Just an observation....
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Good point:) I have been doing 25 reps each set for a total of 3 sets. How many reps do you recommend for good muscle definition? With regards to Body Pump, I felt that it was pulling on my back===I had a lumbar sprain not to long ago, and while I got it taken care of, sometimes it sneaks up on me and there is that pulling. I take that as a little warning sign to dial it back--the clean and press bothered my back.I've said it a bunch of times on this forum-Body Pump IS NOT a weight lifting class, it's a cardio class, as well as Zumba, Turbo Kick, etc. If you train for cardio, you won't be ripped. You lift heavy weights for 3-5 reps, you will. Simply put, your appearance will reflect how you train.
How do you define a heavy weight? I can now use 8 pounds for biceps, tricep extensions and go to 12 pounds for chest press--it's still not easy, if it feels too easy, I go for a heavier weight. Had no idea Body Pump was considered cardio. I tried it for the first time over a year ago and liked it, but found it wasn't doing much for me. Tried it again recently and stuck with it for a month (every mon, wed and friday) and it was just 'eh' to me. I prefer doing reps and sets with dumb bells. If my appearance will reflect how I train, I should train harder!:) Instead of that Body Pump I was taking, I just do weights instead. Also--the program that I follow, it takes me roughly a half hour on those weight training days. Should I do more than half hour?
A heavy weight is one where you fatigue after 6 reps.
I did body pump and tore my rotator cuff doing clean and press...lots of momentum going on there. If you want to build muscle, you need to lift heavy. You don't need to do 25 reps....you want strength, not endurance.0 -
Good point:) I have been doing 25 reps each set for a total of 3 sets. How many reps do you recommend for good muscle definition? With regards to Body Pump, I felt that it was pulling on my back===I had a lumbar sprain not to long ago, and while I got it taken care of, sometimes it sneaks up on me and there is that pulling. I take that as a little warning sign to dial it back--the clean and press bothered my back.I've said it a bunch of times on this forum-Body Pump IS NOT a weight lifting class, it's a cardio class, as well as Zumba, Turbo Kick, etc. If you train for cardio, you won't be ripped. You lift heavy weights for 3-5 reps, you will. Simply put, your appearance will reflect how you train.
How do you define a heavy weight? I can now use 8 pounds for biceps, tricep extensions and go to 12 pounds for chest press--it's still not easy, if it feels too easy, I go for a heavier weight. Had no idea Body Pump was considered cardio. I tried it for the first time over a year ago and liked it, but found it wasn't doing much for me. Tried it again recently and stuck with it for a month (every mon, wed and friday) and it was just 'eh' to me. I prefer doing reps and sets with dumb bells. If my appearance will reflect how I train, I should train harder!:) Instead of that Body Pump I was taking, I just do weights instead. Also--the program that I follow, it takes me roughly a half hour on those weight training days. Should I do more than half hour?
A heavy weight is one where you fatigue after 6 reps.
I did body pump and tore my rotator cuff doing clean and press...lots of momentum going on there. If you want to build muscle, you need to lift heavy. You don't need to do 25 reps....you want strength, not endurance.
From what I've heard, 5 sets of 5 is good for strength, 3 sets of 10 is good for muscle growth. But your mileage may vary and there are all kinda of recommendations in between.0 -
Most important thing is going to the classes regardless and getting what you want out of it; for me, spinning makes you work hard, its cardio and you need to push yourself. I found (3) simple things worked to lose pounds and actually I have some abs now, which I didn't even have while playing sports while younger: 1) MFP really helped me track nutrition and calories 2) you gotta move, break it up with circuit training, elliptical, spin classes, weights etc. No boring routines and 3) if you haven't joined a local gym for those who commute during the week, do so...working from home is not an invitation to eat all day and relax.
I think spin if you push yourself is a great way to sweat out and burn calories which combined with MFP, you will be hitting your net numbers and dropping weight. Good luck.0 -
8 and 12 lb aren't very heavy. I am trying to work up to heavier weights (slowly) and I use 30-40 lb bar for biceps and 40 lb bar for bench. I think this is pretty low. If you can do 25 reps its too low.I've said it a bunch of times on this forum-Body Pump IS NOT a weight lifting class, it's a cardio class, as well as Zumba, Turbo Kick, etc. If you train for cardio, you won't be ripped. You lift heavy weights for 3-5 reps, you will. Simply put, your appearance will reflect how you train.
