Has anyone tried Les Mills Grit Series?

I googled it and Les Mills claims that these are HIIT programs. If they really are, then go for it.

High Intensity Interval Training - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training

Hi! I've been doing GRIT twice a week for the last 4 weeks. There are GRIT strength workouts (if you are familiar with Les Mills classes it is like BodyPump on crack) and GRIT plyo workouts (which seem to be similar to Insanity). 30 minutes high intensity interval training. It is serious business. Really hard, but awesome. I work out regularly and am in pretty good shape and really have to push to get through the workouts.

I have noticed strength, endurance and agility gains already. My core is pretty weak from having kids (1 by c-section) and even though I've done pilates and core workouts, this is the first time I'm really noticing my core strength is improving.

One thing I really like about GRIT is that it is small group training. I have never had a personal trainer, for a few reasons, but this is sort of like having a personal trainer in some ways. I am getting to know the handful of other people (4 on Tues AM, 2 on Thurs AM) that are always there in the session with me. And our instructor/trainer is getting to know us. I feel like he knows now what I am capable of and how hard he can push me (pretty darn hard). And I like that it is individualized but also kind of competitive. Like today we did one of the Plyo workouts and there were a few segments where you do a standing 2 leg forward jump. You can bet I've got my eye on my neighbor and telling myself "you better jump further than her/him!" or "you better run faster than her/him".

Anyway, I can't say enough about it. They should pay me to advertise for it (they don't - I don't work for Les Mills or GRIT or a gym or anything) because I'm constantly telling people how much I love it and trying to get people to come to a session with me.

Oh yeah, and I've been at a weight plateau for quite some time and have broken through it with no changes other than swapping out 2 60 minute classes a week in favor of 2 30 minute GRIT sessions.

My gym had them, but had a major turnover of instructors in December so they don't offer them right now. The gym staff is actually trying to get me to go to the Les Mills course to become an instructor and I plan on doing so when my schedule frees up a little.

It is fast paced and the strength ones are probably best to start out with to test your knees. You will want to know how to properly do a clean and press lift. If there is something that you can't do like a squat jump, then you should be able to modify to just doing a squat. The tempo, while fast, is set to how quickly you can do it. The plyo version has a lot of jumping and bouncing so probably not the best to start with.

If you are concerned with what they do, ask if you can observe a class first. It is a great workout that gets the heart rate up and keeps the metabolism going long after the workout.