Lifters: how does LesMills bodypump rate with you?

jdt242 · October 2016

I am new to weights. In the past I have only ever done LesMills bodypump and after a year away from the gym, I am taking it up again. I'd love to lift weights in the gym to build muscle and lean down, but feel like I don't know enough. I can use some machines confidently, but would only be going into the weights area to have a go at everything with no real plan. My question is - will I get the same benefit of attending 2-3 bodypump sessions as week vs weight training in the gym? Discussion welcome :-) Thanks.

annekka · October 2016

I'm not a bodypump teacher, nor have I attended a class in a few years now. But I can provide personal experience.

Bodypump is really more cardio based. It's endurance and less true weightlifting. I found that body pump helped me feel confident with the movements etc. of real weight lifting, and while it did help build some strength, it is nothing compared to actual weight lifting and focusing in on specific muscles. A good friend of mine was an avid Les Mills person for years, and still is. Once he was convinced to do some weights outside of body pump etc. his body starting changing drastically etc. Now Pump is more of an "active rest" for him. However, this is all just personal experience. Of course YMMV.

psuLemon · October 2016

Pump will work more muscular endurance. If you want to get strong, have a chance of gaining muscle (which is hard during a deficit), then you want to follow a structure progressive overload lifting program. If you are a little fearful of getting started, I would highly recommend looking into StrongCurves, NROL4W or Muscle for Life. They are books so they tend to have a lot more information in them and a progressive in nature.

Ultimately, the workout should align to your goals. And while I like pump, I have seen much greater results (especially body composition) when I was lifting heavy.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

Trina2040 · October 2016

I've been going to Les Mills Body Pump classes at my gym for the last 2 years while in a deficit and through maintenance and love it. It has definitely changed my body composition. I take a class 3Xs per week.

I thought briefly about going into heavier lifting but decided against it as the Body Pump classes fit my needs for now. My main interest is maintaining my muscle mass. I highly doubt I'd have much success building more muscle as I'm a 5'2.5" 67 year old woman.

I highly recommend starting with the Body Pump classes and then move on from there once you decide what your lifting goals might be down the road. The classes are a great introduction to lifting.

singingflutelady · October 2016

Just be careful because the form in pump is often different from heavy lifting. I have also seen instrucros using very bad form.

naculp · October 2016

I've gone to 2 different Bodypump classes, and didn't like either one. FWIW, I come from a background of heavy lifting with a progressive overload, where I take decent rest breaks between sets. The rep scheme and pace of Bodypump was just too much/too fast for me to enjoy it.

Strong_Savannah · October 2016

I consistently did BodyPump classes 2-3/week for about 14 months. BodyPump really helped "introduce" me to weight training other than using the weight training machines. If you do enjoy BodyPump, then stick with it and see where it takes you. For me, I wanted to get into lifting heavier, so I started with StrongLifts 5x5 since it consists of essentially the same compound movements that you will learn in BodyPump (squat, bench, overhead press, row, and deadlift), and it gave me more confidence heading into the weight room already having experience with the lifts. If you want to get into heavier lifting, I would suggest StrongLifts if you do feel comfortable enough with the lifts that you learned in BP, and it is a simple program.

Lifters: how does LesMills bodypump rate with you?

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