How do you define a heavy weight? I can now use 8 pounds for biceps, tricep extensions and go to 12 pounds for chest press--it's still not easy, if it feels too easy, I go for a heavier weight. Had no idea Body Pump was considered cardio. I tried it for the first time over a year ago and liked it, but found it wasn't doing much for me. Tried it again recently and stuck with it for a month (every mon, wed and friday) and it was just 'eh' to me. I prefer doing reps and sets with dumb bells. If my appearance will reflect how I train, I should train harder!:) Instead of that Body Pump I was taking, I just do weights instead. Also--the program that I follow, it takes me roughly a half hour on those weight training days. Should I do more than half hour?0 -
You can exercise all you want - if you're eating too much (of the wrong things), you won't end up looking like a model for sports advertising. Chances are even if you tried you might not be able to pull it off.
As long as the instructors are a good bit more knowledgeable than you, and do a good job teaching / motivating you, it should be worth taking the class, no matter what they look like.0 -
I think it really depends on how good of a workout they give you.
The best yoga teacher I ever had was completely overweight and not at all what I would want to look like - but she loved yoga, knew her stuff, and really cared about giving one on one attention in a way that was positive, helpful, and caring.
The worst pilates instructor I ever had was in perfect shape, totally inspirational to look at, but was really annoying and embarrassed me in class trying to get me to "lift up" so she could put her hand under my stomach when doing some sort of plank position. Would not hear that I was lifting as best I could, straining to stay up at all, that it was my freaking FAT touching the ground, and that I didn't want a complete stranger touching my stomach in front of a room of 20-30 people. She was basically yelling at me in front of the entire class for being too fat and weak to get my stomach all the way off the floor (umm... isn't that why I'm working out in the first place?). Getting nothing out of the workout AND being publicly humiliated? No thanks. I never went back to her class again.
I don't think the appearance of the instructor is necessarily going to dictate what you get out of the class. It's more about their knowledge level and their ability to inspire and lead you in a way that you find constructive and helpful.0 -
OP, you are right. I read the Les Mills forums and even those instructors will tell you that BodyPump won't give guys the huge, massive muscle look and they need to lift truly heavy in the weight room. Of course, females are encouraged to lift and lift heavy for the simple fact that we cannot bulk up like the men do, so I'm not sure if you're up against seeing your instructors not do the type of weight training that'll produce the results you wish to see, OR if the women in particular simply cannot get that way.
That said, most of my female instructors are very slender and have muscle definition in what I would call a very feminine sort of way. I would kill to have any of their bodies. The one overweight one had actually been losing weight and got encouraged to get her BodyPump certification -- she's a hoot and my favorite BodyPump instructor, so go figure!!
All in all, I still wish I was you because you can go out to the weight room and do your own thing at your own time with your own results in mind. I couldn't do it for more than five minutes on my own so I'm addicted to all these damn classes. Gotta have my BodyPump fix 2-4 times a week; personally I have a blast and I know it's doing at least *something* for me! If there was something else I could actually stick with, saw better results and overall liked better, like you I just might quit BodyPump too. 0 -
Body Pump started to get monotonous for me; they do change it up every 4 weeks---at my gym it is called Group Power. I find that I don't get much out of a large class like that. I am in the weight room every other day--I was able to work with 15 pound weights; no easy feat for me. I could do all the moves, but not biceps. I went back to 10's since the 12's were being used. It was still a challenge for me and I feel accomplished. I was getting discouraged because I see wonderful physiques on Ripped Goddess and the like, but.....not at the gym. That's the confusing thing. I figured if the instructor was doing all these moves every day along with the classes, they would have that ripped physique. One of the instructors, a great lady is very tall, lean and lithe. When I asked what workout moves/weights she used to get that way, she said she was born that way; all her family is tall and very lean:/ Made me feel that no matter what I do/how I lift, I am doomed to look like the bottom half of a fertility urn....0
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Not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but it's also something to keep in mind:
They might not look how you "expect" them to because they themselves aren't after that look. There's a lot more to achieving certain body compositions/looks than simply teaching a lot classes designed to help strength/cardio.
