Les Mills Body Pump Advice

lynnecrawford

Hello

I do 3 sometimes 4 Les Mills Body pump classes a week. But I am just wondering if that is too much?

I do not want to bulk as my main aim is to lose weight.

Currently my weights are as follows

Warm up 7kgs
Squat - 25kgs
Chest - 10kgs
Back - 17kgs
Biceps - 7kgs
Triceps - 5kg plate and 2.5kg plate for kick backs
Lunge track - Normally body weight to get correct technique
Shoulders 7kgs with bar and 2.5s

I am currently 12st 12, 5ft 6 and want to lose a stone. I eat about 1500-1600 calories a day and also do cardo classes such as spin attack and combat.

HappyStack

Well, first and foremost Body Pump is also cardio, it's just cardio with weights.

But, contrary to popular belief, cardio is not the best way to lose body fat. Lifting heavy is. You lose body fat whilst maintaining lean mass very easily on a proper lifting program.

lynnecrawford

Yeah I know this and when I am on the big muscle tracks my heart rate substantially increases. However just worried about doing to much in a week?

HappyStack

As long as you're recovering fine and you're not feeling unusually tired or unable to give your normal level of intensity in each class, it's not too much.

Cardio is one of those things you can do every day if you really want to and your body is up to it.

Ryapm

Body Pump is the perfect way to incorporate weight lifting into a weight loss regimen. Whilst it is mainly cardio focused, since it is light weights and high reps, there is the advantage that you are working pretty much all the muscles in your body in free weight functional movements.

Combining Body Pump with other Les Mills classes such as RPM for an intense cardiovascular work out, combined with following your recommend calorie intake on MFP will result in optimal fat loss (not weight loss), fat loss, and lean muscle gains.

MickeyBoo

It depends on whether it's working for you to do it so often or whether you'd benefit more from shaking things up a bit. I love Body Pump as a cardio workout mostly. So I try to mix it up, Monday I do a 90min X-Trainer and free weights session, Tuesday is 60min BodyPump, Wednesday is 2hour swim in the morning and 60min yoga in the evening, Thursday is 60min BodyPump, Friday is either a free day or just a light day as by then I'm pretty sore and need time to recuperate due to my back and knee injuries. Weekends I keep it light and just do basic exercises around the house and go for family walks.

2boo2

As a woman, you can't "bulk" up. You don't have enough testosterone to do so.

BP (I took it 3-4x /wk for 1 1/2 years) will not make you "bulky". It is mainly a cardio class. The class is not geared to be "heavy lifting". You won't get "big muscles" especially at the weights you use.

You may want to incorporate a strength program so that you build more muscles. As you develop more muscles you will be able to burn more at rest which will help you lose weight. Also muscles takes up less space than fat so you will look leaner.

mjsolomon

This conversation confuses me a bit. One... research says that the best strength workout combines some cardio. That is moving swiftly between sets, or even walking/stepping between steps. Two... if you are lifting to failure, and your muscles are burning, aren't you doing the same thing, regardless if you are getting to failure with heavy weights and less reps or lighter weights and more reps. I agree if you are not getting to the point where you have to stop/or put the bar down, you are not doing the same thing. But there is a point where those higher reps can start that burn if you have the correct amount of weight to do so. Correct? Your body is repairing based on that burn. It shouldn't discriminate on how you get there.