Les Mills classes

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Has anyone here done Les Mills body pump classes before? I see it on the schedule at my gym and im scared to try. Is it worth going? Have you gained from them?

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  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,878 Member
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    My gym has the Les Mills spinning classes. They've got lots of others too, but I go to the spinning classes ... and enjoy them. :)
  • Fitnessmom82
    Fitnessmom82 Posts: 376 Member
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    I do Body pump twice a week and I love it. I've got a bad back so I'm still going with a pretty light weight. I have not seen any gains from it though. I do think I've improved my endurance, as the class is a lot of reps at a fairly fast pace. I'll say this- at my gym the class is not full of people that are super in shape (including myself), so I don't think it's really for someone looking to seriously build muscle. But it's challenging and fun! You control how much weight you use, so I'm sure you would benefit from It! Give it a try. I was hooked after one class!
  • maggibailey
    maggibailey Posts: 289 Member
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    I would guess from my experience with it that you get more cardio than muscle build. That being said it is fun and fast paced and you will certain no be sore the next day.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    I've done Les Mills Body Balance loads of times and love it.

    I did Les Mills Grit Strength & Plyo once, and man, it was hard!

    I know other people who like Pump. But to know if it suits you, it depends on your fitness goals, and what other exercise you do.

    My personal preference is running fairly long distances.

    Are you trying to "gain" health benefits in general, or specifically "gain" muscle?
  • kshearer13
    kshearer13 Posts: 32 Member
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    I love body pump! I feel so strong and powerful at the end of every class. It burns a tonne of calories. But, it is low weight, high rep so it is good cardio and it helps build/maintain muscles but you likely won't be able to build a lot of muscle.
  • firef1y72
    firef1y72 Posts: 1,579 Member
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    Not Bodypump but I go to a very similar barbell class and it's a very different kettle of fish to the heavy lifting I also do. It's far more endurance and cardio than anything that will build muscle. We're quite a mixed bag in the class, but most of us take other classes with the instructor so she knows our limits. Of the woman I probably put the most on the bar (as much as and sometimes a little more than the instructor) but to compare in the squat track I have 22.5kg on the bar, but when I squat in my lifting session I use 50-70kg, so there's a big difference. I have to say that I struggle to get through the 150+ squats in that 6 min track, which shocked me first time around, once I get through the whole track without needing to stop I up the weight a little. As for Calorie burn I probably do about 350 in a 45 minute class.
  • beerfoamy
    beerfoamy Posts: 1,521 Member
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    Love BodyPump!!

    As others have said, there is a big difference in weight amounts from lifting days as it is more cardio based (the instructor is great but she does get exasperated when she warns new people about putting 20kg on their bar for the warm up - there are A LOT of reps in each track).
    But I do feel epic afterwards! and 'pumped' hehe

    It also really helped me get my form right for when I started strong lifts - but that was all the instructor, I have been to other BodyPump classes where I look round and just see injuries waiting to happen.

    Go for it! if it is on the gym schedule is it included in your membership? give it a go and see. It was one of the friendliest mixed classes I have been to ability and people wise!


  • Tanya16112017
    Tanya16112017 Posts: 1 Member
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    Have just started doing body pump and loving it. I can't find it under the Les Milles group exercises for the diary entry though?
  • vanmep
    vanmep Posts: 406 Member
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    Love body pump! Just be aware though that there is a significant difference between what they advertise as calories burned and what the Fitbit reports as calories burned during a class.
  • beerfoamy
    beerfoamy Posts: 1,521 Member
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    Have just started doing body pump and loving it. I can't find it under the Les Milles group exercises for the diary entry though?

    I use the 'Les Mills BodyPump' entry in the cardio exercise list. :)
  • Sairzie
    Sairzie Posts: 122 Member
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    I’ve just started Body Pump about two months ago. I really enjoy the atmosphere of the class and for someone who was afraid and confused by the weights section of the gym before, I now have gained confidence in that area and have even started writing workouts for me and a friend. It has helped me learn some different moves with weights and how to judge my own improvement.

    In time I imagine the weights will get too light for me but I will still enjoy going as the high repetition and upbeat leader make me work pretty hard and it is very enjoyable.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
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    I go to a BodyPump/CXWorks combo class every Friday and really enjoy it. If I had more flexibility in my schedule, I'd go more than 1x per week, but it's an hour class which gets me home around 6:40 am which isn't enough time to get ready for work, etc. I've done the straight BodyPump class a time or two, also, and I like it. We have some good instructors and I feel like I have some moves I can do at home with my limited equipment to keep some of the strength work throughout the week. I run most days in the early AM, so it's a nice cross training opportunity for me.