track that will take you there, it’s this one.

Back: Well, here’s a blast from the past. We haven’t heard from E-Type in a little while. Euro pop at it’s cheesy best. We see the return of the power press. That’s the one where we clean the bar up, catch with that little squat and follow it up with three little presses to the top. This one is a little more challenging than usual because we join the first two rounds together without a break. Let’s head straight into it. Rows and deadlifts start the day before we launch into the power press, triple row combo. Do it a couple of times, follow it with a couple more sets of triple rows and the repeat the whole lot for round two. This is a perfect way to shoot the heart rate right through the roof. After a quick break, we head into rounds three and four where we skip the deadlifts at the start and launch straight into the big presses. Oh, and we get to meet our old friend, the 7-row again a few time too.

Triceps: You only barely get a chance to drop the heart rate from the massive back track when we get straight into the triceps. It’s a really good ‘Till the Word Ends’ remix with a bit of a dubstep feel at the start. First off, go a little heavier on your bar than you normally would as we only have two rounds on the bench for our extensions and presses. Then, a surprise in the middle with 16 big tricep pushups to isolate the muscles. Let me assure you, they bite! Especially the second set of 8. You’re still up on your toes, right ? Also get yourself a big plate for the overhead extensions at the end. The advice for this one is: Atatck every set as if it’s the only one. The track has a very groovy feel and nice quick transitions to keep the muscles under tension the whole time.

Biceps: Another iconic track. I don’t think there will be anyone reading this that hasn’t wanted to lift weights to Eye Of The Tiger! Again, no dance remix, just the original rock beat in its full glory. Now, as you expect from this track, you’ve gotta fight for this one to get to the end. We start with a nice dramatic stagger lift to the guitar riff. When the verse starts, set up your body and get strong for the 2×2’s and 1×3’s. We do this three times to fatigue the biceps before we step into the ring for the real fight: 2 bottom halves & 2 singles * 4. Sounds easy here, but once you’ve done the three preceding sets, your arms are already tingling. Quick stagger& roll. Fake a break. Bang! Surprise! Knock out round! Muscles burning, breathing heavy.Bite down and take the last round like a champion. I think I’ve just found my new favourite bicep track.

Lunges: First, let me tell you, we’ve never done a lunge track like this before. Prepare yourself to get a new set of legs as your current set may just melt during this track. Start the track with just over a minute of squats. Not just any squats though. After a slow setup squat, it’s all singles, bottoms and bottom holds. This set alone would be enough by itself, but here it’s just the first course. Get rid of your bar and set up for lunges. Two rounds each leg. Normal lunges first, and just like the squats, it’s all about the singles and bottoms. Now the fun part. dynamic backward stepping lunges. One slow one. 8 big singles. 8 knee lift lunges. 8 Propulsion lunge. Sounds OK right ? But what’s a propulsion lunge ? Think knee lift lung but then jump into the air as you raise the other knee. You barely get enough time to ponder why the evil minds at Les Mills would punish us like this before we launch straight into the other leg to do it all again. Ouch!
During the workshops, I’ve never seen a bunch of instructors groan and moan as much as this.

Shoulders: Ok, so you think the pain is over for a couple of minutes, right ? Wrong! Not only do we get punished with 4 rounds of non-stop circuit training, we also get two rounds of 16 pushups and a whole new move thrown in for good measure. Let’s start the workout with the bar set to come cool dancy/techno sounds. Some work above the head before we quickly ditch the bar and grab out plates. We see the return of the bent over rear raise before a nice set of side raises, rotator raises and our new move where we start with a rotator raise and add 2 overhead presses before returning to the bottom. It’s a nice addition because it moves the shoulders in every direction. Follow that by 16 pushups and you’re halfway through the track. Yup, halfway. Ouch. Suck it up and do it all again. The track finishes with a decent sized set of overhead presses, just in time for the shoulders to give up :)

Abs: The smooth, slow sounds of Rolling In The Deep fit the ab work for this release perfectly. Even this track has a new move thrown in. It starts as a quick crunch-pulse, modifies itself t add the feet in the air and then morphs into a bicycle crunch. We spend a significant amount of time with our feet in the air to really engage the mid-section. After two rounds of crunches, we transition into a moving hover followed by a couple of side planks with a raised leg option. My body was definitely shaking by the end of it.

Cooldown: Oh, thank goodness, the stretches are slow and long and spend most of their time on the ground. After those propulsion lunges, I need all the recovery I can get.Nothing terribly new or complicated here, just a great opportunity to stretch out your weary muscles and reflect on the incredible workout you just went through.

As I said at the start, BodyPump 80 represents a milestone and evolution in Group Fitness. We have raised the intensity to a new level with the emphasis on high-intensity circuit training and constant innovations in virtually every track. The release is amazing for instructors to present and an absolute knock-out for everyone to participate in. Make sure you get to a gym as soon as you can and be a part of it.

The way we’re going here, we can probably merge BodyPump, Attack and Combat into the one class within a few releases :)

Hi Everyone

Wow, seems like the Christmas quarter lasted a bit longer than the previous ones. Either the good people at Les Mills took an extended holiday, or recording the cover version of the music for Australia took a little longer than usual.

Either way Ladies and Gentlemen, the way was well worth it. BodyPump 77 is one of the best releases we have seen in a while. The music is great, the exercises are a bit harder and the new move innovations take BodyPump 77 to a whole new level.

