Les Mills Fitness Classes - Body Pump

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January is a time when the gyms are cashing in from people who want to work off their indulgences over the festive period. I've been going to Les Mills classes at my local gym for just over a year now and I feel like now is a good enough a time as any to review some of the classes if you want to dip your toe in the group exercise world.

I'm starting off with my favourite class. Body Pump. Lifting weights has come with the stigma that you will just become muscley and look a bit like the hulk. Wrong. Body Pump is a full body workout that tones, increases your core strength and adds in a little bit of cardio in there too. The idea of lighter weights and high repetitions means you build athletic muscle. Think about getting rid of those pesky bingo wings! The classes can be either 45 or 60 minutes long. The 45 minute class just omits the bicep and tricep exercises but everything else remains the same.

I would recommend you speak to the instructor when you first start to get an idea of the kind of weights you should be starting off with and they can give you some direction. You will need: a barbell with a variety of weights (as you will be adding and taking off weights throughout the different exercises), a mat and an exercise step. Your gym will be able to supply this to you in the exercise room. For your first class, I would start at the front of the class. It's a scary thought being in the eye gaze of the instructor but this will allow you to see the instructor and their form/timing. This will help you through the class and make sure you are doing the moves correctly. Listen to the instructor and watch them. It bothers me so much when people just go and do their own thing thinking that what they're doing is correct. It can be dangerous to yourself and others around you and you could seriously hurt yourself. Serious bit over.

Brace yourself. You will be squatting, lunging, dead lifting, bicep curling and chest pressing your way through 60 minutes of a total body workout. The class is motivating and exhilarating. Once you finish one class, you'll be raring to go to your next. Les Mills launch new 'releases' every 3 months so exercises are never repetitive. If you have a cool instructor then you'll find they'll mix it up a lot with other releases too. I aim to do a Body Pump class 3 times a week which some weeks isn't always possible (hey, we bloggers have other things to do too!).

What is your favourite Les Mills/exercise class?

Vanessa 

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