Body Pump vs Lifting. Help!

jhc7324

All the ones I've been to, that's what we did for probably 75% of the class-- lift barbells. :huh:

those things that are 8 feet long and weigh 45 pounds?

really? you used those in body pump?

It has to be an Olympic bar to be strength training? Come on, you guys. You're playing with me now.

no- that wasn't my thought- I just was mostly thinking what bar were you using in body pump- the only ones I've seen are the one foam ones that come pre-weighted- like 2-5,7.5-10, 12, 15 and I think at most 25. I know technically a barbell can be as short as 4 feet- I have just never seen any classes utlize anythign that's ACTUALLY a barbell that's designed to have weight added/removed- only the pre-weighted ones.

And again- it's not a bad thing- it's just... it's not a barbell- I was mostly just more confused.

Body Pump is hardly cardio .... if you think it is, you are doing it wrong.

Cardio is spin class ... there is a huge difference between the two.

I have seen good changes from Body Pump.

and we are back to the top.
yes yes it is... it's significantly more in the "cardio" camp- than the strength camp.

If you think strength training is body pump- you're doing strength training wrong.

"good changes" from something doesn't make it something it's not.

I did the body pump class at my gym once, but it did use a very light (I think it was plastic and maybe weighed 5 lbs) bar, and plastic weights of various sizes. They run those classes in the basketball court at my gym and there's a stack of these bars, collars and a couple of racks of the weights for them.

WalkingAlong

Heh, the actual, licensed version of BodyPump uses non-pre-loaded barbells and plates. The plates are plastic, sand-filled. The bar is shorter than oly-- probably 5'. You don't load it all that heavy due to the overkill reps, but it's not a max of 25# or anything, either.

So I guess my kettlebells are pure cardio, too, huh? :happy:

PikaKnight

Heh, the actual, licensed version of BodyPump uses non-pre-loaded barbells and plates.

So I guess my kettlebells are pure cardio, too, huh? :happy:

Depends on how you are using them (rep/weight wise) and your progression with them.

WalkingAlong

Yes, same for body weight or 5' barbells or sandbags or tires or gymnastic rings or a TRX or any tool.

WalkingAlong

I think part of the problem is in the terms below. I think some are saying if it's aerobic, it doesn't count as strength/resistance?

http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Health_Letter/2008/September/Glossary-of-exercise-terms

Aerobic vs. anaerobic exercise

Exercise falls into two general categories: aerobic and anaerobic. Aerobic exercise is muscle movement that uses oxygen to burn both carbohydrates and fats to produce energy, while anaerobic exercise is muscle movement that does not require oxygen and only burns carbohydrates to produce energy.

In practice, aerobic exercise means activities such as walking, bicycling or swimming that temporarily increase your heart rate and respiration. Aerobic exercise (also known as cardiovascular exercise) builds your endurance.

Anaerobic exercise typically means activities such as weightlifting and push-ups and sit-ups, which builds muscle and physical strength through short bursts of strenuous activity. An ideal exercise program should include both aerobic and anaerobic exercise.

Endurance training vs. strength (or resistance) training

These terms correlate with aerobic and anaerobic exercise -- aerobic exercise builds endurance and anaerobic exercise builds strength. Since strength training often involves using muscles to work against the force of weights, it’s also known as resistance training. Strength training boosts the amount of muscle in your body by making your muscles work harder than they’re used to.

Another important difference is that endurance training should be done on most days, but strength training should be performed only two or three times a week, in order to give your muscles time to recover.

---

Googling around for more info for my own benefit on anaerobic vs. aerobic I ran across this study below. Weird that people study BodyPump. I wonder if Les Mills funds the studies or something.

http://www.fpjournal.org.br/painel/arquivos/1972-6_Bodypump_Rev2_2003_Ingles.pdf

Conclusion: Body pump provides a low stimulus to improve aerobic capacity and should not be used as the only
method of cardiovascular exercise. It also produces a signifi cant caloric expenditure and may also provide other fi tness benefi ts such as muscular body mass increase and maintenance of body composition.

Sam_I_Am77

I'm done after this post because somebody obviously enjoys this style of training and is taking this to heart way too much.

There's a difference between strength training and improving neural adaptation to a movement during exercise.

Strength Training: Individual has a specific goal (fat loss should not be a training goal) and has a short-term to long-term plan on how to get there. The plan includes exercises that specifies loading parameters, sets, reps, rest, and frequency. These variables will likely change over the course of time depending on how the macro-cycle is defined, undulating-periodization, block periodization, linear periodization, etc.

Body Pump: You go in and do whatever the instructor says. You do some exercises and as your body adapts to exercise as one's motor neurons become more efficient at managing the exercise. Over time, likely past 12 weeks the neural adaptation stops and strength gains will be marginal to none. Note that Niner mentioned many of his participants used the same weights for long periods of time. This is why the studies involved with Bodypump involve untrained women. I did not see any studies that included individuals with a couple years of training experience.

I'm out, take it for what it's worth; I do hope the OP got something useful out of this. - J

WalkingAlong

For the record, I don't do this style (well, rarely) and am taking nothing 'to heart'. It's slow at work and it's an interesting topic.

And it's good to show that half the people that give advice on something didn't even know what it is.

Have a nice weekend. :drinker:

JoRocka

I don't know exactly what heroine is but I know it's bad for me.

Sam_I_Am77

I don't know exactly what heroine is but I know it's bad for me.

I'm sure the dealer would tell you that's it fine for your health though.

rachelrb85

If you want to become leaner and more toned then lift heavy while eating at a deficit. You can still do body pump on your off days if you enjoy it

JoRocka

I don't know exactly what heroine is but I know it's bad for me.