The easiest way to describe it: It’s BodyPump, but turned up to 11!

Let’s get straight into it.

Warmup: Wow, this is easily my new favourite warmup track. Normally, you wouldn’t get that excited about a warmup track, but this one has an awesome beat and really sets the mood. The exercises are the same as we would normally expect to see, with the usual intro of wide lifts and rows. It’s when the chorus hits that the room really livens up. It almost feels like an interval track. We get smooth, controlled moves through the verses and then big explosive movements through the chorus. Turn it up and get set for one massive workout.

Squats: Let the onslaught begin. It’s time to hit the legs with 4 rounds of massive work. The first two rounds start us off with a nice set of two by two’s followed by massive singles and bottom halves. Then, it gets interesting. You’re not even half way. The second half of the track is where the real work comes in. Singles, Bottoms, to the bottom quick with a little stop and plenty more bottom halves to follow up. Sounds reasonable but let me assure you, by the end of the third round you may get a little worried that your legs could actually explode during the fourth round. Just clench your teeth and hang in there. Oh, and it’s all set to Bon Jovi’s - It’s my Life, so you have no choice but to go big :)

Chest: Little change of pace here. We leave the big rock tune of the squat track and hit the club where the DJ will have us falling in love. Ramp up the weight a little bit from usual, draw your belly in and get ready to work. Nice easy start with twos and threes followed by singles and bottom halves through the chorus. Halfway through the chorus, check your feet… you’ll be tapping your toes :) Straight into the second round to do it all again and a nice long third round that starts with some magic moment super slows. Once again, at the end of the third round you’ll be pretty keen on a break and thankfully we get one. It’s only a quick one before, Bada-bing Bada-boom, we’re back to work in the last round to build maximum pressure in the chest.

Back: Uh-oh.. When the master trainers in the workshop tell you that you may want to go a little bit lighter on the weight for the first time doing this track, you know you might be in trouble. We have a new move; it’s called the Power Press. One Clean followed by three (yes, three!) presses from the chin to the roof. Prepare to take your heart rate to new heights. The work begins with a quick warm up round with a nice thumping beat to get the heart rate up. When the work begins in the second round, prepare yourself with a few deadlift, then hold-and-brace and power on to the top for a massive set of Power Presses. Follow that up with never-ending triple rows and you’ll be gasping for air by the end of this round. Now, do it all again two more times and you’ll see why I said that this is BodyPump turned up to 11!

Triceps: After that back workout, we need to hit the bench a little just to be able to breathe. Thankfully, Enrique will get us back into party mode with a little ‘I Like It’. The song is deceptively happy, so you won’t even notice the three huge rounds of extensions, presses and pullover-combos. Now, your shoulders may be a bit wobbly from the previous track, so be sure to pull the elbows right into the body to isolate the triceps and keep the work where it’s supposed to be. After the bench work, we’ll finish this one with a set of overhead extension with a large plate. Oh yes, I like it!

Biceps: Oh yeah, I love this one. The bicep tracks have been a bit hit and miss lately, so I’m real happy that the BodyPump team have taken us back to some good, solid rock for the biceps. The track comes in three rounds, with each round getting longer and harder. Ouch. The start of this track just sets the mood perfectly with slow moves and super intense guitar to get us moving with purpose and intensity. Actually, the whole track is a bit slower than usual to keep building pressure in the muscles. Two tough rounds composed of 2×2’s, bottoms and our power move combo before a quick break and recovery round of bicep rows. Round three is where we turn it up a notch. Stand strong and smash through three combos and a big set of singles.

Lunges: For the first time in a little while we start the lunge track with a quick stretch on the ground. I like the stretches, they give you a good chance to find your posture and get a quick breather. Trust me, you’ll need it. As soon as the beat hits, we’re up for static lunges on the bench. Slow ones, a little quicker and a whole bunch of singles. After that, you’ll get about half a second to drop your plates and go straight into the dynamic backward stepping lunges and some awesome ‘knee it in the guts’ power lunges. The quick transition helps keep the heart rate nice and high. Hit the same quick transition and now do it all again on the other leg. Love it! Just when you thought it was finished, grab your bar for the last round of squats. There’s a beautiful ‘calm-before-the-storm’ moment as we breathe through the super slows before the insane onslaught of singles and bottom halves. If you can still walk at the end of this track, you need to check your weights :)

Shoulders: Scooter in the house! ‘24 hours a day, 12 months a year, It’s all about the sound, You’re about to hear’. You want some intensity in your shoulder track ? Come and get some right here! Scooter’s Ti Sento is the perfect finish for the big muscle groups as we start with pushups and migrate straight into a super long set of one-knee reverse flys. I love how this track keeps going just when you think each set is over. It builds massive pressure in the muscles and pushes you further than you’ve ever thought your shoulders could go. Grab another super-extended set of side raises and rotator presses before heading for the bar to scream a loud Scooter “Yeah” at the end as your arms are about to explode.

Abs: Hmm.. Odd song, but great moves. I think the choreography team that are producing the new Les Mills CX30 core program have been sneaking some moves in here to see how they can punish us the most :) This time around, we get to try out the new side oblique crunch in a combination of slow, quick and pulse moves. Super effective. Just make sure you open up and really lift that top shoulder off the ground. After that we also revisit the walking hover with both hands and legs. To make it even more interesting, we’ll finish this one off with a nice hover combo that is guaranteed to leave you gasping.