All of the instructors I've ever had all have different body compositions...I think the important thing to keep in mind is whether or not these classes and workouts are getting you to where YOU want to be, regardless of what they are doing for other people.0 -
You don't get "buff" doing cardio...which is essentially what all of those DVDs are. To get "buff" you have to lift weights. Hypertrophy (buffness) occurs most efficiently in the 3-5 sets of 8-12 rep range where you are close to failure on your final rep(s).0
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The cardio I do is to burn fat---hopefully it's doing that!!!;) I lift weights every other day and today I hit what you just described--I couldn't make the final rep and had to take a break in order to get there.You don't get "buff" doing cardio...which is essentially what all of those DVDs are. To get "buff" you have to lift weights. Hypertrophy (buffness) occurs most efficiently in the 3-5 sets of 8-12 rep range where you are close to failure on your final rep(s).0 -
I wouldn't judge the effectiveness of your teachers by how buff they look. Experience matters more than body fat %.0
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True. I just thought that with all the lifting these ladies do teaching back to back classes every other day, that they would have defined arms/abs/legs. If someone doing all that has my physique, for example, then I am thinking it's not working and why should I pursue it and then move on to something hopefully more effective. I was taking the Body Pump 3 days a week, that is a one hour class. Right before that class, I would do a Cardio class, also with weights. That's 2 hours spent at the gym each day. Didn't see much change in myself and not in the instructors; I figured I was wasting my time. I had a Zumba instructor once who is very buff and just...perfect. In every way. She was overweight and had used Weight Watchers and Zumba to lose her weight and wasn't into lifting. I would take her class every day and saw changes; she ended up teaching elsewhere, out of my area, and I lost my mojo for Zumba:/ She kicked butt, let me tell you, and all the ladies saw changes in her class.I wouldn't judge the effectiveness of your teachers by how buff they look. Experience matters more than body fat %.0 -
You can workout all you want but if your food intake isn't under control, you're never going to achieve that look. Exercise only creates so much of a calorie deficit... I would assume that is what's going on with these instructors that you're observing don't look as buff as you would expect.
Also, as there is a lot of misinformation about strength training as it relates to women, it's possible that they're not increasing the amount of weight they're lifting because they're scared to get "bulky". Or as others have suggested, they're just not interested in achieving that particular look.
FYI, personal trainers and fitness instructors are mainly trained in the physical part of weight loss, not nutrition. They may know how to workout but they may not know how to eat right in order to lose weight.0 -
Would love to know the secret of those ladies on the muscle-y poster and such!!!:)
A couple of dirty little secrets about the instructors/models of these types of programs.
1) Absolutely none of them got buff/ripped by doing the program they're selling. They got that way from doing traditional dumbbell and/or barbell routines.
2) Lots of times, the people were in good shape to begin with. They let themselves get soft for the "before" pictures, and just used the program to help get back to where they already were. As such, the program was simply a tool for already fit people.0 -
I've said it a bunch of times on this forum-Body Pump IS NOT a weight lifting class, it's a cardio class, as well as Zumba, Turbo Kick, etc. If you train for cardio, you won't be ripped. You lift heavy weights for 3-5 reps, you will. Simply put, your appearance will reflect how you train.
How do you define a heavy weight? I can now use 8 pounds for biceps, tricep extensions and go to 12 pounds for chest press--it's still not easy, if it feels too easy, I go for a heavier weight. Had no idea Body Pump was considered cardio. I tried it for the first time over a year ago and liked it, but found it wasn't doing much for me. Tried it again recently and stuck with it for a month (every mon, wed and friday) and it was just 'eh' to me. I prefer doing reps and sets with dumb bells. If my appearance will reflect how I train, I should train harder!:) Instead of that Body Pump I was taking, I just do weights instead. Also--the program that I follow, it takes me roughly a half hour on those weight training days. Should I do more than half hour?
