Is BodyPump class enough to maintain muscle?

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  • SkimFlatWhite68
    SkimFlatWhite68 Posts: 1,254 Member
    These days I stick to free weights and a few machines most of the time. I have done Pump twice this year.

    BUT 10-12 years ago, all I did was BodyPump 2-3 times a week and some circuit training and I was smaller and lighter then than I am now (I was at my goal weight). Looking back, I can see that I had quite a nice figure. I think Pump is a great workout and I might be tempted to do it more often now if I could fit in the classes to suit my availability.

    I find that doing my own thing in the weights room is time efficient, and also I can focus on things that I want to, rather than do the whole body approach of Pump (not that there is anything wrong with that) and be told what to do.

    But to answer your question, yes I do think that it would maintain muscle at MY level. I'm not sure how much YOU have though!
  • MercenaryNoetic26
    MercenaryNoetic26 Posts: 2,747 Member


    I realize that it is not as good as lifting heavy in the free weights section, but all I am wondering is if it will be sufficient to generally maintain muscle mass while on a deficit.

    Don't eat at a deficit? Maybe carb/calorie cycle? Isn't there always muscle loss at a deficit?
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  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member


    I realize that it is not as good as lifting heavy in the free weights section, but all I am wondering is if it will be sufficient to generally maintain muscle mass while on a deficit.

    Don't eat at a deficit? Maybe carb/calorie cycle? Isn't there always muscle loss at a deficit?

    He's trying to lose weight, while maintaining muscle mass. So, he needs to eat at a deficit. There will be some muscle loss. He's trying to maintain what he has, as much as possible (the usual goal for people on a weight loss plan).

    If you already lift heavy, I don't think you will like body pump. The muscles do get pumped and sore (especially if you are combining it with doing more lifting), but that's just because you do so many reps and no rests. It's really more of a weighted cardio class (maybe similiar to the Jillian Michaels stuff). Still, it can be fun and interesting. It's a good way to learn form and get started (for beginners, which I know you are not). I did it a few times, way back before I started a steady free weights program. Sometimes I think about doing it again, just as extra (not in place of my lifting). I just wonder if doing it might help me learn better form, but I'm not sure if it will or not.

    It is definitely better than doing no strength training.

    I don't know what the effectiveness is for maintaining muscle. I guess, as others said, it maybe depends on how much muscle a person has already and how long they plan to be on a deficit for. But, it's still better than no strength training. Maybe better to do body pump and still do some heavier, low rep stuff as well. But, whatever works for what you want to do.
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  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Your avatar suggests you are looking for results this program cannot provide.
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  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Honestly, he'll retain a lot more muscle mass than we're giving him credit for. What he won't do is develop more strength, which may or may not be of importance to him or the other people that like these classes. Also, he won't develop any significant new muscle, no newbie gains while at a deficit and no real gains if he goes on a surplus at sometime in the future.

    The drawback to bodypump and similar programs is not that they aren't effective for losing weight while retaining lbm because they are very good at that. It's that they can only do the one singular thing. A true lifting program with optional cardio can be adapted to fit any goal, from bodybuilding to strength gains, to sport specific adaptation to everyday functional improvement.


    Edited: because of missing words. Forgive me as I'm typing this crap on my phone
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    And it should be noted that the majority of the blowback when people mention bodypump or similar occurs when they call it a "heavy lifting" program. Because it ain't. For all the reasons listed above. Just no. "but it's heavy for meeeeee" doesn't change this basic fact.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    Thanks Op, for sharing info about the content of the class.

    Thanks Dav, for a very good answer to the question!! I was really not sure, now I know more about it.

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