Cooldown: Perfect song for a perfect workout. Good, long, slow stretches through all the major muscle groups to bring relief to tired, exhausted muscles. Not much else to say here. By now, you’re too exhausted to care anyway :)

Overall, BodyPump 77 well and truly delivers what it promises. It’s a fantastic high-energy workout with great new music and fantastic new moves. I’ve instructed it a few times now and my classes absolutely love it. Get out there and give it a try straight as soon as you can.

Welcome along. Has it been 3 months already ? Apparently so. It’s time for a new release of our favourite Les Mills programs.

Get Ready. get Set. it’s time for BodyPump 74.

 BodyPump 74 features 3 areas of core focus:

* Timing - We have new timings and tempos.

* Supersetting - Lots of exercises on top of each other to attack the muscles from every angle.

* Transitions - Super short to keep the heat in the muscles

 Let’s get straight into it. 

 First thing you’ll notice, if you’re in Australia, is that this is the first release of BodyPump with all cover versions of the songs. As you most likely know, the PPCA have pretty much succeeded in their bid to try to shut down group exercise classes in Australia by increasing their music fees by 1500%. To work around that, we are all now using cover versions to avoid the monstrous fees. If you are outside Australia, your music will still be a mix of covers and originals. Us Aussies get a separate CD wit non-PPCA versions.

The good news is that this current crop of cover versions is really quite good. I know a few people weren’t too happy with some of the covers in the last release, but all those concerns are gone now. Well done guys. It’s up to all of us now to show the greedy PPCA that we can do quite well without them.

What’s in store for us this release ? Let’s have a look:

Warmup: As usual, the warmup gets us in the mood for the work. This one gives us a nice slow start with a great windup. When we hit the first set of dead rows, the music rises and fills the room with energy. Nothing terribly new or unusual this time around in terms of moves. If anything, because the music is so uplifting, it feels like we’re flying through the song in no time.

Squats: Ok, we’ve seen a few tough squat tracks in the past few releases and this one does not let up. 5 Rounds. Short breaks. Extra weight. And a new, punishing tempo: 1 down, 1 hold and 2 up. We don’t even get the usual easy warmup round to get us going. Right from the word go, we’re straight into it. Huge singles in a massive chorus before we hit the bottom-hold move. Then, straight into round 2. Would like a quick break. Sure… How does just under 5 seconds sound ? No, i’m not kidding! Rounds 3 and 4 smack you in the face with more 2’s, 3’s, singles and bottom-holds before we get another measly 5 seconds to stuff our hearts back into our chest. Here’s a tip: suck in as much oxygen as you can in your break, you’re going to need it. The last round is only a minute long, but it drags every last bit of energy out of you. Just wait for the singles at the end. Ouch.

Chest: Ahh yeah, some great rocking sounds from Bon Jovi (cover) to push the chest. This one is once again about the timing and quick transitions. 4 Rounds with a quick break after the third. We get the usual assortment of 2’s, singles and bottom halves. I like how the rounds really flow into each other without missing a beat. By the time we get the break, your chest is on fire. As always, the last round is the hardest. Just when you think you’ve pushed through the last set of bottom halves, we still have another half a round to go.

Back: Oh man, what a great start to a back track. You know the song, that’s a guarantee. You’ve never heard it with that beat though. I don’t think we’ve ever started a back track so gently. The slow deadlift at the start makes those little hairs on the back of your neck stand up because you know what’s coming up. 3 simple but powerful rounds of clean and press combos, wide single rows and triple rows. Not much else I can say about it. We’ve done it a thousand times before. Doesn’t mean it’s any less fun though :) It’s the sort of sequencing that an instructor can learn with one listen to the song :) My only complaint about this one is that I think it could do with a little more ‘body’ in the clean and press phase. There’s a lot of bass, but not as much personality as we normally get.

 Triceps: Nothing better than a triceps track that hits the muscles from every angle. Today, we get 4 different exercises: Pushups, kickbacks, dips and seated overhead extensions. The best thing about the pushups in this release ? There is no knee option. That’s right, you’re on your toes the whole time. Before you get scared though, there’s only a few of them. You can do this, trust me. Once the pushups are out of the way, we go for some bench supported kickbacks. When you’re just getting used to them, it’s already time for the dips. The bench is a little lower today so we need to make sure we step out a lot further than usual to get the full effect. 20 dips later and it’s time for the extensions. Grab yourself a nice big plate and take a seat. Now, before I did this track for the first time, i thought that I could not get enough of a workout out of this one as each phase is less than a minute long. By the end of the first time doing it, I have definitely changed my mind :)

Biceps: Remember the mid-range pulse from the mid-sixties ? Awesome move and it’s back today along with some bicep rows. I know we have bicep rows and normally we would go heavier when they’re in the mix, but not today. If you’re an instructor, you’l know… during the workshops, everyone likes to show off and we all stick an extra kilo or two on their bar for the big tracks. This time around though, there was this quiet whisper that went out before the track started and everyone noticed that noone was going heavy for the bicep track…why ? Let me tell you why.. Because this is the bicep track from hell! That’s why. It’s only a bit over 4 minutes long but we don’t let up. When a track starts with bottom halves, you know you’re in trouble. Oh, and instead of a break, you’ll just get some bicep rows and maybe a shoulder roll if you’re lucky. Thank goodness the massive bass beat of Boom Bom Pow gets us through this one. The bottom halves and mid range pulses just don’t stop. I don’t think there is a single second in this track where the arms are not under tension. Oh, you know how normally the super-slows are 4 up and 4 down ? How about we finish up with 8 up and 8 down ? Ouch.

