Body4Me

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.

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.

**UPDATE (28th January 2008) : Since the original blog article (below), I have had a few people ask me to write more about what is actually involed in the program and how it works. I have posted a review of the program and my experience here . ***

Three weeks into the new year. There is a good chance that for a lot of us, the New Year’s Resolutions are starting to wear a little. If you’re like me a few short years ago and your major goal was to lose some significant weight, but you’re finding it difficult to make a real change, I have some hope.

When I started on my journey, I got a massive kickstart from a nutrition program called Ultra Lite / UltraLite. Now, let me first say that I’m not getting paid to promote the program and I am not associated with them in any way. I am purely a very, very satisfied customer. Ultra Lite helped me lose 20kilograms in 20 weeks. No crash dieting, no meal replacement, no crazy workouts, no horrible or repetitive meals. Just a good change in life style and eating.

Ultra Lite works by you visiting a Nutritionist who will guide you through the whole process. This is a real bonus as regular visits with weigh-ins and measurements will help keep you motivated. For me, the real motivation, however, was seeing results. When you can easily lose 4-5 kilos in the first month, it doesn’t take much to stay motivated.

The system essentially works by severely limiting your carbohydrate intake for the first few months and replacing them with better quality calories from low-fat protein and lots of vegetables. It’s certainly not one of those Atkins style programs where you eat bacon and eggs for breakfast. One breakfast my nutritionist gave me was a beautiful nut and seed based muesli with a little bit of low-fat yoghurt.

The program teaches you how to eat better. Not just by carving out large chunks of foods, but by educating you to make better choices about what to eat and what foods to combine.

Don’t get me wrong though, it’s no magic pill. You still have to exercise to use your excess energy stores and ensure that you don’t lose too much muscle tissue in the process.

However, if you are serious about some significant weight loss and need a fantastic place to start, do give the Ultra Lite program a go.

Ok,I admit it, I’ve probably been doing a little too much TV viewing over the holiday period. One thing that has really jumped out at me are the continuous ads for home exercise machines. Now, don’t get me wrong… I’m all for home based exercising, however, something about all these little machines just isn’t right.

You see, they all target specific muscle groups, typically being the abs and upper legs. These are the areas we all feel a little insecure about and it’s that insecurity the the advertisers are targeting.
The problem is though, the kind of people that buy these machines to get fit are exactly the people who wont really benefit form them!  Why ? Well, because, funnily enough, those great looking models they get to demo the machines are about the only people that would get the full benefit from them. And that’s because of some very basic exercise and weight loss principles:

• You can target specific muscles for muscle gain, but
• You CANNOT target specific areas of your body for fat loss

Spending your 3 (or however many) minutes a day on the abdominator machine will not make you lose your belly. Yes, it will work your abs, but you wont see them until enough body fat is lost. Your abs wont show until you’re at about 8% bodyfat (for men) or 14% bodyfat (for women). That’s a very low figure given that most of start in the 20-30% range. When your body uses fat for energy and exercise, it will retrieve it form all over your body, not just the area that you’re currently working out.

My Advice: Save your money. Go for a nice long, brisk walk. Do some complex muscle group exercises. The more muscles you use, the more energy you will consume, the more fat you will utilise. Reduce your calorie intake. Someone once told me: “Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym.”

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.

Hi. Welcome to my blog.
So, first question: Why am i writing this ? To help you and me both. You see, I wasn’t always a fitness instructor. Far from it in fact. A few short years ago, I was the typical stereotype of a computer programmer. Unfit, very overweight and without a way out. I tried a lot of things to get myself into shape and listened to a lot of bad advice. In this blog, I will share with my insights, tips, hints and advice that I have found to make a difference to me. I hope it will help you on your journey.