Anyone do BodyPump?

[FiftynFooked]

I really fancy having a go but am unsure about what weights to use and whether I’ll get into a flap changing weights between exercises!

Do you do it for fitness or muscle tone? I do work out with weights in the gym but am guessing it wouldn’t really be a viable alternative to that? Starting to get a bit fed up of all the blokes hogging the machines and weight benches 😡

Get to class early as there is a lot of setting up, tell the instructor that you are new and they’ll advise. Best to start with light weights while you get used to the pace, current squat track is pretty fast! I enjoy it, hope you do too!

I did it for a long time and was in great shape. Go up to the instructor before the class so they can tell you what to do. Go light the first couple of times at least, it's very high rep.

Oh I love it! I'd class it as resistance based cardio and what I like is that it's full body so hits areas I might not reach on my gym lifting routine (as I'm easily motivated to do lifts that I'm good at or enjoy rather than the areas I need to work for balance/symmetry).

It definitely helps me shape my body and push myself in ways I wouldn't working out alone.

You'll have time to change your weights between tracks. It's very structured and you quickly get to know what weights you want for each. Try to keep pushing up the weight every week/couple of weeks.

If you want a taste of what it's like you can see full routines on YouTube. It's usually old routines but a lot of the exercises are similar and will give you an idea of whether you'll like it.

I say give it a try!

If you already lift, I'm not sure you'll get much out of it. It was my gateway to proper lifting but the speed and number of reps makes it hard to focus on form! I'd give it a go but don't expect the same gains or muscle tone as you'd get from heavier lifting. You might be better looking for other resistance/strength classes near you.

Get there early so you can set up your equipment (a step for lying on, a bar and a selection of weights).

You will be best going light your first time so maybe 2.5kg per side. You can even stick with the same weight for the whole class until you get the technique right. The instructor will guide you when to add on and when to take away. For some tracks you need spare plates for holding in your hands so have some handy (maybe 2.5kg or even 1kg)

The class follows the same format each time although some tracks will be missed out if its a 45 minute class.

• Warm up
• Squats
• Chest (lie on the bench for this one)
• Back
• Triceps/Biceps - sometimes separate tracks and sometimes combined
• Lunges/Shoulders - again sometimes separate and sometimes combined
• core
• cooldown

I’m going to go against the grain and say I really didn’t like body pump 😬

It was just too fast paced and I really noticed my form slipping because of that, which can be dangerous! If you are new to movements there isn’t time to make sure your form is correct and if the class is busy the teachers might not be able to help. Plus changing weights all the time and getting the right weight was confusing 😅

I like body balance and body attack though.

I also hated it. I love lifting weights in the gym and I’m quite comfortable with technique and what weights to use if I’m doing 3 sets of 10-15 reps etc but body pump is high rep, low weight and I just couldn’t get it right. Also, depending on how much equipment the gym has you might miss out on getting the weights you really want so you’re left with ones which are too light or too heavy (IME classes are 99%
women who all want the lighter weights).
it’s really repetitive and if you don’t know what you’re doing it’s hard to plan what weights you need. I also found it really boring and it’s easy for your technique
to fail just to try and keep up.

Agree with go early to speak to the teacher and get set up. Stick to the very lightest weights for your first 2 or 3 classes until you are familiar with the routines and changeovers.
I go as it forces me to lift some weights which helps with running. The music is usually awful though.

Thanks everyone. Mixed reviews but @dementedpixie’s breakdown of the class is really helpful. I think I’ll give it a go as I’m getting a bit bored with my routine so if nothing else it’s a change. Will definitely get there early!

I did it about 25 years ago and I was very young and fit - it did wonders for my body!! Tried it again about 15 years ago and nearly died!! 😂

I went for the first time at the weekend.

I do PT once a week and do heavy weights, low reps and fancied a change.

I quite liked it. An hour flew by. I did find changing the weights a bit of a faff but soon got the hang of it.

It was good fun and it's not instead of weight training, just in addition to.

I've done it for years and I hate every single minute of it!! Find it really boring and the hour seems to drag (unlike Attack and Combat which seem to go quite quickly). It does work though so I grit my teeth and turn up. I wish they did a slightly slower version though - sometimes you have to get up from bench pressing to do push ups on the floor, by the time I get up with my dodgy back they're back to bench pressing again!

It’s worth giving a try. First week I’d stay light - it’s more important to get a feel for the moves and maintain good technique. It can also be hard to gauge what weight you can manage for 5 mins!

if your gym has the Les mills equipment, it’s very easy to change your weights - they just clip on and off.