Lunges: What would a BodyPump release be without Cascada (or at least a good sounding cover version)… it’s time to get Dangerous. The title of the song should tell you something about the track. This is easily one of the most intense lunge tracks we have ever done. A couple slow moves before we hit a set of 32(!) singles delivered as a combination of full range, bottom pulses and bottom 8’s. at the end of those, there are still a whole set of 2’s and 3’s to go. And that’s only a quarter of the track. No kidding. How about some backward stepping alternating lunges off the bench. 24 you say ? Sure, why not. You didn’t really need that leg to walk with anyway…Uh oh, we forgot that we’re only half way there. Do the whole thing again on the other leg and then see if you can still stand. You may like to lean up against a wall at the end of the track when you do your stretches.

Shoulders: I love the supersetting and super short tansitions. We’ll be working for the whole duration of the track. Pushups to get moving before the rear delt raises take over. More pushups, side raises and more pushups to finish off the first phase. It’s not often that we get three sets of pushups in a single track. Make sure you keep your timing tight so that you don’t miss any. Next, grab your bar as quick as you can for upright rows, a short break and a whole heap of overhead presses.

 Abs: How do you make a grown man cry ? Make him do this Ab track with the correct posture. We start on the bench with a new move. It’s called a Lower Ab Alternating Leg Extension. What does that mean ? The deepest burn you’re going to feel in your abs for a long time. It works just like a normal leg extension, but this time we’re lifting our tail bone into the air at the same time. It’s feels like hovering in mid air and holding your whole body up with your abs. When you add that to the walking hover at the end, this is easily the hardest Ab track we have ever seen in BodyPump.

 Cooldown: After that workout, we need to cool down properly. No new moves or timing today, just time to relax and recover. Great duet from Guy Sebastian and Jordin Sparks to take us home.

  So what’s the verdict ? You’re probably sick of me saying this, but it’s another awesome workout from the Les Mills team. If I had to pick on anything, I would have liked a different mix for the back tracks with a bit more oomph in the power phase.

  Aside from that, I love this release and can’t wait to launch it. The beat is great, the moves are punishing and even the cover versions of the songs are great.

Well done.  

k, before we get started, I know I haven’t posted in a little while, but I do have good reasons… I’ve got them somewhere here, I’m sure :)

I’ll be posting up the sizzler for BodyPump 71 soon, stay tuned.

Now, I just read an interesting article on a friend Kat’s website here. She’s a personal trainer. It starts off saying that up to 80% of her clients do not like sweating and are even embarrassed and apologetic when they do. Ok, maybe I’m being a bit too much of a guy here, but this seems absolutely incredible to me. When I work out, I strive to be a sweaty mess by the end of it. I love to sweat. To me, it means my body is working at its peak and is achieving results. Why else would you work out ?

Kat also points out what I think a lot of people find a bit of a paradox. You actually sweat more as you get fitter. It’s just your body working more efficiently to keep you cooler as your workout intensity increases. It means you can train harder and longer. I have found that to be absolutely true in my workouts too. These days, I start to sweat a lot sooner into a workout, but I also cool down a lot quicker afterwards.

Basically, if you’re working out, the more you sweat the more weight you’re likely to lose. (I wont count the sauna or steam room in that as your body is trying to cool you due to external factors rather than internal ones, reducing the benefit).

So, what can we do about our attitude to getting a bit wet ? It sounds like it’s hurting the performance and results of the majority of gym goers out there.

If you’re a personal trainer or group fitness instructor, maybe explain what it actually means to sweat and the benefits to your clients and classes. Even is it’s just little snippet and factoids to make people feel a little better and less self-conscious about it. (I wont go as far as suggesting a class competition to see who can get the drippiest…)

In my Pump and especially Cycle classes, I always encourage people to train to a level that works up at least a ‘medium sweat’ (You decide what that means to you). Naturally, I always get the odd person telling me that they just don’t sweat. To them, I say: ‘turn up the resistance a bit or add an extra kilo to the bar and watch what happens’ ;)

Get out there, get wet and be happy about it. It’s good for you :)

Time to celebrate 70 big releases of the world’s best and most popular workout program. I’ve just come back from the workshop and I can honestly say that this is one of the best releases in a long, long time. It’s not that the other releases are not fantastic, it’s just that this particular combination of music, choreography, weight selection and feel works extemely well.
So, what’s the general feel ?

• Lots of big dancey beats. Right from the first track, you can feel the energy in the room.
  
• As in the previous release, easy to learn choreography with simple, big supersets.

Let’s check out the specifics. Here is my preview / review of BodyPump 70

Warmup: What’s this ? A male vocalist on the warmup track ? Ok, different. First thing you’ll notice is that the beat is a lot bigger than the warmup tracks you’re used to. You could just about mistake this one for a squat track. Lots of big moves to get the body warmed up. No usual ‘Love’ theme here either. Strong lyrics, strong beat, good, solid warmup. No new moves, and none needed.

