Body Pump ... a bit daunted!

[humanfemale]

I've been going to body balance classes at the gym for months now and can do a session without too much trouble (i.e. Don't break a sweat, no sore
Muscles, more a nice stretch than a challenging workout really).

I'm hoping to start toning my body more now - especially upper arms! - so have signed up to Body Pump class this Wednesday. But feeling a bit worried about it to be honest. It's just really far from my confort zone of low impact, yoga typed exercise. But yoga just isn't shifting the flab fast enough, so here I am!

Can anyone offer reassurance that I'm not going to be way out of my league?! Is it manageable for someone who has a relatively low level of strength? Also I sprained my ankle a few weeks ago - it's more or less healed but still weak, if you see what I mean? Does BP involve much jumping around?

Hope someone here can offer some experience! I am really motivated to try something new but for some reason body pump just looks so advanced when I'm seeing classes through the little window at the gym!

I am terrified of getting stuck with the wretched bar on my shoulders unable to hoick it back to the floor!

I disagree queenmortificado: with poor form, attending only once a week or less, inflexibility/weaknesses as many of us have, heavy weights could cause pain and injury. Instructors don't have time/expertise to help IME. Light weights will still use the muscles and burn energy.

Yes it'd be best to do it well and with heavier weights, but better to do it with lighter ones than not at all IMO.

abraid there was an awful techno track wasn't there. The music does tend to let pump down sometimes.

Surreyblah you shouldn't be attending with poor form. You should get help on form then increase weights. Doing high reps with very low weights is pointless and doesn't build muscle at all.

I've only just started and 2.5kg is killing me lol. I of course will increase when I can! I'm aiming for a third session this week and 3 next week so hopefully it won't take too long.

Those who lift heavy what are you lifting now and started on? And how quickly did you increase?

Human and Surrey thanks for advice. Desk worker syndrome spot on and it's my left arm, and I'm right handed. So you're both right I think about trying to work on strengthening my left arm before I go back. Thanks

Cantstand I am only lifting the same as you and nearly died when a poster up thread saying something about 25k not being very much . I do 2 sessions a week plus Balance and Yoga. Started in the Autumn of last year so not sure what is going wrong, maybe just my fear of dropping the bar if too heavy!

addicted I definitely feel I can deadlift a lot heavier than what I am...but anything above the head and im dying and also the Lunges KILL!!!

When I was a regular at pump, I would have 35kg on for the squats track. I could get it up and on my shoulders, but couldn't get it back over my head afterwards so the instructor would take it for me! He did this for several of us.

addicted yes you will get muscles. As said, it's important to really challenge yourself - if you can't even finish the track, that's fine! If you can finish the track easily and comfortably, you won't get the results. You also want to take a look at your diet and make sure you eat enough protein.

Oh and I often help people get their bars on their backs and off, no problem.

Interesting about what you say about not finishing the track, Katharina. I always struggle to finish chest tracks and wasn't sure whether I should cut the weight and finish or keep going and accept I can't always finish.

No! You should be barely able to finish the track - if you can get through them all relatively easily, you won't get the same results.

Love all this advice! Right, I'm going to up my weights at Body Pump tomorrow!!!

I'll go for 5kg each side for warmup, legs, back etc
And 2.5 each sides for chest and arms
This might not sound much but will definitely challenge me because I'm so new to strength training (which is a kinder way of saying weak!)

Also I've been going to a Body balance a week still, and have noticed I'm getting much more out of these classes too since I started Pump! Like I'm going into the poses more and not shying away from feeling a burn.

Your warm up weight should be the lightest that you use so start with the 2.5kg each side and the double it for the squat track. At some point you'll be able to treble it

I did Pump Saturday and Sunday evenings and like I said before low weights but only had 2.5kg plates for biceps track (which I love!) which was higher than my bar weight...anyway still in horrendous pain in my biceps to the point it's made it sooooo uncomfortable to sleep the last two nights. Hope it feels better tomorrow as want to do another pump.

My plan is to do Grit Strength tonight....

Anyone got experience with Grit? There are a lot of options. Grit cardio, grit plyo and combo (both of these) and then strength!!

Warm up weight should be the lightest weight and the squat weight should be the heaviest. The rest should all be somewhere in between. I do 3.5kg per side for warm up and then add on 5kg each side for squats (I used to do 10kg a side but my knees are bothering me just now). 5kg/side for chest, triceps. 5/6kg for back and a 10kg plate for the last section overhead. 3.5kg for shoulders which I always find hardest.

Im going tonight for the first time.
Im really excited and i'll report back.

human the strength work you do at pump will boost your ability at balance.

cant I do Grit every so often. It's fast and now I'm in my 40's I don't have so much explosive muscle power for quick changes but it's a good shorter class.

The average weights in the class of 20 I attend are light: 2.5kg on each side for warm up, chest, triceps, and shoulders, 5kg each side for squats, varies for biceps, some 2.5 each side and some a little weight on top or 3kg hand weights. Lunges some people don't use any weights at all!

There are 3 or 4 people who go much heavier but no one goes above 20kg on any track.

I have found it really depends on the instructor. I lift heavy, and my regular classes follow. 10 per side for squats is normal in my class, many people go above.
I sometimes substitute for other instructors and there are massive differences. In one class, people were all doing 1 or max 2,5 kilos. I later learned that their instructor does so many classes that she teaches them with an empty bar. So of course nobody will even tough the 10 kilo plates.

An empty bar for the instructor!!!

Am sure the franchise wouldn't condone that, unless perhaps during recovery from injury.

All the instructors I've had have lifted really heavy while talking and keeping an eye on our form and I was just 😍😍😍wow!

Just don't do balance the morning after really pushing yourself in Pump! The last Balance track, not the current one, seemed particularly shoulder-oriented and my arms and shoulders were a bit wobbly. Also found the strength track in the previous Balance made my thighs tremble if I'd pushed the lunges and squats the previous night. The current Balance seems a bit easier in this respect and I have also managed to shift classes around to give more of a gap. But it's always a question of weighing up whether to stay with a favourite instructor or not.

I upped my weights slightly this morning and am really feeling it now. Should have gone running tonight but just too tired .