I'm sure the dealer would tell you that's it fine for your health though.

qualifies as cardio right?
gets the heart rate up?

PikaKnight

I don't know exactly what heroine is but I know it's bad for me.

I'm sure the dealer would tell you that's it fine for your health though.

qualifies as cardio right?
gets the heart rate up?

Wow. Hadn't thought of that but....damn. LOL!!!! :laugh:

Kevalicious99

I have to say that I have done BP for some time and ... is it "strength training". No, but that does not mean it is not beneficial.

As has been said, often you see people using the same amount of weight over and over and over.

I do agree that if you do not challenge yourself by adding weight, then the benefit is probably minimal.

But if you are that type of person that does not want to challenge yourself every class then .. well doing less reps is probably not going to help you either.

A typical class is different body areas .. for like 5-6 min an area and you do feel like you had a workout at the end if you are pushing yourself.

Is it for everyone ... no. Depends on your goals.

Personally .. the hardest thing I do every week is spin class, it is not the weight training or Body Pump. It is spin class ... but at the same time BP is not for the weak either as it can give you a good workout if you let it.

But you do have to ensure to challenge yourself. Otherwise .. like anything else, it is just a waste of your time. Sadly .. like in all the classes I attend .. there are what I call "the slackers". But .. they will get out of it what they put in.

cwolfman13

It's just the point. Anything 'girlie' or not low rep/high weight is demonized here. BP is not cardio and it's a great option for someone with the OP's goals.

Low rep is terrific. It's a great choice. It's not the only thing with any value.

That's not true at all...people are simply suggesting that BP is not a strength program...because it's not.

I'm currently getting ready for my fall cyclocross season and I'm primarily working with low weights and high reps, largely with dumbbells and kettlebells and body weight work...I also mix in some explosive stuff like box jumps, kettle bell swings, jump squats, etc. This is resistance training designed to improve my muscular endurance and explosiveness for race season...it is not "strength" training. Strength training is an actual thing and a specific way of training.

I stated in an earlier post on this thread that it's a pretty good idea to work in cycles of various rep ranges throughout the year as a matter of general fitness. Higher rep has it's benefits...but one must clearly define what they are training for to understand and reap those benefits. Someone wanting to train for "strength" is only going to see marginal benefit from doing something like BP or lower weight/higher rep workouts like I'm doing now.

ninerbuff

Body Pump is hardly cardio .... if you think it is, you are doing it wrong.

Cardio is spin class ... there is a huge difference between the two.

I have seen good changes from Body Pump.

Muscle endurance training (reps 12 and above for a set and multiply sets at that) activates slow twitch muscles (with oxygen or aerobic) rather than fast twitch ones (without oxygen and anaerobic). You can't fool physiology.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Madame_Goldbricker

I do Body Pump weekly - I would go down the road of it isn't strength training per say. However there are obviously resistance elements to it. And it's a great class to introduce people to the notion of free weights who might otherwise feel intimidated.

It gets the heart rate up & it definitely has it's place. I also do 1/2 Combat 1/2 Body Pump - But I don't view that as "martial arts" training either. The Les Mills classes are what they are. And they do offer an hour long fun class which participants who might otherwise skip the gym find enjoyable to attend.

ninerbuff

I do Body Pump weekly - I would go down the road of it isn't strength training per say. However there are obviously resistance elements to it. And it's a great class to introduce people to the notion of free weights who might otherwise feel intimidated.

It gets the heart rate up & it definitely has it's place. I also do 1/2 Combat 1/2 Body Pump - But I don't view that as "martial arts" training either. The Les Mills classes are what they are. And they do offer an hour long fun class which participants who might otherwise skip the gym find enjoyable to attend.

A great objective opinion of both programs.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Sam_I_Am77

You can't fool physiology.

You sure can in MFP-land! LOL! :noway: :huh:

This thread is funny now. @WalkingAlong: I'm not saying this to be mean but you really misunderstand exercise science and you're quoting stuff that is incorrect or taken out of context. Which is okay, most of the population does in-fact. In this thread you have at least two people with an education in this field and multiple people with experience telling you otherwise. Let's stop the madness before this thread gets locked for being rude.

llamajenn

I love Body Pump. I teach it at least 3 x/week along with a couple cardio classes (usually a kickboxing & cycle) and rarely do other strength training or weights. My goal has never been to look like a bodybuilder; if so, I'd spent some time in the weight room lifting heavier as well. There is an element of cardio to it but I don't consider it a typical cardio class. If you are the proper weight and doing the exercises correctly, your heart rate can increase substantially-- especially when you're using the larger muscles (i.e. squat, back, lunge tracks).

A person's body type (mesomorth vs. ectomorph vs. endomorph) will also have a determination on how much muscle you'll build, or at least how visible it will be. For me, my upper body has always been thin, so my arms got toned and muscular fairly easily after doing this a couple years. Abs & lower body has been a bigger challenge, but remember that diet also plays a huge role in results.

A lot of it comes down to preference. If you enjoy group exercise, go with pump. If you're comfortable in the weight room, you can do what you'd like in there, whether it's low rep with heavy weights or low weights with high reps (like pump).

llamajenn

I've taught the class as a sub. One doesn't need certification to teach a choreographed class that just requires music and a list sequence of the exercises to be done.

That is incorrect. No one is supposed to teach Body Pump (or any other Les Mills class) unless they get certified. It isn't a quick & easy process either. 2-3 day training + certification video, etc.
There are other pre-choreographed programs out there (like Group Rx Rip) that DON'T require certification and are available to use for anyone. Big difference. The Les Mills company is a bit of a control freak, but I believe it's because they are trying to keep the quality high.