Squats: The first of our three challenge tracks. It’s a short one, so load up. We start slowly and work up the intensity today with a big set of 4’s and 3’s. Just when you think this is going to be OK, the singles hit and the heart rates shoots up. 30 seconds later and we’ve slowed down again. Bang, there come the singles again. And now they don’ stop ! The second half of the track is basically and extended set of 46 singles (!) that come at you either as full length or bottoms. I’m not kidding, this is intense.
(Note to Glenn O: Mate, I know you’re a big fan, but seriously brother, it’s time to retire your ‘Best of Pink’ CD for a few releases…)

Chest: Once again, a short track. Make sure you stick an extra kilo or two on each side. It’s our second challenge track. Ok, check this out… There are two moves in this track: 4×4’s and Singles. Yup, nothing else. You want a chest workout? Here it comes ! You know the song. It’s Infinity 2008 (Klaas Vocal Edit). ‘Relax… Take your Time…’. You can’t get a bigger dance beat than this. It’s an odd beat too to give you more time under tension. The 4×4’s get an extra two beats added to them at 3/4 height to burn the chest and tri’s. Oh, and how many singles would you like to do in a single set ? 10 ? Sure! How about 15 ? Let’s do it!

Back: Back to something more conventional in this back track. Three big rounds. Long one, Medium one and one short one. E-Type is back once again with the big euro-pop dance beat they’re known for. No new moves today. Deadlifts, Cleans, Triple Rows. You can actually predict the next move from the vibe in the music. I wonder if E-Type write their songs specifically for Body Pump :). The sneakiest part of this track is that the music finishes after the second set so you think you’re done. 2 seconds later, the beat comes back and you realise there’s another round to go. Nice touch :)
(2nd note to Glenn O: Same goes for your E-Type and Cascada CD collection…;)

Triceps: Remember a couple of releases ago when we did the triceps track without a bar? Remember how much all those triceps pushups hurt ? Well, get set for a whole heap more. BodyPump 70 gives us a very similar choreography set with 24 triceps pushups (!) and 44 kick backs before we stand up for some overhead extensions. Make sure you position your body correctly on the bench so that you don’t pre-fatigue the supporting arm before it has to do the work. Hint: Start on your weaker arm. You’ll be thankful to have your stronger arm ready to go when you get to the end.

Biceps: Ahh yeah. Proper rocking singles are back with Nickelback and a track that’s a bit longer than the last couple of releases. Nice lyrics and a huge guitar backdrop motivate like nothing else. Pretty familiar format for this one. Three rounds with a quick recovery after the second round. It’s a nice long last round too. You feel like you’re not going to make it, but the music just takes you there. Connect with it. Let it carry you through the work.

Lunges: Time for the third challenge track. Rack up some extra weight. Chest weight will do just fine. ‘Feels like the raindrops..’ BOOM! Sash! is in the house with the biggest lunge track there is. This one is for the clubbers. Try to contain yourself during the build up and go absolutely crazy when the beat hits. If this one doesn’t get the little hairs in the back of your neck standing up, nothing will. I’m going to hae to force myself not sing along to the whole song when I do it :) ‘You make my body come alive…’ Like in the previous release, we have a combination of lunges and squats. The squats component in this one is a longer than last time around. It’s all singles, pulses and bottom halves in the squats. Ouch! Can’t stop, Can’t stop! Best. Lunge Track. Ever!

Shoulders: ‘Aa aa aaaaa Thunder!’. Hinder’s cover of AC/DC’s Thuderstruck. Classic Track.. Classic Track. TURN IT UP !!! Grab your plates, grab your bar. Think Side Raise Staggers for ‘Thun-der’. Be careful with your weight selection though.. there are 26 Side Raises before we even hit the Mac Raises. Don’t fight it, just sing along. It’ll help you get through this one. As you’d expect, one of the biggest rock songs of all time gets one of the biggest workouts you can find. As I said, side raises, mac raises, back to the side raises and then the bar for the final chorus. What a way to finish off the big muscle groups.

Abs: Wow, finally, our little abs track has graduated to a fully grown workout. Three rounds of three moves. Not just normal moves either. The Leg Rotation Extension Combo sees us extending our legs while they are at 45 degrees through a rotation. Follow it up with some plate crunches and then hit it with a wicked set of Vertical Lifts. Haven’t done vertical lifts before ? Glenn borrowed them from Body Balance :) Ok, you’re on your back. Lift your legs straight up in the air. Now, lift and extend your arms and use your abs to push your hands towards your toes. Sounds hard ? That’s because it is! Finish this one off with some quick Rotator Planks and you’re done. This is probably the most effective abs track I’ve done in a long while.

Cooldown: Ahh.. Needed this one. What a massive workout. Slow song with good long stretches. A bit more upbeat than usual and a great way to finish off the debut release of the 70’s.

Seriously, this is one of the best BodyPump releases ever. The music is rocking, the intensity is huge, the choreography is perfect and the whole workout is as effective as you can possibly make it. If you walk out of this one without sweat dripping down your shirt, you didn’t try hard enough :)

Thanks go once again to the Les Mills team for consistently delivering the world’s premier group fitness program. What a fantastic start to the 70’s.