I am no expert - but I make sure that I am struggling to do the last rep. I tend to do 3 sets of 6-8. I don't look particularly jacked (you have to hunt for the definition) but right now I can use 20 lb weights for bicep curls (maybe dropping to 17.5 for the last set?) and 25 for alternating chest press (my chest is not particularly strong, I know). I bench about 80, working to increase that. Body pump is definitely cardio - I went recently and what frustrated me is that in order to keep my form good for the number of reps they required I had to drop my weights significantly. I can squat 3 sets of 8 at 135#, but had to drop to about 40# for bodypump!0 -
Would love to know the secret of those ladies on the muscle-y poster and such!!!:)
A couple of dirty little secrets about the instructors/models of these types of programs.
1) Absolutely none of them got buff/ripped by doing the program they're selling. They got that way from doing traditional dumbbell and/or barbell routines.
2) Lots of times, the people were in good shape to begin with. They let themselves get soft for the "before" pictures, and just used the program to help get back to where they already were. As such, the program was simply a tool for already fit people.
Makes sense!! I have always found myself saying that the person always looks fine in the before picture!!!!:)0 -
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I've said it a bunch of times on this forum-Body Pump IS NOT a weight lifting class, it's a cardio class, as well as Zumba, Turbo Kick, etc. If you train for cardio, you won't be ripped. You lift heavy weights for 3-5 reps, you will. Simply put, your appearance will reflect how you train.
thank you.
there is a woman who comes to my studio to do bowka and she swears by her Body Pump- she's says she's addicted to the "Strength training"
She's like we do 800 reps a class... I'm like- lady- you're going to eff your chit all up if you keep doing that- she refuses to believe me.
sigh- oh well.0 -
Body Pump started to get monotonous for me; they do change it up every 4 weeks---at my gym it is called Group Power. I find that I don't get much out of a large class like that. I am in the weight room every other day--I was able to work with 15 pound weights; no easy feat for me. I could do all the moves, but not biceps. I went back to 10's since the 12's were being used. It was still a challenge for me and I feel accomplished. I was getting discouraged because I see wonderful physiques on Ripped Goddess and the like, but.....not at the gym. That's the confusing thing. I figured if the instructor was doing all these moves every day along with the classes, they would have that ripped physique. One of the instructors, a great lady is very tall, lean and lithe. When I asked what workout moves/weights she used to get that way, she said she was born that way; all her family is tall and very lean:/ Made me feel that no matter what I do/how I lift, I am doomed to look like the bottom half of a fertility urn....
It's called Group Power at my gym as well! Does your gym also have Group Kick and Group Step? Just curious. Are you from Maine? 0 -
Hi! I am from NJ; we have Group Kickboxing and we did have a step class called Group Step; I heard they discontinued that.Body Pump started to get monotonous for me; they do change it up every 4 weeks---at my gym it is called Group Power. I find that I don't get much out of a large class like that. I am in the weight room every other day--I was able to work with 15 pound weights; no easy feat for me. I could do all the moves, but not biceps. I went back to 10's since the 12's were being used. It was still a challenge for me and I feel accomplished. I was getting discouraged because I see wonderful physiques on Ripped Goddess and the like, but.....not at the gym. That's the confusing thing. I figured if the instructor was doing all these moves every day along with the classes, they would have that ripped physique. One of the instructors, a great lady is very tall, lean and lithe. When I asked what workout moves/weights she used to get that way, she said she was born that way; all her family is tall and very lean:/ Made me feel that no matter what I do/how I lift, I am doomed to look like the bottom half of a fertility urn....
It's called Group Power at my gym as well! Does your gym also have Group Kick and Group Step? Just curious. Are you from Maine?0 -
Perhaps you're looking for instruction in the wrong place?0
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I am starting to feel that way.Perhaps you're looking for instruction in the wrong place?0 -
I don't participate in any of the classes at my gym, but I have seen many of the instructors. They all look just about the way I would expect. The bodypump instructor is pretty amazing looking as a matter of fact.
There was one spin class instructor that was not as fit as expected, but that was a few years ago, and I only remember seeing her for a couple of months....0 -
I work at a GNC, and I am surprised how many trainers are using thermogenics and always looking for the latest weight loss secret.
