Les Mills?

sarahbri923

Hi everyone - I'm considering joining a gym that offers Les Mills workout classes. Body pump, body attack, body combat, etc. Has anyone ever tried these? If so, what did you think? It's a fairly big financial commitment for me so any feedback would be appreciated!

A little background about me - I work out regularly (about 5x's a week) doing various DVDs. My go-to's are usually 21 day fix extreme, or any of the T25 workouts (alpha and beta). Even working out that often my weight has plateaued for the past 6 months. I know it's because of my poor diet, and now that I'm ready to take my eating healthy seriously, I'm also ready for a new workout challenge...hence considering Les Mills.

IsaackGMOON

Weight loss does not come down to whether you're eating healthy or not. Your body does not think "that is healthy food" or "that is unhealthy food"; it just sees macronutrients and micronutrients.

OP, I suggest you open your food diary so we can see where you're going wrong... chances are you're not logging accurately!

gail1961

I would say see if the gym will let you try it for a day and see if you like the classes. You could go to the Les Mills website and see sample videos of the classes. I take Body Pump 2X a week. That is the only time I do any work out with weights and it's a good full body work out. I really like body vive, which is a combo of Cardio, strength and core. Body Attack is too high impact for me and my joints. Body Combat is a good high impact cardio class, but doesn't seem to me to be as hard on my body. Body Flow is a good stretching/flexibility class, but not a good calorie burner compared to the others. It depends on what you like and as ALWAYS, the best work out plan is the one you will stick to because you like it. Good luck

Unknown

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sarahbri923

By "poor diet" I meant that I was definitely over eating regularly and not logging anything. It was only because of the regular workouts that my weight stayed the same rather than sky-rocketing. It's only been a week now that I've been serious about my healthy eating - I'm weighing and logging everything I eat.

IsaackGMOON

sarahbri923 wrote: »

By "poor diet" I meant that I was definitely over eating regularly and not logging anything. It was only because of the regular workouts that my weight stayed the same rather than sky-rocketing. It's only been a week now that I've been serious about my healthy eating - I'm weighing and logging everything I eat.

So you didn't plateau then.

gail1961

IsaackGMOON, I think OP was asking for feed back on Les Mills and identified that she knows she needs to be more conscientious about food choices and logging.

sarahbri923

Perhaps poor choice of words. I meant my weight hadn't changed at all, but I was aware of the reason why.

sarahbri923

gail1961 wrote: »

I would say see if the gym will let you try it for a day and see if you like the classes. You could go to the Les Mills website and see sample videos of the classes. I take Body Pump 2X a week. That is the only time I do any work out with weights and it's a good full body work out. I really like body vive, which is a combo of Cardio, strength and core. Body Attack is too high impact for me and my joints. Body Combat is a good high impact cardio class, but doesn't seem to me to be as hard on my body. Body Flow is a good stretching/flexibility class, but not a good calorie burner compared to the others. It depends on what you like and as ALWAYS, the best work out plan is the one you will stick to because you like it. Good luck

Thanks Gail - I'll check out the videos.

IsaackGMOON

gail1961 wrote: »

IsaackGMOON, I think OP was asking for feed back on Les Mills and identified that she knows she needs to be more conscientious about food choices and logging.

Yes, I know.

But she also said "she plateaued" and I was trying to help with that. But it seems she wasn't logging accurately.

gail1961

sarahbri923 wrote: »

Perhaps poor choice of words. I meant my weight hadn't changed at all, but I was aware of the reason why.

I think you were clear...... "...I know it's because of my poor diet, and now that I'm ready to take my eating healthy seriously, I'm also ready for a new workout challenge...hence considering Les Mills."

sarahbri923

IsaackGMOON wrote: »

gail1961 wrote: »

IsaackGMOON, I think OP was asking for feed back on Les Mills and identified that she knows she needs to be more conscientious about food choices and logging.

Yes, I know.

But she also said "she plateaued" and I was trying to help with that. But it seems she wasn't logging accurately.

I appreciate the help. Now that my poor logging record has been established, any feedback on Les Mills?

IsaackGMOON

sarahbri923 wrote: »

IsaackGMOON wrote: »

gail1961 wrote: »

IsaackGMOON, I think OP was asking for feed back on Les Mills and identified that she knows she needs to be more conscientious about food choices and logging.

Yes, I know.

But she also said "she plateaued" and I was trying to help with that. But it seems she wasn't logging accurately.

I appreciate the help. Now that my poor logging record has been established, any feedback on Les Mills?

Nope. Never tried it.

sarahbri923

gail1961 wrote: »

sarahbri923 wrote: »

Perhaps poor choice of words. I meant my weight hadn't changed at all, but I was aware of the reason why.

I think you were clear...... "...I know it's because of my poor diet, and now that I'm ready to take my eating healthy seriously, I'm also ready for a new workout challenge...hence considering Les Mills."