A new quarter, a new BodyPump release. I’ve just come back from out latest workshop for BodyPump 67  in the city. It was cold and rainy outside, but we turned up the heat inside. It felt like one of the biggest workshops ever. We had 293 instructors doing the masterclass at the same. Talk about energy! Nothing quite like the master trainers yelling ‘Are You Ready!’ and 300 instructors yelling back at the top of their lungs.

Ok, so what do we have here. The theme for BodyPump 67 is ‘The New More Powerful You’. No doubt about it too. By the end of this workout, you’ll feel… something… maybe not new, but certainly trashed :)  This is seriously one awesome release. With the last few releases, it has usually taken me a few listens before I liked a few of the songs. Not this time.  As soon as they hit play, I liked what I heard. The whole release has a similar feel to release 63. Big beats, nice grungy raw sounds when you need them and new moves to get deep into the target muscles.

Oh, and if you’ve been checking out the tracklists for this release on the internet, let me tell you, they’re wrong! Wrong mixes, wrong artists, wrong feel.

** Edit 29/9/2008: Now that all the quarterlies are over, here is the tracklist for BodyPump 67:

1.  Bleeding Love - Jamie Knight
2. Piece Of My Heart - Jan Wayne
3. Paralyzer - Finger Eleven
4. Eurofighter - E-Type
5. Cuz I Can - P!nk
6. We Got It Going On - Bon Jovi
7. I Need A Miracle - KLM
8. Now You’re Gone - DJ Alex - Basshunter
9. B Boy Baby - Mutya Buena
10. Angel - Aerosmith

As you know, the secret to any good exercise program is variety.  Different moves, different weights and different intensity. The choreography team have really taken that to heart and given us a completely new and different workout. With Bodypump 67, We have new moves and  new sequencing to keep it exciting and effective.

So, without further delay, here is my (non-spoiler) preview and review of Bodypump 67:

Warmup:  Ok, you’re thinking… I know what’s gonna happen here… Nice light song about love, a few deadlifts, deadrows, Upright rows, etc, etc.  Well, you’re right about the first part. It is a light fluffy song about love. You already know from the sizzler that the song is called Bleeding Love. I know i’m a bit silly, but i couldn’t help giggling to myself, thinking “if you’re bleeding love, you’re doing it wrong” :) Anyway, back  to it. The general sequence is what you would expect, although they have moved a few of the moves around to mix it up a bit.We also do moves that we would normally see in the back track. I really like the warmup. It’s lively and really gets the body warm for the main onslaught.

Squats: Bring! The! Bass! Ahh yeah! I love my dance music and this one is right up my alley. Once the bassline hits, you know you’re in for one helluva workout! You’ll hear the rhythm and think and it’s a particular song, but you’re wrong :) Three big rounds with two breaks. You’ll need them too.  Big sets of singles and LOTS of bottom halves.. is 24 in a row enough for you ? No need to go heavier than normal on this one. Put on your normal weigths and pray you get to then end in one piece. This is a perfect example of changing the intensity to keep the muscles from adapting. I love this one. Close you’re eyes and imagine the strobes and coloured lights in the club. My new favourite squat track.

Chest: If you liked Enter Sandman (Metallica) or Famous Last Words (My Chemical Romance) from 63, you’ll love this one!.  Again, familiar beat but a different song. Raw. Energy. It’s a bit slower than usual, so you can add at least an extra kilo or two. I did and believe me, I felt the difference. Nice sequencing of slow and fast work to let you get through it.  Something new too.. Two breaks!. But, they feel like they’re about 5 seconds long each. You have long enough to stretch the arms back and then it’s straight back into it.

Back: E-Type is back in full euro-electro-pop goodness. Cheesy as it is, it works perfectly as a Back track. High energy beats and lyrics you can really work with. We get a different track layout too. Gone is the usual small warmup round. We get straight into the workout. Four sets of Clean and Press sets in total with a couple of breaks. There are some real quick changeovers too, so you’ll have to pay attention. If you’re looking to get the heart rate up, this is the perfect song. I reckon you can go a little heavier tha usual because of the sequencing. It works perfectly if you want to challenge yourself a bit more.

Triceps: Ouch! It hurts! Make it Stop!.. They’re just a few of the thoughts going through my head towards the end of the tricep track. P!nk is in the house with a funcky attitude track that hurts like all heck. We start on the bench with a nice heavy weight (heavier than usual) and end on the floor with a wicked set of tricep kickbacks for each arm. One tip though, do the tricep kickbacks properly if you really want to feel this one. No momentum swing. Stop at 90 degrees. I’m a big fan of this track. The only way it could be any harder if if it had dips in it. Thank goodness it doesn’t :)

Biceps: I’ll be the first to admit that i’m not usually a big country music fan, but the bicep tracks tend to work really well with it. This one is no exception. Bon Jovi gives us just over 4 minutes of party time. Big, toe tapping energy tune with a heap of work. To keep things fresh, the choreography team give us new moves and a weight change half way through the track. I really advise you take them up on the challenge and add that extra kilo or two when called for. It makes a massive difference. Don’t worry, the new move allows you to carry the extra weight to the end. You’ll make it.

Lunges: This is one of the all time classic dance songs andwe get an awesome new remix of it for our lunges. Definite Ibiza feel to it. We’ve been enjoying the bench lunges over the past few releases and this one once again gets us up on the step. Maybe it was just the intensity of the rest of the workout, but I could really feel this one get in deep. We start with a nice slow set of weighted lunges and then explode into the dynamic stepping lunges. As usualy, one leg at a time until you’re about to crumble :) Not much else to say here. The music rocks, the lyrics work and the workout hurts. It’s everything you could want from your lunges.