TO me, they should be the ones eating well and training well since they are being paid to tell others that.0 -
I started worrying especially when one of the instructors kept grunting through her session and couldn't wait to put the barbell down, LOL. There are a few spin instructors I really like---one of whom is 71 and the picture of good health and wellness. In his class, he explains the moves, why we are doing them and what we will gain from these moves. Not an ounce of fat on him--he used to be very overweight and bike riding and spinning as well as changing his eating for the better got him to where he is now. I admire him greatly and try not to miss his class.I don't participate in any of the classes at my gym, but I have seen many of the instructors. They all look just about the way I would expect. The bodypump instructor is pretty amazing looking as a matter of fact.
There was one spin class instructor that was not as fit as expected, but that was a few years ago, and I only remember seeing her for a couple of months....0 -
thank you.
there is a woman who comes to my studio to do bowka and she swears by her Body Pump- she's says she's addicted to the "Strength training"
She's like we do 800 reps a class... I'm like- lady- you're going to eff your chit all up if you keep doing that- she refuses to believe me.
sigh- oh well.
Well you have to understand your statement can be a pretty tough sell. BodyPump is on release 86 at my gym and they've probably already filmed 88 by now. They do four releases per year, and I know many people who have done the class for years. By definition, the class is low impact. With weights as heavy as you can stand and no jumping, you can still get a tough, high intensity workout while protecting your joints. Just need to listen to the instructors and perform the moves with correct form. It's just hard to believe you'll hurt yourself doing a) a class that is, by definition, low impact, and b), a class that's been around for decades in largely the same format0 -
Hi! I am from NJ; we have Group Kickboxing and we did have a step class called Group Step; I heard they discontinued that.Body Pump started to get monotonous for me; they do change it up every 4 weeks---at my gym it is called Group Power. I find that I don't get much out of a large class like that. I am in the weight room every other day--I was able to work with 15 pound weights; no easy feat for me. I could do all the moves, but not biceps. I went back to 10's since the 12's were being used. It was still a challenge for me and I feel accomplished. I was getting discouraged because I see wonderful physiques on Ripped Goddess and the like, but.....not at the gym. That's the confusing thing. I figured if the instructor was doing all these moves every day along with the classes, they would have that ripped physique. One of the instructors, a great lady is very tall, lean and lithe. When I asked what workout moves/weights she used to get that way, she said she was born that way; all her family is tall and very lean:/ Made me feel that no matter what I do/how I lift, I am doomed to look like the bottom half of a fertility urn....
It's called Group Power at my gym as well! Does your gym also have Group Kick and Group Step? Just curious. Are you from Maine?
NJ here too, where ya at? 0 -
Look into Starting Strength, Stronglift, Wendler, and AllPros.
If you don't have access to a gym or weights, check out Convict Conditioning, NerdFitness, and You Are Your Own Gym.
alterative strength training that requires some equipment purchased that are good are TRX Suspension training and Sandbag workouts.0 -
Near Cherry Hill; about you?
Hi! I am from NJ; we have Group Kickboxing and we did have a step class called Group Step; I heard they discontinued that.Body Pump started to get monotonous for me; they do change it up every 4 weeks---at my gym it is called Group Power. I find that I don't get much out of a large class like that. I am in the weight room every other day--I was able to work with 15 pound weights; no easy feat for me. I could do all the moves, but not biceps. I went back to 10's since the 12's were being used. It was still a challenge for me and I feel accomplished. I was getting discouraged because I see wonderful physiques on Ripped Goddess and the like, but.....not at the gym. That's the confusing thing. I figured if the instructor was doing all these moves every day along with the classes, they would have that ripped physique. One of the instructors, a great lady is very tall, lean and lithe. When I asked what workout moves/weights she used to get that way, she said she was born that way; all her family is tall and very lean:/ Made me feel that no matter what I do/how I lift, I am doomed to look like the bottom half of a fertility urn....
It's called Group Power at my gym as well! Does your gym also have Group Kick and Group Step? Just curious. Are you from Maine?
NJ here too, where ya at?0
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