Thanks! I know a lot of meaning can get lost in text so I'm trying to be clear.

gail1961

I think if you check out the videos and visit the gym when the classes are running, you can see for yourself if they are something you would like. Some gyms offer a free week to try it. You said it's a big financial commitment, so see if you think it would be worth it.

sarahbri923

gail1961 wrote: »

I think if you check out the videos and visit the gym when the classes are running, you can see for yourself if they are something you would like. Some gyms offer a free week to try it. You said it's a big financial commitment, so see if you think it would be worth it.

I think you're right. I have to commit to a full year at this gym so I want to make sure they are classes I would enjoy going to regularly. There's no better way than trying them myself - although it was nice to hear that you've tried and liked some of them.

cparsons_60

I've been doing Body Pump for about a month; it's offered as part of the regular membership at the Y in my town. For me it's been exactly the right thing at the right time. I'm within five pounds of my goal, have been doing TRX and lots of other exercise so I have some level of fitness, but I'm not ready to embark on a committed lifting program. I feel that I'm getting the hang of barbells and dumbbells, and some idea of proper form, in a class that's fun and challenging but doesn't leave me in agony. (Unlike TRX, which sometimes reduces me to a moaning puddle of sweat.) It helps, I think, that even at 57 I'm in the younger half of class participants. If I were the only older person in a class of 30-somethings I might not like it as well. I also really like the instructor. I agree, see whether you can try it once or twice before you fork over money.

999tigger

Sirely you can ask them for at least a day pass so you cna experience the classes and see for yourself? Les mills also does dvds so you could get an idea from that.

madammags

I've done many of the Les Mills classes over the years and in my experience they can be great or they can be awful and it 100% depends on the instructor.

Some instructors will just jump about up the front, take little or no time to explain how a move is performed, and while they may notice poor form, they don't actually take the time to go and help people. I've seen some truly horrible form in some classes which was just ignored by the instructor. That does not inspire confidence.
A good instructor will be motivating, but not *too* shouty, take the time to check for newbies and give them tips, and keep an eye on everyone's form and correct it if necessary.

So, I don't think you can really know until you go to your gym and see their instructors in action.

Also, in some gyms I've been to, they cram people into the classes so tightly that some moves become quite dangerous, so watch out for that if you want to go during peak times.

stormydaze_02

For me, personally I like variety. I've done most of the Les Mills classes but because they are choreographed they can become monotonous. I'm not saying they aren't worth doing, but perhaps make sure your gym offers other classes as well. Also, as mentioned - classes really depend on the instructor. Hopefully you can get a free trial week at some local gyms and see what suits you best?

Mr_Knight

I suggest a few weeks of consistent logging, and maybe opening your diary, before investing in expensive classes.

melaniecheeks

My experience of Les Mills classes has been extremely positive. I loved Body Pump especially, and the version offered by my new gym isn't anywhere nearly as good. Attack I found too "bouncy", but I enjoyed Combat, and also the yoga-inspired Body Flow when available.

Carnhot

I love rpm. Sadly my instructor, with whom I also used to love Pump, is leaving

GraemeMcC

I really enjoy the Les Mills classes. I think Body pump is excellent.

As an aside, I used to be a member of Les Mills and they are the only gym to phone me up and encourage me back to the gym as I had not been for 3 months - most just take my money and leave me alone.

AsISmile

Big Les Mills fan here too.
My favorite is Combat, which I've been doing for 7 years.
Also really enjoy pump. Tried Grit strength one amd really liked that too.
Also tried and enjoyed balance and jam.
Personally I don't like attack and s'hbam, but that is totally personal preference.

I agree on the instructor thing. I've had a bad instructor or two, which can totally ruin the experience. But that goes for every class.

kayedence

I love les mills.. I do body pump, combat and attack..i do body jam and shbam classes too if u like dance you can consider (:

I enjoyed the classes a lot and i miss classes i get upset haha. But as fellow forum-ers mentioned alot have to do w e instructors. I prob enjoyed cus my instructor r gd

So i guess e deciding factor is to go for their trial classes and experienced it for yourself!

new211

I attend a gym that has Les Mills classes. As with all classes, I think that it depends on the instructor that you have. As far as fat loss is concerned, I think classes that focus more on HIIT are better. So Tabata may be your best bet for that (which may not be a Les Mills class per say, but is offered at a lot of gyms). Bodypump is good if you have no experience with lifting weights. Incorporating weight training into your workouts is a great way to burn fat and build muscle.

louisesiobhan

I do the les mills combat DVD at home, I love it. Also tried the class at the gym which I really enjoyed but prefer the DVD at home can go at my own pace.

BalletAndBarbells

I love les mills body pump and body combat classes. Never tried the attack or the other ones. Totally agree though that the instructor can make a big difference - I have chosen which sessions to go to based on the instructor as some are much better than others.
As an aside, if this gym won't let you trial before you commit financially then I wouldn't join it - a good gym should be encouraging, not just happy to take your money regardless of whether it is right for you!

RoadtotheRAN

The only Les Mills class I do is Body Jam because I love to Dance. Otherwise I prefer to lift heavy and I can't do that on the Les Mills program.

sarahbri923

Thanks everyone for the feedback! I was able to attend a body pump class yesterday for free and loved it! They offer an introductory week of unlimited classes for $10, so I will be doing that as a way to try other classes before I commit.