Shoulders:  This is the shoulder track ?  We normally save the fast techno tracks for the lunges, but this time we get a massive bass tune to hit the shoulders hard! Huge variety of moves. Pushups, Front Raise, Mac Raises, Side Raise, Rotator Raise, Overhead Press! Grab your plates. Are you Ready ? We haven’t had a tune as big as this for ages. I love it. The shoudler track is usually my favourite becuase they hit us hard when we’re just about out of energy and this one fits the bill. The beat is much faster than normal so you don’t even get tiem to think about the pain :) Empty the tank on this one. It’s a big as it gets!

Abs/Core: Ok, you’ve probably checked out the tracklists on the internet and thought “What the heck is this?”. Don’t worry… Yes it is that song, but it is a really good new R&B remix by a different artist. It’s a short song, but it’s worth it. We keep the innovation going with a new move they told us about in the sizzler. Plank Crunch.. It’s basically what it says, a plank and an upside down crunch at the same time. It sounds odd but it feels awesome. And by awesome, I of course mean painful. Everything about this track is slow and deliberate. You can feel evrything contract as you move.

Cooldown: Ahh, you’ve made it! What a workout. And what better than to finish it off with a big Aerosmith ballad. I really like this one becuase the stretches are nice and long. A few releases back, we had a tendency to make the stretches 2*8 counts, whihc I thought was a big quick. This time around, everything is 4*8 counts, which gives you plenty of time to feel the muscle relax, bring the heart rate down and focus on breathing.It’s the perfect way to round our a massive workout.

So, what did I think of it overall ? Love! It! This is one of the most powerful and fun releases of the 60’s. The music captures the workout perfectly. The moves give us variety.  The fitness magic is there in every song!

Honestly, every release the Glen Ostergaard (program director adn choreographer) and the team have done has been better than the last. These guys are pulling out all stops to give us the perfect workout every time. The amount of innovation we have seen in the 60’s has never been done before. Every time you step into the group exercise room, you’re in for a totally different workout. No wonder bodyPump is now the most popular group exercise program on the planet.

After having listened to the release3-4 times now, I like it more and more each time and I know you will too. Let me know what you think of it.

Have a fantastic workout!

Do you ever get one of those moments when you look at something and think to yourself: ‘Why are they doing this ?’

The other day I was leaving the gym and I saw a couple of things that made me think. My gym is on the first floor with about 3 meters worth of stairs. We have a lift for wheelchairs and prams and things, but on this particular day, there was a guy that was waiting for the lift to go downstairs. Now, this guy was quite overweight (>150kg). I did watch him work out, so I was pretty sure he wasn’t injured and needed the lift. A few minutes later as I was walking down the stairs myself, there was a young lady rummaging through her handbag for a cigarette which she proceeded to light as soon as she cleared the door way.

Now, the thing is: I don’t think either of those two even thought about what they are going before they did it. It was totally subconscious and out of habit. And that’s what struck me. Here we have people that a making a conscious effort to do something good for themselves by going to the gym but then immediately slip back into their subconscious habits to undo it all.

I have posted on this topic before here, but I want to touch on it again. I am a firm believer in the thought that it is your habits that determine your life, not what you do ‘on purpose’. Yes, you can go to the gym a few times a week because you know you should, but what you do when you get home is just so much more important. Is it just a habit to grab a beer or a glass of wine when you get home ? Or a muffin for morning tea ? I don’t want to preach or judge here, I am just as guilty as everyone else. I love my deserts. A bowl of ice cream or a cookie after dinner was just a normal thing to do. However, it was also stopping my from achieving my goals. I was working hard to lose weight but I was sabotaging myself without even realising it.

My turning point came when I worked out that point about habits determining the rest of your life and more importantly that your reality is really just determined by what you focus on and what you decide it means to you. I wont bore you with all the details, but the point of the story is this: It’s All In Your Head!

If you find yourself held back but can’t explain why, do yourself a favour and just spend a day (or a week if you can) and check in with yourself every time you do something our of habit or routine. Ask yourself: Is this really helping me ? Do I really want this ? Is this really aligned with my goals ? There is a good chance that, just like me, you’ll find a whole lot of little things that you do that are not serving you as much as they could.  Once you’ve done that, the important part is replacing them with new habits that will actually help you.  I did it by using little post-it notes in all the places that led me astray. On my fridge, on the inside of my wallet, on the dashboard of my car. It worked too, but that’s a whole other post :)

That’s all from me for now. I’m getting ready for the new Pump workshop and putting together my next cycle class.

Have an awesome workout.

As some of you may know, starting with release 66, the Les Mills team have introduced a new, shorter variation for Bodypump. It’s a 30 minute ‘Express’ class. 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.

Now, obviously, Les Mills is just doing what the market is asking. People want shorter classes to fit into their lunch breaks and around their ‘busy schedule’. It first glance, I was really excited about the idea. Hey, it’s a short ‘taster’ class to get new people interested in Group Exercise. It can be used as a warm-up class to something else (RPM, Body Attack, Body Combat, etc). You can squeeze it in anywhere when you want to get a quick workout. That’s all really good and I am totally for it.

But now, I’m a little worried about what this may do to the perception of people and the class. Are we diluting the program ? In our society, everything is about making things quicker, easier and more convenient. Does it make sense to apply that principle to exercise and keeping your body in shape ? At the end of the day, if you want to get fit or lose weight, there are no shortcuts. We all know there is no magic pill that will suddenly make you lose weight (long term). Yes, you can grab a tablet that will stop your intestines from absorbing fats or go to the doctor and get your stomach cut in half, but that’s not really solving the root of the problem. If you don’t change your mindset and how you think about your body, none of these things will last you long term.

If you wan to lose weight, you need to expend more calories than you take in. If you want to build muscle, you need to train them beyond their capacity. By offering shorter and shorter classes, are we giving people false impression that they can achieve their goals with minimal effort and barely raising a sweat ? All too often, I see people in the gym, walking on the treadmill for 20 minutes while chatting to their friends. Yes, I know it’s better than nothing, but really, who are we kidding? You’re not going to achieve any real results with that.

I’m just worried that busy clubs will start offering these classes instead of, rather than alongside, the normal classes and that participants will come to think that half an hour of exercise is all they need to get trim.

So, the way I look at it, it’s a double edged sword. On one side, this new format is an awesome weapon in our fight against globesity for those that use it to supplement their existing workout routine. On the other side, it can be misused to give you a false sense of security that you’re doing everything you need to.

If you’re an instructor and you’re teaching this new format, please make sure that you educate your participants  about the purpose of the class. Explain the benefits of each class format and try to ‘up-sell’ the longer formats.

If you’re a participant or someone who has not done a Group Exercise class before, try it out. BodyPump is an absolutely fantastic way to get in shape. Use it to add to your workout regime. You can try the short format as a warmup to a bigger workout or you can do it on an off-day. Just be aware that the class was originally designed as a 55 minute workout that targts every muscle group to give a full, balanced workout. The 30 minute class will be a compromised version that you may not want to solely rely on. And maybe, let’s ask ourselves, how busy are we really that we have to cut 15-30 minutes out of keeping ourselves in shape. At the end of the day, you only get one body. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Is your email, that spreadsheet, that report, that tv show really that important…. ?

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.

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.

**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.

It’s something that I see in the gym every day and it is something that makes me cringe a little inside every time I see it. People working out while hunched over. If I see participants hunching over in one of my Body Pump classes, I’ll go to great pains to explain the correct posture and reasons why, but it’s just not something you can walk up to just anyone on the floor to talk to.

The most fascinating thing about it is that most of us are absolutely unaware of incorrect body posture because we are so used to it. It took me ages to become aware of my own body as I was moving and lifting weights.

The most useful (and obvious) tool to help: The Mirror. Watch yourself as you’re working to see you technique. Are your arms/legs balanced and moving to the same height and angle ? Are you inadvertently moving non-weight bearing parts of the in an awkward position. Maybe all the massive guys in the free weights are aren’t just admiring themselves in the mirror. There’s a good chance they are actually constantly checking their form for correctness.

Next time you are at the gym, do yourself a favour and have a real good look at your form. Before you start a Dead Row or Dead Lift, roll your shoulders up, back and down and feel a little tension between the shoulder blades. Push your chest up and out and stand proud. As soon as you set your shoulders back, it will align both you upper and lower back. It will give you the correct curvature in your lower back and set your pelvis correctly.

More importantly, it is impossible to hunch over once you actively draw your shoulders back. Your lifting technique will improve dramatically and you will target the right muscles much better.

Ahh… the start of a New Year. New promises, new hopes, new dreams and countless new ads on the TV telling us we should lose some weight and that their product is the best one yet. In the course of two ad breaks yesterday, I think I saw three or four different gyms, pills, readymade meals and home exercise products. Now, obviously, these ads work because otherwise they wouldn’t be putting them on.

Now, what makes us think that an arbitrary change of date will suddenly make us change our eating and exercise habits when nothing else in the previous year did ? Let me assure you… nothing will change. I know that sounds pessimistic, but come on. We’ve all been there. Goodness knows I have. Yes, the first week will be great, the second not quite as good, the third ok and by the end of January, the only thing that’ll remember about the resolution is the monthly membership fee from the gym you joined up to on a 12 month contract.

So, what will make a difference ? Not calling it a New Year’s Resolution for one! This has got nothing to do with the new year. It has everything to do with you and your reasons. And no, “Because it’s the new year” is not a valid reason! Ask yourself… Why are you embarking on this journey ? Why are you doing this ? Who is it for ? These are the important questions and these are the ones that make it stick. It was only when I got it clear in my head why I was doing this that it had any real impact on me. I looked at my life and where I was going to be in 10 years time if I didn’t do something right now. I saw myself as a 40 something overweight work-a-holic couldn’t muster the energy to play ball with his kids. Someone who was probably going to have a heart attack in their mid-fifties and finished their life on a series of life-sucking drugs.
That sort of painful future wasn’t something I could live with. And that was my reason why something had to happen. And, more importantly, that was something I could take with me to the gym in week three and four of January when things became hard. This is something you can do right now to give yourself some leverage over your will power. Create yourself that mental image of what will happen in your life if you chose not to make a difference right now. Use it every day to push yourself to be better, stronger, fitter healthier than you were before. I know you can do it. I did.

Our reasons why we do something is far more important than how we do them. Chose your reasons carefully.